Philadelphia Tribune Archive: November 2008
Journalist Remembered as Tenacious and Honest
Issue date: 11/28/2008
Kendall WilsonKendall Wilson was a pioneer who spent more than 40 years in the field of communications.
He wore many hats, including utilizing his skills in public relations, as a marketing consultant and as an executive with chief editorial duties. But the hallmark of Wilson’s professional life was that of a revered journalist.
He died on Monday with many lamenting the industry would never again be the same without the decorated reporter whose common touch allowed him to reach many lives with the stroke of his pen and the ability to write the truth. He was 74.
“He had such a tremendous love for the work that he did throughout his life, which was journalism and just a wonderful, thoughtful, caring man and father,” said Kendra Thomas, his daughter.
Wilson worked as a senior writer with The Philadelphia Tribune for a duration that spanned two decades, focusing on civil rights, government, foreign affairs and politics.
In recent years he offered his talents on an array of articles. The company, along with former colleagues, heaped praise upon him.
“He was an invaluable asset to The Philadelphia Tribune,” said Robert W. Bogle, president and CEO of the Tribune. “His stewardship as a reporter transcended just being a reporter. He was a real member of the Tribune family and was an asset for our readership as well as the men and women who followed him here at the Tribune, an asset to the extent that he knew everyone and everyone knew him. He was a man respected&emdash;in a variety of areas and we’re sorry to see him go.”
Wilson exhibited old school journalism in that he had a wealth of sources, according to Irv Randolph, Tribune managing editor.
“Kendall seemed to know everyone in this city and in this region,” he said. “He was knowledgeable about the history of this city, who the players were in this city and he just exhibited the best of what you needed in terms of a journalist.”
Randolph said it was an honor for him to be Wilson’s editor, whom he declared to be a writer with the ability to take complex matters and simplify them.
He also lauded Wilson’s ability to bring some of those just beginning in their careers under his tutelage. This was the instance for many at the Tribune who have since moved up in the ranks.
“Starting out at the Tribune as a junior editor, I was amazed at the dearth of sources and contacts Kendall had,” said Johann Calhoun, Tribune city editor. “That was a true testament of his lifelong dedication in being a journalist&emdash;not just here, but nationally.
“When it came down to handing a reporter an important assignment, Kendall got the job done,” he added. “The Philadelphia journalism world definitely received a loss.”
Wilson was born on Dec. 18, 1934, to Ruth Victoria Wilmore-Wilson and James Oliver Wilson in Kent County, Md.
Although to many, Philadelphia may as well have been an adopted hometown. It was repeated many times over that Wilson knew everyone in the city, from the mayor to those entrenched in struggle. He took it upon himself to bridge this diverse landscape by becoming an advocate for those who did not have a voice.
“I don’t know any politician who didn’t know him and who didn’t respect him, because he was compassionate,” said Councilwoman Jannie L. Blackwell. “He cared about the community. He cared about people and he didn’t separate people and elected officials. He cared about us all and he was involved in every cultural activity and every major political activity in our community for longer than I know.”
Blackwell described Wilson as intelligent, well read and a force to be reckoned with, but often an unsung hero in terms of his push for equality that she and others in her stature take credit for.
She said it was a familiar sight for Wilson to take public transportation to make an event. If it was striving toward the improvement of the community, his attendance could be counted on.
“I grew up as a kid reading him and then to turn around to be interviewed by him and for him to cover our events, cover our legislative activities, that’s kind of like a ‘wow’ kind of thing,” said state Sen. Vincent Hughes. “That’s pretty special and says a lot about who he was, the kind of professional that he was&emdash;always committed to making sure that the Tribune’s readership had their perspective question on any issue that was coming down the pipe. He was a professional.”
His commitment to journalism not only burnished his image as one of the greats in the field, but he was a recipient of many accolades.
In 1998 Wilson won the prestigious National Newspaper Publishers Association’s A. Philip Randolph Award for his series on Black family-owned funeral homes’ struggle to avoid corporate takeover.
In 2003 The Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists honored him for his excellence to the genre.
Donald Hunt, sports writer for the Tribune, said it was an honor for him to present Wilson with an award.
