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Boulevard Pools

From Dr. Harry C. Silcox and Jack McCarthy For the Northeast Times:

One of the main attractions in Northeast Philadelphia between 1929 and the 1960s was the Boulevard Pools. This paradise for swimmers was begun with the idea of producing entertainment on a “grand scale” in the Northeast. Everything would be bigger and better, with entertainment that would rival anything elsewhere. It all began in 1926 when famed pool architect William F.B. Koelte began planning a pool for the Northeast.
While it would be located in Mayfair, the pool’s target clientele would be from the more populated neighborhoods to the south.

I remember seeing the pools as a kid but never had a clue about the history.  It is well worth the two minutes it will take you to read it.  This is the link.

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Bill Gambrel – the Frankford Chargers

It all started with a neighborhood game of football. Now, more than 40 years later, Bill Gambrel has become an icon in the Frankford community.  The legendary coach and mentor — for whom the Gambrel Recreation Center and football field were named — claims he never anticipated how a crowd of local kids throwing around a football could transform into something so big. But it most certainly has.

Melissa Yerkov, Northeast Times Sports Editor, brings us this story this week.  Read it all here.

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Crime in Frankford

Vermin or weasels, call them what you will, they are crawling out of their hiding places and enjoying the fine weather this summer. 

Philadelphia police are searching for two teenagers they said assaulted an elderly woman in Frankford.

 The assault happened in the 5300 block of Cottage Street (map) Monday night, police said.

 The woman told police that the teens knocked her to the ground.

Read the entire story here at nbc10.com.

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Crime in Frankford

From the Daily News today:

A retired Philadelphia cop working as a pizza deliveryman fatally shot a 14-year-old boy who was pointing a gun at him during an attempted robbery yesterday morning in Frankford, police said.

…the 14-year-old and two other suspects were trying to rob the ex-officer at gunpoint while he was delivering a pizza about 1:15 a.m. on Lesher Street near Bridge, police spokesman Lt. Frank Vanore said.

The boy pointed the gun at the former cop while his cohorts — also believed to be teenagers — attempted to go through the victim’s pockets, Vanore said.

But the deliveryman — whose name was withheld by police — was able to reach into a pocket and pull out a semiautomatic Glock, which he had a permit to carry, Vanore said.

The deliveryman shot the gun-wielding boy once in the chest, and the boy was pronounced dead at 2:14 a.m. at Temple University Hospital, police said. His identity was not released pending notification of his family and the identification of his alleged accomplices.

It’s never a great thing to take a life, even when you are justified as this case seems to be.  But these kids have taken the wrong path and maybe some other stupid kid will realize that now.  When they take up the path of violence, it leads to death. 

There will be some who will be second guessing the ex-cop.  When somebody points a gun at you, they give up the right to a second chance.  Cops know that.  Read the rest of the story here.