Robert T. Messner

Robert T. Messner                               

Lawyer and Historian, of Blackridge, formerly of McKeesport, died on Tuesday, December 13, 2022, at age 84. His law career spanned over 50 years, first with a large Pittsburgh firm, then as General Counsel of G.C. Murphy Company for 17 years, and finally as General Counsel for Dollar Bank for 22 years, retiring in 2008. Before entering the practice of law, he commanded a U.S. Army technical intelligence unit in Korea and other parts of the Far East, for which he was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. He also served as staff briefing officer for the Commanding General of the United Nations Command, Korea.

Born and raised in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, he was a graduate of McKeesport High School, where he was inducted into the Alumni Hall of Fame. A graduate of Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, he was a member of the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania and U.S. Supreme  Court Bars. He served as a Director of the American Society of Corporate Secretaries and Governance Professionals and as President of the Pittsburgh Regional Group. In 1983, he was co-author of a Pennsylvania Corporation law which permitted corporate directors to take into consideration in corporate deliberations, including hostile tender offers, the interests of corporate stakeholders such as employees and local communities, rather than solely the interests of shareholders. In 1985, during the hostile takeover of G.C. Murphy Company by Ames Department Stores, as Corporate Secretary he refused to turn over to Ames the corporate books and records of G.C. Murphy Company Foundation, insisting that under federal tax law, the Foundation was a separate entity from the Company. He then staffed the Foundation board with former Murphy persons not subject to pressure from Ames. He was not surprised when Ames then terminated his 17 year Murphy career. Since 1985, the Murphy Foundation has focused its contribution of millions of dollars to the Pittsburgh area, especially the economically depressed Mon Valley.

Since 1994 he has spent much of his time attempting to inform or remind western Pennsylvania of its rich colonial history and its potential tourism economic benefits. Realizing the significance of Braddock's Defeat in the French & Indian War and its importance in the life of George Washington, he dedicated himself to creating a battlefield history center at the site of the Battle in North Braddock, PA. For the  better part of 20 years, he worked to fund and create a free-standing historical visitors center, which  was finally designed, constructed, and opened to the public in 2012. It contains over 250 genuine artifacts and more than 50 works of art and maps. Because of declining health and advancing years, in 2018, he donated the Center and all exhibits to Fort Ligonier, which continues its operation.

He was a founding member of the War for Empire Coalition and French & Indian War 250, which included Fort Ligonier, Fort Necessity, Fort Pitt, Braddock's Road Preservation Association, Bushy Run Battlefield, and Braddock's Battlefield Association. He served as a consultant to the Braddock's Defeat portion of the PBS film, The War That Made America, and was a member of the Point State Park Planning Committee, working to improve historical interpretations of the site of Fort Duquesne. He was the author of Reflections from Braddock's Field, a compilation of more than 50 of his articles about the Battle and served as a lecturer for Carnegie Mellon University's Osher Adult Education programs. He served on the Board of Directors of McKeesport YMCA, Braddock Carnegie Library, McKeesport Regional Heritage and History Center, G.C. Murphy Company Foundation and two Dollar Bank Finance subsidiaries. He was personally responsible for the recovery for Braddock Carnegie Library of several valuable paintings and a bronze statue personally donated by Andrew Carnegie, all of which had been wrongfully removed from the Library and had been missing for more than 15 years.

Bob was the son of the late Thomas and Cecelia Messner and brother of the late Paul Messner. He is survived by his loving wife of more than 50 years, Anne Messner for more than 50 years; their children, Megan Warren (Peter) of Baltimore and Michael Messner (Lauren) of Fox Chapel; and grandchildren Ellen Kraai, Cecelia Messner, Walter Kraai, and Grayson Messner. 

Services are private. Gifts in Bob’s memory may be given to the G.C. Murphy Co. Foundation, c/o Patricia A. Smith, Secretary and Administrator, 1514 Greenock-Buena Vista Road, McKeesport PA 15135. 

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