William Pezza
Part-Time Faculty
Fellowship, Robert A. Taft Institute of Government; Pennsylvania Social Studies Supervisory Certification, Bloomsburg University, 1974; B.A. Comprehensive Social Studies, Millersville University; MA, Political Science, College of New Jersey
Bio:
Bill Pezza has extensive experience in state and local government. He served as a Bristol Borough councilman for eight years and held the position of council president for five of those years. He was a two term member of the Bristol Borough School Board, served off and on the Zoning Hearing Board for five years, and, most recently, he acted as legislative assistant for State Representative Tom Corrigan for twenty years.
However, Bill‰Ûªs first love is education. He taught Advanced Placement American History and government in the Lower Moreland Township School District for thirty-eight years, where he served as department head and district supervisor of social studies curriculum and instruction. During that time Lower Moreland was consistently recognized as one of the top academic high schools in the country, most notably receiving a national ranking of 126 from Newsweek. The district was also recognized by Philadelphia Magazine and the Philadelphia Inquirer as one of the strongest districts in the state by virtue of standardized test scores. Bill retired from Lower Moreland in June of 2007, but still does administrative consulting work for the district.
Mr. Pezza now teaches at Bucks County Community College where he offers courses in American History and Government at the Newtown and Bristol campuses, and new course titled, ‰ÛÏGreat Speeches of the 20th Century. ‰ÛÏAlthough I loved my previous career, I am thrilled to be a part of the Bucks County Community College family. This experience has represented a professional rebirth for me. The students and staff at both campuses have been wonderful,‰Û Pezza said. ‰ÛÏAnd the facility at the Bristol campus provides a first class learning environment.‰Û
Pezza believes that an important part of the college experience is the dialogue that takes places out of the classroom as an extension to what is being taught. ‰ÛÏI hope in time that the students will use the beautiful atrium as a place where they can meet with their instructors before or after class to extend the dialogue that takes place during normal course hours.‰Û
One of his proudest recent accomplishments was the completion of his second Bucks County based book, Stealing Tomatoes, a work of historic fiction that spans the years 1980 to the present. His first work, Anna‰Ûªs Boys, another work of historic fiction, has enjoyed considerable success and spans the time from the era of the Vietnam War to the near present. The book is about a group of seven boys who come of age in the 1960‰Ûªs and remain friends for life. It has gained considerable acclaim in the local media and has special regional interest because much of the story takes place in Bucks County.
Mr. Pezza has appeared on the Comcast Network‰Ûªs program Your Morning with Connie Colla to discuss the book and was recently interviewed by Philadelphia radio personality Michael Smerconish of WPHT 1210 in Philadelphia.
‰ÛÏI believe history is most engaging when we can put a human face on it, when we can become emotionally involved with the issues and characters. That‰Ûªs what I try to do in the classroom and what I attempted to do in the book,‰Û Pezza said.
In April of 2009 Bill released his second book titled,Stealing Tomatoes. It is also a work of historic fiction and spans the years 1983 to 2004.
Mr. Pezza's literary website is www.billpezza.com.