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Harrisburg’s Ortenzio was healthcare and education champion, philanthropist
Harrisburg’s Rocco Ortenzio was a philanthropist and major healthcare donor. PHOTO/FILE
Harrisburg’s Ortenzio was healthcare and education champion, philanthropist
Rocco Ortenzio, a Harrisburg-area philanthropist and major donor to central Pennsylvania education and health care causes, passed away recently.
Ortenzio was 91.
Ortenzio championed numerous causes, healthcare and education among them. One of the health care companies Ortenzio co-founded, Select Medical, is a Fortune 500 company and one of just two Fortune 500 companies in the area. In addition, the Rocco and Nancy Ortenzio Foundation has made significant donations to educational and health care causes.
Among the institutions that have received donations from the Rocco and Nancy Ortenzio Foundation are his alma mater, Bishop McDevitt High School, formerly known as Harrisburg Catholic High School, the Ortenzio Heart Center and Penn State Holy Spirit, and the Ortenzio Learning Center at Harrisburg University of Science and Technology.
“I had the privilege of getting to know Rocco and his three sons over the past 20 years while working at Harrisburg University,” said Harrisburg University President Eric Darr, PhD. “Rocco remained committed to Central PA his whole life.
“I heard him remark on more than one occasion that it was a great place to both raise a family and build a business. He believed strongly in the potential for the City of Harrisburg. He was passionate about providing educational opportunities to young people, particularly young people in and around Harrisburg,” added Darr.
Ortenzi was educated at the former Harrisburg Catholic High School, West Chester College (West Chester University), and the University of Pennsylvania. Over the ensuing decades he helped establish four central Pennsylvania healthcare companies, including Select Medical.
In 2024, Select Medical and Harrisburg University partnered on a five-year, $5 million gift to establish the Select Medical Physical Therapy and Movement Institute.
“The university has benefitted greatly from this passion,” said Darr. “Rocco and the Ortenzio family have been extremely generous to HU over the years. I have always counted Rocco as one of the early supporters and founders of Harrisburg University.”
Bishop McDevitt’s football stadium is named after Ortenzio.
