Aspinwall conference room dedicated to longtime councilman, firefighter

Memories flooded back to former Aspinwall councilman and volunteer firefighter John “Jack” Lovey as he stood in a recently renovated borough building conference room.

Lovey was on Aspinwall council for 28 years and president for 15.

“It brings back a lot of memories sitting there looking at my people,” he said. “I used to come in (to the borough building) and talk to the people before council meetings just to say hello and get acquainted with what their problems were so we could solve them. It was just great. People never gave me a hard time. I was treated so marvelous over my 28 years.”

Lovey, an Army soldier and U.S. Steel mailroom supervisor, also served as an Aspinwall volunteer firefighter for many years.

Borough officials thanked Lovey for his service by dedicating the conference room to the longtime public servant.

Mayor Joe Noro said the room is the connecting point between the fire department and the borough building.

One door opens to the fire station and another to council chambers.

“It turned out good,” Noro said. “He worked really hard with the fire department and all of us on council. He spent over 20 years on council and spent over 30 years in the fire department so we made that (his) room. He did so much work and gave time to Aspinwall. He loved this town and the fire department.”

The room features framed photos of Lovey and the borough, a black table with four chairs and a proclamation from the mayor as a centerpiece.

There are two black bookshelves, one with a pair of historical Aspinwall photos and Fox Chapel Area High School yearbooks. The other has a photo of Lovey and his wife, along with borough code and ordinance books and the 75th anniversary edition of “Robert’s Rules of Order Revised,” a classic manual of parliamentary procedure.

“I choked up,” Lovey said of the honor. “It was beautiful. … It’s just been a great pleasure. Council does a heck of a job. We’re very lucky in Aspinwall to have these kind of people who do a good job and keep Aspinwall as a No. 1 town.”

Lovey was accompanied by his wife of 71 years, JoAnn, and other family members at the dedication ceremony. The pair tied the knot in their early 20s.

“It’s wonderful to get to this age,” JoAnn said. “We’ve been very lucky. We weren’t kids when we got married.”

They were married in St. Scholastica Church, now part of Christ the King Parish, where Lovey ushered for several decades.