History Center Hosts Civil Rights Panel

Media Contacts:
Ned Schano Brady Smith
412-454-6382 412-454-6459
nschano@heinzhistorycenter.org bmsmith@heinzhistorycenter.org

***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***MEDIA ALERT***

History Center to Host Civil Rights Panel
-Local civil rights experts Alma Fox, Ralph Proctor, and Sala Udin among featured panelists-

WHAT: Next Wed., Feb. 27, the Senator John Heinz History Center will host a special panel discussion on the Civil Rights Movement in conjunction with the History Center’s new exhibition, 1968: The Year That Rocked America, presented by UPMC Health Plan.

The “Civil Rights in Pittsburgh: Lessons from 1968” panel will feature local leaders who fought for civil rights in Pittsburgh during the late 1960s.

Panelists will include Alma Speed Fox, the executive director of the NAACP from 1966-71; Ralph Proctor, host and producer of the show “Black Horizons,” on WQED-TV in 1968; and Sala Udin, former Pittsburgh city councilman and current interim co-director of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture.

The panel will be moderated by Rick Adams, who was a student at Westinghouse High School in 1968 and is now assistant vice president for the Frieda G. Shapira Center for Learning Through Service at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC).

The speakers will discuss what Pittsburgh was like during the tumultuous year of 1968, which included the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the subsequent rioting in Pittsburgh neighborhoods and across the nation.

Admission to the “Civil Rights in Pittsburgh: Lessons from 1968” panel is $10 for visitors and free for History Center members. Admission includes access to the History Center’s 1968: The Year That Rocked America exhibition.

The 1968 exhibit explores this watershed in American history using evocative objects, state-of-the-art multimedia displays, and more than 100 artifacts related to 1968’s seminal moments.

WHO:
– Alma Speed Fox, former executive director of the NAACP (1966-71)
 – Ralph Proctor, professor of ethnic and diversity studies, Allegheny Campus at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)
– Sala Udin, interim co-director of the August Wilson Center for African American Culture
– Rick Adams, panel moderator, assistant vice president for the Frieda G. Shapira Center for Learning Through Service at the Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC)

WHEN: Wed., Feb. 27  6:00 p.m.

WHERE: Senator John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222

** For more information, photos, and a listing of public programs related to the
1968: The Year That Rocked America exhibit, visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org **



Visitors can view video footage from Dr. Martin Luther King’s final public speech and items from King’s funeral at Ebenezer Baptist Church, including the communion plate, microphone, and program, as part of the History Center’s new exhibit, 1968: The Year That Rocked America.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village Opens 2012 Season

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village Reopens This Weekend

Meadowcroft Rockshelter and Historic Village, a National Historic Landmark located in Avella, Pa., Washington County, will reopen for its 2012 season this Sat., May 5 beginning at noon.  Meadowcroft features a massive 16,000-year-old Rockshelter, the oldest site of human habitation in North America, that provides evidence of how the first Americans lived.

Indian Village

Meadowcroft also features several carefully recreated interpretive villages, including a 16th century Indian village and a 19th century rural village.

New this year, a self-guided trail with informational signs will provide visitors with a new walking trail loop through the woods surrounding Meadowcroft. Visitors will learn how the forest served as the supermarket, pharmacy, clothing store, and much more to American Indians.

Later this spring, Meadowcroft will unveil two new 1770s era structures that will help spotlight the similarities and differences between the everyday lives of European settlers and American Indians in the Upper Ohio Valley.  

To learn more, visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org and click on the "Meadowcroft" tab or call 724-587-3412.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Pro Football Hall of Fame Debuts in Pittsburgh

History Center To Debut Pro Football Hall of Fame Exhibition This Fall

The largest traveling exhibition ever created about the history of professional football is coming to Pittsburgh!

Gridiron Glory: The Best of the Pro Football Hall of Fame will make its world premiere at the Senator John Heinz History Center on Oct. 6, 2012 through Jan. 6, 2013 before embarking on a national traveling tour.    

