Gildea forged by faith, lifetime of public service for others
Trending
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- Lifelong Hollidaysburg resident Pat Gildea scoured the night skies to keep area residents safe as part of the civilian defense efforts during World War II. At 96, service to others keeps her motivated, engaged and community-focused.
Through a lifetime of service, her Roman Catholic faith has strengthened her and helped her support others. A lifetime member of St. Michael the Archangel Parish, she is the last surviving charter member of The Catholic Daughters of the Americas, Court Our Lady of the Alleghenies No. 1755 Hollidaysburg. Founded 66 years ago, Gildea has served as its parliamentarian ever since.
She is also a member of the Legion of Mary for St. Mary's and St. Michael's parish, a lector and eucharistic minister. These are in addition to a host of nonprofit organizations and boards, such as the Altoona Symphony League, Friends of the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library, and others.
Ginny Harrington of Hollidaysburg -- and several others -- called Gildea "the Energizer Bunny because she just keeps going and going and going." Earlier this year, when Harrington of Hollidaysburg, received an invitation to attend a Legion of Mary reorganizational meeting, she didn't hesitate.
"I joined because Pat called and asked me to come and see if I would be interested. She is such a respected person in the church and in the faith that when she calls and asks, you do it," Harrington said.
Gildea was a founding member of the legion, a Catholic lay organization, back in 2010, but the group became inactive. Thanks to Gildea's initiative, the legion has 10 members and is growing.
Father Alan Thomas serves as pastor at St. Mary and St. Michael and said Gildea is respected and known throughout the entire Roman Catholic Diocese.
"She is an example of a real, Christian Catholic woman. She has lived by the tenets of faith and is an example to others by her humble way of service. She is an example of what persistence is all about. When she puts her mind to something, she stays with it," he said.
Father Thomas first became acquainted with Gildea when both served on a diocesan committee in 2000. "She throws herself into parish and diocesan life" and does so with a positive attitude.
"She is always very positive. She is always a source of optimism and sound reason. She doesn't focus on the negative but always points out what is good, right, true and beautiful."
Gildea's faith and service to others was well-known throughout the Blair County Courthouse where she worked for 26 years as the county deputy court madministrator.
"She is a very faith-filled person. Her life has been informed by her God. Her God is her anchor and her value. Whatever she does, she does in his name and his honor," said retired Blair County Judge Jolene Grubb Kopriva. "That's what makes her so extraordinary because you can see that. She is selfless and it's an inspiration as she thinks of the good of the community and of others."
As the eldest of five children, daily prayer, including praying the Fosary and attending Mass were expected and part of family life.
"You have to hope and pray it will all work out," she said.
She graduated from Hollidaysburg High School in 1945 and graduated from Mount Aloysius Junior College two years later with an associate's degree in secretarial/accounting.
"We didn't have all the choices, they have now," she said of students today. She remembers riding the street cars to get to her job at Gable's Department Store while she was in school. She started her career at the Altoona A&P headquarters as a comptometer operator, a mechanical calculator, and advanced to executive secretary to the vice president and then was promoted to the personnel department where she drove to different stores in the region.
"I really knew my way around Pennsylvania," she said, noting that she took lessons to learn to drive in her 20s.
Organizations such as Business and Professional Women's Club, Soroptimists and others helped her develop professionally as men's business organizations didn't accept women until the 1980s. Within these professional clubs, Gildea's leadership skills blossomed and she assumed leadership roles. She served as the BPW parliamentarian at the local, state and national levels and in other organizations. She continues to serve as parliamentarian for the Catholic Daughters, locally and at the state level.
"Anything she got involved in, she never stayed at entry level. Her leadership sold itself to everyone," said Kopriva, who first met Gildea when they served on the board of the Hollidaysburg Area YMCA and led a building campaign. When Kopriva attends events throughout the state, she meets many people who identify Hollidaysburg with Gildea and ask about her.
"She made a reputation for herself as a doer, someone you could go to who would get things done. She never had a bad word to say or engaged in a negative confrontation. She is a real lady in a very genteel sense of the word -- a consummate lady," Kopriva said.
When the grocery store chain closed in 1983, Gildea had 36 years of service and being in her mid-50s, Gildea's career pivot took her to the courthouse, where her skills in budgeting and strategic planning were used.
Gildea helped establish the Pennsylvania Association of Court Management and served at the state and national levels. It was there she learned and "met so many wonderful people," Gildea said.
Janice Meadows of Hollidaysburg considers Gildea her mentor, whom she met in 1995 when she was a custody manager for the court. She became court administrator in 2010.
"Pat had a very strong work ethic, a strong faith and all about service to the courts," Meadows said, noting that Gildea saw many changes in the court system as it transitioned to computers and met different state mandates.
"She was always willing to serve and to learn. She wasn't afraid to take on any project. She had confidence and drive. She had a positive attitude and never let anything get her down even when the challenges seemed beyond what could be handled. People love her. She is such a gem," Meadows said.
Throughout Gildea's professional career, she remained active in many Blair County organizations such as the Blair County Historical Society and the Blair County Civic Music Association. The music association had 2,000 members in the mid-1970s and brought nationally known performers to the area. However, rising costs caused the association to close in the 1990s. However, its legacy continues through scholarships administered through the Central Pennsylvania Community Foundation. "A lot of people still talk to me about those concerts at Roosevelt Junior High -- they remember," Gildea said.
Both Meadows and Kopriva described Gildea as a woman of deep faith who ministered to others during difficult times. Kopriva recounted a day when Gildea said she was leaving the courthouse early "a rarity" and the judge later learned she went to support a grieving wife whose husband had been killed in a crash on the Turnpike.
"She wasn't ever pushy about her faith," Meadows said. "But you knew it was what made her solid in her approach to people. Her faith is such a huge part of her life. And she didn't have to say anything."
She retired as deputy court administrator in 2009 at age 82, but Gildea's community involvement remains steadfast. She serves as vice president of Hollidaysburg Area Arts Council, is a member of the Altoona Symphony League, a support organization to the Altoona Symphony Orchestra, Friends of the Hollidaysburg Area Public Library as well as her parish service. She attends many community events and continues to support local organizations through her presence at events.
Her involvement is rooted in her love of others.
"It's because, first of all, because of the people. You get to know people and you work with them in these organizations. It's also for your personal benefit because you learn new things and things you didn't know before. I always say, be planning something -- that's my motto. Always be planning something."