Eleanor Maxine Moose was born in Grafton, West Virginia, the loving daughter of George Walker Moose and Elva McDaniel Moose. She always went by Maxine. Gracious, feisty, and driven, she proudly called herself a "West Virginia hillbilly," a term she proudly used to honor her roots. When she was 2 years old, her family moved to Bridgeport, West Virginia, where she attended Bridgeport High School. She graduated in 1941 with high honors and received a scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.
In the spring of 1942, following America's entry into World War II, Maxine left Wesleyan to work at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory in Hagerstown, Maryland. After the war ended, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
At Ohio State, she met and married, in 1946, the love of her life, her German refugee husband Fred Charles Bruhns. Fred had immigrated to America in 1941 after serving 2 years in Berlin's Moabiet Prison for anti-Nazi activism. He returned to Europe as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. His post-war career as a refugee specialist required the couple to travel extensively.
Over the course of their marriage, they lived in numerous countries: Austria 1948-1950, Lebanon 1952-1954, Cambodia 1952-1954, South Vietnam 1955-1957, Cambodia 1958-1959, Iran 1960, Germany 1961, Greece 1962-1963, and Gabon 1964.
Maxine maximized these opportunities with numerous accomplishments, including earning a Master's Degree in Psychology at the American University of Beirut, teaching English to Vietnamese Army officers, and doing the same for Buddhist monks in Cambodia. In Greece, she studied the Greek language and Greek dancing, and acted in American theater productions. Maxine's natural linguistic talent, combined with her extensive travels and exposure to various cultures, allowed her to attain fluency in French and German and gain a working knowledge of Arabic, Farsi, Greek, and Cambodian.
In 1965, Fred received his Ph.D. and a teaching position at the University of Pittsburgh at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA).
Shortly thereafter, Maxine accepted a position as Director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs (NRIEP). The Nationality Rooms are located on the first and third floors of the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, the unique skyscraper administration building of the University of Pittsburgh. The directorship became her greatest legacy.
When Bruhns started at Pitt, 19 rooms had been completed with no plans for any more. As Director, Bruhns made trips to Austria, Japan, India, and Ukraine, ultimately creating a dozen new rooms: African, Armenian, Austrian, Indian, Israeli, Japanese, Korean, Philippine, Swiss, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh, expanding the total to 31. She also coordinated the scholarship portion of the programs which awarded graduate and undergraduate summer study-abroad scholarships each year to University of Pittsburgh students. In addition, she wrote a quarterly newsletter and began the Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House in 1991, serving as its mistress of ceremonies. Her office was on the 12th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Maxine always dressed in a colorful outfit composed of clothing and jewelry she'd purchased during her travels abroad.
The Nationality Rooms, which have been designated as historic landmarks by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, have helped to preserve the cultures and traditions of the homelands they represent. Maxine felt very strongly about the program, and strove to make these rooms accessible and relevant to the many ethnicities that created the city of Pittsburgh. They are a testament to the cultural legacy of those immigrants. Her efforts with the program have created a well-rounded international and educational experience for Pitt alumni and visitors. Maxine advocated the use of the rooms for classroom instructions. She always pushed for the widest possible public audience to learn from touring them, just as the University's students would find inspiration from attending classes in them. With the exception of the Early American and the Syria-Lebanon rooms, all of the rooms serve as working classrooms. Food and drink are prohibited. Since 1944, members of Quo Vadis, a student guide organization, have offered tours of the rooms (about 25,000 people partake each year), and each room is also equipped to present a recorded narrated history, written and recorded by Maxine herself.
Maxine was a careful custodian of the rooms. She spent 54 years working as Director of the Nationality Rooms and officially retired in early January 2020, at the age of 96.
Maxine will always be remembered by her friends and colleagues as a unique and exceptionally-driven individual who possessed a singular character and an unfaltering drive for excellence. Her leadership and devotion to the Nationality Rooms have made them a matter of great pride for the University for generations to come.
Eleanor Maxine Bruhns, aged 96 years and 7 months, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Shadyside in Pittsburgh. She was predeceased by her husband, Fred Charles Bruhns, who passed away on March 20, 2006. The couple had no children.
Professional services were by D'Alessandro Funeral Home in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Private interment was at Bridgeport Cemetery. A memorial service was held at a later date. Memorial donations were requested to the University of Pittsburgh, c/o Nationality Rooms, 1209 Cathedral of Learning, 4500 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Information from Triblive Online, January 31 and July 21, 2020; Pittsburgh Magazine, September 24, 2015; Pitt News, August 4, 2020; and WIA (Women in Academia) Report, July 24, 2020. Additional information, edited, and submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
In the spring of 1942, following America's entry into World War II, Maxine left Wesleyan to work at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory in Hagerstown, Maryland. After the war ended, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
At Ohio State, she met and married, in 1946, the love of her life, her German refugee husband Fred Charles Bruhns. Fred had immigrated to America in 1941 after serving 2 years in Berlin's Moabiet Prison for anti-Nazi activism. He returned to Europe as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. His post-war career as a refugee specialist required the couple to travel extensively.
Over the course of their marriage, they lived in numerous countries: Austria 1948-1950, Lebanon 1952-1954, Cambodia 1952-1954, South Vietnam 1955-1957, Cambodia 1958-1959, Iran 1960, Germany 1961, Greece 1962-1963, and Gabon 1964.
Maxine maximized these opportunities with numerous accomplishments, including earning a Master's Degree in Psychology at the American University of Beirut, teaching English to Vietnamese Army officers, and doing the same for Buddhist monks in Cambodia. In Greece, she studied the Greek language and Greek dancing, and acted in American theater productions. Maxine's natural linguistic talent, combined with her extensive travels and exposure to various cultures, allowed her to attain fluency in French and German and gain a working knowledge of Arabic, Farsi, Greek, and Cambodian.
In 1965, Fred received his Ph.D. and a teaching position at the University of Pittsburgh at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA).
Shortly thereafter, Maxine accepted a position as Director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs (NRIEP). The Nationality Rooms are located on the first and third floors of the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, the unique skyscraper administration building of the University of Pittsburgh. The directorship became her greatest legacy.
When Bruhns started at Pitt, 19 rooms had been completed with no plans for any more. As Director, Bruhns made trips to Austria, Japan, India, and Ukraine, ultimately creating a dozen new rooms: African, Armenian, Austrian, Indian, Israeli, Japanese, Korean, Philippine, Swiss, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh, expanding the total to 31. She also coordinated the scholarship portion of the programs which awarded graduate and undergraduate summer study-abroad scholarships each year to University of Pittsburgh students. In addition, she wrote a quarterly newsletter and began the Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House in 1991, serving as its mistress of ceremonies. Her office was on the 12th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Maxine always dressed in a colorful outfit composed of clothing and jewelry she'd purchased during her travels abroad.
The Nationality Rooms, which have been designated as historic landmarks by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, have helped to preserve the cultures and traditions of the homelands they represent. Maxine felt very strongly about the program, and strove to make these rooms accessible and relevant to the many ethnicities that created the city of Pittsburgh. They are a testament to the cultural legacy of those immigrants. Her efforts with the program have created a well-rounded international and educational experience for Pitt alumni and visitors. Maxine advocated the use of the rooms for classroom instructions. She always pushed for the widest possible public audience to learn from touring them, just as the University's students would find inspiration from attending classes in them. With the exception of the Early American and the Syria-Lebanon rooms, all of the rooms serve as working classrooms. Food and drink are prohibited. Since 1944, members of Quo Vadis, a student guide organization, have offered tours of the rooms (about 25,000 people partake each year), and each room is also equipped to present a recorded narrated history, written and recorded by Maxine herself.
Maxine was a careful custodian of the rooms. She spent 54 years working as Director of the Nationality Rooms and officially retired in early January 2020, at the age of 96.
Maxine will always be remembered by her friends and colleagues as a unique and exceptionally-driven individual who possessed a singular character and an unfaltering drive for excellence. Her leadership and devotion to the Nationality Rooms have made them a matter of great pride for the University for generations to come.
Eleanor Maxine Bruhns, aged 96 years and 7 months, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Shadyside in Pittsburgh. She was predeceased by her husband, Fred Charles Bruhns, who passed away on March 20, 2006. The couple had no children.
Professional services were by D'Alessandro Funeral Home in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Private interment was at Bridgeport Cemetery. A memorial service was held at a later date. Memorial donations were requested to the University of Pittsburgh, c/o Nationality Rooms, 1209 Cathedral of Learning, 4500 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Information from Triblive Online, January 31 and July 21, 2020; Pittsburgh Magazine, September 24, 2015; Pitt News, August 4, 2020; and WIA (Women in Academia) Report, July 24, 2020. Additional information, edited, and submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
Eleanor Maxine Moose was born in Grafton, West Virginia, the loving daughter of George Walker Moose and Elva McDaniel Moose. She always went by Maxine. Gracious, feisty, and driven, she proudly called herself a "West Virginia hillbilly," a term she proudly used to honor her roots. When she was 2 years old, her family moved to Bridgeport, West Virginia, where she attended Bridgeport High School. She graduated in 1941 with high honors and received a scholarship to West Virginia Wesleyan College in Buckhannon.
