[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 103 (Friday, June 16, 2017)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E841]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                            FRANK A. PECORA

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. MICHAEL F. DOYLE

                            of pennsylvania

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, June 16, 2017

  Mr. MICHAEL F. DOYLE of Pennsylvania. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to 
pay tribute to former Pennsylvania State Senator Frank A. Pecora, who 
passed away on June 12, 2017, at the age of 86. He was a dedicated 
public servant and a wonderful, warm-hearted man. It was my privilege 
to know him, work with him, and call him a close friend for many, many 
years.
  Frank was born on August 8, 1930, in Pittsburgh to Frank L. and 
Elizabeth Cristillo Pecora. Frank attended Westinghouse High School and 
Robert Morris College. He obtained his licenses in insurance and real 
estate and worked in that field. He served as a Penn Hills Township 
Commissioner from 1971 to 1975. Frank was then elected as a Councilman-
at-Large in 1975 and reelected in 1977.
  Soon after I graduated from college, I was elected to serve on 
Borough Council in my home town of Swissvale. Not long after that, I 
met Frank, who was a councilman in neighboring Penn Hills and we really 
hit it off. We both shared a love for the game of golf and we would 
discuss local government and politics during the many rounds we played 
together. Frank told me he was considering running for the Pennsylvania 
State Senate and I was proud to join his campaign team. He was 
considered a heavy underdog, but his hard work and determination 
carried the day, and Frank was elected to serve the residents of the 
44th District in the Pennsylvania State Senate in 1978.
  Frank asked me to join his team and I had the privilege to serve as 
his Chief-of-Staff for 16 years. It was during that time that I came to 
really know and learn from this remarkable public servant whose life 
was dedicated to advocating for the little guy. Sometimes his votes put 
him at odds with his Senate Leadership, but Frank never flinched. He 
knew who he came to Harrisburg to represent, and it wasn't the rich and 
powerful.
  Senator Pecora was likeable and approachable. He enjoyed meeting his 
constituents and learning about their families. When he entered a 
restaurant, he wouldn't sit down at his table until he had spoken to 
every person who worked there. He knew their names, he made their 
concerns his concern, and he fought for them in Harrisburg. He was a 
man of integrity, compassion and unquestionable loyalty to his family, 
friends and constituents. In spite of a huge registration deficit, the 
residents of the 44th District re-elected Frank 3 more times. In 1991, 
reapportionment moved his Allegheny/Westmoreland district over 200 
miles east to Chester County in the middle of his 4th term. Frank was 
no quitter however, he was determined to keep his seat and serve the 
people of Pennsylvania's 44th Senate District, wherever its boundary 
lines were drawn. He rented an apartment in Chester County to serve his 
constituents, and when the Senate wasn't in session, he and I would 
drive up to the new district and meet with people in the different 
communities. In 1992, Frank ran for the U.S. House of Representatives 
in the 18th District of Pennsylvania. He won a 12-way Democratic 
primary, but he lost the general election. Frank continued serving his 
constituents in Chester County until his retirement from the State 
Senate at the end of his term in 1994.
  The only thing Frank loved more than serving his constituents was his 
family. He was proud of his two children, Frank and Barbara. His wife 
Barbara was his best friend, his ``Bella Mia,'' and they did everything 
together. They were married for 60 years and were sweethearts to the 
very end.
  Frank Pecora was a good man. I was proud to know him, learn from him, 
work for him and love him as a second father. I miss him and think of 
him often. He and his family will always be in my thoughts and prayers.

                          ____________________