Pennsylvania Bar Association Presents Awards for Outstanding Leadership, Extraordinary Service and Longstanding Membership

HARRISBURG (May 25, 2021) — 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 recognize extraordinary commitment to the association. PBA Fifty-Year Member Awards recognize lawyers who have been association members for five decades.

The Special Achievement and President’s awards were presented virtually at an awards ceremony during the PBA Virtual Annual Meeting, May 19-21. Fifty-Year Member Awards were recognized separately.


Adams County

Gary E. Hartman, Hartman & Yannetti Inc., Gettysburg: Fifty-Year Member Award


Allegheny County

Charles H. Alpern, Alpern Schubert PC, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

John F. Becker, Becker & Becker, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Eugene K. Connors, Presto: Fifty-Year Member Award

Judge Michael A. Della Vecchia, Allegheny County Court of Common Pleas, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

John F. Dugan, K & L Gates LLP, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

M. Richard Dunlap, Attorney at Law, Allison Park: Fifty-Year Member Award

Judge D. Michael Fisher, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Pittsburgh: PBA President’s Award — for his dedication and outstanding leadership of the PBA Federal Practice Committee and commitment to spearheading the Federal Practice Institutes.

Bruce G. Gabler, Dentons Cohen & Grigsby PC, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Charles B. Gibbons, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

James K. Goldberg, Clark Hill PLC, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Howard Grossinger, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Raymond F. Keisling, Carpenter McCadden & Lane LLP, Wexford: Fifty-Year Member Award

Terry Allen Lerman, First Capital Corporation, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert S. Markovitz, Markovitz & Germinaro, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Lawrence N. Paper, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Anthony P. Picadio, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Raymond J. Seals, Raymond J Seals Attorney At Law, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

John A. Tumolo, Attorney at Law, Pittsburgh: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert F. Wagner, Oakmont: Fifty-Year Member Award


Beaver County

Russell A. Basinger, Midland: Fifty-Year Member Award

Michael B. Jones, McMillen Urick Tocci & Jones, Aliquippa: PBA Special Achievement Award — in recognition of his steadfast and pragmatic leadership of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation Development Committee and Strategic Planning Task Force, in addition to his commendable service chairing the PBA COVID-19 Task Force and serving on the PBA Bylaws Committee.

John Albert Miller, Beaver: Fifty-Year Member Award

Layden C. Sadecky,Law Offices Layden C Sadecky, Beaver: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert J. Taylor, Ambridge: Fifty-Year Member Award


Berks County

Alfred W. Crump, Wyomissing: Fifty-Year Member Award

David S. Hope, American Crane & Equipment Company, Douglassville: Fifty-Year Member Award


Blair County

Allen E. Gibboney, Gibboney & Gibboney, Altoona: Fifty-Year Member Award


Butler County

James A. Taylor, West Sunbury: Fifty-Year Member Award


Cambria County

John J. Bagnato, Johnstown: Fifty-Year Member Award


Carbon County

Joseph John Velitsky, Velitsky & Frycklund, Summit Hill: Fifty-Year Member Award


Chester County

Ronald F. Brien, Attorney at Law, Spring City: Fifty-Year Member Award

David P. Brown, Kimberton: Fifty-Year Member Award

John T. Curtin, Philips Curtin & DiGiacomo, Berwyn: Fifty-Year Member Award

Judge Thomas G. Gavin, West Chester: Fifty-Year Member Award

Kim Denise Morton, Morton & Kubacke Family Law LLC, West Chester: PBA President’s Award — for dedication, commitment and outstanding leadership of the PBA House of Delegates during the pandemic.

