Category: Heroes

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Frankford Yellow Jackets Meet and Greet

Put on your Yellow Jackets gear and come meet and greet football historians Brian Michaels, Andrew Weicker, and sportswriter-broadcaster Ray Didinger discussing Philadelphia’s two NFL teams and signing their new histories of the two franchises.

The Historical Society of Frankford today announced it will host a “meet and greet” and authors signing of the newly published books “Frankford Yellow Jackets: Philadelphia’s First NFL Team” and “The Eagles Encyclopedia: Champions II” on Dec. 7, 2025, from 1:00 to 3:00 PM.

Yellow Jackets authors Brian Michaels and Andrew Weicker and Encyclopedia author Ray Didinger will have books for sale and will sign and inscribe copies at no additional charge. The event will occur at the Society’s library/museum at 1507 Orthodox St. The event is free and open to the public; reservations are not required. Light refreshments will be provided, and parking is available across the street at the Frankford Friends School.

Proceeds from the sale of the books will benefit the Historical Society of Frankford, which holds the surviving Yellow Jackets records and memorabilia

Michaels and Weicker come from northeast Philly and have extensively researched the Yellow Jackets story in original records and photographs. Didinger, a longtime Philly fixture in sports journalism, celebrates the Eagles 2024 Super Bowl season and championship, including Saquon Barkely’s “Fly, Saquon, Fly” leap into football history.

About the Historical Society of Frankford Founded in 1905, the Historical Society of Frankford preserves and interprets the history of Northeast Philadelphia through its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs.

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Pete Specos

Pete Specos, who served so many in our area in so many different capacities, passed away on April 16,2025.

I met Pete Specos in December 2009 while reporting for the Frankford Gazette. At the time, I knew him simply as “the zoning guy” for the Frankford Civic Association. But as I looked back through the archives and found sixteen pages filled with Pete’s name and contributions, I realized just how much more he truly was — not just to our community, but to everyone whose life he touched.

Pete was a pillar of civic life in Frankford. He didn’t just show up — he gave, tirelessly and humbly, day after day. His work with the Frankford Civic Association was only the beginning. He served with heart and conviction through the Philadelphia Police PDAC, Keep the Faith in Frankford, and countless other community efforts that were rarely seen but always felt.

What made Pete truly special was the joy he found in giving. Whether it was preparing spaghetti for Dining with Dignity at St. Mark’s, firing up the big hot dog grill for the Mayfair parade, or transforming his home into a beacon of Christmas spirit with a dazzling light display each December — Pete gave with enthusiasm, energy, and love.

His Christmas lights didn’t just brighten his block — they lit up hearts. That was Pete. If every person gave just a tenth of what Pete gave, the world would be a far better, kinder, and more compassionate place.

Pete Specos was a good man — a generous man — and Frankford will not be the same without him. But we are better for having known him, and his legacy of service and joy will live on in the streets he walked, the lives he touched, and the community he loved.

Rest in peace, Pete. You lit up more than just the sky — you lit up our lives.

A memorial Service for Pete will on Saturday, May 17,2025 at St Marks Church. 4442 Frankford Ave. Philadelphia, PA 19124.The service will start at 11:00 am followed by a pot luck luncheon in the church Hall. The parking lot entrance is on Griscom ST. The Church entrance is on Frankford Ave.

Condolences may be sent to: Helen McCollum, 4287 Orchard St, Philadelphia, PA  19124

 

Bob Smiley

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Thank You

I was just reviewing our Amazon book sales page and saw 5 books sold so far in September.  That was a lot of books but what surprised me was that they were all to one person.

3 were the “Heroes of Frankford High School” and 1 each of “Frankford Stories” and “Frankford Heroes“.

The “Heroes of Frankford High School” has been very popular this year.  It attempts to include all students (over 200 men and 1 woman) who attended Frankford High and later gave their life in service to their country.

Frankford Heroes is the story of the Frankford residents who gave their lives in service from the Civil war to the present time.  Frankford Stories is a good read about life in Frankford.  Its lots of nostalgia.

