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University of Nationality and Heritage Rooms News

Spring 2019 I and Intercultural Exchange Programs at the I nationalityrooms.pitt.edu

The - Nationality Room Dedicated June 28, 1941 Read more on page 2. University of Pittsburgh Nationality and Heritage Rooms News EDITOR: E. Maxine Bruhns

ASSISTANT EDITOR: Maryann H. Sivak

REPORTERS: Ta’Sey Harmon Phil Johnson Cristina Lagnese Michael Walter

University of Pittsburgh Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs 1209 4200 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260

Our newsletter is available online at nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/news-events. Dear Friends, Message from the Nationality

We all look forward to reading Maxine Bruhns’ message Rooms Council with news from the Nationality Rooms Program. So, it is Jennie-Lynn Knox, Chair fitting that this space today features news about Maxine. As you may already know, our esteemed colleague is taking As I conducted the most recent quarterly meeting of a medical leave of absence. During this time, my office is the Nationality Council, I was overcome with emotions of assisting with administration on an as-needed basis. Maxine’s joy, sadness, and respect as new committee officers were assistant, Maryann Sivak, will continue to be your point of welcomed and past officers were celebrated. contact via [email protected] for assistance or to express All the Nationality Rooms are memorials to our your best wishes for Maxine. Thank you. ancestors—immigrants who left their native lands to make a Best, new home and build a new nation here in Pittsburgh. These classrooms were each designed to represent those who settled in the Commonwealth of in the Pittsburgh region. The rooms also serve as vital symbols of an expanding Ariel C. Armony educational exchange program. When the Cathedral of Vice for Global Affairs Learning was being erected, Ruth Crawford Mitchell formed Director, University Center for International Studies committees from the various ethnic groups to design and build the Nationality Rooms. These classrooms reflect the unique expressions of the heritage of those various groups. Through these committees and the men and women who have served as leaders, we now have 31 Nationality and Heritage Rooms. Some of us who have had the distinct honor and privilege to lead and serve have done so for much of our adult lives. We, as volunteers, have dedicated our time to continuing the promotion of our heritage by creating cultural programs, University of Pittsburgh raising funds for scholarships that impact students’ lives, and teaching all those who enter these beautiful rooms. Nationality and As we say goodbye to those who have moved on, and welcome to those who will take their places, let us give a Heritage Rooms News sincere thanks and celebrate their commitment to learning the origins of our ancestors and their contributions to this community, all under the direction and excellent leadership of our director, E. Maxine Bruhns. We thank you. n

In 2018, the University Center for International Studies presented E. Maxine Bruhns with the inaugural Embrace the World Award for her more than 50 years of dedicated service to the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs at the University of Pittsburgh. Maxine is shown here with Ariel Armony, vice provost for global affairs and UCIS director.

Green cones of Lebanese cedar tree

Nationality Rooms News 1 Feature

The Syria-Lebanon Room: A New Look

by Courtney Lesoon

Growing up in an Arab-American community in Pittsburgh, I visited the Syria-Lebanon Room at the Cathedral of Learning countless times as a child and young adult. It was a space that provided me with architectural imagery of my cultural heritage. Although I knew that my family were farmers, and not the kind of wealthy urban patrons that this interior once belonged to, the Syria-Lebanon Room represented a place far away from mine where history ran deep and to which I somehow belonged. Now, as an adult, my interest in the material culture of the Islamic world has transformed into an academic career. I am currently three years into my doctoral program at MIT in the history of Islamic architecture. Although my research interests constantly shift across time, geography, and media, the Syria-Lebanon Room continues to hold a special place in my scholarly heart as the subject of my thesis. In 2014, when the time came for me to decide on a subject for this thesis, the Syria-Lebanon Room was the obvious choice. Apart from being an interior that I was familiar with, the Syria-Lebanon Room was an object that had received surprisingly little scholarly attention. More importantly, though, it was an object with an unexplored archive. The University of Pittsburgh holds in its collection a near comprehensive repository of documents and photographs concerning the acquisition, installation, and dedication of the Syria-Lebanon Room in the 1930s and ‘40s. This archive offered a wealth of information that, together with secondary sources on Damascene interiors, allowed me to reconstruct the history of this room as a collected interior in the and a lived-in space in eighteenth-century . Below are two important highlights from my thesis findings that I would like to share here. Unlike most classrooms in the Nationality Rooms series, which are designed in various “national styles” and constructed with new material, the Syria-Lebanon Room is made up of original eighteenth century wall panels. The painted poplar- wood panels were sourced from a home that was slated for demolition by the French Mandate authorities sometime in the early 1930s. George Asfar, an antiquities dealer and a Syrian national, brought the wall panels to the United States. In 1938, the room, in its current configuration, was put on display at Vester Gallery in . The committee for the Syria-Lebanon Room wanted very much to purchase this The panels that now make up the Syria-Lebanon Room were donated interior, but it was priced well beyond their means at $15,000. Philip Hitti, a member to the “Committee for the Syria-Lebanon of the committee and a prominent professor of Arab Studies at , Room” by the antiquities dealer George Asfar. reached out directly to the antiquities dealer to inquire about the interior. In a letter dated March 9, 1938, Hitti writes to the committee chairman, saying, “George Asfar assured me that as a patriotic duty he will offer the room without any profit whatsoever.” Very shortly after this correspondence, a bill of sale was drawn up between Vester Gallery and the committee in which $1,900 was paid to Vester Gallery for an itemized list of accessories added to the room for display purposes, such as divan risers and door jams. The wall panels themselves though were given over to the committee free of charge at the request of Asfar. This donation, however, was kept secret, and George Asfar was never publicly acknowledged as the room’s donor. There are eight calligraphic panels in the Syria-Lebanon Room. The first panel (installed directly above the masab or ‘’) is inscribed with a couplet from a proverb attributed to the Moroccan poet Sheikh Ismā‘il al-Zamzami. The seven remaining panels (which run along the cornice of the room) contain lines from Qasidat al-Hamziyya, written by the 13th century North African poet al-Busiri. Al-Busiri’s Qasidat al-Hamziyya (translated as “The Ode of the Hamzas”) is a rhyming laudatory poem of 456 couplets in which the second line of each couplet ends with the same Arabic letter: Evidence suggests that the panels that now make up the hamza ( ). The work of al-Busiri was very popular in 18th century ء Syria-Lebanon Room were originally installed as part of a much larger room.