Howard D. Venzie, Venzie Construction ADR Services LLC, Exton: Fifty-Year Member Award


Clarion County

Kent S. Pope, Clarion: Fifty-Year Member Award


Clearfield County

John Sughrue, Law Office of John Sughrue, Clearfield: Fifty-Year Member Award


Clinton County

Donald L. Faulkner, Snowiss Steinberg & Faulkner LLP, Lock Haven: Fifty-Year Member Award

Lee H. Roberts, Roberts Miceli LLP, Lock Haven: Fifty-Year Member Award


Columbia County

William S. Kreisher, Kreisher Marshall & Associates LLC, Bloomsburg: Fifty-Year Member Award


Cumberland County

Ronald D. Butler, Ronald D. Butler PC, Lemoyne: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert P. Coyne, Coyne & Coyne PC, Camp Hill: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his tireless efforts and dedication as a pro bono volunteer for the PBA Military and Veterans Affairs’ Committee, generously donating his time for numerous veterans’ legal needs clinics and support of legal aid services.

Hannah R. Suhr, The Law Office of Andrew H. Shaw P.C., Carlisle: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her long-time contributions and tireless dedication as a Wills for Heroes volunteer, as well as devoting a great deal of time and energy to serving veterans and handling pro bono cases for her law firm. 


Dauphin County

William J. Cluck, Law Office of William J Cluck, Harrisburg: PBA President’s Award — for his dedication and leadership in developing the PBA Environmental & Energy Law Section Minority Scholarship Fund of the Pennsylvania Bar Foundation supporting law students who pursue an interest in environmental and energy law.

Jesse G. Hereda, Pennsylvania Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg: PBA President’s Award — for his commitment to partnering with the PBA and the promotion of PBA initiatives among all lawyers in Pennsylvania. 

Jonathan D. Koltash, Pa. Health Insurance Exchange Authority Office of Chief Counsel, Harrisburg: PBA Special Achievement Award to the PBA Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition Committee — for their extraordinary work successfully converting the annual YLD Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition to a virtual format as a result of the pandemic.

Jane E. Meyer, Dauphin County Courthouse, Harrisburg: PBA Special Achievement Award to the PBA Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition Committee — for their extraordinary work successfully converting the annual YLD Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition to a virtual format as a result of the pandemic.

William J. Peters, Peters & Wasilefski, Harrisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award

Mark S. Silver, Mette Evans & Woodside PC, Harrisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award

Jonathan Vipond, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC, Harrisburg: Fifty-Year Member Award


Delaware County

Edward N. Flail, Attorney at Law, Wayne: Fifty-Year Member Award

Richard L. Hughey, Hughey Law, Media: Fifty-Year Member Award

Charles S. Katz, Charles S. Katz Jr & Associates, Glen Mills: Fifty-Year Member Award

Paul D. Nelson, Media: Fifty-Year Member Award

Phyllis M. Shea, Shea Law Offices LLP, Bryn Mawr: Fifty-Year Member Award

Michael J. Sheridan, Fox Differ Callahan Sheridan & McDevitt, Wayne: Fifty-Year Member Award

Lawrence G. Strohm, Law Office of Lawrence G Strohm Jr., Media: Fifty-Year Member Award


Erie County

James S. Bryan, Knox McLaughlin Gornall & Sennett PC, North East: Fifty-Year Member Award

Alois Lubiejewski, Erie: Fifty-Year Member Award

Richard A. Vendetti, Vendetti & Vendetti, Erie: Fifty-Year Member Award


Fayette County

Donald J. McCue, Donald McCue Law Firm PC, Connellsville: Fifty-Year Member Award


Huntingdon County

Judge Stewart L. Kurtz, Huntingdon: Fifty-Year Member Award


Lackawanna County

Richard S. Bishop, Hourigan Kluger & Quinn PC, Scranton: Fifty-Year Member Award

James J. Powell, Powell Law, Scranton: Fifty-Year Member Award

Retired Judge Thomas I. Vanaskie, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Dunmore: PBA President’s Award — for his dedication and outstanding leadership as chair of the PBA Joint Task Force on the Continuity of the Delivery of Legal Services, which resulted in a report that identifies practices to assure legal services continue so that citizens have access to justice for the duration of the pandemic and future emergencies.


