Presenter
Presented by Mr. Lavelle
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WHEREAS, lifelong Manchester resident Mrs. Betty Jane Ralph, the wife of Arthur Ralph, mother of 7 children and former Chairwoman of the Manchester Citizens Corporation from 1970-1993, recently passed away; and,
WHEREAS, when an exodus of residents in the Manchester area took place in the 60's, Betty Jane Ralph's love for her community inspired her commitment to work for its improvement and rehabilitation, joining forces with area ministries in the late 60's and early 70's to work with the Urban Redevelopment Authority, the Housing Authority, the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation and others to foster development of Manchester; and,
WHEREAS, in response to the URA's early strategy of complete demolition of Manchester, Betty Jane and her husband, in partnership with community leaders who valued Manchester's rich architectural significance, joined forces in early 1973 with the Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation to stop the demolition program and reframe the strategy as a focus on community revitalization; and,
WHEREAS, the dedicated work to revitalize Manchester continued into the 80's and 90's, the Ralphs working with and through the MCC to draw attention to the practice of redlining, to merge housing and rehabilitation efforts via the Hope IV Initiative, and to help build affordable housing and for-sale units throughout the neighborhood with investment that exceeded $30 million; and,
WHEREAS, since 1972, Betty Jane Ralph in conjunction with the Manchester Citizens Corporation collaborated with several developers, contractors and community organizations to create $67 million in public-private initiatives for development;
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NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh mourns the loss of Betty Jane Ralph, hereby commending her energy, persistence, patience and love of her neighborhood, and recognizes her efforts for having helped to save the neighborho...
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