2 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu Syria-Lebanon Nationality Room doorway

Nationality Rooms News 3 Syria-Lebanon Nationality Room chandelier

Syria-Lebanon Nationality Room sofa and oriental rug

4 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu Syria and many Damascene interiors are inscribed with his verses. For instance, the Damascus room now at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)—a large winter reception hall, or qā‘a—has the first fifteen couplets of the poem inscribed on its walls. Considering such samples, it is odd that the Syria-Lebanon Room contains only the eighth, ninth, and tenth couplets. It is also worth noting that the verses in the Syria-Lebanon Room are installed out of original literary order. Although the general size of the Syria-Lebanon Room (14 ft. x 11 ft. 6 in.) suggests that it was used as an intimate gathering space, the panels that now make up this interior were most likely sourced from a larger room like the one at LACMA. Winter reception halls (qā‘a) in Damascene homes were constructed in two sections: the entrance area on the ground level (known as the ‘ataba) and the seating area on a raised platform (known as the tazar). As such, wall panels were constructed in two different lengths: one longer set for the lower level, and one shorter set for the raised seating area. In the Syria-Lebanon Room, all panels except the masab (or niche) panel are of the short variety. These were sourced from the seating area of a winter reception hall. The masab section of the Syria-Lebanon Room is of the long variety and was sourced from the lower level of such a room. Painted poplar-wood panels This recontextualization of the Syria-Lebanon Room panels as once having comprised a reception hall would explain why only the eighth, ninth, and tenth couplets are currently inscribed on the room’s wall panels. In its original larger configuration, other panels containing lines 1 to 7, and perhaps 11, 12, etc., would have covered the rest of the room. According to the committee, however, this interior was once a library. Considering his close involvement with the room project, George Asfar was most certainly responsible for this suggestion. As he had no reason to misrepresent the interior to the committee, it is possible that when Asfar saw and purchased these panels in Damascus, they had already been removed from their original reception hall and had been reinstalled in a small reading room. As fashions and personal tastes shifted, panels in Damascene interiors were easily moved and reinstalled in other parts of the home. Thus, the panels that now comprise the Syria-Lebanon Room—which were once certainly the walls of a qā‘a—most likely lived more than one life in Damascus.

A New Look Although we think of the Syria-Lebanon Room as an “original” interior, it is more useful, in light of these insights, to consider the Syria-Lebanon Room as a constantly transforming object. It is an interior that has led many lives—including as a Nationality Room in the Cathedral of Learning—and it continues to acquire new meaning with every new participant involved in its legacy. n

Courtney Lesoon is a third-year PhD student in the Aga Khan Program for Islamic Architecture, in the History, Theory, and Criticism section of the Department of Architecture at MIT. She received her MA in Modern Middle Eastern and North African Studies from the , where her thesis was titled “Old Walls and New Nations: The Syria-Lebanon Room at the University of Pittsburgh.” Her dissertation research at MIT concerns early-Islamic urbanism in the Levant and North .

Nationality Rooms News 5 News from the Nationality and Heritage Room Committees

Chinese Nationality Room Dewi Wong, Vice Chair

We were devastated when we learned of the unexpected passing of our chair, Karen Fung Yee. Karen, a twin, was born on March 11, 1938, in Minneapolis, Minn. The twins each weighed 3 lbs. at birth. In those days such tiny infants were not expected to survive, but survive they did. Karen’s father came from to the United States in the 1920s. Her mother came Karen Yee from a coal mining town of Altoona, Pa. Her mother’s parents came from . When she was interviewed by NRIEP Director E. Maxine Bruhns, Karen said that in the area where her father lived in China, the custom was that one son would come to America, work, and send money to support the family in China. He did exactly that. Her father’s cousin, Kwok Ying Fung, the first secretary of the Chinese Room Committee, went back to China and served as a representative in China. He did the calligraphy that is on the chairs in the Chinese Nationality Room. Karen’s father taught her that one really needs to give back to the community. When he came to America, he could From l to r: Donna Alexander, KT Diggs, and Nick Giannoukakis not speak English. He was gratified to get the support he did at that time. He taught Karen that one should go by the character of the person not by the individual’s appearance or African Heritage Room position. Karen strongly believed that because of the creation Donna Alexander, Chair of the Nationality and Heritage Rooms at the University of Pittsburgh, and the acceptance of different ethnicities and On March 31, the African Heritage Room Committee cultures, Pittsburgh did not suffer as much during the civil and the Greek Room Committee came together with the rights unrest in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Karen said, Rodman Street Missionary Baptist Church to celebrate “Our groups have worked together for so long that it has African and Greek-American Women visionaries of the civil made us a better community not only for the University but rights struggle. These unsung heroes, women in the African- also for Pittsburgh and the surrounding area.” n American and Greek-American communities, challenged and responded to bigotry and intolerance at the turn of the last century, leading to the historic events in Selma in 1965. n

6 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu English Nationality Room Greek Nationality Room Kimberly Szczypinski, Chair Nick Giannoukakis, Chair