Lancaster County

Richard G. Greiner, Nikolaus & Hohenadel LLP, Lancaster: Fifty-Year Member Award

William C. Haynes, Law Offices of William C. Haynes, Lancaster: Fifty-Year Member Award


Lebanon County

Thomas P. Harlan, Henry and Beaver LLP, Lebanon: Fifty-Year Member Award


Lehigh County

Lawrence Center, Lawrence Center Esq., Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Nancy Conrad, White and Williams LLP, Center Valley: PBA President’s Award — for her dedication and outstanding leadership of the PBA Diversity Team and for spearheading the Diversity and Inclusion Best Practices Series, which shed light on important topics in a meaningful way throughout the past year.

J. Jackson Eaton, Gross McGinley LLP, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Edward A. Fedok, Stevens & Lee PC, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Harold G. Nabhan, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Alan Penn, Attorney at Law, Orefield: Fifty-Year Member Award

Michael J. Piosa, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Joseph M. Reibman, Reibman & Reibman, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Eric R. Strauss, Worth Magee & Fisher PC, Allentown: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his many years of extensive work and assistance to the PBA Legislative Department and his extraordinary contributions in the passage of the Fiduciary Access to Digital Assets Act. 

Adrian J. Wasko, Adrian J Wasko Attorney at Law, Allentown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Judge Leonard N. Zito, Florio Perrucci Steinhardt Cappelli Tipton & Taylor LLC, Bethlehem: Fifty-Year Member Award


Luzerne County

Richard G. Dudinyak, Freeland: Fifty-Year Member Award

C. Stephen Gurdin, Wilkes Barre: Fifty-Year Member Award

Jennifer Menichini, Joyce Carmody & Moran PC, Pittston: PBA Special Achievement Award to the PBA Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition Committee — for their extraordinary work successfully converting the annual YLD Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition to a virtual format as a result of the pandemic.

Martin J. Meyer. Fellerman & Ciarimboli Law PC, Kingston: Fifty-Year Member Award:

Joseph J. Musto, Duryea: Fifty-Year Member Award


McKean County

Judge John H. Yoder, Smethport: Fifty-Year Member Award


Mercer County

Judge John C. Reed, Mercer County Court of Common Pleas, Sharpsville: Fifty-Year Member Award


Montgomery County

David L. Allebach, Yergey Daylor Allebach Scheffey Picardi, Pottstown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Charles J. Bloom, Stevens & Lee PC, King of Prussia: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert G. Bricker, Landis Hunsberger Gingrich & Weik LLP, Souderton: Fifty-Year Member Award

Jennifer L. Ellis, King of Prussia: PBA Special Achievement Award — for her dedication, leadership and tireless efforts on behalf of the PBA Solo and Small Firm Section. She embraced the many challenges presented by the pandemic and worked to develop a series of Lunchtime Learning virtual presentations for PBA members. 

Marshal Granor, Granor & Granor PC, Horsham: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his tireless enthusiasm and exemplary leadership of the Real Property, Probate and Trust Law Section, initiating outreach to all new section members to encourage their involvement and establishing new committees to focus on section work. 

Donald K. Joseph, Elkins Park: Fifty-Year Member Award

Judge Bernard A. Moore, Montgomery County Court of Common Pleas, Norristown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Ronald H. Sherr, Sherr Law Group LLP, Norristown: Fifty-Year Member Award

Jay Elliott Shor, Shor & Levin PC, Willow Grove: Fifty-Year Member Award

Stewart M. Weintraub, Chamberlain Hrdlicka White Williams & Aughtry, West Conshohocken: Fifty-Year Member Award


Northampton County

Paul C. Hensel, Nazareth: Fifty-Year Member Award

George K. Keenan, King Spry Herman Freund & Faul LLC, Bethlehem: Fifty-Year Member Award

Theodore R. Lewis, Lewis & Walters, Easton: Fifty-Year Member Award

Constantine M. Vasiliadis, Kolb Vasiliadis Florenz & Recchiuti LLC, Bethlehem: Fifty-Year Member Award


