Don Donaldson was born on April 19, 1954 in Anderson, South Carolina. He was raised in the Frankford section of Philadelphia. Don was educated in the Philadelphia school system, attending Smedley Elementary, Harding Junior High and Frankford High School.
Don was baptized and active member of Northeast Baptist Church. He joined the United States Marine Corps in 1972. He finished his basic training at Parris Island, South Carolina. Later he was shipped out to various Oriental tours like Japan, Korea and Vietnam. While serving his duties, he received various awards and was promoted to E5 (sergeant). Don was honorably discharged in 1976.
Don became a sheet metal worker at Progressor Metal Company for numerous years. Don loved doing community work and volunteer work. While doing cleanup work around the Frankford Avenue area on a volunteer basis, he was recognized for his great work by Kim Washington of the NAC program who felt that a veteran who served this community should be compensated for his time and he was hired as a paid employee.
So, when you see Don up and around the Avenue keeping the area nice, show your appreciation for his service in the military and in the hood.
“Hoo Rah, Don”
