The son of a coal miner, John G. Brosky rose from a humble childhood in Scott to an illustrious 46-year career in Pennsylvania's courts, eventually retiring as a senior Superior Court judge.

He modernized Allegheny County's Family Court, rescued the Three Rivers Regatta from scandalous overspending and was twice instrumental in sparing the 911th Airlift Wing from closure.

He never forgot his origins, though, said his son, David J. Brosky of Carnegie. He preferred J.C. Penney to fine attire. He took time to chat with vendors and shoe-shiners. He traversed life with a camera around his neck, snapping photos that chronicled court history.

Judge Brosky, of Scott, died Sunday after battling pneumonia and heart problems. He was 90.

Friends and relatives remembered him as a gentle man with a level head and a ready laugh.

"He always believed in a sense of compromise," said Mr. Brosky. "That you could reconcile any parties, that there was always a middle ground."

"He was a good friend, a good judge and had a heart of gold," said Common Pleas Judge David R. Cashman.

Judge Brosky was appointed to Allegheny County Court in 1956 then to the Court of Common Pleas in 1960. He quickly established himself as a reformer.

In 1957, he triggered outrage among fellow jurists when he proposed they work a 12-month year, rather than close the court for the summers. In 1958, he proposed allowing cameras -- and audio recorders -- in courtrooms. He was an early and outspoken opponent of drunken driving.

He made his most important mark in Family Court, said former Superior Court Judge Patrick Tamilia.

At the time there were no consistent procedures for handling domestic relations, divorce, juvenile crime and related cases. Judge Brosky worked with others to create them.

Among his contributions was an order that child support could no longer be paid by personal checks, long unreliable. He also created a system to provide legal services to indigent people seeking divorce and set up a program for paternity testing.

His work transformed the once-chaotic division, which he took over as administrative judge in 1970. A court that once had four judges now has 15.

"He recognized the manpower needed," said Judge Cashman.

Born in 1920 in Scott, Judge Brosky was one of seven children. He attended Clark High School and enrolled at the University of Pittsburgh on a football scholarship, said his son.

Judge Brosky graduated in 1942 but was immediately drafted into the Army Air Forces. He served during World War II as a captain of artillery in the South Pacific.

When he returned from the war as a disabled veteran after catching malaria, he used the G.I. Bill to enroll in Pitt's law school.

Soon after he graduated, he joined the Pennsylvania Air National Guard. He eventually retired as a major general and remained active in military affairs.

Judge Brosky married his wife, Rose, in 1950, after they met at a funeral for a mutual friend.

After more than two decades in the county courts, he was elected to the state Superior Court in 1980, a role that allowed him to write more than 1,000 opinions in a variety of areas.

"He enjoyed that to no end," said Judge Cashman. "I remember once he told me I should run for an appellate court position because of how intellectually interesting it is."

In 1989, Judge Brosky decided not to run for re-election, but he served as a Senior Judge until 2002, when the state Supreme Court issued a rule requiring judges who handled cases part time to stop doing so at age 80.

To most of Pittsburgh, Judge Brosky might have been best known for his volunteer roles.

In 1995 and in 2005, when the 911th Airlift Wing landed on a list of military bases slated for closure, he played a key role in persuading Congress to save it.

In 1997, when the Three Rivers Regatta was wallowing in debt, he led the investigation that turned the organization around.

He was also a leader in the effort to establish a World War II memorial on the North Shore, a project that continues today.

Judge Brosky led an expansive life outside of his career. He was a state horseshoe champion and an acquaintance of Pope John Paul II, with whom he exchanged Christmas cards for years.

He served as president of the Chartiers Valley school board, chairman of the board of the Boys & Girls Club of Western Pennsylvania and national president of the Air Force Association, among many other posts.

Colleagues said he was rarely seen without a camera, and many of his photos eventually became a part of a court history book written by Judge Tamilia.

"No matter how busy he was, he always took the time for us as family," said Mr. Brosky. "He would go play Whiffle Ball with us in the back yard. He would stay up at night to help me with term papers."

In addition to his son, Judge Brosky is survived by two other children, John C. Brosky of Washington, D.C., and Carol A. Baker of Murrysville; his brothers, George Brosky of Hawaii and Stanley Brosky of Bethel Park; and four grandchildren.

Visitation will be held from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today and Wednesday at William Slater II Funeral Home in Scott. A Mass will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Thursday in SS. Simon & Jude Church, Scott.

First Published: October 12, 2010, 4:45 a.m.