William A. Hastie Sr.

1919 - 2020

William A. Hastie Sr., 101, died suddenly and unexpectedly of natural cases Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, at the Community Living Center of the Veterans Administration Medical Center, Wilkes-Barre.

Bill was born in West Pittston on May 28, 1919, to a Welsh-American mother, Sarah Ann Tilley, and Scottish-American father, Aaron Hastie, the second of six children. Both of his grandfathers were coal miners, a fact of which he was very proud.

He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Pittston for 98 of his 101 years, having been baptized at Welsh Congregational Church, Pittston.

Bill received an excellent education in the West Pittston school system and graduated from West Pittston High School in 1936. The youngest male in his class and an outstanding student, Bill was also a fine athlete and lettered in four sports.

With civilian jobs scarce during the Depression, Bill enlisted in the U.S. Army in January 1938, at age 18. He was to serve two tours of duty. During the first three-year stint, he was initially stationed at Fort Monroe in Virginia. While there, he joined the boxing team for recreation and developed skill at and an appreciation of the "sweet science." In September 1940, in response to the declaration of war between the U.K. and Germany, his unit shipped to Borinquen Field, Puerto Rico, to form part of the outer defenses of the Panama Canal. While serving in Puerto Rico, he played for his unit's baseball team. Among his ballclub's opponents was Santurce's Winter Ball League team, for which the great Negro League catcher Josh Gibson played. Eight decades later, Bill still considered Mr. Gibson to have been the greatest baseball player he ever saw.

Immediately after Pearl Harbor, Bill attempted to reenlist but was not accepted because his job at the West Pittston (Vulcan) Iron Works, which manufactured shells for two different kinds of tanks, was considered more important to the Allied cause against the Nazis and Fascists. However, he persisted and successfully reenlisted in May 1942. Having had extensive training in artillery during his first stint and knowing that other, less experienced soldiers were already on the front lines, Bill insisted on being assigned to an overseas combat unit rather than accept placement with one based in the U.S. His request was granted; however, he was disappointed to have been assigned to an Ordnance, Munitions Company rather than Artillery. He went on to participate in the North African, Sicilian and Italian Campaigns, including the Landing at Anzio, where he was wounded. His surgery took place in a tent on the beach. He would receive a purple heart. He endured extensive aerial bombardment by the Nazi Luftwaffe during his service. In addition to the purple heart, he was awarded five battle stars, a bronze arrowhead for assault landings, American Defense Ribbon with Bronze Star and Good Conduct Medal. He attained the rank of sergeant.

When discharged following World War II, he returned to West Pittston and worked a number of jobs, including provision of security for Jack Jones, a millionaire coal baron who lived in West Pittston. During this time, he befriended Miss Emily Johnson, who proved a valuable source of information on matters later deemed highly relevant to understanding local history. Miss Johnson was heavily involved in the Settlement Movement and was a trusted friend to many immigrants in Pittston, in particular those from Sicily. Bill learned a great deal from their conversations.

Bill met Elizabeth (Betty Jane) Groves in 1948 when both were members of the choir at First Presbyterian Church, Pittston. They married in 1950 and settled on Delaware Avenue, West Pittston, where they would raise their family.

From 1952 to 1959, Bill was employed by the Knox Coal Company, first as a mineworker at the main slope in Exeter and later at Port Griffith. On the day of the Knox Mine Disaster in January 1959, he was an off-shift worker and served as first-responder in rescue efforts. In the aftermath of the disaster, he worked on the coffer dam as part of the restoration of the disaster site. During this latter period, he also attended hearings and trials that concerned the causes of the disaster. He was interviewed by the FBI regarding operations and practices both within the mine and at the business level.

Bill served on the West Pittston Town Council, 1952 to 1959, and was chairman, 1956 to 1959; he also served as chairman of the West Pittston Centennial Committee, 1956 to 1957.

After the mining industry's decline, Bill had a series of short-term jobs before gaining employment at Garwood Industries (later Sargent Industries) from 1962 until 1975, and with Conrail, 1976 to 1979. Fueled by a strong interest in culture and history, he sought federally funded Green Thumb jobs, obtaining positions at WVIA public radio and television station; the Children's Museum in Forty Fort, where he was a guide; the Wyoming Historical and Geological Society (now Luzerne Historical and Geological Society) in Wilkes-Barre, where he did a full inventory of all museums in the district and was appointed acting curator; the Swetland Home in Wyoming, as a guide; and Kirby Park in Kingston, where he served as arborist. After leaving the Green Thumb program, he held a job as security guard, from which he retired at age 82.

While Bill's formal education ended with high school, he continued with informal self-education and research throughout his adult life, reading extensively in a wide variety of subjects and studying local newspapers front-to-back daily. He maintained a substantial archive of records, newspaper clippings, photographs and other items, concerning, among many other subjects, the history of West Pittston and anthracite mining. He also had a significant library and record collection, the contents of which illustrate the breadth of his interests.

From 1960 forward, Bill became a popular public speaker, giving presentations before numerous fraternal organizations, in classrooms and assemblies at high schools, in college classrooms, at the Anthracite Heritage Museum in Scranton, and at numerous events sponsored by historical societies throughout the anthracite region. He was a regular featured guest on WNEP and WVIA's program Dialogue during the early 1970s, where he spoke principally about civic and political matters, including civil rights, economic and social injustice, environmental destruction and the presidency of Richard Nixon.

