Helen Worsing, Mt. Lebanon Magazine’s longtime former art director, was a graduate of Carnegie Tech (a forerunner of Carnegie Mellon University), with a B.A. in painting and design. She was a prolific modern artist, painter and designer whose works were featured in numerous art shows and have decorated the walls of many Pittsburgh locations.

Helen moved seamlessly between traditional artistry and computer design technology. She was a gifted artist whose amazing work defined and improved the magazine for 23 years. She guided the magazine from black and white to a full-color publication, through two complete redesigns and many smaller course changes and is responsible for our current mtl magazine brand. She exhibited an unparalleled dedication and commitment to creating art. The thread that wove its way through every aspect of her life was an almost otherworldly appetite for work.

Daughter Christina Worsing, who for a time worked here as assistant to the editors, half-seriously credited her mom’s work ethic to her “Eastern European peasant stock. You know, when you go into the bushes, have your baby, and then get right back to picking cabbages.”

Staff members from all municipal departments came to know Helen as a pure professional, and they knew whatever they needed—full-page magazine ads, posters, flyers, brochures—would be delivered on time, with a minimum of fuss, and would look tremendous. Helen retired in 2017, at 79, and died in April, after a much-too-brief retirement.