Dr. George W. Gerwig (1867-1950), a well-known educator, author, and the first secretary of the centralized Pittsburgh Board of Education, established this fund in 1948 in memory of his son, Percy.
George was born in Paris, France, to Pittsburgh parents. He attended the University of Nebraska and received his Ph.D. from Western University of Pennsylvania, now known as the University of Pittsburgh. He had a well-established career in education. He authored several books, including The Art of the Short Story, Schools with a Perfect Score: Democracy's Hope and Safeguard, and a series called Guideposts to Character. He was a board member of the Henry Clay Frick Education Commission, and a great friend of Willa Cather, the ubiquitous American author of classics such as O Pioneers! and My Antonia, whom he bid to come to Pittsburgh to teach English at Allegheny High School.
George's son, Percy Gerwig, was killed during World War I. George asked that the fund be devoted to students who display "unselfish service," as Percy did during service to his country. The fund honors high school pupils who have made a supreme sacrifice, so that those who continue the tradition of unselfish service to their school are encouraged.
The award, a small bronze pin with the letters U.S., is presented every year to a member of each graduating class of Pittsburgh's public high schools who has shown outstanding unselfish service to his/her school.
Type of Fund
- Designated