George Lowther started his job as a corrections officer with the Westmoreland County Prison on the first day the facility opened in 1993.
Lowther, who rose through ranks over the years to become deputy warden, will be saying goodbye to the jail in Hempfield and his longtime job. The county prison board on Monday accepted his resignation, effective Oct. 7.
Lowther missed working at the former county jail on Vannear Avenue in Greensburg by one day.
He said he decided to apply for a job as a corrections officer in 1993 for a very practical reason.
“It was a job with a lot of security. I knew it would always be opened,” Lowther said of the jail.
Lowther had seen the area’s economy take hits in the late 1980s, with big employers shuttering their operations. Wheeling-Pittsburgh Steel Corp.’s giant steel mill in Monessen closed in 1986, putting thousands of steelworkers out of work. Volkswagen of America closed its huge assembly plant near New Stanton in 1988, leaving a big hole in central Westmoreland’s economy.
County Commissioner Gina Cerilli Thrasher joked with Lowther, asking him whether he wanted to stay another year to cap his career at an even 30 years, but Lowther said his financial adviser recommended against waiting another year to retire.
The prison board promoted Lt. Steven Pelesky to interim deputy warden of security, effective Sept. 19. Candidates will be interviewed to serve permanently as deputy warden.
