Award
Object number2021.76.1 a-c
Manufacturer
Blackinton
Date2019
MediumBrass; Metal; Enamel; Fabric; Plastic; Velvet; Satin; Paperboard
Credit LineGift of Dan Ledger and Tim Matson
DescriptionShiny brass-colored medal with enamel details. Medal has circular central white background featuring Pittsburgh Police crest surrounded by organizational name in blue all surrounded by radiating sunburst motif; banners at top center with blue award name. Medal is suspended from baby blue grosgrain ribbon with brass pinback across top of back.
Rounded rectangular clamshell box. Exterior is covered in blue velvet. Metal hinge along back edge. Bottom is rimmed with brass. Interior of lid is lined with white satin and interior of base is white paperboard. Box has blue velvet-lined insert inside bottom for mounting the award.DimensionsHeight x Width x Depth (a): 4.25 x 2.125 x 0.5 in. (10.8 x 5.4 x 1.3 cm)Height x Width x Depth (b - closed): 1.25 x 4.313 x 7.125 in. (3.2 x 11 x 18.1 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (b - open): 7.625 x 4.313 x 7.75 in. (19.4 x 11 x 19.7 cm)
Height x Width x Depth (c): 0.813 x 4.25 x 7 in. (2.1 x 10.8 x 17.8 cm)
Inscriptions(a)
Front has blue enamel text at top "MEDAL OF / VALOR" and surrounding central crest "PITTSBURGH / BUREAU OF POLICE".
Marks(a)
Back of medal has engraved text at bottom center "Blackinton".
(b)
Interior of lid has gold printed text at center "by Blackinton".
Historical NotesThe Act of Valor Award is the highest honor issued by the Pittsburgh Bureau of Police. It is awarded to “sworn members who distinguish themselves by performing an act of exceptional courage and bravery above and beyond the call of duty,” often involving extreme personal risk. At the H. John Heinz Police Awards ceremony in November 2019, the bureau awarded the medal to the four Pittsburgh Police Department officers who were injured while responding to the attack at the Tree of Life synagogue in Squirrel Hill on October 27, 2018: Anthony Burke, Tim Matson, Daniel Mead, and Michael Smigda. Officer Tim Matson was the most gravely injured of the four officers and spent weeks in the hospital following the attack. He was being treated in the same facility as Dan Leger, a member of Congregation Dor Hadash who was also gravely injured in the attack. Learning that one of the injured officers was recuperating in a nearby room, Leger set a personal physical therapy goal: to learn to walk well enough to visit the officer. After meeting in the hospital, the two men subsequently became friends. Following the award ceremony, Matson gave his medal to Leger, as a gesture of gratitude. The two men donated the award to the Rauh Jewish Archives in a public ceremony on May 16, 2021.
Related institution
Pittsburgh Bureau of Police
Previous owner
Tim Matson
Previous owner
Dan Leger
Related institution
Congregation Dor Hadash
Related person
Anthony Burke
Related person
Daniel Mead
Related person
Michael Smigda
On View
Not on view
1945
2000
c. 1944
