Local artist rare female illustrator for dime mags

and she met her future husband, Fred Karn, at one of the couple’s parties. She and Fred married after the end of World War II and moved to his native Pittsburgh, where he was a chemist for the U.S. Bureau of Mines. Mr. Karn died in 2011.

After she moved to Pittsburgh, Mrs. Karn designed a few more covers, but it became too difficult to keep it up and she stopped, although she has continued to paint and exhibit her abstract artworks.

She raised her three children, Shari, Vera and Keith, and now has seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Her pulp covers will be the subject of an exhibition at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Mass., that will open on Valentine’s Day 2018. The museum sent a videographer to her Pittsburgh home to interview her in preparation for the exhibition.

Mrs. Karn said she has ideas for some “little drawings I want to do.” Most recently she’s been experimenting with pouring paint rather than using a brush. “You dilute watercolor and pour it through flexible papers — like Kleenex or paper towels — onto watercolor paper. You get textures you couldn't possibly get with a brush.”

To see some of the pulp covers created by Mrs. Karn: www. gloriastollkarn.com.

For information on the convention, which runs today through Sunday: www.PulpFest.com. demolishing the two-story wing and replacing it with two smaller, one-story additions. The McKnight renovations are estimated at $18.4 million to $20.4 million.

The McKnight renovations would not increase the size of the building but would make it “smaller and more efficient,” Mr. Scherrer said.

Most problematic is Franklin Elementary, which is nearing capacity despite previous redistricting that sent students to other buildings. One proposal nearly doubles the size of Franklin, making it comparable to McKnight and Marshall.

Renovation of the current Franklin building is estimated at $11.5 million to $12.7 million. However, if a demographic study by Shelby Stewman of Carnegie Mellon University shows continued growth in Franklin Park, the district may want to construct two additions to the building, said Robert Gaertner, director of facilities.

One addition would be a larger cafeteria and kitchen area. The current cafeteria is getting too small for the building, Mr. Gaertner said. The second addition would be a classroom wing on the other side of the building. Adding those areas would bump the project estimate to $28.1 million to $31.1 million.

“The Franklin expansion is only an option if the demographic study says that enrollment will increase beyond capacity,” Mr. Scherrer said.

Other estimated renovation costs are: Hosack, $10.4 million to $11.5 million; Ingomar, $9.4 million to $10.3 million; and Peebles, $9.9 million to $11 million.

The entire report is on the district’s website on the BoardDocs page, which is found under the school board section.

In other action, the board hired the wife of David Christopher, assistant superintendent for K-12, as a teacher after a lengthy discussion on whether the hiring violated the nepotism policy.

Aron Christopher was hired as a fifth-grade teacher at Bradford Woods Elementary at an annual salary of $56,086.

Libby Blackburn and Christopher Finley voted against her hiring.

The North Allegheny nepotism policy stipulates that no one can be hired if their direct supervisor is a relative. The policy also states that nepotism should be avoided “in actuality or appearance.”

“That line, to me, is pretty clear,” Mr. Finley said.

“There are people who substitute for years at North Allegheny, hoping to get a contract position,” Mrs. Blackburn said. “I do think that this is a conflict, even though her immediate supervisor is not her husband. Her husband is actually in charge of the person who is in charge of her. If she weren’t doing a great job, then her principal would have an extremely difficult time saying that she isn’t doing a good job.”

Teachers are hired after being interviewed and evaluated by a team of administrators. The school board interviews only administrative candidates.

“It’s not our job to make individual hiring decisions,” board president Kevin Mahler said. “We have a process in place. I choose to trust our building administrator.”

Mrs. Blackburn disagreed. “. ... It isn’t our job to pick candidates, but it is our job to make sure policies are followed.”

Some board members suggested that the nepotism policy be reviewed.

The board also accepted the resignation of member Tara Fisher, who moved to Virginia after her husband took a job in the Defense Department. Any district resident interested in filling the final four months of her term should apply by Aug. 10. A new board member will be appointed at the Aug. 16 meeting.

“She was a great agent for change in the short period of time she was here,” board member Suzanne Filiaggi said.