Robert Davis Gleason remembered as courtroom, community standout

Jul. 27—JOHNSTOWN, Pa. — As a young basketball player, Robert Davis Gleason labeled himself "Gunner" to bolster his reputation as a fearless hardcourt shooter, according to his son, Ryan.

But it was his work in the courtroom, in politics and in the community that made that nickname so prominent and respected across Cambria County over his career, friends and family said.

Gleason, 86, who died Sunday, worked 53 years as a defense attorney, with the mindset that everyone had a constitutional right to a fair trial.

For decades, he was considered the county's top defense attorney, known for taking whatever path necessary — be it an 11th-hour plea deal or a plainspoken pitch to jurors in court to support his clients.

Some of them were among the most notorious names of their eras.

"He believed in the judicial system — and whether someone was guilty or not guilty, there was no one he couldn't feel for," said Ryan Gleason, an Allegheny County attorney who is among his family's third generation in the field.

"He always said, 'Everybody has a grandmother,' " Gleason added, "and that was sort've how he approached it. He'd go in and work out a resolution that everyone could walk out feeling OK with."

It didn't matter if it was a big case or a small one — the top dog or some little guy, Johnstown- area attorney Art McQuillan said.

"Bob always treated the people he represented with respect. He always said, 'We fight for the underdog,'" McQuillan said.

McQuillan spent decades working alongside Gleason.

That relationship started in the early 1980s while McQuillan was in college — "carrying his briefcase" filled with court documents and yellow legal pads to appointments and trials.

He described Gleason as a "true mentor" who sought to impress on young lawyers that the "this was not just some job."

"Because the result could have a great impact on someone's life," McQuillan said.

In court, Gleason always had a carefully crafted message for jurors, too.

"He believed every trial had a certain theme," McQuillan said. "And he had such a masterful control of the English language. When he gave a closing argument, he captivated jurors."

That never changed, Cambria County President Judge Norman Krumenacker III said.

During what ended up being Gleason's final homicide trial in 2013 — the year before his stroke — the veteran attorney was able to win over a pool of jurors who had just spent days hearing specific, first-hand details outlining how a convict chased another man through Oakhurst, rolled him over and shot him in the head execution-style.

"Bob was able to convince them it was third-degree murder. It shocked everyone," said Krumenacker.

He said Gleason was able to talk to people at their level — like two old friends talking baseball at a neighborhood bar, rather than overloading them with legalese and jargon.

According to Ryan Gleason, his father's warm "Irish personality" often endeared him to people — whether it was in court or prominent Republican figures of the day.

He described his father as a "Rockefeller Republican" who was more concerned with people and party than ideology.

Gleason considered then-Gov. William Scranton a friend and served alongside the late U.S. Sen. John Heinz in the military, Ryan Gleason said.

And when U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter or countless party hopefuls visited town, Robert Davis Gleason was usually at their side introducing them to Greater Johnstown.

Much of that time, Gleason served as a Republican state committeeman, a title he held from 1974 to 2018.

"To my father," Ryan Gleason said, "Election Day was Irish Christmas."

He said his father loved standing outside polls and shaking hands with people and talking politics.

The Gleason home's phone seemed to ring through the night many nights — and Ryan Gleason said his father was always happy to answer it — whether it was a fellow GOP insider or a Westmont neighbor looking for details on the next basketball tournament, he said.

"It wasn't just that he knew everybody," Ryan said. "Everybody knew the real him."

Gleason was a loyal supporter of the Johnstown community, Westmont Hilltop and St. Francis University and their basketball programs.

In 1990, he organized what became an annual charity tournament, Gunner's Greater Johnstown Shootout, featuring area high school basketball alumni spanning five decades.

The competitive tournament drew teams of former standouts who competed under their local alma maters, including former NBA forward Pat Cummings, a Greater Johnstown grad.

The tournament also featured a clinic, pairing with tournament players with local youth still learning the game.

"My dad was fortunate to be able to live a full life," Ryan Gleason said, "and he never expressed any regrets. He loved his job and loved his community."