Tom Cardella, longtime newspaper columnist, radio broadcaster, and government liaison, has died at 84

Tom Cardella, 84, of Philadelphia, longtime columnist for the South Philly Review, popular sports radio broadcaster, disc jockey, and retired congressional affairs officer for the U.S. Department of Defense’s logistics agency, died Thursday, June 22, of kidney failure at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital.

A lifelong Philadelphian, Mr. Cardella graduated from South Philadelphia High School and Temple University. He was sports director at Temple’s WRTI radio station in the late 1950s and went on to spend more than three decades broadcasting sports and news, and spinning records at WCMC in Wildwood, WBCB in Levittown, and WHAT, WIP, WYSP, and WPHT in Philadelphia.

In 1964, he landed a newspaper job as a TV critic at the weekly Review, then called the South Philadelphia Review-Chronicle. He spent a short time as a features writer, became a columnist in 1965, and used humor, pathos, and warmth to inform and inspire readers until his final column appeared online April 10 and in print April 12.

Over 58 years, he wrote hundreds of columns, maybe thousands, such as “Always With Me” about his parents, “South Philly 1956″ about childhood buddies Fatty Lou and Mikey Deets, and “Gone Dancing” about his late sister-in-law. He poured his heart out every week about local and national politics, urban decay and renewal, music, and other people, places, and things that stirred his emotions.

His final piece was about a recent visit to Little Vic’s barbershop near Marconi Plaza on South Sydenham Street. He called that column “The Luckiest Guy in the World” and wrote: “There’s something so personal about a South Philly hair [salon] owned and operated by the owner and his own staff that cannot simply be replaced by the fancy chains going up around the country. They have no soul. Lil Vic’s has soul, the soul of a unique neighborhood.”

“He wrote for the love of writing,” said Fran, Mr. Cardella’s wife of 59 years. “He was mild, but he was opinionated.”

Mr. Cardella often wrote his columns, his wife said, on Monday or Tuesday mornings so they were fresh for Wednesday’s paper. He would sit down at his desk without an idea, she said, and stand up 45 minutes later with a Cardella Special all ready to print.

“It was amazing to see,” she said.

He was generally liberal in his viewpoints but not shy about skewering anyone he felt deserved it. He created the character of Uncle Nunzio, an Italian American contrarian who served as his foil, and some say Nunzio became as popular with readers as Mr. Cardella.

He won a 2003 Keystone Press Association Award for a column about President George W. Bush’s search for weapons of mass destruction and was inducted into Temple’s Klein College of Media and Communication alumni hall of fame in 2005.

Over a 35-year career in radio, Mr. Cardella worked with DJ Sid Mark on his Sounds of Sinatra show, did play-by-play for St. Joseph’s University men‘s basketball games, and hosted Eagles pregame and postgame shows during which he fielded phone calls from listeners.

Off the air, Mr. Cardella worked in Philadelphia as a buyer and congressional affairs officer for the federal government’s Defense Logistics Agency from 1963 to 1999. He continued as a defense contractor consultant after he retired a few years ago.

In May 2009, he needed a new kidney, and his wife donated one of hers. The operation was performed two days after their 45th wedding anniversary, and Mr. Cardella wrote about her love and sacrifice in his next column.

Thomas Peter Cardella was born Nov. 28, 1938. He graduated from South Philadelphia High in 1956 and Temple in 1960.

He took a job as a social worker just out of college and met fellow South Philadelphia High graduate Frances Scroccarelli. Their first date was in Wildwood. They rendezvoused on the beach and went to a show, and she thought he was “cute and interesting.”

They got married in 1964, had daughter Lauren and son Craig, and scheduled date nights nearly every week for almost six decades. “He was the best date you could ever have,” his wife said. “He was generous and humorous, and he picked the best restaurants for us.”

The family lived in South Philadelphia for years, and Mr. Cardella and his wife moved to Center City in 2019. He read to his children at bedtime and had breakfast with them on many mornings. He took them to college basketball games and Phillies games, and taught them the importance of being present.

“He saw each person he met as unique and appreciated who they were,” his daughter said.

Mr. Cardella was an avid reader and collected hundreds of books in his personal library. He served in the Air Force Reserve, enjoyed jazz music, and, of course, followed all the local college and pro sports teams. His wife said the Phillies were his favorite.

“Nobody ever had a better friend than Tom,” Eagles play-by-play broadcaster Merrill Reese said in an online tribute. Longtime sportswriter Bob Grotz said: “Just a wonderful man with wit, charm, purpose, and an infectious smile.”

In addition to his wife and children, Mr. Cardella is survived by grandchildren Eliza and Grayson, and other relatives. A sister died earlier.

Services were Wednesday, June 28, and Thursday, June 29.

Donations in his name may be made to the Friends of the Free Library of Philadelphia, 1901 Vine St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103.