Our Namesake and His Legacy
Carl G. Grefenstette, the namesake of the Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law, graduated from Duquesne University in 1950. Growing up, Grefenstette was a celebrated strike-out pitcher known for his curveball. Coached by the Pittsburgh Pirate great Honus Wagner, Grefenstette was signed by the Boston Braves, but chose to serve his country instead by joining the Navy during WWII. Upon his return from the war, Grefenstette attended Duquesne on the GI Bill. As an undergraduate, he studied business and continued to excel as a member of the University’s baseball team.
Following his academic and athletic successes at Duquesne, Grefenstette began a long and distinguished career at The Hillman Company, where he achieved the rank of President, CEO and Chairman of the Board. Through his work at The Hillman Company and his half-century friendship with the late Henry L. Hillman, Grefenstette became engaged in the philanthropic work of the Hillman Family Foundations as a Trustee, resulting in significant philanthropic investments that have helped people throughout Pittsburgh, our region, and the world.
Grefenstette remained a committed Duke well beyond his student-athlete years, serving on the Board of Directors, helping to establish the Century Club of Distinguished Alumni, and receiving an honorary degree from the University in 1990. Upon Grefenstette’s passing in 2022, University President Ken Gormley remembered him warmly in this tribute.
Grefenstette and his wife Mary Jane were blessed with nine children and also raised two nieces, assuring that each – as well as numerous other beneficiaries - received a Catholic education. Known throughout his life and across his personal and professional endeavors for his unwavering integrity and commitment to Catholic values, ethics and innovation, the Hillman Foundation honored Grefenstette’s legacy with the gift that established the Carl G. Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law at Duquesne in 2019.
The Grefenstette Center is grateful for this generous gift and proud to inherit the legacy of its namesake's lifelong leadership in and commitment to the highest ethical standards in all endeavors.