“Kendall was an absolute legend,” he said. “He was one of the finest writers and one of the finest human beings I’ve ever known and he was a big help to me. There wasn’t a story that Kendall couldn’t write, whether it be sports, news, politics, education. He was known and loved by everyone in the city. Everybody knew Kendall Wilson.”
Others agreed.
“I think what he left us all with is really good stuff, but I don’t think that anyone will be able to pull it together as well as he did,” said Denise Clay, former president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists.
Old co-workers gave statements as well.
“He brought a degree of credibility to Black newspapers… sometimes, people have a tendency to take the Black press lightly or they sometimes have a tendency to favor what they read in the Daily News, the Inquirer over what they read in the Tribune, but what he did was, he was able to bring a degree of credibility,” said Barnett Wright, former colleague and close friend. “He made people pay attention to the Black press. He made people pay attention to what was in The Philadelphia Tribune. He made people pay attention to the things that he wrote and everybody read Kendall&emdash;from Mary Mason on the radio to the editors of the Daily News and the Inquirer to people over there at the Sunday Sun, everybody read Kendall Wilson.”
In addition to his career in journalism, Wilson had been affiliated with a number of local and national civic, fraternal and professional organizations, including the Public Relations Society of America, Boy Scouts of America, National Association of Market Developers, Frontiers International, Christian Street YMCA and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
Rev. Richard Dent Honored
Issue date: 11/28/2008
First African Baptist Church celebrates 23 years
First African Baptist Church heralded their pastor of 23 years, the Rev. Richard A. Dent, with a celebration titled “The joy of the Lord continues to be our strength.” The Nehemiah 8:10-derived passage is also the foundation that has sustained the celebrating pastor.
Dent expressed elation over the Nov. 16 fete in honor of him. It was of particular significance because the historic Sharon Hill sanctuary, whose motto is “The Courage to Lead, The Faith to Follow,” was his first pastorate and he has grown along with his stead. He described his tenure as a love affair, sharing that his wife of 40 years Beatrice joked that he loved the church more than her.
“I believe that you should stay and grow where you’re planted. I was sent there to First African in Sharon Hill and that’s where I should be until the Lord says otherwise. But I’m very pleased. I have no other ambitions to go to any other city or church. I’m very satisfied with the love that has been shown to me by the congregation and I, in turn, try to do the same thing to them. It’s been reciprocal. I think when you have a reciprocity like that and it’s a good fit, I think it bodes well for you to stay there as long as you can,” Dent said.
The Georgia native, belonging to both the Baptist Minister’s Conference and the Missionary Ministers Conference of Philadelphia and Vicinity, initially didn’t respond to his calling. In fact, it took him three years to acknowledge the pull. He was an administrator at the school district but was influenced by another pastor to help mold minds in another capacity.
Dent also spoke of his father owning a drug store, which helped him to shape his role in the pulpit. He said it prepared him to better relate to others.
“I grew up knowing people and waiting on people and just transformed that situation into my church life and I just love people. I have an affinity for older people and I have a love for younger people and I just believe that if you do unto others, they will do unto you and because of that, we’ve been able to do a lot of work. Outreach ministry, inside and outside the church, because of that special feeling that you have for people. You have to help the least of people. That’s what Jesus was all about,” Dent said.
“Our mission is to be not successful but to be significant. We must be able to touch those who need touching and those who need.”
As far as his flock was concerned, it is a goal that has been reached through various initiatives. They include prisons visits, after-school programs, emergency food cupboards, kids visit nursing homes, registering people to vote, job fairs, health fairs and holiday luncheons. Dent also extends an invitation to the administrators and teachers of the Southwest Delco School District at the beginning of every school year.
“He has brought to the church a spirit of giving back, a spirit of going out and servicing the community and it’s better to give than to receive and he preaches that every Sunday. That the more we give outside the church, the more God will bless us inside,” George E. Eldridge said.
Eldridge has been a member of First African for the past 55 years and a friend of Dent’s for 24. He complimented the father of Richard III and Jennifer Dent as being compassionate and outstanding with a strength for his older saints and younger ones.
