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. Grefenstette attended Duquesne upon his return from Navy service in World War II. As an undergraduate, he studied accounting and stood out as a member of the University’s baseball team.
Following his academic and athletic successes at Duquesne, Grefenstette began working at The Hillman Company, where he spent the near-entirety of his career, and was eventually promoted to president and CEO in 1990. Through his work at The Hillman Company and his friendship with Henry L. Hillman, Grefenstette became engaged in the philanthropic work of the Hillman Family Foundations, working alongside the late Henry Hillman, and then leading the Hillman Family Foundations directly, 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.
Known throughout his life and across his personal and professional endeavors for his commitment to Spiritan and Catholic values and 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 exploration of the ethical intersections of faith, humanity, and technology.