Baldwin-Whitehall will rename district offices to honor former superintendent

Baldwin-Whitehall school directors will rename the district’s administration building to honor longtime superintendent Charles H. Faust, who filled the role from 1986-2004.

Current Superintendent Randal Lutz said Faust, a native of Ruffs Dale in Westmoreland County, was fully dedicated to his job at Baldwin-Whitehall, and even recalled seeing Faust sit in the same seat for every Friday-night Baldwin High School football game.

“He was a fixture that you could always count on seeing there,” Lutz said.

Faust also guided the district through significant changes during his 17 years there.

Those included the renovation and expansion of several buildings, including a state-of-the-art library. He also created and implemented a middle-school concept that added 26 classrooms to serve the district’s fast-growing student population, which at the time included the largest percentage of foreign-born students in Allegheny County.

Janeen Peretin, assistant to the superintendent, can remember catching brief glimpses of Faust during her time as a student, when she ran track on the athletic field adjacent to the district administrative offices.

“I would try to steal a glance into the windows, always wondering what it was like in that mystical place,” Peretin said. “Even at that age, I looked up to him as an example of who I wanted to be, and eventually my admiration turned into inspiration regarding the kind of contributions I hope to make to live up to his legacy. Dr. Faust made me proud to be a Highlander.”

Faust began his career in education in 1965 as a junior high school teacher in the former Churchill School District. He moved to Gateway School District from 1967-‘72 as a biology teacher and supervisor of science. From 1972-‘76, he was supervisor of specialized curriculum and assistant superintendent of the Armstrong School District in Armstrong County. He served a decade as Baldwin-Whitehall’s assistant superintendent before taking the reins in 1986.

“Dr. Faust was a consummate professional who truly shaped what the office of the Superintendent would be in our district for years to come thanks to his clear values, his tremendous integrity, and his inspiring presence,” Lutz said.