Developed in partnership with the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Gridiron Glory will focus on the history of pro football, from its humble beginnings in the early 20th century to its rise as one of the world's most beloved sports.
 
Included in the exhibit are more than 200 football artifacts, rare photos, and one-of-a-kind documents from the Pro Football Hall of Fame collections, many of which have never been seen outside of the Hall of Fame.

Highlights include:
The 1892 Allegheny Athletic Association accounting ledger featuring Pudge Heffelfinger, known as "Pro Football's Birth Certificate"

Knute Rockne 1919 Helmet

Artifacts from pro football's pioneers, such as Jim Thorpe's Canton Bulldogs sideline blanket, Knute Rockne's 1919 helmet (above), Red Grange's items from the historic 1925 Chicago Bears barnstorming tour, Johnny "Blood" McNally's canvas football pants, Sammy Baugh's helmet, and Bobby Layne's jersey.

Items from the golden era of pro football, including Jim Brown's jersey, Vince Lombardi's coaching diagrams, Dick Butkus' helmet, Johnny Unitas' jersey, Tom Dempsey's kicking shoe, and Tom Landry's iconic coaching hat.

Highlights from the NFL's greatest running backs, such as footballs from O.J. Simpson and Eric Dickerson, and jerseys from Tony Dorsett, Walter Payton, Bo Jackson, and Barry Sanders.

Artifacts from record-breaking quarterbacks, including John Elway's jersey from the historic 1986 championship season, Joe Montana's Super Bowl XXIII MVP football, and Dan Marino's career yardage and pass completions record footballs.

Items from historic receivers, such as Jerry Rice's helmet and career touchdown reception football and New England Patriots (and Woodland Hills High School graduate) Rob Gronkowski's jersey from his historic 2011 season.

Joe Greene's Game-used Helmet

Gridiron Glory will also feature unique items from Hall of Fame Steelers, including:
Art Rooney's elevator console from the "Immaculate Reception"
Franco Harris' cleats from his legendary career
Joe Greene's game-used helmet
Lynn Swann's 1978 Monday Night Football game ball
Jack Lambert's jersey from his final season

For more information on Gridiron Glory, please stay tuned to www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

For sponsorship opportunities, please contact History Center fundraising counsel Audrey Brourman at 412-454-6404 or albrourman@heinzhistorycenter.org.


Senator John Heinz History Center
1212 Smallman Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15222
412-454-6000
www.heinzhistorycenter.org

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

2012 History Makers Honored at Annual Awards Dinner

History Center to Honor 2012 History Makers at 20th Annual Awards Dinner

The Senator John Heinz History Center will honor distinguished Pittsburghers for their exceptional contributions to Western Pa., the nation, and the world at the 20th Annual History Makers Award Dinner next Fri., April 13 at the Westin Convention Center Hotel.  

Tickets for this special event are still available by contacting Mark Burnett at 412-454-6405 or mlburnett@heinzhistorycenter.org.    

Ticket Prices - $500 for patron tickets. $250 for single tickets.

This year's honorees include:


Arts & Letters
 Jackie Evancho
 International Recording Artist and Soprano Phenomenon
  
Business & Industry
Stephen R. Tritch
Retired Chairman & CEO, Westinghouse Electric

Community
Ronald R. Davenport
Founder, Sheridan Broadcasting Corporation
Dean of Duquesne Law School (1970-1981)

Government
The Honorable D. Michael Fisher
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit

Sports
Chip Ganassi
Owner, Chip Ganassi Racing Teams

The black-tie dinner benefits the educational programs and services of the History Center, and is co-chaired by Donald J. Heberle, president, BNY Mellon of Pennsylvania, and Daniel K. Fitzpatrick, president and CEO, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware of Citizens Bank of Pennsylvania.

