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Sunday, July 27, 2003

By Alisha Hipwell

William J. Rockenstein had a commanding air about him.

As a result, the former Butler attorney often found himself in leadership positions.

"He was always very outspoken and had no trouble sharing his opinions," said his daughter, Ann McGeary, of Wheeling, W.Va.

Mr. Rockenstein, a former president of the Butler County Bar Association and former district governor of the Pennsylvania Bar Association, died last Sunday in Wheeling of complications from pneumonia. He had moved there from Butler in 1989 to live with his daughter. He was 90.

Mr. Rockenstein was the only child of William and Martha Rockenstein, who owned Rockenstein's clothing store in downtown Butler. He graduated in 1934 from the University of Notre Dame and earned a law degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 1937.

During World War II, he applied for positions in Naval intelligence and with the FBI and was accepted for both. He chose the FBI and served in Baltimore as a special agent from 1942 to 1946. Among his personal papers was a letter signed by the late FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, congratulating Mr. Rockenstein on the birth of one of his daughters.

Mr. Rockenstein returned to Butler after the war and went into private practice at the firm of Brandon, Millar and Rockenstein in the Union Bank Building on Main Street. He was a general practice attorney handling civil law, real estate, contracts and similar matters.

He and other lawyers in town formed close friendships, often playing poker and golf and going hunting together. "There was a lot of camaraderie with the other lawyers," his daughter said.

In the late '50s and early '60s, Mr. Rockenstein served as president of the Butler County Bar Association and was Zone 10 governor of the board of governors of the Pennsylvania Bar Association from 1969-72.

He was a former member of the board of directors of Butler Country Club, past president of the Butler County Serra Club and a former board member of the Butler County Symphony Society and the Bishop's Human Rights Commission for the Diocese of Pittsburgh

Mr. Rockenstein took semi-retirement in the early '80s and retired completely when he moved to Wheeling.

In addition to his daughter, Mr. Rockenstein is survived by another daughter, Nancy Roth, of Howey-in-the-Hills, Fla.; a son, Joseph Rockenstein, of Sylva, N.C.; nine grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by a son, Thomas, in 1982.

A Mass was celebrated Wednesday in St. Peter Church in Butler. Interment followed in St. Peter Cemetery in Butler. Geibel Funeral Home, Butler, handled the arrangements.

Alisha Hipwell is a freelance writer.

#slshieldsOBIT3 #ed1st#scC#pg5#rd07272003#etMATTHEW SHIELDS

Naval air traffic controller, East Allegheny graduate

By Bill Heltzel

Post-Gazette Staff Writer

Chief Petty Officer Matthew Shields, a former North Versailles resident who distinguished himself as a naval air traffic controller, died Thursday in Corpus Christi, Texas. He was 37.

Mr. Shields died as a result of injuries he suffered in a motorcycle accident July 19 in Kingsville, Texas.

He was born in Braddock and raised in North Versailles, graduating in 1984 from East Allegheny High School. He enlisted in the Navy and was trained as an air traffic controller.

The assignment suited him well, according to his sister, Maureen Serepere, of East McKeesport. He served on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower, at Naval Air Station Norfolk, on the USS Nassau, and at Naval Air Station Roosevelt Roads.

Along the way, he qualified in numerous air traffic control specialties, he was named controller of the year in the Atlantic command, became a training chief, and rose through the ranks to chief petty officer.

Three years ago, he was assigned to the Naval Air Station in Kingsville. Though a supervisor, he liked to fill in for other controllers.

"He had such a passion for it," his sister said, "that he would put the headsets on and jump back into it."

He had planned to seek a civilian job in air traffic control when he became eligible for retirement in a year.

Mr. Shields is survived by his wife, Heather; parents, Matthew and Nancy Madfisch Shields of North Versailles; a brother, Michael, of McKeesport, and his sister, Maureen.

Visitation will be from 2 to 9 p.m. tomorrow and Tuesday at James F. Filia Funeral Home, 354 Marguerite Ave., Wilmerding. A funeral will begin at 10 a.m. Wednesday at St. Robert Bellarmine Church, 1313 Fifth Ave., East McKeesport.

Bill Heltzel can be reached at bheltzel@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1719.