“He’s a wonderful, wonderful, wonderful pastor. One thing about him, he has personality plus. He’s the type of pastor that anyone would want to be around. For one thing, he has a love for the people. He has a love for the church and he really cares about the concerns of the church,” Frances Johnson said.
“The only thing I feel that people should know about this pastor is that he is genuine. He says things just the way they are. He sees things just the way that they are. He’s the type of person you can, he is approachable… you never have to worry about, ‘Well, can I speak to the pastor?’ He’s always there… his doors are always open to receive people. He always takes the time to talk to his members… he always makes time. Always.”
She further complimented him as having a heart for God and his humbleness. It echoed by Steven S. Bradley, chairman of the Trustee Minstership.
“He has a great sense of humor… he’s not pious or high up because he’s Dr. Dent. He’s very humble and that’s one of the reasons I remain a part of the church,” Bradley said.
“He’s always trying to improve, trying to take the church and our faith to another level. He’s never comfortable just keeping things the way its always been.”
Perhaps what will remain the same is Dent’s desire to stay just where he is. There was no question in his mind that he would retire at First African Baptist Church.
“No question about it. I don’t see any plans of me going someplace else. I’ll just stay here until my work is done,” Dent said.
For more information on the church or Dent, call (610) 461-0350.
Campbell Thought of As Political Champion
Issue date: 11/21/2008
Carol Ann CampbellCarol Ann Campbell inherited the mantle of seniority in the local Democratic Party from her late father Edgar C. Campbell Sr., who was often referred to as the Dean of Black politics in the city. She died on Wednesday.
Led local effort for Obama in ’08 Pa. Primary
Those across the political aisle, friend and foe alike, knew former City Councilwoman Carol Ann Campbell as a fighter who used her phone as a weapon of choice to advocate for the African-American community and the disabled. She died on Wednesday at Methodist Hospital.
Campbell inherited the mantle of seniority in the local Democratic Party from her late father Edgar C. Campbell Sr., who was often referred to as the Dean of Black politics in the city. She wielded this capital as a power player, becoming a force to be reckoned with in her own right through the years.
All roads led back to the former councilwoman of the Fourth District who also served as a ward leader and secretary of the Democratic City Committee.
“Carol spent a lifetime serving her neighborhood, her community and her city,” said Mayor Michael Nutter in a statement. “She was a stalwart of the Democratic Party and was a major figure in the world of Philadelphia politics. When I first entered public service, Carol was a source of encouragement, information and insight. It is the help and support that she provided to me that I remember and reflect upon at this time.”
His condolences and admiration for her tireless efforts were shared by others including U.S. Rep. Chaka Fattah. He released a comment that reflected what she meant to so many who depended on her resolve.
“Carol Ann Campbell’s heart and soul were imbedded in Philadelphia, its citizens and in the Democratic Party,” he said. “In continuing the rich legacy of public service of the Campbell family, Carol Ann worked passionately on behalf of her West Philadelphia constituents and neighbors.
According to state Sen. LeAnna M. Washington, the passing of Campbell is a great loss to the residents of the city and the people in the district she served.
“She was a tenacious political leader who fought resolutely for the issues she believed were important,” she said. “She will be remembered for her strong leadership and public service. Philadelphia has lost another strong voice.”
Campbell had been confined to a wheelchair and struggled with lung illness, having to be placed on a ventilator.
But her clout had not been diminished.
Campbell’s name alone spoke for itself. She was the go-to person for upstarts who wanted a berth in the process and those who followed this chain of command were appreciative of her endorsement.
“You had to earn it through her,” said Judge Thomasine Tynes. “You just couldn’t say ‘I want to do this because I have plenty of money and want to run for office.’ No … you had to be showing something that you really wanted to help the community or help society in a way than to just say you wanted to run for office because you had plenty of money.”
Tynes was the beneficiary of Campbell’s help when she ran for her president judge position and remarked how she fought to have her granted all the full powers of the office.
Campbell interjected herself when Tynes was denied administrative authority. However, it would not be the last time Campbell would make her presence felt.
“One thing you could say about Carol Ann Campbell, she was never afraid to speak her mind,” said Vincent Thompson, former chief of staff to former Councilman Juan Ramos.
