Presenter
Presented by Mr. Udin
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WHEREAS, this historical marker dedication of Thursday, September 30, 2004 commemorates the journalistic and civic contributions of Frank E. Bolden (1912-2002), 1934 graduate of the University of Pittsburgh and late husband of Nancy Travis Bolden; and
WHEREAS, Bolden's legacy includes his local and international journalism as one of the first two African American Accredited War Correspondents during World War II, covering the 92nd and 93rd African American Infantry Divisions, "The Buffalo Soldiers," at Fort Huachuca, Arizona; the "Tuskegee Airmen," the African-American airmen training program at Tuskegee, Alabama; and, his reports from India, Burma and China, and acclaimed interviews with Roosevelt, Churchill, Stalin, Gandhi, Nehru, and General and Madame Chaing Kai-Sheck; and
WHEREAS, after the war, Bolden returned to Pittsburgh where he worked as City Editor of the Pittsburgh Courier until 1962, and then, briefly for the New York Times, NBC news, and the Huntley-Brinkley Report; and
WHEREAS, some of Bolden's accolades in journalism come from the War Department for "Distinguished Reporting during World War II," the Newseum of Washington, D.C., the National Association of Black Journalists, the National Negro Publishers Association, the Congressional Black Caucus Spouses, the Museum of the Americas, and the Pittsburgh Press Club; and
WHEREAS, Bolden, co-author of Legacy in Bricks and Mortar: African-American Landmarks in Allegheny County, was also active in community work with such organizations as the United Cerebral Palsy Association, the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, the History and Landmarks Foundation of Pittsburgh, the Board of Family Services of Western Pennsylvania, the Kiwanis Club; and, the Early Learning Institute and the University of Pittsburgh, which each established a college scholarship in his name; and
WHEREAS, these historically noteworthy contributions of Frank E. Bolden, civil servant and journalist, are recorded in several publications and video that honor the extraordinary man, not to be forgotten.
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NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Pittsburgh City Council hereby joins The Senator John Heinz Pittsburgh Regional History Center and the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission in commemorating the life works of Frank E. Bolden with a historical marker on Centre Avenue in the Hill District at the former site of the Pittsburgh Courier.