In the spring of 1942, following America's entry into World War II, Maxine left Wesleyan to work at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory in Hagerstown, Maryland. After the war ended, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
At Ohio State, she met and married, in 1946, the love of her life, her German refugee husband Fred Charles Bruhns. Fred had immigrated to America in 1941 after serving 2 years in Berlin's Moabiet Prison for anti-Nazi activism. He returned to Europe as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. His post-war career as a refugee specialist required the couple to travel extensively.
Over the course of their marriage, they lived in numerous countries: Austria 1948-1950, Lebanon 1952-1954, Cambodia 1952-1954, South Vietnam 1955-1957, Cambodia 1958-1959, Iran 1960, Germany 1961, Greece 1962-1963, and Gabon 1964.
Maxine maximized these opportunities with numerous accomplishments, including earning a Master's Degree in Psychology at the American University of Beirut, teaching English to Vietnamese Army officers, and doing the same for Buddhist monks in Cambodia. In Greece, she studied the Greek language and Greek dancing, and acted in American theater productions. Maxine's natural linguistic talent, combined with her extensive travels and exposure to various cultures, allowed her to attain fluency in French and German and gain a working knowledge of Arabic, Farsi, Greek, and Cambodian.
In 1965, Fred received his Ph.D. and a teaching position at the University of Pittsburgh at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA).
Shortly thereafter, Maxine accepted a position as Director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs (NRIEP). The Nationality Rooms are located on the first and third floors of the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, the unique skyscraper administration building of the University of Pittsburgh. The directorship became her greatest legacy.
When Bruhns started at Pitt, 19 rooms had been completed with no plans for any more. As Director, Bruhns made trips to Austria, Japan, India, and Ukraine, ultimately creating a dozen new rooms: African, Armenian, Austrian, Indian, Israeli, Japanese, Korean, Philippine, Swiss, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh, expanding the total to 31. She also coordinated the scholarship portion of the programs which awarded graduate and undergraduate summer study-abroad scholarships each year to University of Pittsburgh students. In addition, she wrote a quarterly newsletter and began the Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House in 1991, serving as its mistress of ceremonies. Her office was on the 12th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Maxine always dressed in a colorful outfit composed of clothing and jewelry she'd purchased during her travels abroad.
The Nationality Rooms, which have been designated as historic landmarks by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, have helped to preserve the cultures and traditions of the homelands they represent. Maxine felt very strongly about the program, and strove to make these rooms accessible and relevant to the many ethnicities that created the city of Pittsburgh. They are a testament to the cultural legacy of those immigrants. Her efforts with the program have created a well-rounded international and educational experience for Pitt alumni and visitors. Maxine advocated the use of the rooms for classroom instructions. She always pushed for the widest possible public audience to learn from touring them, just as the University's students would find inspiration from attending classes in them. With the exception of the Early American and the Syria-Lebanon rooms, all of the rooms serve as working classrooms. Food and drink are prohibited. Since 1944, members of Quo Vadis, a student guide organization, have offered tours of the rooms (about 25,000 people partake each year), and each room is also equipped to present a recorded narrated history, written and recorded by Maxine herself.
Maxine was a careful custodian of the rooms. She spent 54 years working as Director of the Nationality Rooms and officially retired in early January 2020, at the age of 96.
Maxine will always be remembered by her friends and colleagues as a unique and exceptionally-driven individual who possessed a singular character and an unfaltering drive for excellence. Her leadership and devotion to the Nationality Rooms have made them a matter of great pride for the University for generations to come.
Eleanor Maxine Bruhns, aged 96 years and 7 months, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Shadyside in Pittsburgh. She was predeceased by her husband, Fred Charles Bruhns, who passed away on March 20, 2006. The couple had no children.
Professional services were by D'Alessandro Funeral Home in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Private interment was at Bridgeport Cemetery. A memorial service was held at a later date. Memorial donations were requested to the University of Pittsburgh, c/o Nationality Rooms, 1209 Cathedral of Learning, 4500 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Information from Triblive Online, January 31 and July 21, 2020; Pittsburgh Magazine, September 24, 2015; Pitt News, August 4, 2020; and WIA (Women in Academia) Report, July 24, 2020. Additional information, edited, and submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
In the spring of 1942, following America's entry into World War II, Maxine left Wesleyan to work at the Glenn L. Martin Aircraft Factory in Hagerstown, Maryland. After the war ended, she completed her Bachelor's Degree in Philosophy and Psychology at Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio.
