Necrology
Charles Pilkington Swatek '66
Jun. 30, 1944-Nov. 18, 2020
According to those who knew him, Charles Pilkington Swatek ’66, a salesman from Bel Air, Md., had a natural warmth and curiosity for everyone he met.
“Whenever he had the chance, Charlie loved nothing more than hopping in the car and taking a drive, often a back-roads journey to a yet-to-be-determined destination, with anyone who was willing to come along,” his family wrote in a published obituary.
Swatek died on Nov. 18, 2020, at the age of 76.
Born on June 30, 1944, in Pittsburgh, he was the son of Edwin Swatek, Jr. and the former Catherine Crutchfield. Swatek graduated from Avonworth High School before making his way to Hamilton where he joined Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity and sang with the College Choir. His memories of John Baldwin were among the most treasured of his Hamilton days.
Swatek left the College after two years to enlist in the armed forces. He received commission as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and he would earn a Purple Heart and Bronze Star for his service during the Vietnam War.
Swatek returned home and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Pittsburgh in 1971. It was in a geography class at Pitt where he met Barbara DeLost, whom he married in 1974. Together they raised three children.
The family traveled the country for pleasure and through Swatek’s job as a salesman for 30 years with Bethlehem Steel. He worked in the company’s offices in Greensboro, N.C., Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Dallas, and Houston before finally settling in the Bel Air area in 1993.
A lover of classical music and playing golf, Swatek was an avid follower of football and the men’s basketball team at the University of Pittsburgh.
Swatek is survived by his wife, two sons, a daughter, two grandchildren, a brother and sister, and two nieces.
