1st inductees named to Pittsburgh Walk of Fame
The Pittsburgh Walk of Fame announced its first inductees, who will be honored this fall in a Hollywood-style installation at The Terminal in Pittsburgh’s Strip District.
The inaugural honorees are:
- George Benson, a famed jazz musician born in the city’s Hill District
- Nellie Bly, a pioneering investigative journalist, who was born in Armstrong County
- Andrew Carnegie, the industrialist and philanthropist who led the expansion of the steel industry in the late 19th century
- Rachel Carson, a conservationist and writer, who was born in Springdale
- Roberto Clemente, the Pittsburgh Pirates legend, who also is remembered for his humanitarian efforts
- Michael Keaton, the Oscar-nominated actor who has played Batman, Birdman and Beetlejuice
- Fred Rogers, who was born and raised in Latrobe and hosted the iconic children’s TV show “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood”
- Jonas Salk, who led the University of Pittsburgh medical research team that developed the polio vaccine
- Andy Warhol, who was raised in Oakland and is considered among the most important artists of the 20th century
- August Wilson, a Hill District native and Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright best known for plays chronicling the experiences of America’s Black community
They will be inducted into the Pittsburgh Walk of Fame during a ceremony at the Strip District Terminal on Oct. 20. The installation will feature a narrative plaque embedded in the sidewalk along Smallman Street.
Nancy Polinsky Johnson, the project’s founder and executive director, in January told TribLive more than 250 Western Pennsylvania icons had been nominated in the first round.
To be selected for a star, nominees must have been born in or spent their formative or creative years in Allegheny, Armstrong, Beaver, Butler, Fayette, Greene, Indiana, Lawrence, Washington or Westmoreland counties. Their contributions must have had a national impact.
Johnson anticipates adding 10 people each year for the next three years before slowing the pace to about three per year.
Julia Burdelski is a TribLive reporter covering Pittsburgh City Hall and other news in and around Pittsburgh. A La Roche University graduate, she joined the Trib in 2020. She can be reached at jburdelski@triblive.com.
Remove the ads from your TribLIVE reading experience but still support the journalists who create the content with TribLIVE Ad-Free.