Susannah Ziegler was only 7-years-old when she died of Leukemia. Her family established the fund in memory of the gallant and courageous life she lived and the joy she brought to those around her.
Susannah was born in 1951 and attended Shadyside Presbyterian Church Nursery School, Ellis kindergarten and Linden School until her death in second grade. She was active in her church choir and loved to dance. She even appeared several times with her mother on Dr. Spock Shows, which her mother produced for WQED.
Susannah lived at a time when doctors could do little for leukemia victims, her mother later recalled. After Susannah's death, her parents divorced and her mother Susanne remarried John T. Morris, who learned of Susannah's story through a picture she had drawn of a winking angel. Although he never knew her, he always considered her to be one of his own and encouraged the family to establish the fund with The Pittsburgh Foundation.
While the fund is unrestricted, Susanne has asked that it reflect the values of both her daughter and her husband John, both self sufficient people who set high standards for themselves and believed in helping people to help themselves. A priority is also given to leukemia research.