Letters to the Editor
Written by PA Heritage Staff in the Letters category and the Fall 1994 issue Topics in this article: Baltimore Museum of Art, Easton, Horace Pippin, Johnstown Flood, Lehigh Valley, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Penn State University, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, Pittsburgh, State Museum of Pennsylvania, West ChesterHorace Pippin
Judith E. Stein’s article, “Pippin,” in the spring 1994 edition prompted me to visit the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts’ exhibition, which I truly enjoyed. Since I really enjoyed the article, I have passed around my copy and cannot remember when this traveling exhibit returns to the East Coast. How timely (and clever) for Pennsylvania Heritage to help launch this national tour with a cover story! I’ve seen a number of articles about Pippin, but Pennsylvania Heritage – as is usually the case – provided the first and the best story. Congratulations are in order.
William S. Jones
Easton, Pa.
“I Tell My Heart: The Art of Horace Pippin,” showcasing nearly one hundred drawings, paintings, and burnt-wood panels by the West Chester artist, is on view through Sunday, October 9 [1994], at the Cincinnati Art Museum. The exhibition will travel to the Baltimore Museum of Art, where it will be on view from Wednesday, October 26, through Sunday, January 1, 1995. “I Tell My Heart” will conclude its national tour at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, from February 1 through April 30, 1995.
Flood!
I have just enjoyed the wonderful experience of reading a well-written piece in the winter 1994 issue of Pennsylvania Heritage. The item appeared in “Currents” and is entitled simply “Flood!” This brief article gives a very interesting account of the 1889 Johnstown Flood and is beautifully written. I am a consulting engineer and teach safety courses plus provide safety seminars and workshops for The Pennsylvania State University’s New Kensington campus, located near Pittsburgh. In the course of my safety teaching, I define and explain the concept of “The Preventable Accident” and, in doing so, use the Johnstown Flood of 1889 as a nearly perfect example of a preventable accident. Thank you for producing such a fine historical quarterly publication.
David M. Nelson, P. E.
Verona, Pa.
What a Pair!
I loved the article in the spring 1994 issue on Joan and David Dutcher, the husband and wile team of historians (see “A Modern Marriage Inspired by the American Revolution” by William C. Kashatus III). What a pair! Pennsylvania Heritage is putting people back in history and that’s what makes it come to life. The Dutchers and your magazine have reawakened my interest in history. Thank you for publishing an intelligent, well-written piece about two individuals whose love of history has touched so many others.
Miriam S. Sachs
Miami, Fla.
Much to Learn
As a former resident of the Lehigh Valley, I enjoyed the piece about the Reverend Roberts of Bethlehem (see “Thirty Years Ago Today: R. Wakefield Roberts and His Community Civic League Respond to History” by Wandalyn Jeanette Enix in the spring 1994 edition). Even though racial discrimination occurred in our not-so-distant past, it’s quite easy to forget or simply overlook what were then painful incidents and harrowing experiences. I thank Pennsylvania Heritage for keeping such recent history alive, as well as for telling the truth. We still have much to learn – and remember – about our own lifetime.
Carl V. Grant
Camden, N. J.
Hold That Date
Despite the editorial staff’s enthusiasm for celebrations and commemorations of all sorts, The State Museum of Pennsylvania will not mark its centennial next year (see “Executive Director’s Message,” spring 1994). The building which housed the old State Museum will turn one hundred in 1995. The State Museum, the institution, will observe its centennial in 2015. Ideas for party favors, anyone?
