Len Lear

Phyllis Taylor, of Mt. Airy and Germantown for the last 55 years, a giant in the field of human rights, racial equity and social justice, died June 4 at Keystone Care Hospice in Wyndmoor of endometrial cancer.

A relative recently asked me who was the most memorable person I ever interviewed in my 60 years as a reporter and editor. After thinking for a while, I answered, “Probably Jackie Gleason.” Young people today have most likely never heard of Jackie Gleason, but in the 1950s and ’60s he was as big — and unlikely — a TV/movie star as there was.

Nowadays, any professional person or owner of a retail business has to be more solicitous of customer and client needs and feelings than ever before.

A relative recently asked me who was the most memorable person I ever interviewed in my 60 years as a reporter and editor. After thinking for a while, I answered, “Probably Jackie Gleason.”

William David Wine, who wrote freelance movie reviews for the Chestnut Hill Local every week from July 2019 to October 2021, died of age-related illnesses June 14 at home in Wyncote.

I must say I was pleasantly shocked last week to receive an email from Madeline Lawrence, who grew up in Chestnut Hill, attended Springside School, and currently is the chief growth officer and co-founder of Aikido Security, one of the world’s biggest cybersecurity firms.

Dr. E. Mark Fox, the veterinarian who owned the 99-year-old Rau Animal Hospital in Glenside for 40 years and the Chestnut Hill Cat Clinic, once told me, “I consider myself the luckiest person in the world."

Emil DeJohn, of Ambler, an award-winning fashion designer and educator whose garments were worn by stars such as Barbra Streisand and Liza Minnelli, died of age-related ailments June 24.

Craig Shoemaker has had impressive success in show business, winning two Emmy Awards for his work as a writer, actor and producer for the regional TV network, PRISM.

Veronika Pavliutina, a 48-year-old single mom from Odessa, fled Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, when the Russian bombing started.