Frank Ziaukas and the Lithuanian Citizens' Society Newsletter

60th Anniversary of The Lithuanian Room at University of Pittsburgh

Frank Ziaukas and The Lithuanian Citizens' Society Newsletter published this article in their May 2000 newsletter.

The dedication of the first two Nationality Rooms to open at the University of Pittsburgh 60 years ago -- the Lithuanian Room and the Polish Room -- was celebrated at the International Cabaret Ball at the University of Pittsburgh on Saturday, May 13th.

The Lithuanians and Poles opened the way to the creation of 26 different Nationality Rooms at Pitt, which have drawn worldwide attention for 60 years.

The event was held at the William Pitt Union at the University. Jay McCloskey, of the Lithuanian Room Committee, was the co-chairperson of the event, and Don Mushalsko, for the Polish Room Committee, was chairman.

The Neris Dancers performed a number of Lithuanian dances. Karvzels, a Polish-American dance ensemble, also appeared. In addition to a reception, buffet dinner, and dancing, the cultures of Lithuania and Poland were highlighted. Don Cannon, of KDKA-TV, was the master of ceremonies.

This ball was sponsored by the Nationality Council, the governing body of the Nationality Room Committees which raises funds to provide summer scholarships. This summer, twenty-eight University of Pittsburgh students will study abroad, one will study in Lithuania.

“Looking Back” by Frank Ziaukas

The Lithuanian Classroom of the University of Pittsburgh was formally opened on October 4, 1940. Honored guests included Miss Marian Bartkus and George Zelinskas, who both served on the Committee for the Lithuanian Classroom at that time.

The Nationality Rooms resulted from the effort to involve Pittsburgh's many nationality groups in the construction of the Cathedral of Learning. The Lithuanian Room Committee was formed in March 1932, when an Executive Committee of eight members was elected, and a General Committee composed of representatives from each local Lithuanian organization was named. Peter Pivaronas was then President and Mrs. Johanna T. Baltrusaitis was the Campaign Manager.

The campaign to raise funds was pushed by the Committee and involved picnics, dances, and card parties held locally; appeals to other Lithuanian communities and organizations around the country in the Lithuanian press and by personal visits; and even visits to Lithuania.

A cooperating committee was formed in Kaunas, which included the President of the Lithuanian Colonists Abroad, the Director of the Čiurlionis Art Gallery, and representatives of the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and the University of Kaunas. Seven artists in Lithuania submitted designs in an open competition with the design of Antanas Gudaitis selected. Coordinating this international effort was the University Advisor to the Nationality Committees, Ruth Crawford Mitchell, and probably the one person most responsible for transforming a marvelous idea into reality.

Finally the room was ready for its dedication. Hundreds of guests filled the great Commons Room, including the guest of honor, Paul Žadeikis, Minister of Lithuania to the United States. A Lithuanian bard sang Lithuanian folk songs accompanying himself on the kanklės, and the children and grandchildren of the Committee members presented Chancellor Bowman with gifts from the old country – amber, rue, a miniature wayside cross, kanklės, and a Lithuanian primer. And so, the Lithuanian Classroom was presented to the University of Pittsburgh.

The national character of the Lithuanian Room was achieved by the use of Lithuanian folk art. Hand-woven linen in a design known as "The Path of the Birds" was used as a wall covering, held in place by decorative columns of white oak set against black oak. Concerned that the linen may someday need to be replaced, Barbara Bird, accompanied by her son, Leon, traveled to Lithuania in the mid 80s. Fortunately a weaver was found who could replicate the pattern, and after several years, a sufficient amount was transported to Pittsburgh and stored for later use.

The delicate rosettes, which surround the ceiling lights, were adapted in design from the picturesque roadside crosses and shrines characteristic of the Lithuanian landscape. The twelve-inch oak frieze below the ceiling is edged with a wooden scallop patterned after the overlapping roof of a granary. The entrance door of diagonal planks is crowned with decorative cutouts reminiscent of the roof ends of Lithuanian cottages. The light oak frieze above the blackboard is carved with the names of outstanding Lithuanian cultural figures: Donelaitis, Daukantas, Basanavičius, Maironis, Kudirka, and Čiurlionis.

The professor’s table and the student furniture are of Lithuanian light oak, but the professor’s chair is Lithuanian black oak. The black oak is of very special origin. It has been customary for farmers to select some of the finest oak and sink it in the bed of a pond or river. After a hundred years or so, the permeation of the river bed deposit darkens the white oak to a greenish black. This black oak or bog oak is highly prized for cabinetwork, and is very difficult to acquire.

Featured is a copy of Petras Rimša’s sculpture –"The Lithuanian School of 1861 – 1904" – which depicts a Lithuanian mother at her spinning wheel teaching her child to read. A faithful dog under the bench remains alert for approaching soldiers; for these were the days when it was forbidden to print or possess material in the Lithuanian language printed in Roman type.

The focal point of the room has to be the enlarged copy of "The Two Kings" by M. K. Čiurlionis, Lithuania’s most famous painter. When the original fresco showed signs of wear and tear in 1968, Leona Orriger Claskey, a local artist, was engaged to replicate the piece on canvas.

Although the Lithuanian Room truly reflects its unique culture, as one of many such nationality rooms, it is part of a greater whole, which symbolizes universal ideals of beauty, truth, and peace. For sixty years, countless visitors have been amazed, delighted and intrigued by their visits to these rooms, including our little corner of Lithuania. Local folks, students from here and abroad, international visitors, such as the Lithuanian debating team and members of Parliament, have visited this room and, hopefully, emerged with a better, richer understanding of what Lithuania is about.

As the Lithuanian Room Committee was responsible for the creation of the Lithuanian Classroom, it is also responsible for its maintenance. In addition, the Committee also participates in the International Exchange Program at the University of Pittsburgh by awarding scholarships for summer study abroad.

John McCloskey is currently Chairman of the Lithuanian Room Committee. Chairpersons in the past have been John Kuncas, Gail Barkus, Vincent Rodgers, Barbara Bird, George Sipp, Robert X. Medonis, Paul Dargis. George Zilinskas, Edward Schultz, and Peter Pivaronas. For more information about the Lithuanian Room Committee and its activities, contact John McCloskey at 724-274-8668 or Patricia Macey at 412-885-0889.