If it had wheels, rails — or an entitled attitude — P. Joseph “Joe” Grata could parse it for readers.

That’s because the longtime transportation reporter at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and The Pittsburgh Press took the time to understand and perfect his craft.

The winner of numerous awards, Mr. Grata wasn’t just respected in Pittsburgh.

He was known far and wide for his expertise on transit systems — he traveled on most in North America and many in Europe — along with transportation in all of its forms and the inside politics at agencies like the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation.

Not much got past the erudite Mr. Grata, who wrote thousands of stories over his nearly 40-year career, former colleagues said. Mr. Grata, 78, died Monday of liver cancer at his home in Washington Township, Fayette County.

“I’d hate to have been a transportation, transit or construction official on the other end of a phone call from Joe,” said Tom Birdsong, one of Mr. Grata’s editors at the PG and the Press. “He knew as much about all three subjects as the executives who made them their life’s work. So there was no BS’ing him, and they knew it.”

“As a transportation writer, Joe owned one of the most important beats that defined our region,” said Madelyn A. Ross, former Press and PG managing editor. “His journalism was impeccably researched, simply and clearly written, and often anticipated critical problems to be solved.”

Mr. Grata — who jokingly referred to himself a “roads scholar” — was known for arriving at the newsroom bright and early every morning to get transportation officials on the line before their secretaries — a veritable firewall at times — could screen his calls.

“He was driving from Belle Vernon into the city, and he would be in the office by 7 or 7:30 — this was every day for decades,” said his longtime friend and former colleague Johnna A. Pro.

But journalism was only part of Mr. Grata’s legacy.

He also was an ardent champion of his community and the Belle Vernon Area School District, so much so that even in the hours before his passing, Mr. Grata, a school board member since 2009, let district officials know he wouldn’t be able to attend a board meeting Monday evening.

“From a professional standpoint, his body of work certainly speaks for itself,” said Ms. Pro, who sat next to Mr. Grata in the PG newsroom for years. “But he had a commitment to the Belle Vernon Area School District and the Belle Vernon and Rostraver communities that is probably unparalleled. He had his sister call and tell them that he would be unable to participate in the meeting because he wasn’t feeling well that day. He was that devoted.”

The son of a Navy petty officer who was killed in action aboard the USS Franklin aircraft carrier in March 1945, Mr. Grata never knew his father.

He grew up in the village of Lynnwood in Washington Township and graduated from Penn State University, where he served as sports editor at the Daily Collegian and hosted a sports radio talk show.

When he was just 25, Mr. Grata was one of the youngest board members elected to the Belle Vernon Area School District, where he initially served six years.

Shortly after he retired in 2008, Mr. Grata again won a seat on the board.

He worked as a reporter for the former Valley Independent in Monessen and Latrobe Bulletin before being hired at the Pittsburgh Press in 1971.

Mr. Grata, who coined the term “Parkway North” to describe the then-new Interstate 279 North, later joined the staff of the PG, where his “Grata’s Guide: Getting Around” was a popular Sunday column.

Mr. Grata was named Citizen of the Year by the Belle Vernon Rotary Club in 1983, and in January, he was recognized with the group’s Paul Harris Award, Rotary’s highest honor.

He was a founding member of the Belle Vernon Area Football Hall of Fame and a longtime Democratic committeeman.

Mr. Grata was also appointed as Fayette County’s representative to the Southwestern Pennsylvania Commission, the region’s 10-county planning agency, where his gravitas made all the difference, said Fayette County Commissioner Vincent Vicites.

“When part of the Mon-Fayette Expressway project was tabled, Joe formulated a strategy to convince the SPC members and the Legislature that we needed to make sure it got approved,” recalled Mr. Vicites, who became good friends with Mr. Grata over the years. “Joe was very instrumental in and key to the success of getting that back on track. When he spoke, people listened.”

Mr. Grata’s support of the county, the community and the school district was beyond commendable, said Ira Weiss, former school board solicitor.

“He bled green and gold,” the colors of Belle Vernon Area High School, said Mr. Weiss. “He was completely dedicated to the school district. He helped to found the BVA Foundation, which provides scholarships to students. He had obvious considerable talent in writing and organizing, and he put it to good use for the betterment of the community and school district. I think when they made Joe Grata, they broke the mold.”

Even after his retirement and subsequent health problems, Mr. Grata would routinely reach out to his former colleagues, Ms. Ross recalled.

“He was so passionate about transportation issues that even his dire struggle with cancer would not stop him,” she said. “When the Fern Hollow Bridge collapsed, he called his former editor from his sick bed to discuss how they would have covered it had they been working. As always, his insights were brilliant and his devotion to Western Pennsylvania unparalleled.”

He even had a role in the most famous Steelers play of all time — the Immaculate Reception.

With just seconds left in the Dec. 23, 1972, AFC divisional playoff game against the Oakland Raiders, Art Rooney Sr. got on an elevator, headed to the locker room to console the team.

Mr. Grata, who was helping out with game coverage that day, caught up to “The Chief” and informed him about the play that would go down in history.

“We were sitting together a couple of Sundays ago and I told Joe that if anyone asked me about him, I was going to describe him as a ‘bon vivant’ and a ‘raconteur,’ ” Ms. Pro said, laughing. “Joe loved a good time, and he loved a good story. He made everything an adventure.”

One of his favorite ways to keep in touch with friends and family was his annual “Dear Santa” letter. Last year’s edition — he knew it would be his last — had Mr. Grata thanking those he loved for his blessings.

“Someone recently asked me, ‘What is the greatest gift anyone has given you?’ ” he wrote. “That is easy: a wonderful life!”

He signed it, “Love, Joey.”

Mr. Grata is survived by his mother, Joan Grata Tegel, of Washington Township; and sisters Anne Sweany, of Belle Vernon, Lillian Gelotti, of Fayette City, and Joan Romansky, of Rostraver.

His funeral was Friday.

Memorial donations are suggested to a local Lions Club, Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh or the Belle Vernon Area Charitable Fund.

Janice Crompton: jcrompton@post-gazette.com.

First Published: July 3, 2022, 10:00 a.m.
Updated: July 5, 2022, 10:55 a.m.