Readers’ Choice ballot, page 12
s o u t h p h i l l y r ev i ew.c o m
Vo l . 6 5 N O. 4
JANUARY 26, 2012
Company keeper A new musical will address the life of a Queen Village theatrical legend. By Joseph Myers r e v i e w s ta f f w r i t e r
“I
can’t tell you the number of times I heard my grandmother say ‘I’m an actress, not a housewife,’” Dr. Mari Kathleen Fielder said Tuesday at the University of the Arts’ Ira Brind School of Theater Arts. The Center City location will help a new generation of theatergoers to appreciate her relative by staging “Leading Lady” Feb 3 to 5. The musical will examine the early yet prolific career of Mae Desmond, a figure whose heritage, looks and moral nature scored her acclaim nearly a century ago. An adjunct professor, Glenside’s Fielder has served as a consultant to composer and lyricist Charles Gilbert, Brind’s director, See DESMOND page 14
Sports
Five for ghting
Epiphany of Our Lord teacher Ursula Polidore offered a social studies lesson to her seventh-graders Tuesday. The most populated school among the nine local sites chosen to close or merge, Epiphany instructs nearly 300 learners. S ta f f P h o t o b y G r e g B e z a n i s
A quintet of schools has battled intense feelings since the archdiocese announced plans to use a shuttered facility as its students’ new learning site. By Joseph Myers R e v i e w S ta f f W r i t e r
Leading hardwood stories Athletes with local ties are filling starring roles for their respective Division I squads. By Bill Gelman..............Page 36
“A
s emotional as everything is, you need to avoid coming at it from an emotional stance,” Patricia Cody said after Friday’s dismissal of 293 pupils from Epiphany of Our Lord, 1248 Jackson St. The fifth-year principal has been maintaining her composure since Jan. 6, when the Archdiocese of Philadelphia-appointed Blue Ribbon Commission declared her
Lower Moyamensing location along with Holy Spirit, 1845 Hartranft St.; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, 2329 S. Third St.; Sacred Heart of Jesus, 1329 E. Moyamensing Ave.; and St. Richard, 1826 Pollock St., will likely merge to form a regional parochial institution. If a review committee and Archbishop Charles J. Chaput uphold the group’s suggestions for 45 elementary and four high schools to
close or merge, hundreds of students will need a new educational abode, with the archdiocese projecting 700 learners will attend the former Stella Maris site, 814 Bigler St., which closed two years ago for the same reasons that could doom the commission’s selections. Cody knew South Philly would experience change but had not expected it for nine of its 10 elementary spots. She noted the archdiocese began studying each school See CATHOLIC SCHOOLS page 8