Philadelphia County

Edward L. Baxter, Cozen O'Connor: Fifty-Year Member Award

Edward Blumstein, Edward Blumstein PC: Fifty-Year Member Award

Joseph C. Bright, Cozen O'Connor: Fifty-Year Member Award

Judge Matthew David Carrafiello, Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas: Fifty-Year Member Award

Jane Leslie Dalton, Duane Morris LLP: Fifty-Year Member Award

Jonathan A. Grode, Green and Spiegel LLC: PBA Special Achievement Award to the PBA Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition Committee — for their extraordinary work successfully converting the annual YLD Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition to a virtual format as a result of the pandemic.

Daniel Q. Harrington, Cozen O'Connor: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his longtime service and dedication on behalf of the PBA Legal Ethics and Professional Responsibility Committee serving as co-vice chair and then chair of the committee, particularly his steadfast leadership and commitment to furthering the mission of the committee.

F. Warren Jacoby, Cozen O'Connor: Fifty-Year Member Award

Paul W. Kaufman, U.S. Attorney's Office Eastern District of Pennsylvania: PBA Special Achievement Award to the PBA Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition Committee — for their extraordinary work successfully converting the annual YLD Statewide High School Mock Trial Competition to a virtual format as a result of the pandemic.

Alexander Kerr, McCarter & English LLP: Fifty-Year Member Award

John F Ledwith, Marshall Dennehey Warner Coleman & Goggin: Fifty-Year Member Award

John F. Meigs, Saul Ewing Arnstein & Lehr LLP: Fifty-Year Member Award

Tobey Oxholm, Philadelphia Lawyers for Social Equity: PBA Special Achievement Award — for his steadfast dedication and efforts promoting pardons across the commonwealth, conducting numerous trainings and helping many clients directly while advocating for changes in the pardon process that have effectively opened up what was once a relatively closed system. 

Howard D. Scher, Buchanan Ingersoll & Rooney PC: Fifty-Year Member Award

Joseph A. Torregrossa, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit: Fifty-Year Member Award


Somerset County

James B. Yelovich, Stoystown: Fifty-Year Member Award


Venango County

William D. Wilson, Wilson Thompson & Cisek LLC, Franklin: Fifty-Year Member Award


Washington County

Mark F. Geary, Washington: Fifty-Year Member Award

Donald D. Saxton, Law Offices of Donald D Saxton Jr. PC, Washington: Fifty-Year Member Award

David E. Tungate, McMurray: Fifty-Year Member Award


Wayne County

Nicholas A. Barna, Honesdale: Fifty-Year Member Award


Westmoreland County

James R. Antoniono, DeBernardo Antoniono McCabe & Davis PC, Greensburg: PBA President’s Award — for of his dedication and outstanding leadership in shepherding the development of the updated PBA Strategic Plan.

Richard A. Bruni, Lower Burrell: Fifty-Year Member Award

John M. Campfield, Campfield & Ferraro, Greensburg: Fifty-Year Member Award

James Falcon, Youngwood: Fifty-Year Member Award

George A. Kotjarapoglus, George A. Kotjarapoglus & Associates, Murrysville: Fifty-Year Member Award

Leslie John Mlakar, Avolio Law Group LLC, Greensburg: Fifty-Year Member Award

Dennis S. Shilobod, Latrobe: Fifty-Year Member Award


Out of State

Judge Kent H. Albright, Manakin-Sabot, Va.: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert P. Barbarowicz, Dentons US LLP, Los Angeles, Calif.: Fifty-Year Member Award

Kenneth F. Dornbush, Steubenville, Ohio: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert J. McDonnell, Ocean City, N.J.: Fifty-Year Member Award

Robert G. Sable, Hilton Head Island, S.C.: Fifty-Year Member Award

Paul J. Schneider, Bonita Springs, Fla.: 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.