Frederick E. Leuschner
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Frederick E. Leuschner, 93, of Lower Paxton Township, Dauphin County, passed away Friday August 26, 2022 at UPMC Community Osteopathic Hospital.
Born November 25, 1928, in Homestead, Allegheny County, he was a son of the late Frederick H. and Rosalind I. (Ball) Leuschner.
Fred grew up in State College, where he became a Penn State sports fan at an early age. He graduated from State College High School in 1946 and obtained his Bachelor's (1950) and Master's (1951) degrees from Penn State. He was a member of Phi Kappa Psi social fraternity and Treasurer of its Pennsylvania Lambda Educational Foundation for 38 years. During college, he was a member of Parmi Nous, senior men's honorary; the Penn State Players, President of Theta Alpha Phi, drama honorary; and the Penn State Thespians. He had been a member of the Board of Directors for the Penn State Thespians Alumni Interest Group (TAIG) since 2005 and received the Penn State Thespians Award for Distinguished Service to Thespians.
Among the pioneers in local television broadcasting, Fred came to Harrisburg in 1953 to assist in putting station WTPA-TV, now WHTM-TV, "on the air". A member of the production staff at WTPA-TV, he directed many live programs and later became the station News Director. After working at WTPA-TV for four years, he spent the remainder of his career as a public relations executive.
Fred was the first public relations director for the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and retired as Assistant Executive Director for Administration and Communications after 31 years. Following his retirement from PSEA, he was retained by the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA) as a Consultant to the Public Affairs Department and as Director of Legislative Affairs for ten years. During that same time, he was a member of the Adjunct Faculty at Harrisburg Area Community College as a Senior Lecturer of Public Speaking.
Active in local and national public relations organizations, Fred served as Public Information Officer for the Pennsylvania State Civil Service Commission in 1957 and was Stage Manager for the Allenberry Players in 1952. He was a member of the Central Pennsylvania Chapter of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) where served as President for two terms and was also Chairperson of the Accreditation Committee that conducted training sessions to prepare candidates for the national accreditation examination. He served as a judge for the PRSA Silver Anvil Awards and as a member of the PRSA Mid-Atlantic Judicial Committee. Fred was the first recipient of the Award for Excellence in Public Relations from the local chapter of the PRSA in 1989. The award was then re-named the Frederick E. Leuschner Award for Excellence in Public Relations in his honor. He was elected to the PRSA College of Fellows, the honorary arm of the PRSA, in 1991, one year after the college was formed.
A member and former President of the Pennsylvania Public Relations Society (PPRS), he received the organization's Ernest R. McDowell Award for Excellence in Public Relations in 1993. Fred was a life member of the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA) and the National Education Association (NEA). He was a member of the Advisory Committee to the NEA Communications Division and a founding member and first President of the NEA's Public Relations Council, which named him "PR Person of the Year" in 1978. Fred was a Commissioner for the Pennsylvania Public Television Network (PPTN) Commission for 13 years. In later years, he was a volunteer on WHTM's "Call for Action", a consumer advocate arm of the station, for five years.
Fred was a member of Calvary United Methodist Church, Lower Paxton Township, where he served as Chairperson of the Finance Committee for 11 years as well as Chairperson of the Stewardship, Endowment and Staff/Parish committees. He had been a life member of the William S. Snyder Lodge #756 F. & A.M. and belonged to the Harrisburg Consistory A.A.S.R and Zembo Shrine. Fred also belonged to the Central Pennsylvania Friends of Jazz. When imported sports cars became the rage in Harrisburg in the mid-1950's, he was a founding member of the Susquehanna Sports Car Club and served as its newsletter editor. An avid world-wide traveler, Fred and his wife visited all 50 states and all seven continents.
Fred is survived by his wife of 67 years, Nancy (Graham) Leuschner and his children, Suzanne E. von Leuschner and daughter, Lily and her son, Timothy of Worth, IL; Megan L. Schuman of Littlestown and sons, Graham (Shannon) of Orrtanna, PA and Lucas of Tysons Corner, VA; and Frederick G. "Rick" Leuschner (Donna) of Harrisburg and children, William of Toronto, ON and Claire of Harrisburg. He is also survived by a sister, Christine L. Henri of Albany, CA and seven nieces and nephews and their families. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret E. Philipson and an infant brother, Robert E. Leuschner.
A Memorial Service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to either the Permanent Endowment Fund or the Memorial Fund at Calvary United Methodist Church, 4700 Locust Lane, Harrisburg, PA 17109 or to your favorite charity. To share memories or condolences with the family please visit BitnerCares.com.
Arrangements entrusted to the Jesse H. Geigle Funeral Home, Inc., Harrisburg.