May 29, 2007 By The 3 min read

Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus, recently presented John S. Piwowar III with the Outstanding Fellow Award. Each year, the Penn State Fayette Advisory Board selects a member of the community for the Outstanding Fellow Award, which is considered the premier of awards that can be given from Penn State Fayette. The recipient is a person who exemplifies community leadership, as well as ongoing support for the campus community.

Piwowar was given the award at an advisory board meeting May 10 by his close friend Wayne H. Port.

Elected to Penn State Fayette’s Advisory Board in 1981, Piwowar is a graduate of Uniontown Area High School and Penn State University.

Piwowar served as staff sergeant in the Vietnam War in the 101st Airborne Division. During his short time in the military, he was an honor graduate from the U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Candidate School, where he was in infantry operations and intelligence.

He received various medals and awards during his time in the military, including the Vietnam Campaign Ribbon, the Combat Infantry’s Badge, Vietnam Service Ribbon, Army Commendation Medal and a Bronze Star (meritorious).

After serving for nearly two years in the military, Piwowar earned a master of science degree in dairy science in 1972 from Penn State University.

He was employed by the University of New Hampshire’s Cooperative Extension Service as an area dairy agent and later served as the assistant dairy specialist.

He returned home to his family’s dairy farm in 1976, where he was actively involved in the agricultural community for many years.

Some of Piwowar’s numerous community activities include serving as a member on Laurel Highlands School Board from 1983 to 1997, where he was the school board president for two years.

He also was on the operating committee for six years at the Fayette County Vocational-Technical School. Piwowar was elected to the Pennsylvania School Board Association and represented southwest Pennsylvania.

In 1986, Piwowar stepped in, without payment, to teach Russian at Laurel Highlands High School, when a teacher was out on leave and the school could not find a substitute.

Piwowar and his wife, Myra, began a program for local elementary schools, in which they would bring cows and calves to the schools and explain to the children about milk and the dairy industry.

He is currently involved in the Greater Redstone Clearwater Initiative, which is a local organization dedicated to cleaning up the Redstone Creek.

Piwowar was selected as 2005 Conservationist of the Year by the Fayette Conservation District due to his work and devotion to the organization.

Since 1986, 22 members of the Penn State Advisory Board have received the prestigious Outstanding Fellow Award.