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FunTimes Magazine

Philadelphia Legacies Week Founder Awards Famous Individuals and Landmarks

Philadelphia Legacies Week’s Founder and Executive Director, Stephen Satel honored some outstanding citizens of Philadelphia for their remarkable contributions to society. For Satel, “Philadelphia Legacies Week is the vehicle through which culture can be affected in positive ways in Philadelphia and bring diverse people together to raise money for organizations that help reduce poverty and solve Philadelphia’s problems”.

The observance of Philadelphia Legacies Week which began in 2017, starts each year on September 16 and ends on September 21. Acel Moore and Trudy Haynes were the Philadelphia Legacy Award Portrait winners in 2018.

Moore transformed the way newspaper presented stories about the African American community as he rose from the ranks of a reporter at the Philadelphia Inquirer to Associate Editor and Editorial Board member.

Haynes became the first African American weather reporter for Detroit, Michigan’s WXYX-TV in 1963 and, in 1965, the first African American news reporter for KYW-TV.

This year’s awards which were given at various locations including the Charles L. Blockson Afro-American Collection at Temple University were the late Wilton Chamberlain whose basketball career began at Overbrook High School in Philadelphia. He was the first African American player in the National Basketball Association. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors, the 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers.

Forging peace accord between rival gang members and bringing decades of bloody and deadly gang violence to an end in 1974, the House of Umoja, established in 1968 in Philadelphia by Queen Falaka Fattah and her late husband, David Fattah, transformed the lives of over 3000 adolescent males.

The Negro Leagues Memorial Statue and the Pennsylvania Historical marker entitled, African Baseball in Philadelphia at Belmont and Parkside Avenue was equally honored.

Other honorees included Francis “Fran” Joseph Dunphy, former men’s basketball coach for Temple University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Derrick H. Pitts, Chief Astronomer and Planetarium Director at the Franklin Institute.

Stephen Cox, founder, and developer of the Greater Philadelphia Region Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation.

Samuel R. Delany, a prolific author who has made an indelible work in the science fiction and literary world.