Brian Puhala:
CLASS OF 1980
Red Land High SchoolClass of 1980
Lewisberry, PA
Dickinson School of LawClass of 1988
Carlisle, PA
Indiana University of PennsylvaniaClass of 1985
Indiana, PA
Brian's Story
Life
I am married to my college sweetheart, Janet. I have four children from a previous marriage, three step-children (such a technical term), and ten grands. We live in Trexlertown, PA just west of Allentown.
School
If I could go back, I would have gotten involved in drama and speech a lot sooner than my senior year. I enjoyed the plays and speech team just as much as I enjoyed playing football at Red Land. Unfortunately, the "macho" attitude I had as a teenaged boy prevented me from pursuing something I would have enjoyed a lot more. I did continue drama in college, but I still wish I would have done more in high school.
College
After Red Land, I went to Manhattan College for a year from 1980 to 1981. I was there on a scholarship from the West Point Alumni Assn. I did well and was accepted to West Point the next year. Unfortunately, I screwed up and had to leave. I finished my college education at Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a B.A. in Political Science (where I met my wife) a...Expand for more
nd earned my law degree at Dickinson School of Law (before it was bought by Penn State)
Workplace
After law school, I moved to Philipsburg, PA (outside of State College) where I worked as an attorney from 1988 to 1990. I had a general practice there. Moved to Scranton, PA where I practiced insurance defense for about seven months before moving back to the Harrisburg area. My practice started to center on workers' compensation in 1991 when I returned to Harrisburg.
I was appointed to the bench as a workers' compensation judge in August 2004. Currently, I hold hearings in Allentown, PA for Lehigh County. I have been working from home since the COVID pandemic.
Military
While I was in high school, I applied for West Point, but was not accepted my first time around. I joined the Army Reserve and went to Ft Knox for basic training. I was stationed at Ft Totton in Queens, NY while I was at Manhattan College. I went to West Point the next year (1981), but had to leave in the fall of that year.
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