Looking back to the 1930s and the start of a decades-long career in industrial design, Ralph Kruck recalled a profession mired in tradition and resistant to innovation.

“For I was nineteen when I came to America and then I at once became an American Workman.” -John Kane

“I think music is a fantastic way of empowering people and giving them strength and energy. I’ve spent a good part of my life trying to find and write music that will empower people to resist and stand up for what’s right.” -Anne Feeney in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette April 24, 2008.

When he was young, David McCullough couldn’t decide if he would be a painter, an actor, an architect, or a writer. Eventually, he did it all. And he did it with a style and passion that engaged and inspired generations of Americans.

In the 1940s, three sisters, Barbara, Elaine, and Shirley, sang their way through programs on KDKA radio and toured the country selling war bonds. Known as the Kinder Sisters, these women were one of many sister musical acts that have captivated audiences throughout Pittsburgh’s history. These sister groups were not only hugely popular, they also highlighted the connective power music wields in families and communities.  

When my stepfather sent for me, I didn’t want to go to America. I was doing well in my own country and was becoming more and more in love with Scotland all the time. But Mother thought I ought to go.… And accordingly, I went. 

  “Title IX has done more for women than anything since the 19th Amendment…I thought from the very beginning the most valuable results of Title IX would come through academic…

When the History Center decided to pursue an exhibition on the life and work of Pittsburgh painter John Kane – Louise Lippincott’s name kept coming up in conversation. A historian…

  Samuel Musgrave portrait, 1952 Working behind the scenes for many of Pittsburgh’s leading companies, Samuel A. Musgrave captured an extensive visual record of Western Pennsylvania’s postwar economy.  As a…