KEMEL DAWKINS had a problem. As one of the lead
contractors on the construction of the Pennsylvania Convention Center in the
1990s, he needed to find a black superintendent to oversee the toughest part of
the project - renovation of the Reading Terminal train shed.
Dawkins, himself African-American, needed a black man to
boss the difficult operation in order to adhere to the Convention Center's
strict affirmative-action program.
Inspectors roamed the enormous project daily to make sure
the proper ratio of women and African-American workers was on the job.
Kemel Dawkins, who died Jan. 11 at the age of 91, solved
the problem after a nationwide search when he and his partners selected Angelo
R. Perryman, an Evergreen, Ala., native then working construction in Detroit.
He was 32 years old.
"It was certainly not easy to convince him to come,
but because of the size of the project he felt it would be good
experience," Dawkins said at the time. "It was the kind of experience
that could make a career in construction."
What it amounted to was repairing and stabilizing the
100-year-old train shed, including the Reading Terminal Market, which used to
be splashed on by rainwater from the shed's leaky roof, just one of its many
problems.
Perryman proved to be a good choice, and the
affirmative-action cops were happy.
Kemel Gladstone Dawkins, a native of the West Indies,
came to Philadelphia and excelled in the construction business as well as being
an active civic and political leader. He lived in West Philadelphia for many
years.
"Kemel Gladstone Dawkins loved the city of
Philadelphia and he loved politics," said his son, Kemel W. Dawkins.
"He worked tirelessly to make the political process work better for all
citizens."
Kemel was a member of the Democratic National Committee
for nearly 50 years, and was active in its Small Business Executive Council.
In 1972, Kemel and his business partner, Herbert
Pennicott, founded the Kem-Her Construction Co. One of its first contracts was
renovation of a public school, which came through his relationships with the
late Marcus Foster, then associate superintendent of schools, and the late
lawyer and civil-rights activist Charles W. Bowser, his son said.
That job was the beginning of Kem-Her's successful
construction work, which over a 30-year period included projects involving the
University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia International Airport, Amtrak, the
U.S. Department of the Interior, St. Christopher's Hospital for Children and
the Federal Reserve Bank.
"It was among the first small, minority businesses
to receive contracts from the city of Philadelphia, thus opening the door for
many other small, minority businesses," his son said.
Kemel's work on the Pennsylvania Convention Center was
handled through another of his companies, KemRodko Development and Construction
Co., and was in partnership with Daniel J. Keating, the center's architect.
Kemel also was the retired president of KD Builders and
Managers.
He served as chairman of the Philadelphia Municipal
Authority for 30 years, and was one of the founders of the United Bank of
Philadelphia and served on its board of directors.
Kemel also was a member of the Philadelphia Minority
Business Enterprise Council and the board of the Philadelphia Coaliton of
Minority Contractors.
He was born in St. Catherine, West Indies, to Pauline
Teresa and Levi Henry Dawkins. He attended the Burnt Savannah Elementary School
in St. Elizabeth, Jamaica, and received a builder's certificate from the
Kingston Technical School in Kingston, Jamaica.
He emigrated to the United States in 1946, where he met
the love of his life, Doris Pride. They were married in September 1947.
Kemel received a certificate for layout engineering from
Spring Garden College, and certificates in estimating and blueprint reading
from Temple University. He later took courses in science and art at the
University of Pennsylvania and in architectural engineering at Drexel
University.
He was a member of the Small Business/Agriculture
Advisory Council of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. He also was a
member of the General Building Contractors Association and the board of
trustees of the Osteopathic Medical College of Philadelphia.
He was a member of the Knights of Columbus.
His wife died in March 2004. Besides his son, he is
survived by two granddaughters.
Services: 10 a.m. tomorrow at the African Episcopal
Church of St. Thomas, 6361 Lancaster Ave. Friends may call at 9 a.m. Burial
will be in Rolling Green Memorial Park, West Chester.
Source: Philly.com
No comments:
Post a Comment