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WHEREAS, Paul Anthony Ellis, Jr. is a longtime resident of the Historic Hill District, a Pennsylvania-licensed Attorney, and nephew of the late American Playwright, August Wilson, with a long history of civil rights and community advocacy, especially for residents of the Historic Hill District; and,
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WHEREAS, Ellis served as President of the Homer S. Brown Association from 2005-2007 and "showcased exemplary service" for this minority bar association, a division of the Allegheny Bar Association, and provided Pro Bono legal services in his representation of a large segment of the Hill District during residents' storied and diligent quest for a Community Benefits Agreement and Hill District Master Plan between 2005 and 2008; and,
WHEREAS, Ellis and his Uncle, August Wilson, had discussions about creating an active artist space and not a house museum, to be beneficial to the community, before his passing in 2005; and,
WHEREAS, in February 2010, Ellis received the History Maker Award from the City of Pittsburgh in the Area of Community Action, for his consistent advocacy and volunteer work on behalf of local residents; and,
WHEREAS, between 2006 and 2022, Ellis provided well over a decade of volunteer service to the August Wilson House; and,
WHEREAS, in 2010 Ellis received a notice of condemnation from the City of Pittsburgh for the demolition of what would become the August Wilson House, which prompted his efforts to preserve the boyhood home of August Wilson and also the girlhood home of his mother, Freda C. Ellis; and,
WHEREAS, in September of 2008, the Daisy Wilson Artist Community was created and named after Ellis' maternal grandmother, Daisy Wilson, and inspired by his sister Kimberly's attendance at the Artist Communities Conference at Carnegie Mellon University; and,
WHEREAS, Freda C. Ellis, elder sister to August Wilson and Mother to both Paul and Kimberly, was an original Board Member and recommended McAuley Ministries in 2010, resulting i...
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