The transition between December 2018 and January 2019 marked the 125th anniversary of the arrival of the first immigrants from to the city of Pittsburgh (December 9, 1893) and the 115th anniversary of the arrival of the first Greek women immigrants. Pittsburgh Mayor and the City Council issued a proclamation marking December 2 as the Day of Celebration, and a relevant exhibit was presented in the Main Lobby of City Hall in the last week of December, extending into January. This exhibit featured old photos of early Greek immigrants to the city and Karen Yee surrounding areas; registers of Greek-owned businesses; and wedding, baptismal and death certificates. Many people had an opportunity to visit City Hall and view this very important part of Greek-American history. During 2018, the English Room Committee hosted The annual commemoration of Greece’s National several English cultural and Nationality Rooms Program Independence Day was held in Alumni Hall on events. David Grinell gave a lecture on Pittsburgh’s Jennie March 23. The theme was “Phanariot Women in the Bradley Roessing, a 20th century civic and cultural leader. Struggle for Greek Independence.” In addition to a lecture, In October, I gave a presentation entitled, “The Extraordinary an art exhibit featured clothing and costumes worn by Greek Life of Amelia B. Edwards, Victorian Traveler, Writer, women in Constantinople during the time leading into the Egyptologist, and Suffragist.” Ms. Edwards traveled from Revolutionary War. The Grecian Odyssey Dancers, our Cairo to Abu Simbel and beyond in on a hired region’s Greek traditional dance ensemble, were honored. dahabiyeh (houseboat), alone with a female companion. The committee is also working with the American During this thousand-mile journey, she developed a passion Hellenic Foundation of and the for Egyptology and dedicated her life to the discovery, Mayor’s office to identify a sister city in Greece. n exploration, and preservation of Egyptian antiquities. She founded the Exploration Fund. Events planned for 2019 include presentations on the remarkable life of heiress and philanthropist Angela Burdett- Coutts; American GIs in Britain during World War II; and a presentation by David Frankowski on the history and protocol of the ceremony entitled, “Trooping the Colours.” For details, please see the Calendar of Events. n

From l to r: Dr. Rita Bottino, J. Melacrinos, Mayor Peduto, and Nick Giannoukakis

Nationality Rooms News 7 Indian Nationality Room Rashmi Ravindra, Chair

This year our annual Day celebration will be held on Sunday, Aug 18. Weather permitting, we again will have a parade around the Cathedral. It has been the endeavor of the Indian Room Committee to bring all Indians from different regions, faiths, and languages together. We look forward to seeing you all at our event. n

From l to r: Jack Webber, E. Maxine Bruhns, Daniel Mulhall, H. Dilmore, and K. Puhl

Irish Nationality Room Jack Webber, Chair

In November 2018, the Committee hosted Daniel Mulhall, the Ambassador from the Republic of to the United States of America. The ambassador visited Pittsburgh at the invitation of the Ireland Institute of Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization for teenagers, to meet the Pittsburgh-Irish Community. He also met with Gallagher to give support to the Gaelic language teaching of Marie Tierney Young. Following that meeting, the Ambassador met with Marie Tierney Young and her students in the Irish Nationality Room. After the class he met with the Irish Room Committee members and NRIEP Director E. Maxine Bruhns. After Jack Webber’s description of the Irish Nationality Room, the Ambassador exclaimed, “What a beautiful room; this is just like being back home!” In April, Jack Webber will have lunch with the ambassador in Washington, D.C. The ambassador and his family will return to Pittsburgh this summer to view Gaelic football games and to visit the Irish Nationality Room again. In March, the Irish Room Committee hosted an open house, focusing on the architectural limestone sculpturing, furniture, and . Jack Webber gave a 15-minute presentation of the ancient, yet contemporary images of the unique 2000-year-old Celtic designs of the Irish Nationality Room. A number of architectural firms visited the Irish Room. Some visitors had never seen Celtic design stone sculpturing and were pleasantly surprised. n

8 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu Japanese Nationality Room Junko Higashibeppu, Chair

In response to the tragedy at the Tree of Life , the Japanese Nationality Room, -America Society of Pittsburgh, and the Japanese Association of Greater Pittsburgh gathered and presented 1,000 paper cranes to the affected congregations. In Japanese culture, folding 1,000 paper cranes is a symbol of hope and healing during challenging times. After the Japanese Nationality Room introduced the project at the Holiday Open House in December, we were able to collect 3,750 paper cranes by February. In addition to the organizations above, the Asian Studies Center at the University of Pittsburgh, Pitt’s Japanese Student Association, the Japanese class at Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, the Japanese Community Outreach at Family Center, the West Virginia Japanese Community, Mitsubishi Electric Power Products, Inc., Chaya Japanese Cuisine, Shaler Area High School, and several anonymous people contributed to this project. Two sets of Senba-Zuru were presented to the Dor Hadash and New Light congregations and the third set will be presented to the Tree of Life congregation. In January, the Japanese Room Committee participated in the Seijin Shiki. This is a “Coming-of-Age” ceremony honoring students turning 20, the start of adulthood in that country. In Japan, Coming-of-Age Day is a national holiday held the second Monday in January. There were 34 participants. Among them were 24 students from Yasuda From l to r: J. Ito, K. Tsuchihashi, Y. Fujhara, and R. Takahashi Women’s University in Hiroshima, who were here for five months improving their English skills. More than 200 people attended. n

