PITTSTON — The Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick President Matthew Meade recently announced that Kevin J. O’Brien Sr. will be presented as Man of the Year for the 106th annual banquet of the Greater Pittston Friendly Sons of St. Patrick Banquet set for Tuesday, March 17.
O’Brien was born and raised in Avoca and is the son of the late Michael J. (past president 1963) and Mary Moore O’Brien. He is a graduate of Pittston Area High School, Class of 1974 and attended Luzerne County Community College majoring in Fire Science Technology.
He is a proud father of his son Kevin Jr. and currently resides in Duryea.
O’Brien is a past president of the Friendly Sons (1989) for the 75th anniversary of the organization where the Friendly Sons Scholarship was established and his family was an original donor to the program.
He is a life member of the Avoca Volunteer Fire Department for the past 45 years. During his career in the fire service, he became a Pennsylvania State Fire Academy instructor conducting fire training programs throughout the Commonwealth. In 2011, he was awarded the title of Instructor Emeritus from the academy.
He began his career in Public Safety in 1978, becoming a Radio Operator/Dispatcher in the Luzerne County Civil Defense and after 27 years was Deputy Director of Luzerne County Emergency Management Agency. During those years, he was responsible for planning, training and response to all natural/man made disasters throughout Luzerne County. He concluded his career with Luzerne Country as a lead crash/rescue fire fighter at the Wilkes Barre International Airport. He retired from the County of Luzerne after 30 years of service.
Aside from the volunteer fire service and full-time employment with emergency management, he also worked part time for Pocono Raceway, starting in 1985 as a pit road fireman to eventually, becoming fire chief at the facility which became the third largest city in Pennsylvania during the NASCAR events. He served as a NASCAR advanced training program instructor and also as a member of the NASCAR safety standards and Training Committees. In 2013, he received the NASCAR Excellence in Track Services Award from the NASCAR Track Services Division.
He is also a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 372 and the 4th Degree Assembly and serves on the board of directors of the Knights Home Association.
He is also a member of the Luzerne County Flood Protection Authority Board of Directors.
Meade is also pleased to announce that Jack Meade will be the general chairman for the 106th annual dinner.
Meade is a lifelong Northeast Pennsylvania resident, born in Avoca, raised in Moosic and, for the past 40 years, has been a resident of Jenkins Township. He attended St. Mary’s Grade School, Avoca, and graduated from Cathedral High School, Scranton. He went on to earn a B.S. degree in accounting and business from King’s College. Meade has a vast work experience, including a machinist, engineer, plant manager, associate professor of math and currently is a sales representative for A&M Industrial.
Meade is happily married for 45 years to the former Staton Monk, Avoca. They have been blessed with two daughters, Mrs. Joseph (Jenny) Long and Mrs. Keith (Jamie) Anushko and a son, this year’s president Matthew Meade. The couple has four grandchildren, Joseph, Jack and Julia Long and Sophie Anushko.
