PHOTO BY HUCK BEARD

When the editors of Pittsburgh Magazine launched the 40 Under 40 recognition program in 1999, some on staff doubted they would find enough worthy young leaders here to qualify. How wrong they were.

The list from the inaugural year includes several names still familiar in Pittsburgh. Some folks are doing what they were doing 25 years ago — but of course with greater authority and success.

Some have advanced to higher positions — such as David Wecht, who went from Allegheny County Register of Wills at age 36 to a seat on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. Others have moved out of the area altogether. Kevin McClatchy was on the list at age 36 as the youngest owner in Major League Baseball when he led a team of investors to purchase the Pittsburgh Pirates in 1996. He sold his last shares of the team in 2009, and is now co-chairman of amfAR, the Foundation for AIDS Research in West Palm Beach, Florida.

Dawn Keezer was just 34 when she was tapped for the honor in her fourth year as director of the Pittsburgh Film Office. She still leads that agency, which has helped bring in more than 200 feature films and TV productions to southwestern Pennsylvania, generating nearly $2 billion in economic impact; 5,000 people in the region are employed in the film industry. She will celebrate her 30th year at the film office in September.

Bill Fuller, then 31, was corporate chef of the big Burrito Restaurant Group, where he was responsible for overseeing menu and kitchen development at the six trendy restaurants in the region under the group’s umbrella. Now he’s president of big Burrito, which operates 17 restaurants and a catering service and is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year.

By the time Melissa Hart was selected for the first class of 40 Under 40 at age 37, she had already made history. She was the first Republican woman to be elected to a full term in the Pennsylvania Senate, at age 28. From 2001-2007, she was the first Republican woman to represent Pennsylvania in the U.S. House of Representatives — making history again. After her time in Congress, she resumed her law practice and later threw her hat in the ring for the Pennsylvania gubernatorial race in 2022 but pulled out days before the state Republican primary.

Dan Onorato, then 38, went from Pittsburgh City Councilman to eight years as the Allegheny County Executive. During that time, he launched an unsuccessful bid for governor, losing to Tom Corbett. Since 2012, he’s been executive vice president, chief corporate affairs officer for Highmark Health.

One of the most influential honorees on the list was Linda Dickerson, who at age 38 had been a magazine publisher, business consultant and prominent advocate of people with disabilities. She spent most of her life in a wheelchair after being diagnosed with Werdnig-Hoffmann, a rare genetic neuromuscular disease. The condition did not stop her from lobbying for the Americans With Disabilities Act to become federal law in 1990 and to serve on multiple boards in the region, including as a trustee for Carnegie Mellon University. She died at age 59 in September 2020.

Mark Madden was a sports talk show host in 1999 at age 38, and he is still a sports talk show host at 62. He was on Sportsradio 1250 at that time and wrote a weekly sports column for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He now hosts an afternoon talk show on 105.9 The X and writes a part-time column for the Tribune-Review.

Founder and former producing director of Quantum Theatre, Karla Boos recently drew accolades for her production of “Hamlet,” which was staged in August at the Carrie Blast Furnaces in Swissvale. Quantum, which she describes as a laboratory or “incubator of the amazing,” is in its 33rd year. Her title is now artistic director.

Two other creatives who are still doing what they were honored for in 1999 are Peter Kope and Michele de la Reza, founders and artistic directors of Attack Theatre. Their company, founded in 1994, is known for its innovative dance performances. They are in their 29th season.

Burton Morris, who was honored at age 35 with his now ex-wife and fellow artist, Julie Morris, already had gained an international reputation with his bright “New Pop” designs. NBC’s sitcom “Friends” showcased his paintings on the set of the Central Perk coffee shop for more than 10 seasons, and he was the official artist of the World Cup ’98 and 2002 Winter Olympics. Collectors of his work include Oprah Winfrey, Barack Obama and Ralph Lauren.

On the medical side, Dr. Patrick J. DeMeo was director of the Division of Sports Medicine at Allegheny General Hospital at age 39 in 1999. The health system has grown substantially since then and his current title is chair of the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Allegheny Health Network. He has been medical director of the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2000.

Steve D. Irwin was a lawyer and chairman of the board of the Pennsylvania Jewish Coalition when he was tapped for this honor at age 39. He ran unsuccessfully in the Democratic primary in the 12th Congressional District in 2022, losing to Summer Lee. Earlier this year he was elected to a three-year term as the chair of the Anti-Defamation League of the Cleveland region, which serves Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia and Western Pennsylvania.

Minette Seate, former producer, writer and researcher who worked on “Black Horizons” on WQED, is now supervising producer at the public TV station, where she has hosted and produced the weekly film series “Filmmakers Corner.” She produced the 2020 documentary, “Childhood Lost: The Adultification of African American Girls,” which shed light on the practice and perception that Black girls are less innocent than their white counterparts.

Esquire Magazine in 1997 named The Steelhead Grill — helmed by executive chef Greg Alauzen — the best new restaurant in Pittsburgh and it quickly shot to the “A” list of best dining rooms in the ‘Burgh. The Bridgeville native in 2003 moved on to open Eleven Contemporary Kitchen in the Strip District and later ran Cioppino, also in the Strip. In 2019, he opened his own Italian restaurant, LeoGreta, in Carnegie — named after his parents, Leon and Greta.

Rob Rogers was a finalist for a Pulitzer Prize in the editorial cartoon category in 1999, the year he was a 40 Under 40 honoree at age 39. Nineteen years later, editors at his paper, the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, fired him after they rejected a number of cartoons deemed anti-Trump. The firing made national news. Now a syndicated freelance editorial cartoonist, Rogers in 2019 — the year after his firing — once again was a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

1999 Class of Honorees

Greg Alauzen

Jim Antaki

Karla Boos

Charles R. Burke Jr.

David Celento

Rosemary Crawford

Patrick J. DeMeo

Linda Dickerson

Ezra C. Escudero

Carolyn Falk

Bill Fuller

Brian Garman

David Geller

Robert H. Getzenberg

Melissa Hart

Ted Hoover

Steven D. Irwin

Marie Milie Jones

Dawn Keezer

Peter Kope & Michele de la Reza

Brian Lang

Sean Logan

Mark Madden

Kevin McClatchy

Sean McDonald

Leslie Ann McIlroy

Mickey McManus

Glen Meakem

Burton & Julie Morris

Andy Newman

Dan Onorato

Rob Rogers

Rhonda Schuldt

Mike Seate

Minette Seate

Donald F. Smith

John Stephen

Michael & Candace Uricchio

Witold “Vic” Walczak

David Wecht