Nationality Rooms News 9 Lithuanian Nationality Room Robert Medonis, Chair

Collaborating is a great idea, but egos, agendas, perceptions, and communications can undermine successful teamwork. The Pittsburgh Lithuanian School and the Lithuanian classroom committee have been collaborating formally for six months now but informally for more than a year. The collaboration started back in the summer of 2016 when Janet Carlisle, myself, and several others from Pittsburgh attended a Lithuanian heritage camp in Michigan. I had not known Janet well before the camp but got to know her better there, so I felt comfortable asking her in 2017 if she would teach art at the Pittsburgh Lithuanian School. She agreed and taught art classes during the 2017-2018 school year. Janet then asked me for help with the Lithuanian Room Polish Nationality Room Committee, as they needed someone willing to run for an officer position. I said, “yes,” to which she replied, “Great. Larry Kozlowski, Chair You are running for the chair position.” I won and thus ended up heading the Lithuanian school and the Lithuanian Room In March, the Polish Room Committee hosted the Spring Committee. Festival of the Egg. Both adults and children were invited I thought, since both organizations promote cultural to create their own hand-decorated Pisanka (Easter egg). programming, why not do it together? It was an easy Along with the workshop, we offered cultural displays, sell: mutual projects which would allow both groups to palm weaving demonstrations, and spring flower making. save time and money. Our first project was bringing in a Homemade ethnic pastries and Easter eggs were sold to those Mission Siberia 2018 participant from Baltimore in January. who hadn’t time to prepare their own. The Polish Room Mission Siberia is a Lithuanian organizaiton which sends program has actively represented the Polish of Western n young Lithuanians to Siberia to clean up Lithuanian- Pennsylvania for more than 80 years. deportee cemeteries and interview surviving deportees. The presentation was very interesting and well-received by both groups. Our joint project is hosting presentations by author Birute Putrius on her latest work of fiction, The Last Book Smuggler. On April 25, she will speak at the Croghan- Schenley Ballroom in the Cathedral of Learning from 7:30-9 p.m. and on April 28, she will speak at the Pittsburgh Lithuanian School at St. Ambrose School from 1–2 p.m. Both events are free and open to the public. For more information please email Spring Festival of the Egg [email protected]. n

10 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu Swiss Nationality Room The transformation of her homeland, Croatia, parallels her family’s struggle for survival during and after the war. Heinz Kunz, Chair Natasha Garrett, author of Motherland, described how she moved from her native Macedonia to the U.S. to attend In March, the committee held a “Fasnacht (carnival) college. In her presentation, Garrett used humor and personal Party” at the Hofbräuhaus in Pittsburgh. This event was stories to explore what it means to “become” American and celebrated as in Basel, . A jousting tournament in navigate languages, cultures, and identities. Thanks to Ljijana 1376 is the oldest documented Fasnacht event in Basel. Since Duraskovic, the event was excellent and very well attended. then, the Basel Fasnacht has been constantly changing. In its The committee also cosponsored with the Center for current form, the drey scheenschte Dääg (three finest days), Russian and East European Studies the cross-cultural as Fasnacht is now called in Basel, reached far beyond the symposium, “The Eastern European, Balkan, and Middle city borders. The citizens of Basel and the visitors gather at Eastern Female Artists: Finding their Own Voice in Writing, four in the morning on the Monday after Ash Wednesday. An Cinema, and Art.” n eerie silence reigns over the pitch-black city center before the drum major gives the marching order, “Morgestraich vorwärd marsch!” and the costumed drummers and piccolo players strike up the music that opens the Fasnacht celebrations. On July 27, we are having our Swiss Nationality Day Rooms in Process Picnic at the Richland Township Community Barn. Please come and join us! We know how to have fun. n Finnish Nationality Room Seija Cohen, Chair Yugoslav Nationality Room In December, we sponsored an hour-long Finnish jazz Deborah Studen-Pavlovich, Chair concert featuring Paul Silbergleit and Juli Wood at Nordy’s Place in the . Silbergleit is a Milwaukee- based jazz guitarist, composer, educator, and author. Wood is the granddaughter of Finnish immigrants and has tapped into her heritage to bring compellingly beautiful cohesion. She has established herself as a solid, swinging, lyrical, and entertaining performer. The event was open to the public, and we had a good turnout. n

Tea and Talk presentation

In March, we held “Tea and Talk” in collaboration with the Center for Russian, East European and Eurasian Studies and Department of and Literature. Melita Barabash Gardner, author of Girl Divided, recounted her coming-of-age story from the onset of WWII until 1956, when she traveled to the United States on a scholarship.

Nationality Rooms News 11 Committee Happenings, Events, News, and Scholarships

Cristina Lagnese Committee News Committee Happenings

Welcome to our new officers and those who are 2019 is shaping up to be a busy year for the Nationality continuing on to their second term. We are so gratified to Rooms Program. Committee planning is under way, and see all of you during the council meeting. I have been in events are being posted and updated on the Nationality Room scholarship interview panels for six weeks and I’m looking calendar of events. forward to working with all of you to put together your Reminders to the Committees: cultural events or just to meet if you have any questions. For • We are planning another treasurer’s information session those who have had their elections, you should have received in July. a packet both physically and electronically. Please send • All expenses, events, and communications (e.g., or e-mail the signed charter agreement and bylaws to the newsletter, flyers, membership letters) must be approved Nationality Rooms office. by the Nationality Rooms director prior to the events. n Some important information: • I will send each committee links that will give your members and supporters the ability to make donations Summer Study Abroad and pay dues online. The URLs are another way we 2019 Award Recipients can take advantage of marketing the committees and accepting memberships. We awarded 53 Summer Study Abroad Scholarships • I have been asked many times by committees about totaling $201,000 this year. the history of their rooms and how they can learn more about them. We have some of the physical archives of UNDERGRADUATE the early Nationality Rooms here in the office, but if you want to research the rooms’ histories further, visit: African Heritage Room Committee Scholarship in memory http://www.nationalityrooms.pitt.edu/archive-resources of Ms. L. Williams (on the Nationality Rooms website). In addition, the Lindsay Ejoh–Legon, … to gain a different Documenting Pitt website contains the publications perspective on music education and learn how non-western produced by Pitt, including Nationality Rooms societies express themselves artistically dedication books and other historical documents: https:// documenting.pitt.edu/collection/pitt-publications (use the African Heritage Room Committee Grant in memory of Ms. search bar). Don’t hesitate to ask an archivist if you need Florence L. Williams help with specific questions. Mica House–Iringa, Tanzania … to study Swahili and • We have finally completed our Nationality Rooms health issues in East Africa letterhead project and each room’s letterhead is beautiful and unique. We have the electronic version and will have Austrian Room Committee Scholarship in memory of Dr. physical letterheads available in April. Joseph and Heidi Novak - The same procedures hold true when it comes to Danielle Schomer–, … to study the music using these letterheads. They are only to be used for and culture of Vienna Nationality Rooms Committee communications. - All communications, solicitations, and flyers must first Austrian Room Committee Scholarship in memory of Dr. be sent to us to be approved. Once edits have been Joseph and Heidi Novak made, we will put your text on the electronic letterhead Manasi Thirumoorthi–Graz, Austria … to examine the and sent it to you in a PDF format so you may email it roles of health care workers in Austria in comparison to the to your members and supporters. United States - If you have mailers, we will put it on hard-copy letterhead for you. Your account will be charged if you Fred C. Bruhns Memorial Scholarship exceed 500 sheets of letterhead for the year. Jamie A. Nassur-Amman, Jordan … to participate in an For committee events, please see the calendar included in internship on counseling and humanitarian action. this newsletter. n

