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As a young girl,
Evelyn Bitner Pearson often attended lectures with her father, Harry M.
Bitner, at Carnegie Museums.� Now,
as a trustee of her father�s trust, Evelyn is carrying on his legacy of
love for the museums.
����������� Harry Bitner
was a former managing editor of the Pittsburgh
Press and went on to be publisher of Hearst Corporation newspapers in
Pittsburgh and Detroit and general manager of Hearst newspapers in New
York.� He also purchased several
radio and television stations throughout the country, which he sold to
Time, Inc. in 1958.� The funds from
the sale of his media holdings were used to set up the H.M. Bitner
Charitable Trust.
����������� Evelyn
is one of four family members who serve as trustees of the H.M. Bitner
Charitable Trust.� She says that
each family member adheres to the same adage when administering funds from
the trust:� �We give where we
live.�� Evelyn chooses to direct
funds annually to Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh�s general operating
fund�not only because of her father�s appreciation for the arts and
culture, but also because of her personal affection for the museums.� She says, �I remember coming to the
museum when I was in the fourth grade at Linden School.� It was 1920 and I was 10 years old.� I fell in love with a French sedan chair
that was on display.�� Her interest
in French culture blossomed, and she studied the French language in high
school and at the Pennsylvania College for Women (now Chatham College).
�Carnegie Museums is
beneficial for everybody.� It�s
educational and exciting.�
����������� In
addition to being a bona fide Francophile, Evelyn is an accomplished
writer.� At age 89, she published a
biography of her family, titled Chronicle
of an American Family.� She is
currently writing a mystery.� �I had to be a good writer,� Evelyn
says.� �My father wouldn�t have had
it any other way.�
����������� Evelyn
is a long-time member of the museums, and still visits frequently.� She enjoyed the 1999/2000 Carnegie International and the Museum of Art�s Light! exhibition.� A resident of Oakland, she occasionally
stops in Carnegie Caf� for lunch.�
She also has traveled with Carnegie Museums on excursions for
members to Washington, D.C., and New York City.
����������� She is
confident that her father would have approved of her using his trust to support
Carnegie Museums. �Carnegie Museums is beneficial for everybody,� Evelyn
says, �It�s educational and exciting.�
Southern Italy
travelers with host Tom Sokolowski (bottom right)
Travel with Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh
When you travel with Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, a
museum expert is your host.� And,
for many members who travel with the museums, that�s the best part about
the trips.
According to Janie Thompson, who traveled to New Zealand
last February on a trip hosted by Carnegie Science Center Director Seddon
Bennington, �With a museum director or curator, you get first-hand
knowledge about the things you are seeing.�
Plus it�s fun to get to know them on a personal basis.�� Of her trip to New Zealand with native New
Zealander Bennington, she said, �It was wonderful to see a country through
his eyes.��
Janie, a trustee, and her husband, Harry Thompson II, a
Museum of Art docent, frequently travel with Carnegie Museums.� They were among a group of nine who spent
17 days exploring the two main islands of New Zealand.� Seddon wrote in an article about the
trip published in the April 29 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, �My training as a marine zoologist, as
well as my professional and personal interests in art history and
Polynesian anthropology, influenced the itinerary that I put together for
Carnegie Museums� trip.�
Janie urges members who haven�t traveled with the
museums to consider a trip as a way to enhance their appreciation for the
museums that they love.� �I think
members who go on the trips become more interested in the museums�
undertakings,� says Janie.� �You
develop more of a sense of �ownership� about them.�
For Robert Barker, who traveled with a group of nine
hosted by The Warhol Director Thomas Sokolowski to Southern Italy last
March, Tom was the main attraction. �Tom manages to communicate with each
traveler on his or her own level,� says Robert.� �Plus, he has a great sense of humor.�� Although Tom isn�t a native of Italy, he
lived in Rome for more than three years during the 1970s. �He knew all of
its back streets and private places,� says Robert.�
Tom says, �My goal is for every traveler, regardless of
his or her previous travel experiences, to learn something new.�
There are, of course, many other benefits to traveling
with Carnegie Museums, including special access to private homes and rarely
seen treasures.� Robert�s favorite
part of the trip to Southern Italy was an afternoon spent at a private
villa. �It was a real treat to sit in the family�s living room and look at
the contemporary family photographs on the tables.�
�Robert, who is
single, says that members shouldn�t hesitate to take a trip with the
museums just because they don�t have a traveling companion.� �As you would expect, the people who
travel with the museums are very sophisticated.� I was never without invitations for dinner, cocktails, or
other social outings.�
For more information about traveling with Carnegie
Museums, please call 412.622.5774 or e-mail travel@carnegiemuseums.org.
Member Tips
Extended Summer Hours
Summertime is a
great time to enjoy the museums with our extended visitation hours through
Labor Day.� Starting July 9,
Carnegie Museum of Art and Carnegie Museum of Natural History will be open
Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.�
Through July, the Museum of Art will continue to be open until 9
p.m. on Thursdays.� Carnegie Science
Center is open Sundays through Fridays from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturdays
from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.� From August
4 to Labor Day, the Science Center�s new exhibition, UMPC SportsWorks, will be open Mondays through Thursdays from
12 to 10 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays from 12 to 11 p.m., and Sundays from
12 to 6 p.m.
Summer Traveling Companion
Pack your membership card when traveling this summer and
enjoy great reciprocal privileges.�
Membership cards with Carnegie Science Center privileges are honored
at more than 200 science centers in this country and abroad.� Reciprocal members also enjoy free
admission to about 30 major art and natural history museums.� To find out if there is a participating
museum or science center near your vacation destination, stop by a
membership desk on your next visit or call 412.622.3314.
Leadership Donors Honored at May Dinner
Leadership donors to Carnegie Museums� 2001 Annual
Sustaining Fund were honored at a dinner held May 16 at Carnegie Music
Hall.� Leadership donors are
individuals who contribute $1,895 and above, and corporations or
foundations who contribute $5,000 and above in annual unrestricted gifts.
����������� More
than 200 guests enjoyed an evening that included cocktails, dinner, music,
and the chance to chat with Carnegie Museums� president Ellsworth Brown and
members of the Board of Trustees, who were on hand to personally thank
these leading donors.�
For More Information
The Development Office coordinates fund-raising and
membership activities for Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh.� Below is a helpful list of telephone
numbers to call.
Membership: 412.622.3314
Donor Information: 412.578.2472
Corporate Membership and Sponsorship: 412.622.5771
Carnegie Patrons Circle: 412.578.2472
Planned Giving Opportunities: 412.578.2478
Travel Program: 412.622.5774
For general information, please call 412.622.1995.
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Back Issues�
Membership
Copyright (c) 2001 CARNEGIE magazine
All rights reserved.
E-mail: carnegiemag@carnegiemuseums.org
