Telephone:
412-561-7876
Electronic
Mail: < gawalsh@andrewcarnegie.cc
>
Internet
Web Site: < http://www.andrewcarnegie.cc
>
2004
July 14
By
Certified Mail; Return Receipt Requested:
Margaret
J. Forbes, Acting Executive Director
Andrew
Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall
Dear
Maggie:
I do
regret any misunderstandings that may have been created by the very untimely publication of the article in the July 7 issue of the South
Hills Almanac.
Actually,
I did see the article in last week’s newspaper. And, I was rather amused that The Almanac
would publish a news article, based on a news release I issued four years ago !!!
The July 7
news article, in the “Carnegie” section of the weekly column “Across the South
Hills,” included information [and several sections verbatim] from a news
release I issued on
This news
release is archived on my Internet web site at:
< http://andrewcarnegie.tripod.com/NR-CentennialSearch-Book.html
>
For your
convenience, a copy of this
That date,
We did
receive a small response to our news release. However, I have not received any
telephone calls from the most recent publication of this news release. This may
be due to the fact that The Almanac
does not directly circulate in Carnegie, although it does circulate in
neighboring communities which are well within the service area of the Andrew
Carnegie Free Library.
I have
always considered my public credibility to be of paramount importance. This is
one of the reasons my resignation from the Andrew Carnegie Free Library Board
of Trustees occurred at precisely
10:50:00
a.m. EDST on 2000 June 6—the exact time the Orphans’ Court of Allegheny County
issued a ruling granting the petition to amend the Library’s Declaration of
Trust. Once this occurred, I could no longer serve the Andrew Carnegie Free
Library and Music Hall, on the Library’s Board of Trustees, when the explicit
wishes of the Library’s Founder, Andrew Carnegie, as expressed in the
Declaration of Trust, had been violated.
I can
assure you that I have not, nor would I anytime in the future, represent the
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in any way, without the expressed
consent of the Board of Trustees of the Library.
Margaret
J. Forbes 2004
July 14 Page
2 of 2
Since the
time I left the Board of Trustees, there was one occasion when I did represent the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall—with the full knowledge and consent of the Board. This occurred when I arranged the Library’s
celebration of the centennial of the dedication of the Library on 2002 October
8. The keynote address was given by Peter Krass, who had just completed a new
biography titled, Carnegie. It
turned-out that Mr. Krass’ grandmother, at age 5, had actually sung with her
first-grade class at the Library’s dedication! Although the actual dedication
centennial date had been April 22, Mr. Krass was not available for this event
until October.
Today, I
always use the past tense when identifying myself as a
former Library Life Trustee. For instance, when I recently spoke before
Pittsburgh City Council, in favor of historic structure designation for five
Carnegie Libraries in the City, I said:
“From
1995-2000, I served as a Life Trustee, on the Board of Trustees, of one of
Andrew Carnegie’s original libraries: the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and
Music Hall in
Also
attached is a copy of one of these statements. This particular statement was
delivered in support of City Designated Historic Structure status for the West
End Branch of The Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.
Well, over
the five years I served as a Library Life Trustee for the Andrew Carnegie Free
Library and Music Hall, I sent-out quite a few news releases. However, I never
expected any of them to be published, or referred to, four years after the
issue date [it is hard enough getting the media to use a news release, when
originally issued!].
So, I
certainly have no way of knowing, or controlling, the future publication of a
news release I issued prior to June of 2000. However, I can assure you that since
2000 June 6 I have not, and will not, issue any news releases on behalf of the
Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall, without the consent of the Library
Board of Trustees.
Sincerely
yours,
Glenn A.
Walsh
gaw
Attachments:
5
Copy: Members of the Board of Trustees, Andrew
Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall
Mary Malysko, Library Director,
Andrew Carnegie Free Library
Patricia Van Horn, Assistant
Editor, South Hills Almanac