Lycoming, 1975
• 1974 Academic All-America® First Team
Judge Thomas Vanaskie was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Hall of Fame in 2013.
A hard-nosed defender on the football field and a leader in juris prudence, Judge Thomas Vanaskie has been a dedicated public servant that has certainly made Lycoming College very proud over the years.
A 1974 first team Academic All-America® selection, Vanaskie was a two-time Middle Atlantic Conference defensive back and earned honorable mention Associated Press All-America College Division honors as a senior. He graduated as the Warriors’ all-time leader with 11 interceptions and signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Bell of the World Football League. Vanaskie, who earned a degree in political science from Lycoming in 1975, was inducted into the Shamokin Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1993 and into his alma mater’s Athletics Hall of Fame a year later.
After working as a private practice lawyer for 14 years in Scranton, Pa., Vanaskie served for 16 years as a federal mid-district judge in his home state before being appointed by President Barack Obama to his current position as a judge in the United States Third Circuit Appeals Court, which is one step below the Supreme Court. He has received numerous awards during his tenure on the bench, including Honorary Master of the Bench of the Herbert B. Cohen Inn of Court in York, Pa., the Federal Bar Association Middle District of Pennsylvania Chapter’s President’s Award and a lifetime honorary member of the Wilkes-Barre Law & Library Association.
An active member of the community, Judge Vanaskie was a member of the University of Scranton Board of Regents and served on the Scranton Area Chamber of Commerce, the Scranton Area Foundation and the Economic Development Council of Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Born: Shamokin, PA
High School: Our Lady of Lourdes Regional High School
Occupation: US Circuit Judge