Helen Borland Burchfield bequeathed this fund in memory of her husband William and her son Thomas, who had both preceded her in death.
Helen was born in Pittsburgh, PA and married William Hodge Burchfield, a 1902 graduate of Princeton and the son of Major A. P. Burchfield and Sarah McWhinney Burchfield. A.P. Burchfield was an early partner of the Joseph Horne Company, and in 1907, William became the Store Manager, and moved upward quickly, becoming the Vice President of Management in 1929. In 1939 he succeeded his brother as President of Joseph Horne Company, a position which he held until January 1946.
Mr. Burchfield was a member of the Chamber of Commerce, on the Board of Directors of the Downtown YMCA, and served as a director of First Federal Savings and Loan. He was also involved with a number of fraternal organizations, including the Ancient Accepted Scottish Rite Masons and Syria Temple, the Lions Club, and the Sons of the American Revolution, among others.
William and Helen had one son, Thomas, who was born on August 4, 1936. He graduated from Shady Side Academy in 1954 and followed his father to Princeton, where he was majored in history and was involved with the glee club, the orchestra, and the wrestling team. Upon graduation in 1958, he entered the University of Pittsburgh Law School.
William passed away at the Burchfield's summer home in Chautauqua, New York on Wednesday August 19, 1959. Just two years later on September 8, 1961, Thomas passed away in an automobile accident in Evans, New York, en route to the Chautauqua home.
Helen passed away on May 12, 1995.
The fund supports institutions in Pittsburgh and Allegheny County serving the poor and destitute, including but not limited to the Salvation Army and Family Resources, and institutions supporting juvenile justice and combating juvenile crime.