Frances Gunn's eyes were always twinkling, whether she was telling a story or commenting on the latest stock market returns.
A shrewd investor throughout her life, she established the fund with some highly-appreciated stock and designated it "for the charitable use and purposes of The Pittsburgh Foundation." Frances passed away on June 16, 1992, at the age of 92.
Frances loved to tell stories, especially ones of the famous people she had met during her lifetime. "Well, I shook hands with six presidents of the United States," she responded succinctly to anyone who asked.
Her favorite was Teddy Roosevelt who was campaigning for a second term as President of the United States from the rear platform of a train as it whistle-stopped through Westmoreland County. Frances, who was 7-years-old at the time, was standing in front of him when he knelt down, picked her up and continued holding her as he spoke. "I thought he needed to stop for a bath and a change of clothes," she often quipped.
Frances also shook the hands of Presidents Wilson, Hoover, Franklin, Eisenhower and Nixon.
The fund continues not only the charitable work of The Pittsburgh Foundation but has supported life-affirming medical research. In 2007, it was among three funds that assisted The Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative Inc. to establish a support system to aid the development of promising tissue engineering technologies in new therapies.
Type of Fund
- Unrestricted