John M. Madara Jr., 68, Peco executive

John M. Madara Jr., 68, of Chester Springs, a retired Peco Energy executive, died of a heart attack Saturday, April 23, at Roanoke (Va.) Memorial Hospital.

For six years until retiring in 2000, Mr. Madara was senior vice president of Peco's power generation group for fossil-fuel and hydro power.

In 1997, the unit increased base production of electricity by 60 percent while reducing fuel, production, and operations spending by $100 million. It did so, according to an Inquirer report, by minimizing power outages, upgrading plants, and reorganizing management.

Mr. Madara received a Governor of Pennsylvania Award for Environmental Excellence for overseeing the acquisition of a cogeneration plant that was converted to burn landfill gas.

One of his last projects was preparing the power generation group for deregulation. His family said he tried to make sure that everyone who lost a job as a result found employment elsewhere in the company or received a retirement package.

Mr. Madara grew up in Lansdowne and graduated from Episcopal Academy. He earned a bachelor's degree in metallurgical engineering from the University of Pennsylvania, where his mother was a librarian.

After earning a master's degree in business administration from the Wharton School, he joined Peco, where his father was a supervisor.

Mr. Madara held various staff positions before being promoted in 1989 to general manager responsible for quality assurance issues at Peco's nuclear plants. He later became a production vice president.

In 1966, he married Carolyn Hirsch, with whom he had two daughters. She died in 1976. He married Patricia Little Haines in 1977. She had a son and a daughter from a previous marriage.

Mr. Madara enjoyed spending time with his wife and family at their vacation home on Smith Mountain Lake in Virginia and playing golf with friends at St. Davids Golf Club. Since retiring, he had been a volunteer at Paoli Hospital.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Madara is survived by daughters Jennifer and Stephanie; stepchildren Doug Haines and Trish Talone; a sister; and six grandchildren.

A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Friday, April 29, at Paoli Presbyterian Church, 225 S. Valley Rd.

Donations may be made to Volunteer Department, Paoli Hospital, 255 W. Lancaster Ave., Paoli, Pa. 19301.