For more than forty years, a brass plaque has hung on the Rector’s door of Calvary Episcopal Church in Pittsburgh, where the Frank family has worshipped for generations. The inscription commemorates the life of Cecelia, wife of Robert and partner in creating the Alan I W Frank House, a masterwork in modern residential architecture designed by Walter Gropius and Marcel Breuer.
Whether entertaining Pittsburgh notables, such as Vira Heinz and Jonas Salk, or celebrating Christmas with the stranded traveling cast of a Broadway musical, Cecelia was the driving force of family life and hospitality in the home. Among her frequent guests were Sam Shoemaker and John Baiz, Rectors of Calvary for many years.
Her children, Barbara and Alan, honored her life with a gift to the church, commemorated by the brass plaque. This year, with the installation of the Reverend Jonathan Jensen, Alan renewed the gift. “To Mother, life was a celebration,” Alan said, “and church was an important part of that.”
