Giving Forward
Who: Bob Fierst
What he supports:
The four Carnegie Museums
Why it matters:
“I feel it is very important for everyone, regardless of their means, to be able to enjoy these jewels. By giving back to the Carnegie Museums, if it helps touch even one individual, I will have accomplished my goal.” –Bob Fierst
When Bob Fierst was a young adult in his 20s, the social mindedness of his parents and grandparents had an undeniable impact on how he saw his role in the world.
He recalls how his maternal grandmother helped care for wounded soldiers through a Ladies’ Aid Society. His stepfather’s generosity was more personal, quietly offering financial support to anyone that he knew who was in need.
“I understood early on that this was the right and moral way to live,” he says. “I never knew anything different growing up.”
Fierst has lived out this sense of responsibility to give back throughout his life, largely through his philanthropic giving to local institutions that he feels create a more culturally rich, equitable society. And the four Carnegie Museums are among the top institutions he supports.
“Carnegie Museums is, in my opinion, the most important cultural institution we have in the Pittsburgh area,” he says.
This is why he wants them to be open and accessible to all Pittsburghers, through programs like the Community Access Memberships, which include a free teen membership and reduced-price family membership, and Carnegie Museum of Art’s Neighborhood Museum, which offers free programming and memberships for refugee families.
“I feel it is very important for everyone, regardless of their means, to be able to enjoy these jewels,” he says. “By giving back to the Carnegie Museums, if it helps touch even one individual, I will have accomplished my goal.”
His own connection with the Carnegie Museums dates back to the late 1940s, when he was just 5 years old and his grandfather took him to Carnegie Museum of Natural History. Those trips sparked an interest in Earth’s history and the world beyond, planting a seed of curiosity that took root and flourished.
“The vastness, the grandeur … and it did tend to be a little spooky, which I enjoyed,” Fierst says. “I had a vivid imagination, and what better place to indulge?”
As a teenager, his footsteps beat a well-worn path along the sidewalks that connected his home in Squirrel Hill to the “palace of culture” in Oakland, where he’d spend hours roaming the halls. “Some of my earliest memories were the dinosaurs, the Egyptian exhibition, and the Hall of Architecture where the large plaster casts of ancient buildings are.”
That personal connection is what continued to feed his desire to give back, first by becoming a member. As his long-standing relationship and attachment with the museums continued to grow, he eventually made the generous decision to bequest a Legacy Gift to the museums.
“I am 82 now but in good health, so it may still be awhile,” Fierst jokes, having shifted into semi-retirement with an advisory position in the family business, a wholesale flooring distributor.
In recent years, he’s committed to additional philanthropic support by joining the Patrons Circle, and he remains a familiar face during events and openings, as well as a proud tour guide for out-of-towners.
He is especially eager for the opening of the Museum of Natural History’s Egypt on the Nile exhibition, planned for 2026.
Reflecting on his memories and the wonder he continues to experience whenever he walks into the building, it’s his desire that other children, teens, and adults from all walks of life—especially those in underserved communities—will experience the same spark; one that makes an indelible impact on their lives, just as it did on his.
“The value that Carnegie Museums brings to our region is priceless,” he says. “It’s a pillar in the community.”
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