12 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu 2019 Scholarship awardees

Chinese Room Committee Scholarship John F. Kennedy/Irish Room Committee Scholarship in Lindsay Hopewell–Shanghai, China … to study Chinese memory of Daniel Milton Rooney culture, language, and economics as they relate to the life of Megan McKenzie–Dublin, Ireland … to study cultural the average Chinese citizen differences in health care and clinical practices in speech- language pathology Czechoslovak Room Committee Scholarship Mark Garger–, Czech Republic … to immerse David L. Lawrence Memorial Scholarship himself in the culture of Prague and take classes toward his Samuel Winderman–Amsterdam, The Netherlands … to certificate in Russian and Eastern European Studies study urban sustainability focusing on the three Ps: planet, profit, and people German Room Committee Scholarship Jacob Kuzy–Munich, … to study the German David L. Lawrence Memorial Grant language and culture and teach English and German in a Zeinab Abbas–Entenbe, Uganda … to learn about the local migrant camp hidden people of Uganda and how they affect the nation’s domestic and foreign policy from experts and experienced Indian Room Committee Scholarship researchers and staff Anupama Jayachandran–Mussoorie, India … to study public health and practical first aid in the Himalayas and Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Scholarship research how the Himalayan Mountain Range itself might Ciera Thomas–Madrid, Spain … to immerse herself have influenced cultural identity in the face of occupation by in Spanish language and culture and complete a the British communications internship

Indian Room Committee Scholarship Rachel McMasters Miller Hunt Grant Salena Ringenbach–Mussoorie, India … to study health Janice Im–Napo, Ecuador … to research what barriers and wilderness first responder training in the Himalayas hospitals and health centers in Tena, Ecuador face in offering mental health services to Quechuan women who Italian Room Committee Scholarship experience intimate partner violence Michael Hayden–Genoa, … to study the literature and history of the city of Genoa and its region Polish Room Committee Scholarship in memory of Gertrude Jakubowski Long Japanese Room Committee Scholarship in memory of Mrs. Noah Kotzin–Krakow, … to increase fluency in the Fukue Takano Polish language through immersion and gain better cultural Michael Boroch¬–Tokyo, Japan … to study the Japanese understanding language and culture

Nationality Rooms News 13 Summer Study Abroad 2019 Award Recipients (continued) Polish Room Committee Scholarship in memory of Gertrude John H. Tsui Memorial Scholarship Jakubowski Long Alex Anthony-Williams–Taipei City, Taiwan … to study Tyler Rabiger–Warsaw, Poland … to research the impact of intensive Chinese and complete an 11-week internship in state-controlled banks in Poland’s avoidance of the 2007- international finance 2009 financial crisis John H. Tsui Memorial Scholarship Helen Pool Rush Scholarship Sarina Chow–Taipei, Taiwan … to study business and Anna Coleman–Johannesburg, South Africa … to gain a practical understanding of Taiwan’s economic and research how climate change is addressed outside of the U.S. political role throughout and abroad by working with environmental engineers at the University of Witwatersrand Women’s International Club Grant in honor of Cynthia G. Maleski, Esq. Helen Pool Rush Scholarship Emily Fjeldstad–Antananarivio, Madagascar … to study Carolyn Brodie–Iringa, Tanzania … to study Swahili and traditional medical practices in Madagascar and use them health care in East Africa as a compliment to her practice of Western Medicine

Helen Pool Rush Grant Women’s International Club Grant in honor of Cynthia G. Madeline Hobbs–Capetown, South Africa … to work Maleski, Esq. with underserved children by facilitating a STEM tutoring Julia Lynch–Iringa, Tanzania … to study health issues program as well as a recreational soccer program in East Africa and gain a culturally-diverse perspective on medical practices Helen Pool Rush Grant Chinyere Iwuanyanwu–Khon Kaen, … to learn Women’s International Club Scholarship in honor of Cynthia about the food, language, and overall culture of Thailand G. Maleski, Esq. while studying the health care system Benedicta Olonilua–London, United Kingdom … to compare British Sign Language and culture to American Nationality Council Scholarship for Quo Vadis Guides Sign Language and culture and to research lack of exposure Kayla Paterini–Berlin, Germany … to complete an to sign language in deaf school children international business internship

Savina S. Skewis Scholarship GRADUATE Julia Rossetti–Cochabamba, Bolivia … to study intensive Spanish language and get involved in the community by African Heritage Room Committee Scholarship in memory participating in a service-learning project of Ms. Florence L. Williams Rebecca Babalola–Windhoek, Namibia … to research Savina S. Skewis Grant various infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV, and Silvia Bononi–London, United Kingdom … to study maternal and child health at the Windhoek Central Hospital accounting and complete a business internship to gain an international perspective African Heritage Room Committee Grant in memory of Ms. Florence L. Williams Ivan Santa-Cruz Memorial Scholarship Samantha Monks–Gulu, Uganda … to research Prathyusha Pandu–Santiago, Chile … to observe hospitals stigmatizations of marginalized groups that emerge from and work in underprivileged neighborhoods to promote war and conflict and investigate the themes of sexual and health education gender-based violence and psychological trauma

