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WHEREAS, Willa "Kitty" Chandler, matriarch of the Warren family, was born on November 13, 1919 to the late Ehtle (Smith) and William Warren, growing up with her younger brother John in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; and,
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WHEREAS, a devoted member of Macedonia Baptist Church, Mrs. Chandler followed her mother's examples of singing in the choir and later working in the church, over the years becoming an active member of the Gospel Choir, the Trustee Board, the Heart Line Committee, the Blanche Thompkins Missionary Circle, Forever Young Seniors, The Food Bank, and the 80th and 90th Church Anniversary Committees; and,
WHEREAS, as a young woman she attend the Pittsburgh Public School system and immersed herself in a variety of activities, including singing, reading, track and field, various other sports, and history; and,
WHEREAS, Mrs. Chandler would go on to marry Mr. Richard Chandler, as the two were initially brought together by their love of music, when they began to travel the world with Mr. Chandler's brother, Taft, who was a member of the County Basie Orchestra; and,
WHEREAS, Mrs. Willa Chandler was profoundly affected by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr's "I have a Dream" speech at the Lincoln Memorial, which inspired her to enter active service with the Hill District NAACP to fight racial inequalities and discrimination in the workplace, scholarships for children and medication for seniors; and,
WHEREAS, several months after joining the NAACP she was offered an employment opportunity with Pittsburgh Police Department by becoming its first African American Meter Maid Officer, a job which she enjoyed as it provided her the opportunity to be outside, meet people and receive equal pay; and,
WHEREAS, after an injury sustained on the job with the Pittsburgh Police, Mrs. Chandler was offered a barrier breaking position as a clerk in the Allegheny county Prothonotary Office, a role she held until her retirement at the age of 62; and,
WHEREAS, on Friday, ...
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