Posted on behalf of Dreamweaver Marketing Associates.  Joyce Kane is the owner of Cybertary Pittsburgh, a Virtual Administrative support company, providing virtual office support, personal and executive assistance, creative design services and light bookkeeping.  Cybertary works with businesses and busy individuals to help them work 'on' their business rather than 'in' their business.  www.Cybertary.com/Pittsburgh

Stars and Stripes: An American Story Exhibit Opens at the Heinz History Center

Contact:

Ned Schano
412-454-6382
nschano@heinzhistorycenter.org

Brady Smith

412-454-6459

bmsmith@heinzhistorycenter.org

History Center Exhibition Presents the Story of the American Flag Major exhibit includes a fragment of the Star-Spangled Banner and other items from the Smithsonian, as well as objects from the collection of Pittsburgh native and noted flag expert, Dr. Peter Keim

PITTSBURGH, Sept. 8, 2011 – We pledge allegiance to it, we parade it, and we display it on occasions both solemn and celebratory. The American flag represents the nation and its people, patriotism, and pride, even during times of war and strife.

Next weekend, the Senator John Heinz History Center will open a major exhibition, Stars and Stripes: An American Story, sponsored by BNY Mellon, which details the stories of the people behind the more than 200 year history of our nation’s most enduring symbol.

The 7,000 square foot exhibit, which was developed by History Center museum staff in conjunction with Dr. Peter Keim and historians including Marc Leepson, will open with a special ceremony on Sat., Sept. 10, at 9:00 a.m. which will commemorate the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. Stars and Stripes: An American Story will include objects, images, and archival materials from the History Center’s collections, as well as items on loan from the Smithsonian Institution, The Warhol Museum, The National Gallery of Art, and private collectors.

 “For more than 200 years, the American flag has symbolized the democratic ideals of our nation and its people,” said Andy Masich, president and CEO of the History Center. “This major exhibition examines the people and events which contributed to the flag’s endurance over the past two centuries, throughout the nation and here in Western Pennsylvania.”

Beginning with the nation’s first flag, Stars and Stripes: An American Story will help unravel the myths and reality surrounding its creation, including the mythical story of Betsy Ross developing the first American flag. In addition to Ross, the exhibit will reveal the stories of Americans who have influenced the flag’s legacy, including:

• Joseph E. Fennimore, a soldier who handmade an American flag using a Nazi flag, a blue dress uniform, and salvaged red fabric while in Germany during WWII

• Michael Strank, Franklin Borough, Pa., resident and one of the soldiers who hoisted the American flag in the iconic image from the Battle of Iwo Jima

• John MacFarland, a Pittsburgh native who took the Confederate Stars and Bars flag from the New Orleans Customs House during the Civil War in 1862

• John Michael O’Cilka, an artist from Cambria County whose “Miners with Coal Police” painting portrays a group of striking coal miners holding an American flag and demonstrates the worker’s appreciation of the freedoms granted in the U.S.

• Jay Apt, a Squirrel Hill, Pa., astronaut who displayed the American flag on his helmet during more than 847 hours (35 days) in space

• Thomas Burnett, a passenger on Flight 93 whose family left five American flags each inscribed with a personal message for him at the Shanksville, Pa., crash site following the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001.

A Grand Union flag and a selection of 13-star flags from the Keim collection will offer a look at the inspiration for early flags. A fragment of the Star-Spangled Banner, on loan from the Smithsonian, is featured along with a rare fifth-edition sheet music of Francis Scott Key’s “The Star-Spangled Banner,” which eventually became the U.S. national anthem.

Additional sections of the exhibit will examine the flag during times of conflict, as a symbol of pride and power to some and a symbol of oppression to others. A 12-foot Confederate “Stars and Bars” flag will be shown alongside an American flag from the Battle of Bull Run during the Civil War. WWII flags on loan from the Smithsonian include one of the first American flags to enter Berlin following V-E Day in 1945, as well as the Fennimore flag.