Bill loved to converse and was always happy to welcome into his home anyone with a question or perhaps many questions but he also loved to learn from others. Many a scholar, student, journalist, old miner and local history buff called to request an interview with him, and many found themselves interviewed in return.

In 2013, he joined his longtime friend and collaborator, Dr. Robert Wolensky, in coauthoring the book "Anthracite Labor Wars." Dr. Wolensky and Bill teamed up frequently over the years in giving public presentations and television interviews. Dr. Wolensky's Wyoming Valley Oral and Living History Project archive includes recordings and transcripts of numerous interviews with Bill.

Mr. Hastie appears as one of the main historian- commentators in the yet-to-be-released "Knox Mine Disaster" documentary by David and Al Brocca.

Bill was an avid and accomplished gardener and used sustainable practices over a period of several decades. He shared his abundant and absolutely delicious crops and fruit with relatives, neighbors, and friends, and with anyone whom he knew to be on a fixed income, as there was always more than the family could eat! His tomatoes were unrivalled!

Bill was a life-long environmentalist and conservationist. In 1975, he purchased land in Bradford County with the express purpose of conserving it. That land is now teeming with life, including several tall oak trees he planted on it.

Fired by a strong sense of civic responsibility, Bill was a frequent contributor to letters-to-the-editor, principally on matters of politics and history.

Bill had a great love of the arts - music and poetry, in particular. Framed on his bedroom wall were the words, "To be Welsh is to be born privileged; not with a silver spoon in your mouth, but music in your heart and poetry in your soul." In addition to being a stalwart of the church choir, he sang with the Orpheus Choir and later The Wyoming Valley Oratorio Society. He was a regular participant in Welsh Gymanfa Ganu's and St. David's Day banquets and events. He loved to sing and had a rich, expressive bass-baritone voice. He could be heard singing almost anywhere and at anytime. He enjoyed and excelled at poetry recitation. He loved the sound of bagpipes. His daughters shared his love for music.

He loved sports, especially college football and pro baseball. He shared this interest with his children Bill, Trevor and Megan, and had regular phone conversations with his son, Bill Jr., regarding teams they followed, especially Army football and the Pittsburgh Pirates. He also enjoyed discussing sports history.

Some memberships: the St David's Society of Wyoming Valley; the St. David's Day Society of Lackawanna County (which honored him from his work preserving the burial sites of Avondale Mine Disaster victims); The West Pittston Historical Society; The West Pittston Library Association; The Greater Pittston Historical Society; The Plymouth Historical Society; The Anthracite Heritage Museum; the Anthracite Living History Group; The Huber Breaker Preservation Society; The West Pittston High School Alumni Association; the Sierra Club; Defenders of Wildlife; the ACLU; NOW; NAACP; the Southern Poverty Law Center; Nature Conservancy; among other progressive organizations. He helped support a Native American school.

His final civic act was to cast his ballot in the 2020 election. With that act, he had participated in every election for which he was eligible since 1940, with the possible exception of 1944, when he was still serving in Italy. His last ballot was not cast in vain and he knew that before he died.

The family wishes to thank the Wilkes-Barre VAMC and Community Living Center staff and volunteers and especially Dr. Gregory Fino, for their dedicated and compassionate care and for going the extra mile to facilitate celebrations of Bill's 100th and 101st birthdays.

Bill was predeceased by his wife of 46 years, Elizabeth Jane (nee Groves) Hastie; his sisters, Sarah Elizabeth "Betty" Robertson; and Ruth "Tiny" Seeley; his brothers, Myrddyn C. Hastie; and Alexander Gladstone Hastie; and four nephews, Stephen H. and William Robertson; M. Craig Hastie; and Robert Waitkevich.

William is survived by his brother, Commander R. Keith Hastie, retired; son, Colonel William A. Hastie Jr., retired; daughter, Christina H. Hastie; son, Trevor L. Hastie (Debbie); and daughter, Megan J. Hastie (Charles Stein); granddaughters, Heather Hastie (Clay Helms); Morgan Whitaker (Dan Woolsey); and Sierra Hastie (Jon Garbacik); and five great-grandchildren, Sam and Charlie Hastie Helms; Logan Krip; and Griffin and Winn Woolsey; nieces, Michelle Hastie Mendelsohn; Cynthia Hastie Felter; Liz Hastie Brophy; Hilary Hastie Hanley; Margaret Zellner; nephews, Craig Robertson; Richard, Alexander and Keith Hastie; Dr. Robert Seeley; several grand-nieces and nephews; and a great many good friends, including and especially Bob Wolensky, Bill Best and Tom Granahan. Bill loved deeply and was deeply loved and he will be missed by a great many people.

Due to COVID-19 concerns, the family will hold a small, private funeral at graveside. A motorcade will assemble at Howell-Lussi Funeral Home by 12:15 p.m. and leave at 12:30 p.m. Friday and process to Memorial Shrine Cemetery. Friends and neighbors may join the motorcade, but the family requests privacy for the service. When it is once again safe to gather in larger numbers, the family intends to hold a public memorial and celebration of Bill's long and extraordinary life.