The Honorable Joseph P. Matuschak

The Honorable Joseph P. Matuschak, retired Administrative Law Judge of the Pennsylvania Public Utilities Commission, died peacefully at home on Oct. 14, 2001, at the age of 89. Born in Connellsville, Judge Matuschak was the son of Andrew E. and Clara (Saska) Matuschak. He graduated from Dunbar Township High School in 1929 and the University of Pittsburgh in 1933. Working his way through school during the Great Depression, Judge Matuschak received his J.D. degree from Duquesne University School of Law in 1941. A lawyer in Fayette County for more than half a century, Judge Matuschak was known for what has been described as his "innate sense of fairness," as well as his thoughtful demeanor and astute analysis. He provided generous pro bono assistance to many nonprofit organizations and individuals in need. He was elected treasurer of Fayette County during the 1950s and served as deputy prothonotary of Fayette County. Early in his career, Judge Matuschak authored the booklet "How to Become a Citizen of the United States," later cited in Cloud by Day by Muriel Earley Sheppard. Judge Matuschak was a respected authority on municipal law issues and served as solicitor of South Union, North Union, Dunbar, Menallen, German and Franklin townships, and Masontown Borough. As solicitor of the South Union Township Sewage Authority, Judge Matuschak had the foresight and leadership to help initiate, and then to defend against vigorous legal and public opposition, the building of the first public sewage system in South Union. One of the first townships in the region to provide such service, the availability of a public sewage system is now widely credited as one of the most significant factors in the township's rapid growth, economic development, and dramatic increase in property values. After a distinguished legal career as a practicing lawyer, Judge Matuschak became one of the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission's first full-time administrative law judges. During his tenure as judge, he traveled throughout Pennsylvania and presided over numerous cases involving electric, natural gas and water rates and service, railroad and electric transmission lines, and the costs of coal and nuclear power plants. He pioneered the first "excess capacity" case in Pennsylvania and handled cases that considered who would pay for cancelled nuclear power plants. His decisions were frequently praised by the PUC's commissioners for thoroughness and fairness and were sustained in court challenges. Judge Matuschak was a staunch believer in the importance of professional associations in the advancement and improvement of lawyers and the law. He was an active member for more than 50 years of the Fayette County Bar Association, as well as the Pennsylvania and American bar associations. Judge Matuschak was a frequent speaker at professional and public functions, and is remembered particularly for his numerous moving speeches at Memorial Day ceremonies in Fayette County. In his Memorial Day speech during the Bicentennial in 1976, Judge Matuschak spoke in words that are as apt in today's troubled times as they were then: "The men who signed the Declaration of Independence were moved by a magnificent dream. That dream amazed the world 200 years ago. The dream proclaimed the freedom that most people of the world then thought impossible. It is a dream that became real only through great sacrifice and great hardship. It is the dream for which our brave men and women fought and died. It bas outlived the doubts and fears of every passing decade, just as it will outlive today's fears. Each time, America has met the challenge". Judge Matuschak was a veteran of World War II, serving from 1942-1945 as first sergeant and as a forward artillery observer in the headquarters battery, Division Artillery, of the 13th ("Black Cat") Armored Division, part of General George Patton's Third Army during the European Campaign in France, Germany and Austria. After the war, he was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the Catholic War Veterans in Uniontown, and the American Legion in New Salem. He was a judge-advocate of the Pennsylvania Catholic War Veterans. Judge Matuschak was a parishioner of St. Mary's Roman Catholic Church in Uniontown. He was an active member of many fraternal organizations, including the First Catholic Slovak Union (Jednota), the National Slovak Society, and the Fraternal Order of Eagles. As a member of the Slovak Catholic Sokols, he served as treasurer of Assembly 239 in Uniontown and chaired various sporting events and ethnic festival committees. Judge Matuschak is survived by his wife of 59 years, Irene Martin Matasovsky Matuschak; two sons, George M. Matuschak, MD, of St Louis, Mo., and Mark G. Matuschak, Esq., of Marblehead, Mass.; one daughter, Irene M. Egan of Burlington, Mass.; one sister, Margaret Levin of Belle Vernon, and six grandchildren, Christopher Joseph Egan, Esq., of Boston, Mass., Hope Anne Egan, Esq., of Los Angeles, Calif., Andrew Matuschak of St. Louis, Mo., and Nicholas Noyes Matuschak, Alexander Joseph Matuschak and Jennie Irene Matuschak, all of Marblehead, Mass. He is also survived by several nieces and nephews. Judge Matuschak was preceded in death by his parents, nine brothers and sisters, and his son, Joseph P. Matuschak Jr. Friends will be received in the STEPHEN R. HAKY FUNERAL HOME INC. at Sylvan Heights Cemetery, a Dignity Memorial Provider, 603 North Gallatin Avenue, Uniontown, on Tuesday from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. and on Wednesday until 10:30 a.m. when a blessing service will be held, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 11 a.m. in St. Mary the Nativity Roman Catholic Church, Uniontown. Interment will follow in Mt. Macrina Cemetery, Uniontown, where full military rites will be accorded by Uniontown VFW Post 47. Memorial contributions may be made in his memory to St. Mary the Nativity Roman Catholic Church Remodeling Fund, 61 North Mt. Vernon Avenue, Uniontown, Pa., 15401.