HARRISBURG (May 28, 2019) — The Pennsylvania Bar Association (PBA) has presented awards that recognize outstanding leadership in the legal profession and extraordinary service and longstanding membership in the association.
PBA Special Achievement Awards recognize those lawyers and individuals who have provided time and resources to improve the association and the legal profession. The President’s Awards, bestowed at the discretion of 2018-19 PBA President Charles Eppolito III, recognize extraordinary commitment to the association. PBA Fifty-Year Member Awards recognize lawyers who have been association members for five decades.
The awards were presented on May 17 during the association’s Annual Meeting at the Lancaster Marriott at Penn Square in Lancaster.
Allegheny County
Leonard A. Costa Jr., Law Office of Leonard A. Costa Jr., Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award
Thomas J. Cox Jr., Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award
Richard S. Dorfzaun, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award
Richard S. Ehmann, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award
Eli Krivoshia Jr., McMurray: Fifty-Year Member Award
David A. Miller, David Miller Law Offices, Pittsburgh: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his dedication over the past five years on behalf of the PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee advocating for the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act and the Pennsylvania Collaborative Law Act, which was signed into law by the governor in late 2018.
Hobart Richey, Allison Park: Fifty-Year Member Award
Beaver County
Judge James J. Ross, Beaver County Court of Common Pleas, Beaver: PBA President’s Award — for his high level of professionalism, leadership, dedication and commitment fulfilling his duties as co-chair of the Task Force on PBA Policy.
Berks County
Kim L. Lengert, Lengert Law Firm, Robesonia: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her efforts on behalf of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Section to collaborate with Widener University Commonwealth Law School in developing a program course titled “Starting Your Own Firm (Small Firm Practice Management)” for the 2019 spring semester exposing students to the PBA and the benefits of section membership.
Bucks County
William L. Antheil III, Antheil Maslow & MacMinn LLP, Doylestown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Allan B. Greenwood, Siana Bellwoar & McAndrew LLP, Chester Springs: Fifty-Year Member Award
Stephen B. Harris, Harris & Harris PC, Warrington: Fifty-Year Member Award
Denis W. Lanctot, Fairless Hills: Fifty-Year Member Award
Peter S. Thompson, Doylestown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Robert E. Slota Sr., Malvern: Fifty-Year Member Award
Cambria County
Christopher G. Gvozdich, Gvozdich Law Offices, Ebensburg: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his leadership and dedication to the PBA Quality of Life/Balance Committee, especially in leading the committee to create and present programs that teach lawyers about the importance of self-wellbeing, time management, mindfulness and professionalism.
Randall C. Rodkey, Leventry Haschak & Rodkey LLC, Johnstown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Centre County
Jeffrey M. Bower, Bower Law Associates, State College: PBA President’s Award — for the high level of professionalism, leadership, dedication and commitment demonstrated fulfilling his duties as president of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation.
Chester County
Winston J. Churchill Jr., Malvern: Fifty-Year Member Award
Fronefield Crawford Jr., Fronefield Crawford Jr LLC, West Chester: Fifty-Year Member Award
James R. Freeman, Phoenixville: Fifty-Year Member Award
William J. Gallagher, MacElree Harvey Ltd, West Chester: Fifty-Year Member Award
Kim Denise Morton, Morton Family Law LLC, West Chester: PBA President’s Award — for the high level of professionalism, leadership, dedication and commitment demonstrated fulfilling her duties as co-chair of the Task Force on PBA Policy.
Crawford County
Robert J. Felton, Shafer Law Firm, Titusville: Fifty-Year Member Award
Cumberland County
Robert B. Lieberman, Lemoyne: Fifty-Year Member Award
John B. Mancke, Carlisle: Fifty-Year Member Award
Dauphin County
Raymond Paul Pepe, K&L Gates LLP, Harrisburg: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his dedication over the past 20 years on behalf of the PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee advocating for the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act and the Pennsylvania Collaborative Law Act, which was signed into law by the governor in late 2018.
Charles E. Thomas Jr., Thomas Niesen & Thomas LLC, Harrisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award
David A. Wion, Caldwell & Kearns PC, Harrisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award
Delaware County
Michael Gardner, Newton Square: Fifty-Year Member Award
Albert A. Lindner, Kania Lindner Lasak & Feeney, Saint Davids: Fifty-Year Member Award
George G. Loveless, Media: Fifty-Year Member Award
Michael L. Murphy, Murphy & Carmen, Media: Fifty-Year Member Award
Peter J. Rohana, Media: Fifty-Year Member Award
Erie County
Edward W. Goebel Jr., MacDonald Illig Jones & Britton LLP, Erie: Fifty-Year Member Award
T. Warren Jones, MacDonald Illig Jones & Britton LLP, Erie: Fifty-Year Member Award
Ritchie T. Marsh, Marsh Spaeder Baur Spaeder & Schaaf, Erie: Fifty-Year Member Award
Zanita A. Zacks-Gabriel, The Law Office of Zanita A. Zacks-Gabriel, Erie: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her dedication over the past five years on behalf of the PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee advocating for the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act and the Pennsylvania Collaborative Law Act, which was signed into law by the governor in late 2018.
Fayette County
Ralph K. Barclay Jr., Fitzsimmons and Barclay, Uniontown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Lancaster County
James W. Appel, Appel & Yost LLP, Lancaster: Fifty-Year Member Award
Jerrold D. Harris, Lancaster: Fifty-Year Member Award
Lebanon County
Ret. Senior Judge Robert J. Eby, Lebanon County Court of Common Pleas, Lebanon: Fifty-Year Member Award
Lehigh County
Nancy Conrad, White and Williams LLP, Center Valley: PBA President’s Award — for the professionalism, leadership, dedication and commitment demonstrated fulfilling her duties as chair of the Task Force on PBA Dues Structure.
