Arts lover moved people, groups to higher level
Those who knew and admired Dorothy Kamin Englert say she opened the window of opportunity for family and friends alike.
"My mother, who was a true diplomat, had the insight and the knack to make things happen," said her son, Robert Kamin. "If she knew that someone had the ability to improve their life, she'd be the one to find ways to motivate them."
Dorothy McNally Kamin Englert, of Shadyside, a past president of the Women's Association of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society, died Friday, Oct. 7, 2005, at her home. She was 91.
"As kids, Dan and I took Mom for granted," said Robert Kamin, referring to himself and brother, Daniel. "It wasn't until we were older that we began to appreciate the magnitude of her accomplishments.
"She used to say to us with a sense of pride, 'How is it that I have two sons who graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and received their MBAs -- one from Harvard and the other from the University of Pittsburgh -- when I only had a high school education?' "
Mrs. Englert was also a superb fundraiser, who through the years raised money for a number of charitable and nonprofit organizations, including the United Way and WQED, her son said.
When she chaired the Pittsburgh Symphony's annual ball in the 1970s, Mrs. Englert used America's friendship with the former Shah of Iran, Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, as the theme.
"Even Iran's ambassador to the United States attended," said Kamin.
Raising funds and helping those in need was another of the hallmarks of Mrs. Englert's life.
Joan Apt, a member of the board of the Pittsburgh Symphony Association, recalled what a pleasure it was to work with Mrs. Englert. "Dotti was a warm, lively and upbeat member of the symphony board," she said. "No matter what needed to be done, you could rely on her. She was also an attractive woman, who dressed well. And she was a big help to me when I was organizing the Pittsburgh Public Theater."
Mrs. Englert was born in Pittsburgh, the only child of pharmacist Daniel McNally and Esther Frank McNally, and raised in New York City.
Although she was artistically gifted, Mrs. Englert gave up a scholarship to the Art Institute of New York City to help her parents, who were struggling financially during the Depression.
"My mother put her family before her career," said her son. "And she never regretted it."
Before being introduced to Harry Kamin, an attorney from Pittsburgh, she helped to support her family by working as a fashion model in New York City.
In 1939, she married Harry Kamin and returned to Pittsburgh. "By this time, my mother was an accomplished and sophisticated woman, who through her modeling met many of the movers and shakers in New York City," said Kamin.
"Although my mother never had the opportunity to pursue an artistic career, she continued to support groups like the National Society of Arts and Letters, of which she was a past president," said her son.
"And she never let her love of art decline," he added. "In past 20 years, my mother and I made numerous trips to Europe. And the first places we would visit were the art museums in Paris or Rome or Barcelona."
Kamin recalled how much his mother appreciated the men and women who lived in the Pittsburgh area most of their lives and of their commitment to many of the organizations and causes she embraced, such as the Pittsburgh Opera and the National Society of Arts and Letters.
In the years after Harry Wallace Kamin's death in 1959, Mrs. Kamin married businessman Albert P. Englert, who died two years ago. "My mother enjoyed the companionship of two fine husbands for many years," said Kamin.
Mrs. Englert is survived by two sons, Daniel Kamin and his wife, Carole, of Shadyside, and Robert Kamin, also of Shadyside; a stepdaughter, Justine Englert of Ardmore, Delaware County; and grandchildren Matthew, Michael, Phillip, Tamar and Valerie Kamin.
Friends will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Monday at McCabe Bros. Inc. Funeral Home, 6214 Walnut St., Shadyside. Funeral services and burial will be private.
