GIVE PITTSBURGH A WALK TO REMEMBER
Let’s adapt an idea from St. Louis, says NANCY POLINSKY JOHNSON, and create a ‘Pittsburgh Walk of Fame’
About six years ago, I took a walk I have not been able to forget, and since then, I’ve envisioned everyone in Pittsburgh being able to take a similar walk.
I was in St. Louis with my oldest son, Michael, who was 23 at the time, and we were en route from the Gateway Arch to another tourist site that escapes my memory — because we never got there. Instead, we took what was supposed to have been a brief detour to see the St. Louis Walk of Fame, located in a lively area of shops and restaurants called The Loop.
Like the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame, this attraction features a succession of stars embedded in sidewalks flanking the neighborhood’s main drag, each star bearing the name of a person worthy of note on a national level. But unlike the Hollywood walk, which offers only icons like a television set, record player or movie camera to hint at each honoree’s career accomplishments, the St. Louis walk includes a bronze plaque beneath each star that gives a succinct description of that person’s major achievements and his or her connection to St. Louis.
So, instead of peppering me with questions like, “Who was Soupy Sales?” and “What did Art Linkletter do?” as he had done when we were in Los Angeles perusing the walk of fame there, Michael was now strolling down Delmar Boulevard in The Loop, reading on his own about people like Joseph Pulitzer, Ike and Tina Turner, and Tennessee Williams, individuals with strong ties to St. Louis who have made a significant contribution to our nation’s culture.
As I moved from star to star, reading one moment about President Ulysses S. Grant and then the next about actor John Goodman, I couldn’t help thinking that Pittsburgh needs something like this. Correction: Pittsburgh deserves something like this. Imagine if visitors to our city — tourists who delight in discovering things like the Fred Rogers statue, The Andy Warhol Museum and the August Wilson Center — could learn about the television icon, the artist, and the playwright, as well as scores of other notable Pittsburghers, while strolling along a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame.
Think of the impact as they discover that this is where Gene Kelly learned to dance, where George Ferris conceived of his famous wheel, where Rachel Carson dove into the study of biology, and where George Benson picked up his first guitar.
And what if Pittsburgh’s walk of fame went one step further than others by utilizing the extraordinary talent in this city to add cutting-edge technology to the experience? Imagine using our phones to see Martha Graham dancing before us or to hear Stanley Turrentine’s music. How memorable would that be?
Taking a cue from other cities, this is something that would grow from year to year, with new inductees being added in festive fashion on an annual basis.
During the 32 years that I have lived here, I have developed a deep love for this city and an intense pride for the contributions of Pittsburghers to America’s cultural heritage.
As I drive out-of-towners through the University of Pittsburgh campus, I describe the work of Jonas Salk and Thomas Starzl. At Schenley Plaza, I point out Andrew Carnegie’s library, museums and music hall. While passing the studios of WQED, the pubic television station with which I have long been happily associated, I of course mention Mister Rogers, but also note that Michael Keaton worked on the production crew there. I brag about Annie Dillard and David McCullough, George Westinghouse and H.J. Heinz. I even mention that Mr. Yuk and the smiley face emoticon are native Pittsburghers.
This is why I came back from St. Louis with thoughts of a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame exploding in my head — and a commitment in my heart to do what I can to make such a thing happen.
In the years since that trip, I have run the idea past local government officials, top civic leaders and heads of cultural institutions and businesses, all of whom have expressed enthusiasm for a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame.
Of course, everyone asks where the walk would be located and who would be honored on it, but these are questions that can’t be answered yet. Those decisions have to be made by committees of people qualified to weigh in on such things, with input from the public.
There’s also the question of funding. It’s going to take several hundred thousand dollars from foundations, corporations and individuals to launch this project. But I believe that raising the money is possible, and a great team is forming to help advance this effort. If you think a Pittsburgh Walk of Fame is a good idea, if you have thoughts about where it should be located or who should be honored on it, if you have funds to contribute — any amount, large or small — please visit pittsburghwalkoffame.org.
Six years ago, I took a walk I haven’t been able to forget. Now I hope all of Pittsburgh will someday be able to take a walk to remember.