On September 11, the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford held a cornerstone laying ceremony and celebration for the new Harriett B. Wick chapel on the ever-expanding campus.

Harriett B. Wick, daughter of Zippo founder George G. Blaisdell, is known for her tremendous dedication to Pitt-Bradford, its students, and the Bradford community. Mrs. Wick and the Philo and Sarah Blaisdell Foundation, Zippo Manufacturing Company, and W.R. Case and Sons Cutlery Company have been consistently strong supporters of Pitt-Bradford since its establishment in 1963.

The Harriett B. Wick Chapel will be a place of interfaith worship and meditation. The chapel will be a site for receptions, weddings, induction ceremonies, lectures and small choral and musical performances as well as volunteer service programs and other community outreach activities.

“In naming the chapel for Harriett Wick, we honor a dear friend of our university and a woman whose generosity has changed lives for the better and made our region a better place to live and work,” said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of Pitt-Bradford.

In a serene location near the Tunungwant Creek and nestled in a wooded area, the 3,000 square-foot chapel will be an ideal spot on campus for reflection and spiritual renewal. Three of the sanctuary’s four sides will be glass, and it will also feature a vaulted ceiling, wooden floors, seating for about 150 people using movable seating, and space for a pipe organ. The total cost of the chapel and furnishing is $2.5 million (excluding the pipe organ).

“The Wick Chapel will fill an important need on our campus in providing a place where students of any religious denomination can worship in a manner consistent with his or her preference,” Alexander added.

Construction has already begun and is slated to be complete summer 2010.




Mr. George Duke, Zippo Chairman of the Board and nephew of Harriett B. Wick and Dr. Livingston Alexander prepare to position a block during the cornerstone laying ceremony. (Photo courtesy of Pitt-Bradford)