By Bruce Beardsley, Chair, LCDC
John Pittenger, the highly respected elder statesman of the Lancaster County Democratic Party, passed away last night at the age of 79 from complications of a decades’ long battle with Parkinson’s disease. He passed quietly, surrounded by his beloved wife of 28 years, Pauline. He had been confined to the Homestead Rehabilitation Center for several months as his condition worsened.
“Pitt”, as he was affectionately known, was a true patriot, serving his nation, his state, and his community as a military veteran, as an educator, a farmer, a lawyer, a state legislator, and a state cabinet secretary. To me, and to my political colleagues, he was a friend and trusted mentor. He played an invaluable behind-the-scenes role in the renaissance of the local Democratic Party advising me, my predecessor, and many others. He helped the Party raise money and he enjoyed and had a remarkable knack for motivating and recruiting people to volunteer for the Party. It was almost impossible to say “no” to Pitt. The Lancaster County Democratic Committee honored him in 2003 with its first Lifetime Achievement Award.
John Pittenger was born in Philadelphia in 1930 and graduated from Harvard Law School. He served in the U.S. Army from 1952-1955. He settled in Lancaster in 1958 and represented the 96th District in Lancaster City in the General Assembly from 1964 -1966 and from 1968 -1970. He served as Legislative Secretary in the Governor Milton Shapp administration and later as Secretary of Education from 1971-1977. He was appointed to the State Board of Education in 1991 and served until 1996.
He was instrumental in the creation of the scholarship program of the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency, the first state income tax, the Department of Environmental Protection, establishing the legal authority for the right to a free public education for all handicapped children, the Governor’s School for the Arts, the Statement of Student Rights and Responsibilities, a policy on female participation in interscholastic sports which became the model for the far-reaching federal Title IX, and the Bi-Partisan Management Committee of the PA. House of Representatives.
From 1981 to 1986, he served as the Dean of the Rutgers Law School. He was the author of “Politics Ain’t Beanbag”, an amusing recounting of his years in politics and the lessons learned.
Many of us had the opportunity to visit Pitt during these last several months. While he had difficulty speaking, his first-class mind remained alert and curious.
John Pittenger was the epitome of a great American. Throughout a lifetime of service, he never abandoned the effort to make the world a little better place, although he did come to discover that it’s a lot harder than he thought it would be.
He will be sorely missed.
