Paying their respects | Scene Through the Lens

Temple University held a memorial tribute on Tuesday for the architect behind some of the country’s most prestigious collections of African American artifacts, including the Blockson Collection at Temple and at Penn State.

Charles L. Blockson died June 14, 2023 at the age of 89. His family had a private funeral service for him, but the university waited until the fall semester to honor him publicly.

AN UPDATE TO LAST WEEK’S PHOTO:

After the photo of two hard-hatted construction workers sitting on top of Lenny’s Auto & Towing Services south of Pottstown was published in the newspaper, and in this space last week, I received a few emails filling in some of the gaps in their provenance.

As I wrote then, the two really big men were displayed were inside the Sears Outlet in nearby Phoenixville. They weren’t holding tools, a shop manual (or hoagies).

But the 16 foot tall fiberglass construction workers were still sitting on a steel I-beam (on a lunch break) when the Sears closed. Ed DiLello, owner of the Trading Post Depot in Spring City, Pa. purchased them from the demolition contractor, fabricated metal stands for them, and displayed them outside his shop.

He says one of the figures came with a lunch box - with an apple and a banana on top - while the other was holding a newspaper.

The wife of Lenny’s owner spotted them outside DiLello’s place (known for its one-of-a-kind, hand-crafted furniture, made with live edge wood) and the rest is roadside attraction history. (Township officials nixed the newspaper and lunchbox when they were installed at the auto repair shop).

Since 1998, a black-and-white photo has appeared every Monday in staff photographer Tom Gralish’s “Scene Through the Lens” photo column in The Inquirer’s local news section. Here are the most recent, in color: