Burton Hill Mustin was born February 8, 1884, and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He graduated from PMC in 1903 with a degree in civil engineering, an 88.7 average and received the Eastern Alumni Association Marksmanship Medal. At PMC Mustin earned the rank of cadet lieutenant of company 'D'and served as commander of the signal corps. He particvipated in many sports as well; He was the catcher and first baseman on the 1902 and 1903 PMC baseball teams and the goalie on the 1901 and 1902 hockey teams. Mustin also served as editor-in-chief of Porcupine Annual yearbook in 1903, a member of the Soloist Minstrel Club, played first trombone in the PMC Band. As an adult, Burt Mustin continued his involvement in theater. While playing a small part in a local production of Detective Story, the director of the movie version hired Mustin to play this role in his production. This experience represented Mustin's entry into professional acting, in 1951, at the age of 67. Mustin and his wife moved to California, and he began to play many bit parts in television and movies. Mustin became a well-recognized character actor on television and in the movies during his 20-year career. Perhaps his most famous role was Justin Quigley on All in the Family. By the end of his career, Burt Mustin had appeared in nearly 400 television shows, 70 movies, and dozens of commercials.
Throughout his life, Burt Mustin was a proud alumnus of Pennsylvania Military College and remained in close contact with the school. He contributed an article to the Alumni Bulletin in 1961 and an essay to Impact Magazine in 1973. In 1961, Mustin visited PMC to lay the cornerstone for the new Alumni Auditorium. Mustin returned to PMC Colleges in February 1970 to see a performance of Detective Story, the play that launched his career. On that night, he was inducted into the PMC chapter of Alpha Psi Omega, the national dramatic fraternity, and was named artist-in-residence at the college. Mustin received the Distinguished Alumnus Award in 1972 and an honorary degree, while delivering the commencement address, in 1974. President Clarence Moll recalled that Mustin was 'the only individual in my 30 plus years of college experience who ever received a spontaneous standing ovation at the end of his address.' Mustin died on January 28, 1977, at the age of 92. He was PMC's oldest surviving alumnus.
