Attorney Pasco L. Schiavo

Attorney Pasco L. Schiavo departed this life Saturday, Dec. 29, 2018. In the loving company of his sister, Linda L. Schiavo, and his friend, Brian Kwiatkowski.

The best summary of Attorney Schiavo's life is inscribed on a bronze plaque in his honor within Pasco L. Schiavo Hall at Penn State Hazleton which states: "Distinguished lawyer, author, educator, community leader and philanthropist Pasco L. Schiavo, like generations of his family, has tirelessly, effectively and proudly worked to advance the best interests of Penn State Hazleton and the community of which it is on vital part."

Also must be added to this is that he was a fair and just person. He graduated from Hazleton High School, Lafayette College with a Bachelor of Arts degree and University of Pennsylvania Law School with a Juris Doctor degree and returned to the Hazleton area community to practice law in 1962 following his graduation from law school. He served as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Reserves.

Always of greatest importance and pride to him were his family, his parents, brother and sisters and his Hazleton area community, state and country. He always worked to advance the best interests of his community and opposed anything which threatened those best interests, whether his position was popular or not. He was dedicated to doing what was right, just and helpful and encouraging others to do the same. He was a true American.

During his tenure as solicitor for the Hazleton Area School District, he worked tirelessly and successfully with his board of directors to keep the Hazleton Area School District from being split up into splinter school districts to be annexed by out of Hazleton area community school districts and to consolidate several high schools into one high school and a resultant stem school to unite the Hazleton area community educationally and otherwise to provide the best educational opportunities for its students. Subsequently, he led successful resistance to a movement to build a second high school which would have permanently divided the community and lowered educational standards and at immense cost to the taxpayers. Attorney Schiavo also worked toward amicable acceptance of the new residents of the community by the older residents and for the new residents to befriend and integrate with the older residents. Without hesitation he led resistance against forces which attempted to slander, integrate and harm the Hazleton area community. He always recognized, encouraged and applauded other people of the community who worked toward the same goals.

Following years of research, Attorney Schiavo authored the book "Betrayal and Deliverance of a Community" which not only presented compelling reasons why the Hazleton area community, the people living within the Hazleton Area School District, should be united into one separate county and not continue to be divided up into three separate counties. His book revealed that the Pennsylvania Legislature years ago had passed a bill which would become enabling legislation to allow a binding referendum vote for such a new county by the people of the Hazleton area community, only to be unjustly vetoed by the then governor who had no regard for those people. The book also contained proposed legislation drawn up by Attorney Schiavo for the Pennsylvania legislature and Governor to approve for the deliverance of the people of the Hazleton area community from this continuing injustice by allowing its people to decide on a new and independent county for them and future generations by binding referendum.

In 2015, he was selected by The Pennsylvania State University as an honorary alumnus of the University for his significant work and philanthropy for Penn State Hazleton and its students from the Hazleton area community, an honor given annually to five or six people across the entire University system to non-graduates of the University who have been outstanding in their help to the University.

His public service and continuing philanthropy extended to many other areas of the community, namely, the Hazleton Area Public Library, Hazleton Area School District, Immanuel Christian

School, MMI Preparatory School, Hazle Twp., Hazleton City, Downtown Hazleton Alliance for Progress, Eckley Miners' Village Associates and many other such groups and people. It consisted of monetary and other personal and real estate gifts to the community, including the development and donation of public parks. He was responsible for assembling and making available large tracts of land in the community for industrial and commercial development resulting in thousands of employment positions.

He was a Luzerne County assistant district attorney, a member of the Disciplinary Board of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, a designated Super Lawyer and held the highest rating a lawyer may receive by Martindale-Hubbell, the National American Law Directory and continuously as a civil trial specialist by the National Board of Trial Advocacy. He served as solicitor for the Hazleton Area School District during the period of Hazleton area high school consolidation, solicitor for the Twp. of Hazle, solicitor for the Municipal Authority of Hazle Twp., solicitor for the Hazleton Area Industrial Development Authority and other governmental entities.

As member and president of the Luzerne County Commission on Economic Opportunity, Eckley Miners' Village Associates, Penn State Hazleton Council, Lower Luzerne County Bar Association and Alcoholism & Drug Services of Lower Luzerne County, Inc., as well as a member of Kiwanis Club of Hazleton and the Columbus Club, he gave freely of his professional and private time to these and other nonprofit charitable and civic organizations.

He was honored as the Distinguished Citizen of the Year by the Boy Scouts of America, by the Luzerne County Bar Association for years of distinguished law practice and by The Knights of Columbus and UNICO Club of Hazleton as an Outstanding Italian American.

He authored, numerous legal articles in the American Bar Association Journal, The Pennsylvania Lawyer magazine and the Pennsylvania Bar Association Journal.

Attorney Schiavo always hoped that present and future generations of the Hazleton area community will continue with positive active community work and service.

He was the son of the late Louis Schiavo and Josephine (Shayna) (Cortese) Schiavo and the grandson of the late attorney Pasco L. Schiavo. He is survived by his sister, Linda L. Schiavo; brother, Louis Eugene Schiavo; and his sister, Judith R. Schiavo.

Services will be held in his memory under the direction of Fierro Funeral Services, Inc. Friends may call from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Jan. 11, and a memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 12.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Hazleton Area Public Library, Eckley Miners' Village Associates or the Hazleton Animal Shelter.