Background
Wecht was born to Jewish immigrant parents in a tiny mining village in Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania called Bobtown. His father, Nathan Wecht, was a Lithuanian born storekeeper; his Ukrainian born mother Fannie Rubenstein was a homemaker and helped out in the store. When Wecht was young, Nathan moved the family to the Hill District neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and opened a neighborhood grocery store. He attended and graduated from the now closed Fifth Avenue High School in Pittsburgh.
Wecht had musical leanings and was concertmaster of the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra during his undergraduate years. He earned a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1952, an M.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1956, an LLB from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1962, and a J.D. degree from the University of Maryland School of Law.
After serving in the United States Air Force, he became a forensic pathologist. He served on the staff of St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh before becoming Deputy Coroner of Allegheny County in 1965. Four years later he was elected coroner. Wecht served as coroner from 1970 to 1980, and again from 1996 to 2006.
Read more about this topic: Cyril Wecht
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