At Ohio State, she met and married, in 1946, the love of her life, her German refugee husband Fred Charles Bruhns. Fred had immigrated to America in 1941 after serving 2 years in Berlin's Moabiet Prison for anti-Nazi activism. He returned to Europe as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Army. His post-war career as a refugee specialist required the couple to travel extensively.
Over the course of their marriage, they lived in numerous countries: Austria 1948-1950, Lebanon 1952-1954, Cambodia 1952-1954, South Vietnam 1955-1957, Cambodia 1958-1959, Iran 1960, Germany 1961, Greece 1962-1963, and Gabon 1964.
Maxine maximized these opportunities with numerous accomplishments, including earning a Master's Degree in Psychology at the American University of Beirut, teaching English to Vietnamese Army officers, and doing the same for Buddhist monks in Cambodia. In Greece, she studied the Greek language and Greek dancing, and acted in American theater productions. Maxine's natural linguistic talent, combined with her extensive travels and exposure to various cultures, allowed her to attain fluency in French and German and gain a working knowledge of Arabic, Farsi, Greek, and Cambodian.
In 1965, Fred received his Ph.D. and a teaching position at the University of Pittsburgh at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA).
Shortly thereafter, Maxine accepted a position as Director of the Nationality Rooms and Intercultural Exchange Programs (NRIEP). The Nationality Rooms are located on the first and third floors of the 42-story Cathedral of Learning, the unique skyscraper administration building of the University of Pittsburgh. The directorship became her greatest legacy.
When Bruhns started at Pitt, 19 rooms had been completed with no plans for any more. As Director, Bruhns made trips to Austria, Japan, India, and Ukraine, ultimately creating a dozen new rooms: African, Armenian, Austrian, Indian, Israeli, Japanese, Korean, Philippine, Swiss, Turkish, Ukrainian, and Welsh, expanding the total to 31. She also coordinated the scholarship portion of the programs which awarded graduate and undergraduate summer study-abroad scholarships each year to University of Pittsburgh students. In addition, she wrote a quarterly newsletter and began the Nationality Rooms Holiday Open House in 1991, serving as its mistress of ceremonies. Her office was on the 12th floor of the Cathedral of Learning. Maxine always dressed in a colorful outfit composed of clothing and jewelry she'd purchased during her travels abroad.
The Nationality Rooms, which have been designated as historic landmarks by the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, have helped to preserve the cultures and traditions of the homelands they represent. Maxine felt very strongly about the program, and strove to make these rooms accessible and relevant to the many ethnicities that created the city of Pittsburgh. They are a testament to the cultural legacy of those immigrants. Her efforts with the program have created a well-rounded international and educational experience for Pitt alumni and visitors. Maxine advocated the use of the rooms for classroom instructions. She always pushed for the widest possible public audience to learn from touring them, just as the University's students would find inspiration from attending classes in them. With the exception of the Early American and the Syria-Lebanon rooms, all of the rooms serve as working classrooms. Food and drink are prohibited. Since 1944, members of Quo Vadis, a student guide organization, have offered tours of the rooms (about 25,000 people partake each year), and each room is also equipped to present a recorded narrated history, written and recorded by Maxine herself.
Maxine was a careful custodian of the rooms. She spent 54 years working as Director of the Nationality Rooms and officially retired in early January 2020, at the age of 96.
Maxine will always be remembered by her friends and colleagues as a unique and exceptionally-driven individual who possessed a singular character and an unfaltering drive for excellence. Her leadership and devotion to the Nationality Rooms have made them a matter of great pride for the University for generations to come.
Eleanor Maxine Bruhns, aged 96 years and 7 months, passed away after a brief illness on Friday, July 17, 2020, at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Shadyside in Pittsburgh. She was predeceased by her husband, Fred Charles Bruhns, who passed away on March 20, 2006. The couple had no children.
Professional services were by D'Alessandro Funeral Home in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh. Private interment was at Bridgeport Cemetery. A memorial service was held at a later date. Memorial donations were requested to the University of Pittsburgh, c/o Nationality Rooms, 1209 Cathedral of Learning, 4500 Fifth Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15260.
Information from Triblive Online, January 31 and July 21, 2020; Pittsburgh Magazine, September 24, 2015; Pitt News, August 4, 2020; and WIA (Women in Academia) Report, July 24, 2020. Additional information, edited, and submitted by Angela, Member #48520699.
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