Ronald G. Pettengill In Memoriam
Ron Pettengill served as President of the Rochester Labor Council from 1985 until 1996, leading the effort to build one of the strongest of New York's Central Labor Councils. He passed away peacefully on Friday, February 28th, 2020. We all remember Ron as a giant among his peers and a fearless leader and advocate for all of us in the labor movement and spoke on behalf of those who had no voice.
Ron Pettengill first arrived in Rochester in 1950. He arrived a young man without many prospects or even a roof over his head and slept on a bench in Washington Square Park. He spent his first years doing odd jobs like washing dishes at the old "25 Club". Ron's break came in 1955 when he got into Rochester Carpenter District Council Local 72's apprenticeship training program. He took to the work immediately, taking pride in learning the craft well. It was a tough, hard-working time, according to Ron, but one that changed his life, providing opportunities that he would have otherwise never had. It was during this time that he met and married his wife, Mary Lou. A year later, their son, Ron Jr. was born.
Even as an apprentice, Ron got involved with the union, attending every meeting and speaking up often. A journneyman carpenter since 1959, Ron served as an officer in his local union in the mid-sixties and in 1968 he first ran for Business Representative, losing a hotly-contested race. Undeterred, he ran again the next year and won. He served as Business Agent until 1976 and as General Agent from 1978 until retiring in 1996 after a quarter century of leadership of the local that he loved.
Under Ron's stewardship, Rochester Carpenters Local Union 85 grew to represent over 1,300 members. Ron was also deeply committed to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters, with many friends throughout the country. He served on the New York State Council of Carpenter's Executive Board and was involved in several elections at the International level.
Ron didn't limit his leadership to his union. He was involved in local politics for many years, with friends on both sides of the aisle. He served at many levels of the Democratic Party and was especially proud of the role he played in helping elect Mario Cuomo Governor and Louise Slaughter to Congress.
When he retired in 1996, he helped to found the Ronald G. Pettengill Labor Education Fund that was established in 1997 to inform and educate the greater Rochester community on labor issues and labor history, to further the labor movement, to enhance the skills and knowledge of area rank and file members, and to develop local labor leadership
With his decades in the labor movement and politics, Ron never lost sight of the needs of everyday, working people. It was this vision that helped him to create a better world for working people today.
The family has informed us of the following funeral arrangements:Calling hours: Wednesday, March 4th at 4:00 - 7:00 pmLocation: Anthony Funeral and Cremation Chapels 1031 Ridge Road Webster, NY 14580Mass: Thursday, March 5th at 10 a.m.Location: Church of the Holy Trinity 1460 Ridge Road Webster, NY 14580For further information please check the Democrat and Chronicle either Sunday or Monday.