Robert J. Johnson, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Seymour Traub, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award
James R. Wishchuk, Wishchuk Law Office, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Luzerne County
Bart E. Ecker, Sugarloaf: Fifty-Year Member Award
Bruce S. Miller, Laputka Bayless Ecker & Cohn PC, Hazelton: Fifty-Year Member Award
Lycoming
Malcolm S. Mussina, Law Office of Malcolm S Mussina Esquire, Montoursville: Fifty-Year Member Award
Montgomery County
Thomas A. Bell, Semanoff Ormsby Greenberg & Torchia LLC, Wyndmoor: Fifty-Year Member Award
Ret. Senior Judge Emanuel A. Bertin, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Norristown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Andrew L. Braunfeld, Masterson Braunfeld LLP, Conshohocken: Fifty-Year Member Award
Jennifer L. Ellis, Jennifer Ellis JD LLC, King of Prussia: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her efforts on behalf of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Section to collaborate with Widener University Commonwealth Law School in developing a program course titled “Starting Your Own Firm (Small Firm Practice Management)” for the 2019 spring semester exposing students to the PBA and the benefits of section membership.
Joseph S. Hocky, Haverford: Fifty-Year Member Award
Marla A. Joseph, Law Offices of Marla A. Joseph, Jenkintown: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her efforts on behalf of the PBA Workers’ Compensation Law Section to raise funds for Kids’ Chance through a silent auction helping 55 deserving students receive scholarship grants.
Mitchell A. Kramer, Mitchell Kramer & Associates, Rydal: Fifty-Year Member Award
Valerie H. Lieberman, Burns White LLC, West Conshohocken: PBA Special Achievement Award — for efforts on behalf of the PBA Workers’ Compensation Law Section to raise funds for Kids’ Chance through a silent auction helping 55 deserving students receive scholarship grants.
A. Victor Meitner Jr., A. Victor Meitner Jr. PC, Blue Bell: Fifty-Year Member Award
Richard J. Molish, Oreland: Fifty-Year Member Award
Kenneth R. Myers, Elkins Park: Fifty-Year Member Award
Herbert F. Rubenstein, Kraut Harris PC, Blue Bell: Fifty-Year Member Award
Ret. Senior Judge Arthur R. Tilson, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Norristown: Fifty-Year Member Award
Paul C. Troy, Kane Pugh Knoell Troy & Kramer LLP, Norristown: PBA President’s Award — for his high level of professionalism, leadership, dedication and commitment fulfilling his duties as co-chair of the Task Force on PBA Policy.
Stephen G. Yusem, Stephen G. Yusem Esq., Blue Bell: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his dedication over the past 20 years on behalf of the PBA Alternative Dispute Resolution Committee advocating for the Revised Uniform Arbitration Act and the Pennsylvania Collaborative Law Act, which was signed into law by the governor in late 2018.
Northampton County
Philip D. Lauer, Lauer & Fulmer PC, Easton: Fifty-Year Member Award
Thomas P. Stitt, Nazareth: Fifty-Year Member Award
Philadelphia County
John J. D’Angelo, Bank Minehart & D'Angelo, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Sharon M. Dietrich, Community Legal Services Inc., Philadelphia: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her work advocating for and implementing the Clean Slate Law, which went into effect on Dec. 26, 2018 and will serve as a national model for planned federal legislation.
Carole Dotson Green, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Norman L. Haase, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin PC, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Michael Luber, I. Michael Luber PC, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Ret. Judge James R. Melinson, JAMS, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Joshua A. Mooney, White and Williams LLP, Philadelphia: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his dedication in establishing and leading the newly created PBA Cybersecurity and Data Privacy Committee and developing the committee’s successful blog on cybersecurity and data privacy.
Edwin P. Smith, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Harvey Voron, Gerson Capek & Voron, Philadelphia: Fifty-Year Member Award
Schuylkill County
Harry B. Crosswell, Orwigsburg: Fifty-Year Member Award
Snyder County
Thomas C. Clark, Selinsgrove: Fifty-Year Member Award
Somerset County
Mary E. Schellhammer, Law Office of Attorney Mary E. Schellhammer, Somerset: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her efforts on behalf of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Section to collaborate with Widener University Commonwealth Law School in developing a program course titled “Starting Your Own Firm (Small Firm Practice Management)” for the 2019 spring semester exposing students to the PBA and the benefits of section membership.
Union
Peter L. Matson, Peter L. Matson PC, Lewisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award
Graham C. Showalter, Lewisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award
York County
Sara A. Austin, Austin Law Firm LLC, York: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her efforts on behalf of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Section to collaborate with Widener University Commonwealth Law School in developing a program course titled “Starting Your Own Firm (Small Firm Practice Management)” for the 2019 spring semester exposing students to the PBA and the benefits of section membership.
Ret. Senior Judge John C. Uhler, CGA Law Firm, York: Fifty-Year Member Award
Out of State
Frank J. Benasutti, Benasutti PC, Boca Raton, Fla.: Fifty-Year Member Award
Robert J. Christopher, Gaithersburg, Md.: Fifty-Year Member Award
Edwin J. Tomko, Dykema Gossett PLLC, Dallas, Texas: Fifty-Year Member Award
Founded in 1895, the Pennsylvania Bar Association strives to promote justice, professional excellence and respect for the law; improve public understanding of the legal system; facilitate access of legal services; and serve the lawyer members of the state’s largest organized bar association.