Donor Stories

Dr. Pat Downey joined Chatham in 1994 as a faculty member in the Physical Therapy program. She subsequently served as the Program Director and in 2014 became the inaugural dean of the School of Health Sciences (SHS). Pat has been instrumental in shaping the identity and cohesion of SHS, as well as spearheading grant funding efforts and implementing new programs.

Dek Ingraham is a Pittsburgh-based director, actor, administrator, educator, and life-long student of theatre. Dek studied theatre at Marietta College and, after a 15-year hiatus, completed his undergraduate degree at Chatham University in 2020, where he continues to serve on the advisory board for the Chatham Drama Club.

In 1962, “Bobbie-Lee” Hewitt Orloff arrived in Pittsburgh with filled hatboxes, gloves for every occasion, and matching monogram luggage. She jokes that by 1966 when she graduated from Chatham College with a BA in Sociology, she “threw it all away for jeans and sweats (except at dinnertime, of course).”

Marion Swannie Rand ’45 embodied the characteristics of a Chatham woman—she was an involved student leader, at the top of her class academically, and achieved success in her field at a time when there weren’t many opportunities for women in her industry.

The Reverend Elizabeth Platz Smith ’62 has been a steadfast and humble pioneer for women in ministry, without ever setting out to make history breaking down gender barriers.

No one can doubt pianist Henry Spinelli’s dedication to his craft—or his community. For more than three decades the now-emeritus professor taught piano to generations of musicians at Chatham University. He’s performed hundreds of concerts, solo recitals, performed with innumerable ensembles including members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and has been an integral part of Pittsburgh’s music scene throughout his tenure.

I graduated from Chatham in 1970 as a Theater major. Chatham had very strict liberal arts requirements so I received a broad and comprehensive education. I went on to graduate school in theater, which was a disaster; as you can imagine, it was the 70’s, I was in Los Angeles, and everything centered around sex, drugs, and rock n roll.

In 1993, nearing the end of a two year struggle with ovarian cancer, Barbara Stone Hollander ’60 and her husband, Tom, decided to consider what they wanted to leave behind irrespective of the outcome of her battle with the disease.

Mary and Edith Cole spent much of their lives helping others and advocating for the rights of women everywhere. Their generous spirit has outlived both as they continue to ensure that a high-quality education is available to everyone.

The late Anne Putnam Mallinson ’61 loved the sense of community and friendship that she found at Chatham. Eight years after her passing, her husband William Mallinson kept the generosity she showed to Chatham during her life going strong.

Chatham alumna Nancy Waichler ’55 has centered her philanthropy around three passions: education, the environment and the social services groups that serve her community in Oak Park, IL. Chatham’s Eden Hall Campus embodies two of those passions.