Resolution 060836

..Title Honoring and Congratulating Charles L. Blockson on his Career as an Educator in African-American Studies, Collector of African and African-American Artifacts and Wishing Him Well on his Upcoming Retirement. ..Body WHEREAS, Charles L. Blockson was born on December 16, 1933 in Norristown, Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS, He graduated from Pennsylvania State University in 1956 and during his early career taught local and multicultural history while serving as a human relations advisor for the Norristown Area School District; and WHEREAS, Mr. Blockson traveled around the world collecting rare African, African-American and African-Caribbean publications, some dating back to the sixteenth century; and WHEREAS, In 1982, Mr. Blockson donated his collection to Temple University and began serving as the curator; he preferred Temple over other prestigious repositories, including the Library of Congress, because Temple is located in the heart of an African-American community; and WHEREAS, The collection includes first-edition works by Phyllis Wheatly and W.E.B. DuBois; Paul Robeson's sheet music; narratives by Sojourner Truth and Frederick Douglas, thousands of photographs and more than 500,000 items including rare books, manuscripts, prints, letters and archived issues of the Philadelphia Tribune; and WHEREAS, He now lectures internationally and organizes exhibitions and black studies programs around the country; and WHEREAS, He served as the director of the Pennsylvania Black History Committee, director of the Afro- American History Board and the governor's commissioner for the Governor's Heritage Program; and WHEREAS, He has been a member of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania, the NAACP, the State University Alumni Council, the Urban League and the American Antiquarian Society; and WHEREAS, He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Before Columbus Foundations and holds multiple honorary doctorates; and WHEREAS, He is considered one of the country's leading experts of the Underground Railroad; and WHEREAS, Charles L. Blockson is scheduled to retire in December 2006; now therefore RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Honors and Congratulates Charles L. Blockson on his Career as an Educator in African-American Studies, Collector of African and African-American Artifacts and Wishing Him Well on his Upcoming Retirement. FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented as an expression of this body's sincere appreciation of Mr. Blockson's contributions to the City and Nation. ..End