BRADFORD, Pa. - A new endowment funded by its namesake will ensure the upkeep of the Bromeley Family Theater at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

The university received the $250,000 gift from the Pembroke Foundation and Jean H. and Thomas R. Bromeley and their children, Pamela B. and Donald J. Fredeen, and Amy B. and Daniel P. McCune, for the maintenance of the university's theater, which is also named for the Bromeley family.

The Pembroke Foundation is a family foundation originally established by Jean Bromeley's parents, Corliss R. and Mary S. Hostetler.
"It's a lovely facility," Thomas Bromeley said of the theater. "I think it is a good idea to develop a fund that can maintain and help keep it first class. It's very easy to postpone maintenance when budgets are tight."

The Bromeley Family Theater is a 500-seat theater that opened in 2004 and has hosted performances ranging from intimate opera recitals to the Russian National Ballet Theatre.

The Bromeley family has a long history of involvement in the university, beginning with its founding in 1963. Thomas Bromeley and his father, Robert Bromeley, were among the local business people who worked with then-University of Pittsburgh Chancellor Edward Litchfield to raise the original funds for the university's campus in Bradford.

"For three generations, the extended Bromeley family has been incredibly generous to Pitt-Bradford, sharing its time and expertise with the university as well as making significant gifts," said Dr. Livingston Alexander, president of Pitt-Bradford. "The most recent gift ensures the theater will be maintained and improved into the future for the benefit of the region."

The university is in the midst of a $17.5 million campaign in honor of its 50th anniversary later this year. The campaign includes a goal of $600,000 for its arts endowment to support additional programming and ensure the facility's status as state-of-the-art.

For more information on the endowment or campaign, contact Jill Ballard, executive director and managing director of the Bradford Educational Foundation at (814)362-5091 or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .