Evelyn Ann Hovanec
Uniontown
Evelyn Ann “Ev” Hovanec, 85, of Uniontown, passed away Thursday, March 2, 2023. She was born December 23, 1937, in Uniontown, a daughter of the late Andrew F. and Anne Elizabeth Vrabel Hovanec.
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers, Andrew G. Hovanec and Richard Hovanec.
Left to cherish her memory are her sister-in-law, Linda Hovanec of Eugene, Ore.; nieces, Rebecca Hovanec of Hanover, and Brenda Michelle (Mark) Ormesher, Md.; and nephew, Andrew Hovanec of Seattle, Wash.
Evelyn was a graduate of Mt. St. Macrina High School, and graduated from Duquesne University with a Bachelor’s of Education and a Master’s of Arts Degree. She received a PH.D in English from the University of Pittsburgh in 1973.
Evelyn taught at St. Joseph’s Elementary School and the Pittsburgh Public Schools and was director of Academic Affairs at Penn State University, McKeesport Campus. She retired in 2001 as an associate professor of English from Penn State University. She returned to this area because of her commitment for caring for people who lived in southwestern Pennsylvania.
Dr. Evelyn Hovanec was a full-time professor at Penn State Fayette since its inception in 1965. Her 35 years with Penn State University were divided between teaching English and American Studies in addition to administrative duties at both Penn State Fayette and Penn State McKeesport, known today as Penn State Greater Allegheny.
Dr. Hovanec was one of the three founders of the Coal and Coke Heritage Center located at Penn State Fayette and worked extensively to highlight the social and cultural importance of the region. Her “Common Lives of Uncommon Strength: The Women of the Coal and Coke Era” has been described as a “significant contribution to understanding the many interrelationships of coal mining and coke production within the family structure.” The Coal and Coke Heritage Center at Penn State Fayette owes its existence to Dr. Hovanec and her dedication to honoring and breathing life back into the history of Fayette County and coal mining. Even after her retirement, Dr. Hovanec dedicated her time to the center. She continued to collect oral histories and worked with the various archivists to create the strongest and most accurate depiction of life within the coal mines.
Evelyn had also been active in local community activities with The Fayette Friends of Animals (1999-2005) and in local governmental affairs, having served on the Fayette County Planning and Development Commission (2008-2012).
Gifts, in memory of Dr. Hovanec, can be made to a fund she established at Penn State Fayette at raise.psu.edu/EvelynHovanec or by mail to The Pennsylvania State University, Office of Donor and Member Services – Evelyn Hovanec, 2583 Gateway Drive, Suite 200, State College, PA 16801.
Visitation from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 14, in STEPHEN R. HAKY FUNERAL HOME, 603 N. Gallatin Avenue Ext., where Prayers of Transfer will be offered at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, March 15, followed by a Mass of Christian Burial at 10 a.m. in St. John the Evangelist Church, 50 Jefferson Street, Uniontown. Interment will be in St. Mary (Nativity) Cemetery, Uniontown. Parish Vigil Service at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home.
Personal written tributes and memories are welcome and encouraged at www.hakyfuneralhome.com.