A Historic Gift of a Non-Historic Nature
What motivates a brother and sister to give their childhood home in Lawrenceville to Landmarks? In the case of John Hudak and Katherine Hudak Golobic, it was a way to pay tribute to two loving parents.
John Sr. and Mary Hudak worked hard all of their lives. John was the first of his generation to be born in America. Mary came to this country from Austria when she was 16. Both lived by a strong work ethic.
The couple raised three children: John, Katherine, and Mary Ann. Together they faced the challenges of Mary Ann’s Downe’s Syndrome, periodic layoffs associated with being a welder for U.S. Steel, and having to help staff the parents’ neighborhood grocery store.
But no obstacle could stand in the way of providing for their children. When the grocery store closed, John Sr. worked more overtime at the mill and Mary, then in her forties, enrolled at the Pittsburgh Beauty Academy, graduated at the top of her class and generated extra income from “beautician work.”
Their combined incomes put a son through college and a daughter through nursing school, and enabled Mary Ann to receive the best care possible. When John, Sr. was diagnosed with cancer, Mary cared for him in the only home she ever knew until he died in 1995.
In 2001, cancer also claimed Mary. But her final days were made less painful because Katherine cared for her while John took care of the house and bills.
When deciding what to do with the family home after his mother’s death, John consulted Katherine. Since each lived out-of-state, selling the house would be difficult. That was when their Realtor suggested giving Landmarks the Lawrenceville property.
“Giving the house to Landmarks in memory of our parents became a wonderful answer to our dilemma,” said John. “Everyone in the family supported the idea, even our children.”
With the tax savings realized from the gift, John, Jr. and Katherine were also able to direct additional cash to Mary Ann for her long-term care and give something back to the community that meant so much to them and their parents.
PHLF plans to try to restore the exterior of these properties to better reflect their original architectural style.
“When we eventually sell the building to a reputable buyer, we’;; apply the proceeds to an unrestricted endowment account”, said Landmarks’ president Arthur Ziegler. “The gift will then generate income to support our preservation mission in memory of John and Mary Hudak.”
Katherine and John, Jr. hope to call Pittsburgh “home” again one day. But whether or not they return, their generosity has assured that the spirit of the Hudak family will always reside at Landmarks.
Contact: Jack Miller
Director of Gift Planning