YOUR STORY MATTERS HERE: Jerry Andree

By Tim Wesley

Stroll along the paved path in Cranberry Township’s Graham Park and you’ll find dozens of benches on which to rest and relax. 

If, that is, you don’t mind the sounds of hustle and bustle: pings from aluminum bats, whistles from referees and called third strikes from umpires, slap shots blasting off hockey sticks and balls bouncing off pickleball racquets, squeals of delight from youngsters on playgrounds, enthusiastic cajoling and analysis from parental spectators, and cars and trucks whizzing by on the adjacent highway.

“That park is a very active area,” says Jerry Andree, who retired in 2021 after serving for 31 years as township manager.

There is, however, at least one park bench that provides not only rest and relaxation but respite from Graham’s symphony of sounds.  Nestled among trees, backed by a stream and fronted by wetlands, sits a bench with a plaque that honors Jerry’s tenure as the leader of what has been among the fastest-growing communities in Pennsylvania and, at one time, the nation. Park yourself on this bench and you’ll hear, mostly, the sounds of silence, interrupted occasionally by chirping crickets and croaking frogs.

As with most of the community’s growth during the past three decades, the location of the bench was well-planned.

“I value that area in the park for its peacefulness,” Jerry says. “Sitting there is relaxing, with a great deal of activity and their related sounds just a short walk away. People should enjoy that place of reflection. The other thing we get a kick out of is you could read the words on the plaque in a way that implies I have moved on to eternal peace.”

At 68 and just one year into retirement, Jerry isn’t quite ready for that type of rest. He’s still driven by a work ethic and philosophy that were planted firmly in his roots many years ago while growing up on a dairy farm in Hempfield Township, Westmoreland County. One of his jobs was to milk the cows at 4:30 every morning.  And that’s no bull.

“When the milk machines came on, they made a distinctive humming noise, and if you heard that sound before you were in the milk house, you could expect a good boot in the rear,” Jerry says. “Missing that time was not acceptable, and that discipline has stayed with me.  I loved it, being raised on a farm, and I wish more people could understand how a farm works.  Today, kids think milk comes from Giant Eagle.”

From those barnyard beginnings, sprouted a lifetime of public service.

After graduating from Hempfield Area High School, Jerry earned a degree in parks and recreation from Penn State University in 1976.  He soon met Jan Kolb, a first-grade teacher in the Derry Area School District, where he was director of adult education and recreation. They married in 1981 while Jerry was serving as director of parks and recreation for Bensalem Township, Bucks County. Two years later, armed with a master’s degree in public administration from Penn State, he began an eight-year stint with Hampden Township, Cumberland County, eventually becoming township manager.

Looking to return closer to home, Jerry and Jan moved their family – Jennifer (then 8), Jared (5) and Josh (4) – to Cranberry Township in 1991, when he was named township manager.

At the time, the township’s population was about 14,000, Route 228 was only two lanes, and the area’s vibe still felt more like farm country than a future bustling metropolis. But that was about to change, rapidly.

“During my first interview, I knew this was a place where we could raise our family,” Jerry says. “I was so impressed with the positive attitude of the community’s leaders and the vision they had.  Everyone knew growth was coming at Cranberry like a freight train with the opening of I-279, and those tracks were coming directly into the township. My primary task was to help refine the community’s vision, to help develop a strategy to implement that vision, and then to implement that strategy.”

At times, he might have preferred milking cows at 4:30 in the morning. 

“During the early years,” he says, “there was strong disagreement between the major property owners and developers and the vision of the community at large to carefully and methodically manage that growth in the best long-term interests of the community.  As the person who was the point on that managed-growth approach, I often received the brunt of not-so-nice reactions. Through the tough times, there was the devil sitting on one shoulder nagging me to get into the gutter with the naysayers, yet my faith kept the voice on the other shoulder loud and clear. My faith and belief in the goodness that exists in every person got me through those years. Ultimately, those same opponents became supporters as they saw the benefits of doing it right.”

It also helped that Jerry’s approach centered on transparency and honesty, especially when the going got rough.

“Speak the truth, don’t hide anything, and be transparent because the truth comes out in the end,” he says. “Governing is never easy and it is especially challenging in today’s political environment. It is also the time when we need positive leadership from professional municipal managers to stay above the fray and deliver the high-quality public service the citizens deserve. There are many opportunities for that type of leadership. Be confident and rooted in ethical behavior and in your faith, whatever your faith.”

For Jerry and Jan, faith has always been a foundational principle.

“We were both raised in churches where God called us to roll up one’s sleeves and help do what was needed to keep the church healthy so the church could continue to create Disciples of Christ,” Jerry says. “My faith is the bedrock of how I approach every issue and every person.”

He points to 1 Peter 4:10 as a Biblical guiding light: “God’s gifts of grace come in many forms. Each of you has received a gift in order to serve others. You should use it faithfully.”

“I was blessed with His gifts to practice my profession,” Jerry says, “and I wanted to use those gifts in service to God’s way.”

When they moved to Cranberry Township in 1991, Jerry and Jan made Dutilh their home church, and he eventually served as a trustee and on the leadership board.

“From the morning we walked into Dutilh that first Sunday, we felt welcomed and comfortable and the worship service was uplifting,” he says. “We also had heard wonderful things about Dutilh’s preschool program and subsequently enrolled our youngest child in the program. We have developed many long-lasting friendships with the folks here.

“Dutilh has always been a critical part of this community and is seen as the leader in the faith community in advancing God’s love for all. Church members were always the leaders and supporters of the great things that were happening in our community. We also love how Dutilh remains a leading voice in the community for doing great works and advancing kindness, respect and love for everyone.”

With his more than 40-year career of community service now complete, Jerry admits to sleeping in a bit later than his cow-milking days – he now gets up at 5 a.m., downs a couple of cups of coffee and gets ready to work on something.

“In the mornings you can get so much done,” he says. “Plus, I love sunrises and the beginning of a new day.”

Jan and he especially love Mondays and Tuesdays, when they babysit their two grandchildren, Wyatt, 6, and Emmett, 3.

“I’m very lucky, getting to watch them grow up,” he says. “The other day, I was watching Wyatt walk up to his school building with his backpack on his shoulder, and I’m already thinking, ‘Holy moly, where did the time go?’”

No matter where it’s gone, it’s been time well spent for Jerry and his family.

-Published, November 2022

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If you or someone you know in the Dutilh family has an interesting story or profession, send us your ideas! We would love to help tell the story. Email: communications@dutilhumc.org.