Posters from WWI and WWII and an original Uncle Sam costume worn by East Liberty war bond salesman John Peake will show the role of the flag during wartime as the preeminent symbol of our nation, both for our allies and our enemies. Flags representing the Civil War and the civil unrest of the 1960s and 70s will illustrate the flag as a divisive symbol as Americans battled over identity, unpopular wars, and issues of equality at home.

Modern depictions of the flag are also included, such as “Moonwalk” pop artwork from Andy Warhol and a unique lead relief flag created by Jasper Johns.

Throughout Stars & Stripes: An American Story, several interactive stations and video presentations will help bring the symbolism of the flag to life for visitors. Highlights include touch interactives on materials used to create flags, a section on proper flag etiquette and folding techniques, and a recreated grand entrance of the Centennial Exposition hall in Philadelphia.

9/11 Component Includes Items from Flight 93 Memorial

The exhibit includes a special section on the role of the American flag during the aftermath of the terrorist attacks on the U.S. in 2001. Flags and items left at the Flight 93 crash site will be on display, as  well as the clothes worn by WABC New York reporter and Uniontown native Nina Pineda while covering the terrorist attacks at Ground Zero; helmets from the Eureka Fire Company from Stewartstown, Pa., who sent a team to Ground Zero; and pieces of the Pentagon following the terrorist attacks in Washington, D.C.

Stars and Stripes: An American Story is on display in the History Center’s first floor McGuinn Gallery through June 17, 2012.

For updated exhibit information and related events, including photo galleries and videos, please visit www.heinzhistorycenter.org/flags.

The Senator John Heinz History Center is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution and the largest history museum in Pennsylvania. The Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum is a museum within a museum, comprehensively presenting the region’s remarkable sports story through hundreds of artifacts and interactive experiences for visitors of all ages. The History Center and Sports Museum are located at 1212 Smallman Street in the city’s Strip District, and are open every day from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. More information is available at www.heinzhistorycenter.org.

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Meet Local Authors at History Center's Holiday Book Fair

Media Contacts:
Ned Schano

412-454-6382
nschano@heinzhistorycenter.org
Brady Smith

412-454-6459

bmsmith@heinzhistorycenter.org


History Center's Holiday Book Fair Features More Than 50 Local Authors

- Gridiron and Steel documentary by local filmmaker to be shown at sports-themed event -


WHAT: To help kick off the holiday season, the Senator John Heinz History Center will host its eighth annual Holiday Book Fair on Saturday, Dec. 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Visitors will have the chance to purchase signed copies of books and mingle with more than 50 local authors.

Several authors who are experts on Pittsburgh sports will attend, including:

Art Rooney, Jr., son of Pittsburgh Steelers founder

Andy Russell, legendary Steelers linebacker

Kelly Mazeroski, daughter-in-law of Pirates legend Bill Mazeroski

Jim Rooker, former Pirates pitcher and broadcaster

Jim Wexell, Steelers beat writer, Steelcityinsider.com


Other notable authors attending include:

Dave Crawley, KDKA-TV personality

Rob Rogers, cartoonist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Gwyn Cready, paranormal romance author

Brian O'Neill, lifestyle columnist, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

John Brewer, local African American historian

Eleanor Schano, broadcast media pioneer

Beth Caldwell, Executive Director of Pittsburgh Professional Women

Local filmmaker Jeff Sewald's award-winning documentary "Gridiron and Steel", which captures the connection between football and the region's industrial heritage, will be shown throughout the Book Fair.


The Holiday Book Fair is free and open to the public; regular admission prices apply for History Center exhibits.


WHEN: Saturday, Dec. 4

10 a.m. - 2 p.m.

WHERE: Senator John Heinz History Center  5th floor

1212 Smallman Street

Pittsburgh, PA 15222

--More information can be found at www.heinzhistorycenter.org--
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