Moved by Memories to Impact the Future
The Class of 1974 donated a historic $1 million gift to Shady Side.
As the First Shady Side Academy class to graduate with female students, the class of 1974 is used to making history. They recently did so again when they united to deliver a $1 million donation to Shady Side Academy.
Generous giving isn’t new for the class of 1974. In honor of their 40th reunion in 2014, the class raised over $700K, a record for a class gift at the time. Andy Mathieson ’74 was among a group of classmates who helped organize the push to fundraise at both the 40th and 50th reunions. “We know we had a great class, and this was an opportunity to memorialize our appreciation for our education,” he says. His classmate David Puth ’74 agrees. “A lot of us have reflected back and realized we had something very special — in the classrooms, on the athletic field, in the arts, and even in the camaraderie,” Puth says. “We found that people were motivated to give because we all felt that the school had had a highly consequential impact on our lives, and we wish for that experience for others.”
Mathieson and Puth, along with classmates Greg Benckart, David Egan, Virginia (Franke) Kleist, Steve Halpern, Michael Hannon, Fred Harchelroad Jr., Ed Kay Jr., Hugh McGough, and Tony Ross worked diligently in the months leading up to their 50th reunion to reach out to every classmate to encourage them to attend the reunion and share news about the class’s fundraising effort. Each person took charge of a list of classmates to contact, reveling in the chance to reestablish bonds. “The group of people that organized this effort were motivated by the wonderful engagement that we got from the rest of the class,” Puth says.
“Once you reestablish relationships between people and the school, you find that they naturally want to participate in an effort to support the school,” Mathieson says.
Classmates who returned to Pittsburgh for the reunion weekend were invited to reconnect at an off-campus event on Friday evening, arranged by members of the class. Mathieson recalls that Ed Kay ’74, who unexpectedly passed away in the summer of 2025, was instrumental in arranging the Friday night event, even setting up a table to memorialize classmates who had died in the years prior. One of those remembered was J. Keefe Ellis ’74, who joined the effort to fundraise for the 40th reunion before passing away in 2017.
Festivities continued on Saturday, when over 30 members of the class of 1974 celebrated their official 50th reunion on campus in J. Keefe Ellis ’74 Commons. Members of the class of 1974 continued to send in their generous individual donations in support of their class’s greater effort, ultimately surpassing their goal of $1 million raised. Shady Side Academy will honor the class of 1974’s historic gift by naming the terrace at the new Rockwell Middle School, for the Class of 1974.
Mathieson hopes other classes are motivated to break his class’s donation record. “There’s nothing unique about us. We simply organized really well,” Mathieson says. Puth believes it’s important for other alumni to reengage with Shady Side Academy so they understand what they are supporting. “When you see what’s happening on campus today, it’s truly motivating,” Puth says, “It forces you to reflect back on what Shady Side did for you, and it makes you feel incredibly fortunate if you are able to provide support that helps others have that experience as well.”
Remembering Edward Kay Jr. ’74
Anyone who attended the Class of 1974’s 50th reunion in 2024 would have encountered Ed Kay, a truly spirited classmate who played a crucial role in the organizing effort to raise $1 million on behalf of his class.
At Shady Side, Kay excelled in academics and sports, lettering in golf, basketball, and baseball. Classmate Andy Mathieson ’74 says Kay was an instrumental player in the reunion and fundraising organization efforts, and praised Kay’s plan to memorialize classmates who had passed away during a Friday evening gathering over the reunion weekend. “He was the type of person who looked for something that needed to be done and made it happen,” Mathieson says.
Kay passed away suddenly on July 23, 2025. Several members of the class of 1974 attended his memorial service. Mathieson says he and others are grateful for the time they spent with Kay while planning to honor their alma mater.
In a loving remembrance, Kay’s family says he “lived every day until the last with joy, generosity, faith, and an indefatigable sense of fun.”