These books all came out of my experience of writing the Frankford Gazette for 13 years. I met Leon Brantley and he introduced me to Ned Johnson and they wanted some recognition for Frankford veterans.  Since I’m a veteran myself, I agreed and we started a monthly feature for the veteran of the month.

Doing all those stories, it reminded me that veterans are the ones who came home.  That was when I started to look for the stories of those who did not return. Every veteran remembers the day that he left home for basic training after taking the oath, not knowing what lay ahead.

Every Veterans Day we take pride in our service but think back to the sacrifice of those who did not return.  It could have been any one of us.

Veterans day is November 11th.

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Come As You Are, Community, to the Church That is Named for You!

There are a lot of organizations that do good and we have written about many. I’m going to focus on this particular Church located in Frankford at the foot of Oxford Avenue under the shadow of the El train.

Pastor Elaine Rivera often contacts us with information about events, gatherings and offerings that the Church is doing for the community. There are many people in need in Frankford and they count on many of the life-giving Churches and community groups just to survive. Each service group tries to meet the needs of the people as best as they can.

What I have noticed over the years is that Pastor Elaine and her volunteers do what they do in a quiet, humble fashion. They go about the business of serving God’s people, as much as they are able counting, on other good people to help them with their needs. We know and believe that the Lord will provide but sometimes it takes more faith than we might have at the moment. But I don’t think Pastor Elaine’s faith falters – her life experiences have prepared her well for her ministry to society’s forgotten people.

Elaine Rivera grew up in Philadelphia but her call to ministry would not come until later in life. After she graduated from college, she served her country as a member of the United States Air Force for 8 years. Following an honorable discharge, she chose to study Law Enforcement and her career took her to New Mexico for 5 years. Feeling a call to further service for the Lord, Elaine became a licensed and ordained Minister of the Gospel in March 2011 at True Life Bible Church in Sicklerville, NJ. Serving in various servant leader roles, Elaine became an Assistant Pastor. Launching Crossroads Empowerment Ministry in Blackwood, NJ, Elaine would become a Senior Pastor. Pastor Elaine now serves as the Founder and Senior Pastor of Come As You Are Community Church. Her congregation are those marginalized by society – the homeless, the drug addicted, those who are challenged either socially or economically. Pastor Elaine is praying for guidance regarding the establishment of traditional housing for the homeless.

Come As You Are Community Church can be found on Facebook here – https://www.facebook.com/CAYAFCC/ and the Internet right here – cayachurch.org.

The Frankford Gazette recently posted that the Church needs volunteers. Please consider getting involved and helping them. Also, plans for Christmas Eve follows. Please help Pastor Elaine continue the work that she and the Church does so well.

No photo description available.

 

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Thank You For Your Support!

Pat Smiley and I thank you for your support of our Memorial Day fundraiser and efforts to promote his and Richard Johnson’s book, “Frankford Heroes, 2nd Edition”! If you’ve been busy or just didn’t quite get to ordering their book, you can still do so and we will still honor our pledge of 20% of book sales to be split between St. Mark’s Church and the Catholic Daughters’ Matthew 25 Food Cupboard. You will still get the ebook edition, too, for free. This effort will officially end on Friday, June 5. Here’s the link for you to use – https://frankfordgazette.com/books-for-sale/

We have mailed the books to those who ordered and have mailed the donations to St. Mark’s Church and Court St. Francis de Sales #2617 CDA. Every little bit helps!!!

For all of you who have purchased the book since it was available last fall, please check your email as Bob Smiley has emailed you a link to the ebook. Please check your email and let us know if you did not receive one and had purchased a book. We do our utmost to insure our records are accurate but… We hope you enjoy this ebook version, too. If you would like to share your comments about the book and allow us to use them as testimonials, please email gil@frankfordgazette.com

We would appreciate hearing what you think of the book!! Thank you again for your purchase and we look forward to sharing more publications with you that pique your interest. Stay well!