- Bruce Frassinelli worked more than 25 years at The Express in Easton
- He started with the newspaper in 1966
- In 1989, it was named one of the best small-city newspapers in the United States
NORTH WHITEHALL TWP., Pa. – Longtime Lehigh Valley journalist Bruce Frassinelli has died.
Frassinelli, 84, died early Wednesday of natural causes at his home in North Whitehall, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s Office.
He was the former editor and general manager of The Express-Times in Easton, where he worked for more than 25 years.
His son Mike Frassinelli said his time spent in Easton was the highlight of his professional career.
“He started at a one-person office in Stroudsburg and he rose all the way to the top editor spot,” said Frassinelli, a journalist who formerly worked at The Morning Call in Allentown and The Star-Ledger in Newark, New Jersey.
“He was very proud of working at The Express and working in Easton and being with a paper that always punched up. He was also very proud of all of the talented people that worked in that newsroom.”
'Best small-city newspaper'
Frassinelli left Easton in January 1992 and became editor and publisher of The Palladium-Times in Oswego, N.Y., retiring in 1998.
After retirement he worked as a consultant and educator. He was an adjunct instructor at Lehigh Carbon Community College and taught at the State University of New York at Oswego and at Strayer University in Upper Saucon Township.
Frassinelli received a bachelor’s degree in 1961 and a master’s degree in 1969, both at East Stroudsburg University.
As editor of The Express in 1989, the newspaper was named one of the best small-city newspapers in the United States by the American Society of Newspaper Editors.
He joined The Express in 1966 as Pocono bureau chief and rose through the ranks. He was named editor in 1990 and general manager in 1991.
Frassinelli left Easton not long after The Globe-Times of Bethlehem and The Express of Easton merged to become The Express-Times in 1991. The Oswego newspaper was in the same ownership chain, Thomson.
“He always wanted to become a publisher,” Mike Frassinelli said.
In New York, he was on the board of directors of Oswego County National Bank and was president of the Oswego Rotary Club. He served as governor of Rotary District 7150 in central New York.
In 2011, he received a Distinguished Alumni Award from ESU. He also received a Distinguished Service Award from the Pocono Mountains Jaycees and the Optimist of the Year Award from the Optimists’ Stroudsburg chapter.
Early years
Bruce Frassinelli was born in Summit Hill, Carbon County. He was a graduate of the old Summit Hill High School and is in the Carbon County Sports Hall of Fame for his achievements as a football lineman.
Before becoming a newspaperman, Frassinelli worked as a radio announcer and a French teacher at Notre Dame High School in East Stroudsburg.
“He was doing all these side things to support his family in the early days,” Mike Frassinelli said.
As a journalist, he interviewed dozens of high-profile figures and loved to tell stories about their encounters — among them President John F. Kennedy, President Ronald Reagan, Vice President Dan Quayle and Princess Grace Kelly, his son said.
His parents were Italian immigrants who met in Bethlehem and moved to Summit Hill, where they operated a successful grocery store that catered to the town’s mining community.
Funeral services
A memorial service is set for noon Friday, Sept. 15, at the Thomas J. Parambo Funeral Home, 54 W. Fell St., Summit Hill. Calling hours are 10 a.m. to noon that day.
“He wanted there to be music from the ‘50s and early ‘60s — he wants people to reminisce about their time together,” Mike Frassinelli said. “He doesn’t want a somber thing.”
Besides his son Mike, Frassinelli is survived by sons Paul and Stephen; five grandchildren; and four step-grandchildren.
Mike Frassinelli said he was grateful and proud of the impact his father made on his own life and career.
“He was a legend in Lehigh Valley journalism at a time when the daily newspaper was such a vital part of people’s lives,” he said.
“He was the son of Italian immigrants who went on to interview presidents and paupers. He was a purveyor of fairness and integrity. And he was a hero to his sons.”
