Life of giving was greatest reward for businessman, veteran
A distinguished World War II veteran, champion of the community and shrewd businessman who built one of the largest construction companies in the region, Charles “Chuck” Booth Jr. personified the Greatest Generation.
“He never sought recognition or rewards for his accomplishments,” said Mr. Booth’s son-in-law, Bob Weil, of New Kensington. “They don’t make them like that anymore.”
Mr. Booth, 99, a lifelong resident of New Kensington, died of pneumonia on Aug. 4.
His life was rich and varied, and was defined early on by the heroism he displayed as a pilot in World War II, when then-Maj. Booth was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross — the second-highest military honor in the Army.
After attending Washington & Jefferson College for three years, Mr. Booth left in 1941 to join the Army Air Corps, where he flew 30 combat missions as part of the Eighth Air Force, based in England.
Mr. Booth, who served
as an assistant operations officer and commander of a B-24 Liberator bomber group, was badly wounded by anti-aircraft fire over Berlin in March 1944.
Despite painful injuries to his hands and legs, Mr. Booth continued the mission and returned his crew to safety in an act of “extraordinary heroism,” according to the citation that accompanied the prestigious medal. He was also awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, an Air Medal with five battle Stars, and the Purple Heart.
His father-in-law returned to the war after months in the hospital and continued flying missions, said Mr. Weil, who said Mr. Booth always dreamed of being a pilot.
“He wanted to be a pilot when he was 14 years old,” he said.
Mr. Booth, who later served as a colonel in the Reserves, often shared stories about his military experience, which he felt shaped his character and taught him about commitment, Mr. Weil said.
“He talked about it a lot in recent years. about how proud he was to be able to serve and to be part of something bigger than himself,” he said. “The military gave him the structure and boundaries he needed at that time.”
Anytime Mr. Booth saw a member of the military in a restaurant, he paid their tab — anonymously — Mr. Weil said.
After the war, Mr. Booth joined the Burrell Construction & Supply Co., which his father founded in New Kensington in 1935.
He was one of just five employees, but over the years Mr. Booth and his family expanded the company to eventually include 600 employees, 12 plants and $60 million in revenue.
Mr. Booth was named president and CEO in 1972 and sold the company in 1988. He started the Burrell Group Inc., which currently includes mining, leasing, development and insurance companies.
“He basically reinvented the company,” said Mr. Weil, who was appointed CEO in 2015 at the urging of Mr. Booth.
Working every day is what helped to keep him young, his son-in-law said.
“He never retired,” Mr. Weil said. “He came to work every day, and he and I went to lunch every day.”
His father-in-law also had a great sense of humor and readily embraced new technology — especially the internet — Mr. Weil said.
“There’s nobody who became more fascinated with the internet than Chuck,” he said.
Mr. Booth had a particular fondness for jokes, and in 2014 — at age 95 — he compiled and published a book of his favorite internet jokes. It’s still available on Amazon.com.
Mr. Booth also was extremely active in social and civic groups, serving as president of the New Kensington Chamber of Commerce and on the boards of the Westmoreland Museum of Modern American Art and the Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Association.
But he was perhaps best known locally for the pivotal role he played in bringing about the New Kensington campus of Penn State University.
In the 1950s, Mr. Booth was a founding member of a group which successfully lobbied the university to build a local campus.
In 2007, nearly 50 years after the local campus opened, Mr. Booth was given an honorary alumni award by the university.
Over the years, Mr. Booth donated hundreds of thousands of dollars, endowed several scholarships and served on the university’s board of directors.
His father-in-law’s generosity was legend in other ways, too, Mr. Weil said, including the time he built a road at no charge to help stave off budget problems for a city, or helping the endless parade of organizations that relied on him for support.
“He was always doing random acts of kindness,” he said. “He was really always guided by his commitment to helping others.”
To illustrate his point, Mr. Weil cited a laminated card with a quote from writer George Eliot that he found in his father-in-law’s pockets after he died. It turned out he carried it everywhere for years.
It read: “We make a living by what we get; we make a life by what we give. What we have done for ourselves dies with us; what we have done for others in the world is immortal.”
Mr. Booth is survived by his wife of 18 years, Trudi A. Clements Booth; a son, Harvey Booth of Lower Burrell; five daughters, Laurie Monteverde of Houston, Suzi Cochran of Hendersonville, Tenn., Kathy Friday of Fox Chapel, Anne Rotzler of New Kensington, and Jeanne Weil of New Kensington; 17 grandchildren; and 13 great-grandchildren.
He was preceded in death by his wife of 57 years, Laura Lee “Lolly” Benner Booth; a son, Charles H. Booth, III; a granddaughter, Kimberly Booth; and a grandson, Joshua Booth.
His funeral was Thursday.