Philanthropist Cordelia Scaife May dies at 76

Cordelia Scaife May, a respected philanthropist, died suddenly Wednesday at her home in Ligonier, Westmoreland County, after a fight with pancreatic cancer. She was 76.

"My sister had deep feelings for people and for causes," said her brother, Richard M. Scaife, owner of Tribune-Review Publishing Co. "Cordy devoted her life and her finances in supporting worthwhile causes.

"Cordy's support of the Laurel Foundation came about because of her interest in conservation and population control. She was introduced to Margaret Sanger, who was the founder of the Planned Parenthood Federation, by our grandmother, Mary Magee Scaife," he recalled.

Mrs. May founded the Laurel Foundation in 1951 to support charities in Western Pennsylvania.

"Mrs. May was the Laurel Foundation," said Timothy Inglis, president of the Laurel Foundation. "She loved the city of Pittsburgh and would often ask us what more could we do for the city.

"She said she owed so much to a city that did so much and meant so much to her family. And she never wanted to be acknowledged for all that she did," Inglis said.

Mrs. May followed the Scaife family's tradition of philanthropy, which includes the Alan Magee Scaife Hall at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and the Sarah Scaife Gallery in Oakland.

The Scaife family foundations -- which include the Allegheny, Sarah Scaife and Carthage foundations -- support numerous charitable commitments, including summer programs for the Boys & Girls clubs and the foundations and renovations of historic public libraries in Homestead and Braddock. The foundations, in conjunction with Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation, also provided the funding that transformed the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad Station into Station Square on the South Side.

Cordelia Scaife was born on Sept. 24, 1928, one of two children of Alan Magee Scaife and Sarah Mellon Scaife. She was raised in Shadyside and Ligonier.

The Scaife family's history in Western Pennsylvania began in 1802. Jeffrey Scaife, who emigrated from Yorkshire, England, manufactured tin and sheet iron products. In later years, the Scaife Co., a metal fabricating firm, was headquartered in the Allegheny County community of Verona.

"The Scaife Unit of the Pittsburgh Center for the Arts was our family home," recalled her brother.

Mrs. May attended the Ellis School and the Falk School before enrolling at the Foxcroft School in Middleburg, Va.

"My sister also took classes at Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh," said her brother. "Cordy was a voracious reader. In recent years, she would isolate herself for a month and read."

Richard Scaife recalled several of the activities that he and his sister enjoyed as children. One involved raising a black Labrador retriever named "Bruce," whom they taught to jump a fence.

"Cordy thought we should enter him in one of the big dog show contests," recalled Mr. Scaife, an avid dog lover.

"We used to catch a street car that took us to Kennywood," he added. "We'd spend the entire day on the rides and eating hot dogs and drinking colas."

In 1949, Cordelia Scaife married Herbert A. May Jr. They were divorced a year later. She was also the widow of Robert W. Duggan, former Allegheny County district attorney, who died in 1974.

Mrs. May is survived by her brother, Richard M. Scaife; a niece, Jennie Scaife, of Palm Beach, Fla.; and a nephew, David Scaife, of Shadyside.

Mrs. May will be cremated. There is no visitation. Arrangements are by the Thomas L. Nied Funeral Home, Swissvale.