1400 Block of Vernon Road renamed John F. White, Jr. Way

People turned out, even though the weather forecast for October 7 was dismal, with rain and heavy winds expected. That didn’t deter more than 200 people from turning out to witness the unveiling of a street sign renaming the 1400-1500 blocks of Vernon Road in the Mount Airy section of Philadelphia after a political leader turned successful private businessman. John White, Jr.

Philadelphia’s first African American Mayor, W. Wilson Goode, Jr., who is now 80 years old, was in rare form Saturday as he reminisced about John. Goode stated, “I actually met John F. White Jr. 55 years ago at the home of John White, Sr. Senator Hardy Williams was there also. We were there to organize a group called the Black Political Forum. The first person we elected to office was Hardy Williams, then Bill Gray, then David P. Richardson, and then John White Jr. We watched John grow. We watched him become a PA State Representative. We watched him become a Philadelphia City Council member, and then we watched him become PA Secretary of the Department of Welfare. Then after that, all kinds of good things continued to happen for him. At one point, he headed up the Philadelphia Housing Authority. There are very few people around who have done the kinds of things this man has done in order to make the lives of other people better. He did it with style. That’s why all of you are here to celebrate the life of this man, to celebrate the work that he’s done, and to celebrate that he’s earned this honor of having a street named after him, John F. White, Jr.

The final thing I want to say is, "We talk about WURD and Dr. Walter P. Lomax all the time. I gave the first large city contract to Dr. Lomax. Then John White Jr. came along, and he said, 'I’m going to beat you. I’m going to give Dr. Lomax a million-dollar contract,' and look what happened. Dr. Lomax founded HMA Health

Plan, and later he and his family purchased WURD Radio Station.”