John Pantelis

June of 1967. Safety Patrol Day at Forbes Field. I was an 11-year old fifth grader and I attended my first ever Pirates game that day. When I got off the streetcar on Forbes Avenue, the fledgling engineer in me stood and stared at the tall stone building about a block away. A man walked by and asked me what I was looking at. I asked him what that big building was. He said it was the Cathedral of Learning of the University of Pittsburgh. “Wow,” I said. Pittsburgh has its own university? I thought to myself, “I am going to go to college here someday.” Seven years later in June of 1974, I was at freshmen orientation week for the School of Engineering's largest incoming class to date. I graduated with my BS in Civil Engineering in April 1978. I came back 12 years later in on a part-time basis to eventually earn my MS in Civil and Environmental Engineering in April 1995. It all started when a young grade-schooler from the 'Burgh, and lifelong Pirates fan, saw the Cathedral of Learning for the first time.