Courtesy photo / Robert F. Pennington (middle) is joined by Pennsylvania Association of Realtors President-elect David Dean (left) and Allegheny Highland Association of Realtors President Cheryl McInroy after Pennington was honored with the Distinguished Career Award.

From Mirror staff reports

Robert F. Pennington of Altoona became the first realtor in Blair County history to be awarded the Distinguished Career Award from the Allegheny Highland Association of Realtors recognizing his remarkable 53 years of service.

Pennington, the broker/owner of Coldwell Banker Town & Country Real Estate in Altoona, is the inaugural recipient of the Distinguished Career Award presented by the president-elect of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors.

Agents from other offices who serve on the local board of directors unanimously nominated Pennington for this honor. The recipient must be someone who has demonstrated unparalleled commitment to the profession and has achieved remarkable results over a sustained period of time.

Pennington said he was humbled to win the award.

“What is important is that it was voted on by my peers, it was the first time to ever give it. It was a total surprise, I am very humbled,” Pennington said. “I’ve had a lot of great people work with me, including my sister. I’ve been in this over a half a century and I’ve always tried to do things the right way.”

The 2026 president of the Pennsylvania Association of Realtors, David Dean, presented the award alongside AHAR President Cheryl McInroy at the Blair County Convention Center during a special ceremony held on Dec. 4.

Pennington is one of the longest-serving real estate brokers in Pennsylvania state history and earned the coveted Realtor Emeritus designation for decades of service without a single ethics violation.

Since opening his company in 1973, Coldwell Banker Town & Country Real Estate is the all-time top selling real estate agency in the history of Blair County by selling nearly 18,000 homes and closing more than $2.2 billion of real estate.

His company was the first, and remains the only, real estate company inducted into the Blair County Chamber of Commerce Business Hall of Fame. Pennington is a fifth-

generation native of Altoona.