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On Purpose BY JOHANNA R. MURPHY
W
hen Therese Rocco joined the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police in 1948, women had different roles than their male counterparts. The Pittsburgh native spent her first 10 years with the bureau working in the typing pool and acting as a decoy in vice operations. But she was drawn to the energy and challenges of police work, motivated by an earlier lesson imparted by the nuns at her grade school: “Acquire a purpose in life,
and work at it!” That’s just what Rocco did. In 1960, the City of Pittsburgh Bureau of Police began to train women as officers, yet, according to Rocco, they still weren’t issued service weapons or permitted to drive patrol cars. She didn’t need to do either of those things, though, to pursue her budding aptitude for finding missing persons. Rocco easily gained the trust of witnesses and others, and proved herself to be a topnotch sleuth, working doggedly to unravel the truth behind mysterious disappearances. By 1962, she was transferred to the missing persons squad full time; by the end of the decade, she was named the squad’s commander. Then, in the 1970s, with decades of experience in policing, Rocco decided to pursue a college degree from the University of Pittsburgh. “There is nothing that can enhance your life like knowledge!” she says now, recalling her decision to earn a bachelor’s degree in administration of justice. With a degree under her belt, Rocco (A&S ’78) rose to the rank of assistant chief of police, the first woman in that role in the city’s history. She retired from the bureau in 1997. Today, she is busy telling the story of her life in an autobiography that was published this March. It’s a trailblazing tale of hard work and rewarding purpose. Rocco, right, being sworn-in by Sophie Masloff, then Mayor of Pittsburgh
Alumni Scrapbook: Grad Central and More
Want to hear how Pitt alumni have turned good ideas into great enterprises? Last fall’s Pitt Innovation Week included a panel discussion among five entrepreneurial alumni who have started their own businesses. Watch the conversation online: tinyurl.com/innovationpanel.
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Above, from left: Graduation Central: Olivia Block enjoys some fun with a friend during Graduation Central—“all things graduation”—held at the Connolly Ballroom, April 11 and 12. Pitt Panthers meet and greet around the country: Jeff Gleim (center) with Boston Pitt Club leader Annie Sullivan and club volunteer Sekou Dilday during the Pitt is It in Boston event. Dhirana reception: Alumni, students, family, and friends gathered at a reception hosted by the Pitt Alumni Association after Pitt’s annual Indian classical dance competition, with all proceeds benefiting the Birmingham Free Clinic of Pittsburgh. See more photos from these events on our Web site.