Robert and Helen Sette Scholarship Dorothy Bradley Brown Physical Therapy Scholarship Breanne McDermott–Havana, Cuba … to improve upon Andrew McCarthy–Brussels, Belgium … to gain an Spanish speaking skills and immerse herself in the Cuban international perspective in the practice of physical therapy culture Chinese Room Committee Scholarship Azure Wilson–Shanghai, China … to study laryngeal physiology and learn experimental surgical laboratory techniques that support her PhD research 14 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu

Ruth Crawford Mitchell Memorial Scholarship Stanley Prostrednik Grant Tanya Shirazi–San Salvador, El Salvador … to research Kathryn Pataki–Amsterdam, The Netherlands … the current conditions Salvadoran women/children may to research sex workers’ own conceptualizations of return to if deported back to their home country with the empowerment/disempowerment within Amsterdam’s impending elimination of Temporary Protected status for Red-Light District Salvadoran Immigrants. This research will inform creative works of fiction and nonfiction Stanley Prostrednik Scholarship Chie Togami–London, United Kingdom … to research Ruth Crawford Mitchell Memorial Grant key strategic decisions of the environmental movement by Ross–Santo Domingo, The Dominican Republic examining how climate change activists choose between … to complete an internship that connects at-risk youth with different tactics and targets and how these decisions shape social services and to develop Spanish language skills the successes of the movement

James W. Knox Memorial Scholarship Stanley Prostrednik Health Sciences Grant Chloe Glover–Lima, Peru and La Merced, Peru … to Sana Kagalwalla–Manila, … to conduct perform fieldwork and collect data pertaining to a geological research aiming to reduce health disparities in underserved anomaly at the Central Andean Plateau communities

Herbert Lieberkind Memorial Scholarship Stanley Prostrednik Health Grant Seana Gysling–Copenhagen, Denmark and , Dzigbordi Kamasa-Quashie–Capetown, South Africa … … to study dental health care and patient to study the potential relationship between viral infections satisfaction in Scandinavia and compare it to that of and Sudden Unexpected Death of Infants and Sudden Infant the U.S. Deaths

Josephine and John McCloskey Memorial Scholarship Stanley Prostrednik Health and Sciences Scholarship Emma Lamberton–Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia … to conduct Inngide Osirus–Manila, Philippines … to research specific a cultural analysis and pull from historical, anthropological, vaccines with changes in vaccine uptake in comparison to sociological and psychological literature to discuss how the vaccines that have not yet been affected by the Dengvaxia changed Mongolian value systems controversy, and to understand the differences in public perceptions Josephine and John McCloskey Memorial Grant Adam Lee–, … to investigate why jazz has Dr. & Mrs. Ryonosuke Shiono Scholarship maintained a continuous and important place in Norwegian Mary Braza–Jumla, Nepal … to explore the variation in society since World War II and explore possibilities for the the geometry of the main fault beneath the Himalayas in application of these ideas in the United States Western Nepal

Frances and Sully Nesta Memorial Grant Dr. & Mrs. Ryonosuke Shiono Grant Jacob Eisensmith–Southern Italy … to examine the Marin Kheng–Indonesia … to design and implement a portions of Italy that are left out of the community health needs assessment in Indonesia to better narrative, one which often overlooks heightened contact understand the current state of surgical access within a with Islamic cultures and goods in the wake of the Crusades specific community

Frances and Sully Nesta Memorial Scholarship Turkish Nationality Room Committee Scholarship Eliza Jermyn–Perugia, Italy … to study Italian language Victoria Hoang–Gaziantep, … to observe on-the- and do translation-based research related to Fernanda ground operations and develop long-term solutions that Pivano’s translation of “A Farewell to Arms” by Ernest alleviate challenges refugees face during the integration Hemingway process

Polish Room Committee Scholarship in memory of Dr. Donald F. Mushalko Kelly Chastain–Krakow, Poland … to research the history of Krakow under Austrian rule during the time of the Polish Partition, focusing on the years between 1895–1905 Nationality Rooms News 15

Programs and Activities Maryann Sivak

• The Philippine Nationality Room was completed on December 1, 2018, just in time for the Philippine Nationality Room Task Force to hold a Rite of Solemn QUO VADIS NEWS Blessing. Room 313 is now the home of the Philippine By Michael Walter Nationality Room. The official dedication will be Sunday, June 9, 2019, with the dedication ceremony starting at Quo Vadis traveled to Washington, D.C., February 8–10, 2 p.m. A reception and program will be held in the to visit two embassies (Madagascar and Latvia) and various Commons Room from 3–5 p.m. A mass will be held at museums. Heinz Chapel from 5–6 p.m. The event will conclude with At the Embassy of Madagascar, we learned about a banquet and evening program at Alumni Hall. their natural environment, exports, and protection of their biodiversity and ecological uniqueness. The embassy officer praised the United States as the best place he had served, even though there are no Malagasy restaurants in Washington, D.C. Mineral wealth is certainly a feature of Madagascar, as is evidenced by the embassy’s interior décor, which showcases examples of the country’s various rocks and minerals from the country. At the Embassy of Latvia, we learned of the importance of instrumental music and choral music. The embassy officer and, later, the ambassador himself, made points about the musicality of the Latvian people. They also stressed the outdoor tourism opportunities that are abundant in the small country of only a couple million people. The ambassador said that one could find a beach for a picnic and if another person was there, it would be too crowded. It surely seems that solitude is possible in Latvia. It has become a habit on the Quo Vadis trips to Washington, D.C., to visit embassies in the hopes of learning From l to r, seated: Fr. M. Gelido and E. Maxine Bruhns about these countries from the citizens, and in a way, From l to r, standing: J. Calehasan, J. Abola, R. DelaVega, A. Angeles, stepping foot in a foreign country. The guides greatly enjoyed J. Portugal, R. Wooten, J. Purpura, and M. Sivak the two embassy visits.