“She would let you know what she felt… and that was one of her qualities.”
Former Councilman Ramos said she was endowed with this fortitude from her father. He met her early on in his career after being told that the elder Campbell said he needed to make himself known. Ramos and Campbell formed a friendship and kept in touch by phone.
“She was known to be a fighter,” he said. “And if you happened to be on the other side, then you really found out just how much of a fighter she was.”
Councilwoman Marian Tasco said Campbell set the tone.
“She did this to let you know that she was not a pushover and that she was strong in her beliefs and if you could give her an argument that challenged her, she might not back down but certainly be open to your opinion and try and come to some resolution on it,” she said. “And sometimes you were successful and sometimes you weren’t.”
Having established herself as an integral part in the grassroots level by assuming her father’s ward in 1987, she soon became a mainstay at U.S. Rep. Bob Brady’s side. Her ascendance allowed her to navigate the ins and outs of the political structure and make a difference.
She also led a strong local effort for President-elect Barack Obama in the 2008 Pennsylvania Democratic Primary against the big odds of Gov. Ed Rendell and former candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton.
“She helped shape policy by being a part of it,” said Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell. “She believed in certain things. She talked about the role that her father, the role that every strong leader should make and she helped shape policy by being in it. By telling people what she thought. By calling people and saying what she thought they should do. She talked about African-American Democratic ward leaders being left out and what they should do—she thought people should be involved. She picked up the phone; she’d pull together a meeting in a moment to get people together on major issues.”
During her tenure in City Council, she was responsible for several important pieces of legislation including the creation of the Committee of the Disabled and was a staunch advocate for the handicapped and creating the Fourth District Basic System Repair Program, according to Councilman Curtis Jones Jr.
“She was an advocate for the less fortunate,” he said. “She challenged the status quo and had a distinguished career learning her trade from her late father Edgar Campbell. She will be forever considered as an advocate for those things she believed in.”
Donald “Ducky” Birts, another longtime friend, expressed that he would miss his strong-willed colleague. He called her “his buddy,” revealing they often spoke every night on the phone. He declared that her legacy would not be for having foresight, but the fortitude to get it done.
“She was fair and wouldn’t buck down to nobody and a lot of the things that we have now—she helped put them there,” he said. “We’re going to miss her because we’ll have nobody to take that void in politics for Black people. We’re going to miss her.”
Funeral arrangements were pending at Tribune press time.
Community Mourns Journalist’s Death
Issue date: 11/21/2008
Kendall Frank Wilson was a trailblazer who carried his pen and tablets like torches and in the wake of his death this week, many were confidant his legacy would still burn.
Kendall Frank Wilson was born with the passion to write.
He was a trailblazer who carried his pen and tablets like torches and in the wake of his death this week, many were confidant his legacy would still burn.
And according to them, not even retirement could extinguish the fires, which were stoked by his desire to bring light to issues that affected the community.
“I’d say a lot about Kendall Wilson,” said Chris Murray, sports writer for The Philadelphia Tribune. “He is a legend in this town. I mean he was one of the great reporters in this town. The guy loved what he was doing. I spoke to him toward the end, about a week before he passed away and all he could talk about was well, you know I’m healthy to be back in the newsroom&emdash;he thrived on the environment.”
As recently as last weekend, he was with his friend Donald “Ducky” Birts at The Philadelphia Art Museum promoting “Risk Taker: The Autobiography of Donald ‘Ducky’ Birts,” which Wilson helped co-author.
He was expected to share his thoughts on President-elect Barack Obama’s transition with friends and perhaps more formally in print, but died Monday of congestive heart failure due to severe cardiomyopathy. He was 74.
“He was an advocate, defiantly with style and grace, honesty and to the point,” Birts said. “I would think he would be one of the strongest writers we had in this community for the last 50 years. Kendall knew everybody and everybody knew him and he was fair. You could say things on the record or off the record and it would be confidential and then if you said on the record, he would write about it and give it the best view that the community could understand. That’s why I liked Kendall. Kendall wasn’t the kind where you had to go to the dictionary and look for the word ... he got right to the heart of the Black community leadership, right to the heart of it, told it like it was and got respect.”
