Join us at the Pizza Olympics, page 19
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A prayer for a mayor A Girard Estate parish paid tribute to a renowned public official on the 20th anniversary of his death. By Joseph Myers R e v i e w s ta f f w r i t e r
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rank Rizzo Sr. possessed a polarizing personality that led to the accumulation of ample allies and enemies. The former dominated Saturday, as St. Monica Church, 1714 Ritner St., offered its Vigil Mass in honor of the 20th anniversary of the outspoken politician’s passing. Hundreds of parishioners and a few esteemed guests attended the gathering to laud Rizzo, a key figure in the church’s history. Bells began to play 15 minutes before the 5 p.m. celebration to set a reverent See RIZZO page 8
Sports Helping wheelchair athletes has given Joe Kirlin, left, numerous opportunities to advance the memory of his daughter Katie. Over the last 21 years, he and wife Roseann have helped thousands of children to compete in basketball, track and field and swimming.
An above average Joe
P h o t o P r o v i d e d b y E d wa r d S ava r i a J r .
Net gain
Local soccer stars hope one day to capture what the women’s national team almost won.
By Joseph Myers.............Page 32
A Whitman humanitarian won a prestigious award for work that his daughter’s death inspired.
By Joseph Myers R e v i e w s ta f f w r i t e r
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osing a child can harden a heart or make it more eager to afford affection. Blessed with a loving nature, Joe Kirlin has partnered with perseverance in the 22 years since his youngest child’s death. The
resident of the 200 block of Wolf Street ventured to Washington, D.C., last month, to receive a Jefferson Award for Public Service, the latest honor for his mission to assist wheelchair athletes. A maintenance technician with Exelon Power/PECO Energy, Kirlin earned his jaunt through his company’s March move to present him with its Excellence
Award for volunteerism. His employer also endowed him with a $20,000 grant for the Katie Kirlin Fund, the chief means through which he and wife Roseann Kirlin salute the memory of their daughter Katie, who, after two courageous years fighting cancer, died in 1989 at age 12. See KIRLIN FUND page 9