• In December, we hosted the 1787 Society’s exclusive walking tour of the Nationality Rooms.

• Each year, surveys the University MAINTENANCE NEWS of Pittsburgh’s market of A maintenance walk-through was conducted during spring 40,000 students, faculty, break. Normal wear and tear to floors and other stained and staff about what they wooden surfaces comprised most of the problems observed in like most and includes that the rooms. information in its “Best of” edition. The Austrian Room won the 2019 award for the Best Nationality Room. n

Edgar Braun

16 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu NOTABLE TOURS

By Michael Walter

January 21: Art Institute of Pittsburgh (AIP) Global Design Class. Unfortunately, with the closure of AIP, we no longer will enjoy a fruitful partnership with the instructors and students of that school. This was the last AIP class to have toured with us. Previously, we would host photography, interior design, and fashion classes for regular visits to the Nationality Rooms. On a personal note, I wish the best of luck to all of those faculty and students associated with AIP and want to thank them for working the Nationality Rooms into their curriculum. January 31: The language learning company Duolingo On March 27, three busloads of students (96 senior class toured with us. members), a former principal and current Principal Matthew DeMotto from Bridgeport High School in West Virginia March 7: CMU IMPAQT (Initiating Meaningful toured the Nationality and Heritage Rooms. The tour was Pittsburgh and Qatar Ties) students from Qatar toured. conducted at the invitation of and funded by NRIEP Director On March 31, we provided a tour for CMU’s pre-college E. Maxine Bruhns, a 1941 graduate of that school. Maxine program for Qatar high schoolers. enthusiastically greeted the students by singing the “It’s March 20: UCIS hosted representatives of Newscastle West Virginia,” much to the enjoyment of those present. The University, Newcastle-upon-Tyne, U.K. Touring the students and faculty were most appreciative. They shared that nationality rooms recently were Chris Day, vice-chancellor it was, “a great privilege to experience seeing the Nationality and president; Richard Davies, pro-vice chancellor for and Heritage Rooms and the impressive Cathedral of engagement and internationalization; and Matthew Grenby, Learning,” and they were delighted that Maxine had not dean of research and innovation, faculty of humanities and forgotten about her school. social sciences. February/March: Two Turkish-language schools scheduled tours with us.

After a slow January (12 groups) and February (10 tours), many new reservations are coming in for the warmer months. Numerous school groups and charter bus companies are on the schedule.

From l to r: Richard Davies, Chris Day, Matthew Grenby, and Michael Walter

Nationality Rooms News 17 WELCOME NEW STAFF By Maryann Sivak

Henry Luck is a Ta’Sey Harmon is management professional the new program assistant with significant hands- for the Nationality Rooms on experience helping and Intercultural Exchange organizations through Programs. She is a recent effective administrative, graduate of Point Park financial, and IT support University with a Bachelor systems. His background of Arts in broadcasting includes retail banking, reporting. Before joining us fund development, public in the Nationality Rooms relations, education, and and Intercultural Exchange marketing. Programs, Harmon worked Luck received with the Mayor’s Office of his bachelor’s and Communications and Cultural master’s degrees from in business Affairs in Wilmington, Del. She also volunteered with the Kick administration and business education. Before shifting his Butts Generation of Delaware, which was associated with the focus to business, he received an Associate in Science American Lung Association, which resulted in her becoming the degree in culinary arts as part of apprenticeship program in New Castle County Kick Butts Generation Chair. Harmon helps the Pittsburgh area. Luck began his professional career with with special projects, presentations, and scholarships. Harmon the Arthritis Foundation where he first served as an intern, has a passion for sports, television, travel, and education. then was hired as an accountant, and within eight years, became the executive vice president when he returned to the chapter from Washington, D.C. His professional path continued as a nonprofit management consultant and adjunct faculty member, teaching computer information systems on the college level. Previously, Luck was the director of finance and operations for the Agency for Jewish Learning, where he created new financial, IT, and operating processes that improved audit results, compliance, and management systems for staff and students. He also served in a similar capacity at The Ellis School. Luck also has experience in the financial sector as a banker for Citizen’s Bank. Currently, he is a financial administrator in the Office of the Director for the University Center for International Studies. He looks forward to working with the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Program as part of his new responsibilities within the Center.

18 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu DISPLAY CASES By Michael Walter

Currently on exhibit in the Cathedral of Learning third-floor display cases is a collection of Japanese items that have been in storage, accompanied by several items provided on loan by one of our guides, Jhon Smith. Before these Japanese pieces rotate out in a month, we encourage you to stop over to look at anesama ningyo dolls (screen-printed paper-folded dolls of people in layered dress), netsuke to illustrate the animals of the zodiac, and wood carvings of bears from the Ainu people. The connecting theme is the mastery of useful and natural materials to shape these three-dimensional objects: paper, wood, nut, and bone. This exhibit will be followed by one showcasing Nigerian artifacts recently donated by the Ott family of Windber, Pa. In March 2019, Clarice Jean Ott’s family donated more than 40 items from her collection of Nigerian artifacts. Ott was a missionary in Nigeria in the 1960s and was active in the Church of the Brethren as a youth and as an adult. She earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh in 1973 and worked as a social and youth worker in Baltimore and in Johnstown. Later, she volunteered her time in Windber at the Windber Food Pantry. The items donated include hardwood carvings of faces and an elephant, and many examples of basketry. Notable examples of basket weaving are seen in a conical hat and various round mats. In addition, many books, some items in brass, and farm tools were donated. The Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Program thanks the Ott family for making these beautiful objects available for public viewing. In future months, we will display their wide variety in our third- floor display cases.