Birts relayed how his friend spent between six to eight hours a week helping to prepare his book.
It was this kind of diligence he brought to the varying aspects of his professional life. He left no stone unturned and was not afraid to challenge the status quo.
“Kendall was always at the forefront and whenever there were things that were happening in the community that moved the needle from a social perspective, you would look out in the crowd and you would see Kendall there,” said A. Bruce Crawley, founder of the local African-American Chamber of Commerce. “You got the impression that even if Kendall weren’t being paid to cover it for The Tribune, he would’ve been there anyway. That’s the kind of person he was and I can’t remember for many important things that happened in our community that I don’t remember Kendall having been in the audience, covering the story and representing a very important perspective.”
Sheila Simmons coordinated The Celebration of Journalistic Excellence in 2003 where Wilson was recognized for his volume of work. One of the texts included his investigation of African-American family owned funeral homes’ struggles to avoid falling victim to corporate takeovers. The series won him the prestigious National Newspaper Publishers Association’s A. Philip Randolph Award in 1998.
“He was just a giant among journalists and that’s not just in the Black press, but overall,” she said. “I think it’s just overall. He just covered so many areas of journalism and he particularly exceeded at political reporting. He really knew how the systems worked, how the city worked, how the community worked, the importance of relationships. The importance of strategy and he was really skilled in being able to put into words that the every day man could understand and I’m really going to miss him.”
Despite the many accolades, Wilson remained modest and a servant to his readership.
“He was an excellent reporter who got to the truth and really cared about his community, definitely,” said Monique Oliver, president of the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists. “A lot of people report stuff but don’t necessarily take the community home with them. He was a part of the community and well respected. It’s a definite loss.”
Oliver further described Wilson’s presence, which she described as genuine. It was a characterization that those who recalled him fondly could write a book about.
“When I first started at the Tribune 12 years ago, Mr. Wilson sat alongside me and he was very gracious as well as a very informative person that knew journalism and he was for the young and education,” said Brenda Lockhart, of the Tribune. “He was a legend&emdash;we’re losing a legend.”
Acel Moore, Associate Editor Emeritus at The Philadelphia Inquirer, found it to be a compliment of the highest order to be held in comparison with Wilson. The two knew each other for 40 years, reporting alongside each other at times. Moore could always judge the barometer of a story depending on whether or not Wilson had ink to spare.
“I remember him as a gentleman, a tough reporter, an honest man who was sincere and gracious and whose humility could mislead people,” he said. “He was very tenacious and he knew a story and I will always remember him… I will always respect and admire him.”
According to Moore, Wilson would always be on the frontlines and in many ways; he honorably passed on the front lines.
“I think his legacy will be that he wrote about people who made a difference and he often brought to the forefront people whose story had never been told and I think he understood the nuances of community in a way that many reporters didn’t, even Black reporters didn’t—he certainly was aware of the context and the proper context to write and place the story in and that’s significant and you have to have lived and know and have talked to people, listened to a lot of people in order to achieve that kind of reportage—that kind of reporting excellence and he reflected that,” he said.
Although, much has been written about his professional accomplishments and the institution he embodied, Wilson was able to turn a page.
He could be humorous even as he reached for the stroke of his pen. President Judge Thomasine Tynes recalled how Wilson, whom she enlisted to help with her campaigns and affectionately thought of as an older brother, would sit in her courtroom with amusement.
He would laugh at all the excuses given by defendants as to why they didn’t have valid licenses. His notes inspired a book that the two were collaborating on.
“He loved to write,” she said. “He would take something and say ‘I’m gonna write this down and look into it this’ he would say all the time.’”
Tynes was looking forward to inviting him to her annual Christmas party in December. He will be there in spirit and remembered by the sheer force of his willpower that his niece, Karen Shanks, attributed to him.
Wilson raised Shanks and her siblings as his own and never let a deadline make him forgetful of his family.
“He never forgot a birthday,” she said. “Out of all the children… the grandchildren, the nieces, the great nieces and nephews, he remembered all their birthdays. All the time. They could count on him, Uncle Kenny, remembering their birthday.”