Category: Human Interest

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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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Frankford Stories

Frankford Stories

Reflections on life in a Philadelphia Neighborhood

Our new book Frankford Stories is out today, available on Amazon at this link.  It’s available in print and also as an ebook and if you have Kindle Unlimited, its free.

This is the second in the Frankford series, following Frankford Heroes.  Frankford People will be out later this year.

This is a collection of stories published in the Gazette going back to 2010.  I had a good time reading them again as I put this collection together.  There is a lot of humor and some nostalgia, mixed with a bit of some of the not so good.  They are all interesting from the best story tellers from Frankford.

If you live in or have lived in Frankford or if you have roots in Frankford in generations past if you grew up in Philadelphia or any other big city, you will enjoy this book.

To the authors: Al Houston, Joe Menkevich, Jack Hohenstein, Julia (Robinson) Mitchell-Hoffman, Lyle Larkin, Peter Dawson, Terry Rowley, Tony Wilkerson, and William Mastropieri;  I’ll get your copy to you as soon as I can receive  them from the printer.

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Benjamin F. Tucker

Our condolences go out to the Tucker family on the loss of their father, Benjamin F. Tucker.
He was a prominent business man in the community for his entire life and was mentioned in the book “A Short History of Northeast Philadelphia” by Harry Silcox.
State Senator Tartaglione sent this message to the family:
I was very saddened to learn of the passing of your loved one, Mr. Benjamin F. Tucker. His death is a tremendous loss for the entire Frankford community.
As a committee person and poll worker for more than two decades, Mr. Tucker left behind a distinguished legacy of civic engagement and public service. His sustained effort to improve the lives of his neighbors will always be remembered fondly.
It is my distinct honor to pay tribute to Mr. Tucker and to offer my deepest condolences to you at this difficult time. Please know that I will always be available to assist your family in any way I can.
Mr. Tucker passed away in April and the family has planned a Service of Celebration at Northeast Baptist Church for this coming Friday, July 3rd. Details are listed below.
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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!