Nigerian artifacts

Nationality Rooms News 19 GIFT SHOP By Phil Johnson

For spring, the Nationality Rooms Gift Center is offering items from various countries (Easter eggs from Russia and baskets from ) to celebrate Eastern Orthodox Easter (April 28) and Western Easter (April 21). In addition to our Easter gifts, we have a collection of brass, handmade gifts from India (telescopes, sundials, and keychains), Russian Nesting Dolls, handmade wooden boxes from Poland, beautiful amber jewelry from , and hand-blown Murano Glass from , Italy. Among our top-selling items are reasonably priced, handmade leather and silk writing journals. Also, check out our perennial favorite: the evil-eye collection from Turkey.

20 nationalityrooms.pitt.edu IN MEMORIAM By Maryann Sivak

Steven Vardy passed away July 23, 2018, in , Hungary. He was the beloved husband of Dr. Agnes Vardy, who was chair of the Hungarian Nationality Room and Women’s International Club. A memorial service was held at St. Stephen’s Basilica in Budapest, Hungary, and a memorial mass was held in the chapel. Dr. Vardy was Professor Emeritus and McAnulty Distinguished Professor of History. Margaret Van Dusen passed away November 24, 2018, shortly after her 100th birthday. She was the wife of former Pitt Vice Chancellor Dr. Albert “Van” Van Dusen, to whom she was married for 72 years. VanDusen was listed in Who’s Who of American Women for her work as a community volunteer. She served on countless boards as an officer for organizations benefiting causes to which she was devoted. She received a State Department citation for her 25 years of service on the Pittsburgh Council for International Visitors as board member and officer. Donations may be directed to: University of Pittsburgh for Albert C. and Margaret Van Dusen Summer Study Abroad Scholarship and sent to the Nationality Rooms Program, 4200 Fifth Avenue, #1209 University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa. 15260. John Edward McCloskey passed away on January 22, 2019. He was a son of Josephine and John McCloskey. A graduate of Springdale High School and Amherst College, McCloskey attended Officer Candidate School in Newport, R.I., and served in the Navy during the Vietnam War. For the past 30 years, Karen Yee (right) with Maxine Bruhns. he worked in international corporate banking to help finance new companies and enable greater employment Karen Yee passed away unexpectedly on March opportunities. He and his sister Janet Carlisle, chair 16, 2019. A longtime chair of the Chinese Room of the Lithuanian Room Committee, established the Committee, Yee was a suma cum laude from the Josephine and John McCloskey Scholarship at the University of Pittsburgh. She also was a leader of University of Pittsburgh, awarded each year through Pittsburgh’s Asian American community. She served the Lithuanian Room Committee. Memorial donations as president of the Organization of Chinese Americans may be made to the Josephine and John McCloskey and chair of the Nationality Rooms Council. She Memorial Scholarship for University of Pittsburgh taught classes in the ancient floral art form of Ikenobo students to study, intern or conduct research abroad. and served as president of the Ikebana International Checks may be made out to University of Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Chapter. n (McCloskey Memorial Scholarship on memo line) and sent to: Nationality Room Program, 4200 Fifth Avenue #1209, Pittsburgh, PA 15260.

Nationality Rooms News 21

1209 Cathedral of Learning 4200 Fifth Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15260

412-624-6001

nationalityrooms.pitt.edu

Calendar of Events

April 25 Writer Birute Putrius will talk about her latest July 11 Balmoral School of Piping and Drumming, work of fiction: The Last Book Smuggler Instructors concert free to public Sponsored by Lithuanian Room Committee Time: 8 p.m. Time: 7:30–9 p.m. Place: Shadyside Academy, Fox Chapel Place: Croghan-Schenley Ballroom July 27 Swiss Nationality Day Picnic June 1 Czech/Slovak School Banquet Place: Richland Township Community Barn Cosponsored by Czechoslovak Room July 28 Ligonier Highland Games Summer Picnic Place: University Club Place: South Park Fairgrounds— June 5 Presentation by Kim Szcypinski: Museum Building “Oversexed, Overpaid, Overfed and Aug. 18 India Day Celebration Over Here! Culture Shock and the Time: Noon–5 p.m. American GI in Britain During WWII” Place: Cathedral of Learning Commons Room Place: English Nationality Room Sept. TBD Austrian Scholarship presentation June 8 Presentation by David Frankowski: Place: Croghan-Schenley Ballroom “Trooping the Colours”—History and protocol of this ceremony Sept. 14-15 The 61st Ligonier Highland Games Place: Croghan-Schenley Ballroom Place: Idlewild Park, Ligonier June 9 Philippine Nationality Room Dedication: Oct. TBD Irish/Welsh/Scottish Celtic Cultures 2 p.m. Dedication ceremony at Place: Frick Fine Arts Auditorium Heinz Chapel starts Oct. TBD Presentation by Andrew Strathern 3–5 p.m. Reception and program in the Oct. TBD Polish Pierogi Workshop Commons Room 5–6 p.m. Mass in Heinz Chapel Oct. TBD Nationality Council meeting/Debriefing 6 p.m. Evening program and banquet at Oct. 26 Irish Samhain Connelly Ballroom, Alumni Hall Place: Cathedral of Learning Commons Room June TBD Nationality Council meeting Nov. 11 Polishfest Place: Croghan-Schenley Ballroom, Place: Cathedral of Learning Commons Room Cathedral of Learning First Floor Nov. 16 Balmoral Classic Featuring Eabhol from July TBD Polish Christmas in July Time: 8 p.m. Place: Cathedral of Learning Commons Place: Carnegie Lecture Hall Room Dec. 8 Holiday Open House Place: Cathedral of Learning Commons Room

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