New and events of the Philadelphia Bar Asso.
Issue link: https://thephiladelphialawyer.epubxp.com/i/434516
BY BERN A RD W. S M A L L E Y SR. Service MatterS 88th Chancellor albert S. Dandridge iii Bernard W. Smalley: You've spoken fondly about your grandfather and his role as a community leader. How did his role in the community form your view on the role of lawyers in the community? a lBert S. dandridge iii : My grandfather, Albert S. Dandridge Sr., was the first African-American health inspector in the City of Philadelphia. He obtained that position in the late 1930s. His territory encompassed the bulk of the bars and restaurants in Philadelphia. He knew everyone. He was also a Republican committeeman and ward chair for more than 50 years. When I was a small child, before we lived across the alleyway from each other, I lived across the alleyway in a home that my grandparents owned. I would go over to visit him and my grandmother almost every day. He loved baseball, and probably because of Jackie Robinson, he loved the Dodgers. We would sit and watch baseball together on television. In all the years that I knew my grandfather, I could probably count on one hand the times that I saw him without a suit and tie. He was always on duty. He lived in a row house in West Philadelphia that had an enclosed front porch. This was his office. Several times during the evening the doorbell would ring and my grandfather would go out onto the porch to answer the door. He would sit down with the person or persons on the couch and chairs on the porch. Sometimes, sitting in his living room I would overhear the conversations. The people who came to the door were from all walks of life, and all races and ethnic groups: Irish-Catholic, Italian-American, Jewish- American, Armenians and, of course, African-Americans. Their stories would all fit into a pattern: "Mr. Dandridge, I lost my job." "Mr. Dandridge, I cannot make my rent this month." "Mr. Dandridge, I have a problem down at City Hall." "Mr. Dandridge, my son is in trouble." "Mr. Dandridge, my daughter is in trouble." I never heard anyone call him by his first name, except my grandmother. It was always Mr. Dandridge. However, my siblings and I, and all of the kids in the neighborhood, called him "Pop." If you were under 21, you called him "Pop." If you were over 21, you called him "Mr. Dandridge." I would listen to him help those people who came to visit him on the porch with their problems. I would also see him reach into his own pocket to help. My grandmother wanted to move to a bigger house in a fancy neighborhood. He refused. "These are my people, they need my help. This is where they know to find me," he would tell her. This, more than anything, taught me early on the meaning of service to your community. You proudly wear your "marine Corps Veteran" cap, both literally and figuratively. You served combat PHOTOGRAPHED BY John Carlano 24 the philadelphia lawyer Winter 2015