Gloria G. Giddens

Gloria G. Giddens was born August 10, 1925, and was one of the first African American women to graduate from Earl Wheeler Finishing and Modeling School, a previously all-white school, in 1951. She owned two beauty shops in the Hill District, one of which was the first and only wig salon for African Americans on Centre Avenue. Both stores eventually expanded to include clothing and Gloria's own line of cosmetics. When she wasn't spending her time hobnobbing with Pittsburgh's African American social elite, Gloria sponsored charm schools for African American girls at the Hill District YMCA, serving as a role model to countless young ladies. She died from cancer in 2006.