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Proclamation honoring in memoriam Richard M. Scaife, ideologue, philanthropist, newspaper owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
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WHEREAS, Mr. Richard "Dick" Mellon Scaife, ideologue, philanthropist, newspaper owner and publisher of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review passed away on July 4, 2014, at the age of 82; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife was born July 3, 1932, at Magee-Women's Hospital in Oakland, the second child of industrialist Alan Scaife and Sarah Mellon Scaife, an heir to the Mellon banking and industrial fortune; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife and his sister, the late Cordelia May, grew up in Shadyside and at Penguin Court, the family estate in Ligonier, Westmoreland County. The 50-room home got its name from 10 penguins that roamed the grounds; his mother bought the birds during a national craze over the exploits of Antarctic explorer Richard Byrd; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife graduated from Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts; He attended Yale University, his father's alma mater, before graduating in 1957 from the University of Pittsburgh with a degree in British history; and
WHEREAS, after the death of his father in 1958, and his mother in 1965, Mr. Scaife immersed himself in the family's business interests and he took on a greater philanthropic role; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife provided financial support to conservative groups that included the Heritage Foundation, the Cato Institute and the American Enterprise Institute. In the 1990s, Mr. Scaife spurred the creation of the Allegheny Institute for Public Policy, which became a conservative voice on Western Pennsylvania issues; and
WHEREAS, with control of the Sarah Scaife, Allegheny and Carthage foundations, Mr. Scaife supported non-partisan causes such as the arts and historic preservation; and
WHEREAS, among other contributions, Mr. Scaife's foundations funded an early expansion of the Pittsburgh Aviary, development of the Sarah Scaife Gallery at The Carnegie and enhancement of the Westmoreland Museum of American Art in Greensburg. He supported the redevelopment of Station Square and provided more than $1.4 million for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Western Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife made his mark in Western Pennsylvania as a publisher, an interest rooted in his childhood, when among his hobbies were cutting out important news articles and saving historic front pages; and
WHEREAS, in 1970, Mr. Scaife purchased a small market newspaper, then known as the Tribune-Review, based in Greensburg. In 1992, Mr. Scaife expanded operations of the newspaper into Pittsburgh and renamed it the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, the centerpiece of Trib Total Media, now the city's largest source of news and information in Western Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife devoted his professional life to producing a quality, award-winning daily newspaper for our region; his belief that newspapers are essential to America, and to any free and prospering nation, was demonstrated by his commitment to delivering international, national and regional news 7-days a week; and
WHEREAS, the arts, historic preservation, universities, and community programs both large and small, throughout Western Pennsylvania and nationally, were among the many endeavors benefiting from Mr. Scaife's generosity; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Scaife is survived by a daughter, Jennie King Scaife of Palm Beach, Florida, a son, David Negley Scaife of Squirrel Hill, a daughter-in-law, Sara Scaife, and two grandchildren, David and Sara;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, that Allegheny County Council does hereby honor in memoriam Mr. Richard M. Scaife, and we express our deepest sympathy to his family and friends. Mr. Scaife's contributions to Allegheny County, our region and our nation will be remembered for generations to come.