Robert (Bob) Palestini, Ed.D.

Robert (Bob) Palestini, Ed. D. was born in 1941 and was raised in West Philadelphia until he was ten years old. His family then moved to Milmont Park in Delaware County where he spent the next ten years of his life.

Dr. Palestini earned his Bachelors and Masters degrees from St. Joseph’s University and his doctorate in Education Administration at Temple University. He spent his entire professional life in education beginning as a science teacher and basketball coach at Cardinal O’Hara High School in Delaware County.

Dr. Palestini held many positions with the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, culminating in his appointment in 1987 as the first lay Superintendent of Schools in the history of the Archdiocesan school system.

Later in his career, he moved to his alma mater, St. Joseph’s University, as Dean of Graduate and Continuing Education. Along the way, he served as the Deputy Director of the 41st Eucharistic Congress held in Philadelphia in bicentennial year of 1976. The weeklong religious celebration attracted more than a million pilgrims to its events and activities. In 1979, Dr. Palestini served as Co-chair of the Papal Visit Committee that organized Pope John Paul II’s visit to Philadelphia. He also served as the Founding Executive Director of the Educational Leadership Institute and Center for Catholic Urban Education at St. Joseph’s and as the Founding Executive Director of at the Camden (New Jersey) Catholic School Partnership. He also was one of the five co-founders of the Institute for Sports, Spirituality and Character at Neumann University.

Dr. Palestini served on and chaired many boards and committees and received a number of awards, including the Bartholomew Sheehan Law Alumni Service Award from St. Joseph’s University and the Distinguished Catholic School Graduate Award from the Archdiocese of Philadelphia. He also authored over fifteen books in various aspects of educational leadership, including three editions of his most popular one, “Educational Administration: Leading with Mind and Heart.” He also helped to found the first doctoral program in St. Joseph’s University’s history.

Bob is survived by his wife, Judy, who he married in 1964. It was ‘love at first sight” when they met at a dance at the Starlight Ballroom on the Wildwood, New Jersey boardwalk. He is also survived by their only child, Karen; their son-in-law, Scott and two grandsons, Rob and Brendan; as well as Bob’s sister Gloria and her husband Steve and their children (Steven, Mark and Melissa); and Bob’s niece Kristen (the daughter of Bob’s deceased sister and brother-in-law, Maryann and John).

Bob loved spending time at the beach and riding his bike on the boardwalk in Ocean City, NJ, celebrating birthdays and holidays with his family and friends, attending all kinds of sporting events, and tapping into the social scene with his crew in Naples, FL. According to Bob, Judy and their life together “could not have been any more fulfilling.”

Relatives and friends are invited to his Visitation 12:00-1:30 PM Saturday, October 4, 2025 at The Chapel of St. Joseph, 2525 Cardinal Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131, followed by his Funeral Mass at 1:30 PM. Interment private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions to The Robert H. Palestini, Ed.D.'63 Endowed Scholarship, giving.sju.edu/Palestini, would be appreciated. Donations can be mailed to: University Advancement, Saint Joseph's University, 5600 City Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19131. Please make check payable to Saint Joseph's University, and in the memo line: The Robert H. Palestini, Ed.D.'63 Endowed Scholarship.