A.J. Palumbo remembered for philanthropy, love
Antonio J. Palumbo, the coal miner-turned-philanthropist whose name is on college buildings throughout western Pennsylvania, died Monday, Dec. 16, 2002. He was 96.
Mr. Palumbo, of St. Marys, Elk County, died at his home of complications related to congestive heart failure, said his longtime friend and attorney, Carl A. Belin Jr. of Clearfield.
Over the last 15 years, Mr. Palumbo donated more than $15 million to universities, colleges, hospitals and high schools in the region. All of them responded to his generosity by giving his name to schools, high-profile buildings and academic programs. Mr. Palumbo's name became instantly recognizable.
"He was just a good man with a kind heart," said his wife, Janet, who was at his side when he died, along with two caregivers. "He believed in hard work and he was in a position to help others."
The son of poor immigrants from Italy, Mr. Palumbo jokingly referred to himself as "p.c.m." or poor coal miner. Born in 1906 in Tyler, Clearfield County, he never went to high school and started working with his father when he was 12. He was the only one of four brothers who showed any interest in coal mining, his wife said.
When he was in his mid 20s, he and his father bought a coal company, Underhill Mining. By the time Mr. Palumbo was 41, he formed his own company, New Shawmut Mining, where he worked until his death.
"Tony was a highly successful businessman and he'll have a unique place in the history of Pennsylvania," said Belin, who knew Mr. Palumbo for 50 years. "He has left a legacy of helping his fellow man with his wealth."
Those who knew him said Mr. Palumbo built his wealth by buying cheap property he later rented and by being a smart investor. "He was deceptively intelligent," said John Murray, chancellor of Duquesne University, which received nearly $5 million from Palumbo, including about $3 million in the late 1980s for a sports and entertainment center along Forbes Avenue, Uptown.
"He was a very modest man. If you had time to spend with him, you discovered how incredibly intelligent he was. He succeeded because he was very careful and honest and resourceful."
Mr. Palumbo's friendliness toward Duquesne also included gifts to its business school, law school and its international nursing program. He also had buildings named after him at LaRoche College, Carlow College and Gannon University in Erie.
Mr. Palumbo's charitable arm extended beyond Pennsylvania and into the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., where there is a pediatric intensive care unit that bears his name.
"He said the children are the future of our world, that's why he gave so many donations to colleges and medical facilities," said his wife, who recently became a board member of the Children's Hospital Foundation. The pediatric facility in Oakland received a $3 million gift from the Palumbos in 2000 to establish a cystic fibrosis center.
Janet Palumbo said her husband's legacy will live on with the establishment of a charitable trust. Belin said he estimates there's about $30 million in the trust.
In addition to his wife, Mr. Palumbo is survived by a son, Anthony J. Palumbo II, two grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. His first wife, Sigismunda, died in 1986.
Visitation is from 2 to 4 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Friday at Lynch-Green Funeral Home, 151 N. Michael St. in St. Marys. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 11:15 a.m. Saturday in St. Marys Catholic Church, Church Street, in St. Marys.
