Pittsburgh Parks Legacy Celebration

#Trailblazer: It was quite a #SEEN on Thursday night at the Frick Fine Arts building in Oakland with a who’s who of Pittsburgh in attendance to honor the legacy of Meg Cheever. Ms. Cheever founded the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy in 1996, helping to raise more than $100 million for Pittsburgh’s city parks. Her “can do” attitude during a time when the city couldn’t do much for its parks energized its citizens to take the reins. “I remember reading an article Meg wrote in the paper about the state of our parks, and I called her wanting to help,” said Ritchie Battle, one of the original board members. Believing that parks are a city’s most democratic space, Ms. Cheever “led gently,” according to Mayor Bill Peduto, to help expand the mission to 22 city parks. He presented Ms. Cheever with a proclamation declaring Oct. 4, 2018, to be “Meg Cheever Day.” “It feels great to have had the privilege to have led for 22 years,” said Ms. Cheever. “I am thrilled that Jayne [Miller] is picking up the torch for our community because the job is not over.” What was her greatest accomplishment? “I feel as though we mobilized people to be park champions,” she said. Ms. Miller, the new president of the Parks Conservancy, led Minneapolis to becoming the No. 1 parks system in the country and plans on bringing that energy to Pittsburgh, stating: “Meg set the stage so that we can take her work and bring it to the next level. Her tenacity and vision made it happen. I want to honor her legacy by making Pittsburgh Parks the No. 1 parks in the United States.” Let’s plant those seeds and watch them grow!

#SEENCelebrating: Dan Gilman, Peggy and Steve McKnight, Jim Rohr, Vivian and Bill Benter, Lilla and David Hillman, Ramsey Lyons, Cary and Richard Reed, Mary McKinney Flaherty, Tom Murphy, Dan Onorato. Gina Pferdehirt, Scott Lammie, Fred Fields, Max King, Marlee Myers and Nancy Byrnes.