Joseph M. Workman
Joseph M. Workman, 93, of Bethlehem, died on Thursday, April 11, 2024. Born in Toledo, Ohio, he was the son of Joseph E. and Ruth Miller Workman. He and his wife Eleanor M. Workman would have celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary on June 19th. After early years in Ohio, he lived in Evanston, Illinois, and Latrobe, PA. He graduated from Latrobe High School in 1949, from Lehigh University in 1953 with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering. At Lehigh he lettered in basketball and was president of his fraternity, Alpha Tau Omega. From Air Force ROTC he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Air Force and served on active duty from 1954 to 1956. He went on to receive an MBA from Harvard Business School in 1958. Following Harvard he began a 33 year career with the Bethlehem Steel Company, first as market analyst for foreign steel, then of the automotive industry. In 1967 he was promoted to Manager of the Commercial Research Division, then of Market Research and Product Development, and later formed and managed the company's first Business Planning function. He was a long time member of the American Iron and Steel Institute and chaired its Committee on Commercial Research.
His primary volunteer services were his church and Lehigh University. At First Presbyterian Church of Bethlehem he was former president of its Board of Trustees. In 2016 he joined the newly formed Grace Church Bethlehem where he co-chaired the multi-million dollar capital campaign to build their new church building.
For Lehigh he was Treasurer, Vice President, and then national President of Lehigh University Alumni Association. He was a member of the Lehigh University Board of Trustees from 1984 to 1990. He was President of his Class of 1953 from 1978 to 2003 and from 2018 to the time he died. For his services he received the Young Alumnus Award (Alumni Award) in 1968, the Eugene Gifford Grace Award in 2003, the George F.A. Stutz ‘22 Award in 2007, the Senior Alumni Council Meritorious Award in 2011, and the Joseph J. Persa Award in 2018. He perhaps most cherished being the first recipient in 1981 of the Men's Basketball 6th Man Award. He was proud to have attended 70 Lehigh-Lafayette football games. Retiring from Bethlehem Steel after 33 years, he began over 18 years in second and third careers, first in the Lehigh University Development Office as Director of the Annual Fund, then its Capital “Campaign for Preserving the Vision”, and finally International fund raising. Following these, he was 12 years the Planned Giving Officer for his church.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by daughters Lynn Snyder and husband John of Lock Haven, Sarah McIntyre and husband Andrew of Bethlehem and Mary Workman of Easton; son Joseph M. Workman, Jr. and wife Elizabeth of Charlotte, NC; seven grandchildren; two greatgrandchildren; and sister Ann Workman Cirucci of Nazareth.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, April 15, in Grace Church Bethlehem. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Grace Church Bethlehem, 4301 Hecktown
Rd., Bethlehem, PA 18020, or Lehigh University Athletics Partnership, 641 Taylor St., Bethlehem, PA 18015. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Pearson Funeral Home, Bethlehem. www.pearsonfh.com