Letters to the Editor
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the Letters category and the Fall 1991 issue Topics in this article:Grande Dame
I thank you for presenting such a wonderful article, “A Grande Dame Named William Penn,” in your spring 1991 issue. It was such a joy to read and is certainly a keepsake that I will treasure. We, the employees at Pittsburgh’s Westin William Penn Hotel, all have a great sense of pride in the history and elegance of this landmark hotel. I am fortunate to have been the general manager of this property for the past two and a half years, and the number of stories and anecdotes I hear from both guests and staff as to what this hotel means to them never ceases to amaze me! Marianne Lee, the author and our “resident historian,” has captured the very essence of The William Penn Hotel as we celebrated its seventy-fifth anniversary. Thanks for helping us renew the many grand memories of Pittsburgh’s beloved Grande Dame!
Wayne Bodington
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Cover Story
My hat is off to Pennsylvania Heritage for the fabulous covers! Each issue is better than the one before, and I cannot help but marvel at the beautiful cover photographs and the elegant cover colors. Pennsylvania Heritage makes me proud to be a faithful reader and, even more importantly, a Pennsylvanian. Keep up the great work!
Joan Libby Reese
Easton, Pa.
Designing Women
My wife Janet and I enjoyed the article by Britta C. Dwyer, “Pittsburgh’s Designing Women,” in the winter 1991 edition. Both of us knew Alice Craft whose diploma from the Pittsburgh School of Design for Women was shown. She was the daughter of the Craft for whom Crafton was named. She married and became Alice Craft Hardy, and her home was on a corner of Alice Street – named for her. Mrs. Hardy was a pleasant, dignified, and bright woman. She was a friend of my mother, and, perhaps owing to that, I mowed her lawns about sixty years ago during the Great Depression. Needless to mention, it was a hand-powered mower and a lawn of nearly an acre. My recollection is that I received two dollars for that task; this was a generous sum in the days when Henry Ford was thought to be crazed for paying his workers five dollars a day. Doubtless there were some of her paintings in the house, but I cannot now recall seeing any. As you can see, this article brought back memories. Thank you for a splendid magazine.
Gordon Zern
Lancaster, Pa.
Mistaken Identities
Two photographs in the summer 1991 edition were incorrectly captioned. The portrait on page six of “Courageous Cumberland County” by Louis M. Waddell is not of Dr. Charles Nisbet, first president of Dickinson College, but of John Armstrong, Jr., the son of a frontier leader, who was Pennsylvania’s secretary of state from 1783 to 1787, and moved to New York in 1789. The cricket player incorrectly identified as George S. Sanderson on page thirty-three of “Cricket, Anyone?” by Tom Melville is actually George S. Patterson, a famous batter for the Germantown Cricket Club. The editor regrets these errors.
A Capitol Idea
Upon opening the latest edition of Pennsylvania Heritage, I was very pleased to see the subject of the “Executive Director’s Message” by Brent D. Glass and very elated after reading it. Dr. Glass’ comments and compliments given to the Capitol Preservation Committee are very much appreciated. In fact, Dr. Glass has provided invaluable help on the many projects that the committee undertakes; without his assistance we would be unable to accomplish so much. On behalf of our committee members, thank you for the recognition given to our efforts. I look forward to continuing the preservation of this great State Capitol and working with Dr. Glass to attain our goals.
Joseph R. Pitts
Harrisburg, Pa.
State Rep. Joseph R. Pitts serves as chairman of the Pennsylvania Capitol Preservation Committee.
