Community activist
Len Williams dies at 73

By Tom Waring
Times Staff Writer

Soon after moving to the neighborhood in 1999, Joe Menkevich attended a Northwood Civic Association meeting.
There, he met fellow resident Len Williams.
The two men hit it off instantly. They teamed together to weigh in on every issue affecting the community. They strongly supported certain projects and fiercely opposed others.
Menkevich would later become president of the civic association, and Williams was his most trusted adviser on the board of directors.
Recently, though, Williams had to curtail his community activism to fight pancreatic cancer. The disease was later diagnosed as terminal.
Last week, he died in the hospice unit at Frankford Hospital-Frankford Division. He was 73.
Menkevich is sad to lose a friend and a colleague who provided invaluable advice on numerous neighborhood issues.
"He was a very, very smart guy," Menkevich recalled. "His vocabulary was vast."
Williams, who lived on the 5100 block of Oxford Ave., is survived by his wife Jane; sons Leonard and James; daughters Elizabeth and Barbara; 10 grandchildren; one brother; and two sisters.
A private memorial service will be held Saturday.
Memorial donations can be sent to the American Cancer Society, 1626 Locust St., Philadelphia, PA 19103.
It was back in 1998 that Williams became particularly active. That year, COMHAR Inc. bought a property on his block with plans to move 16 people with mental disabilities from Norristown State Hospital into the house. Despite opposition from Williams and others, a court approved the plan.
Among the other proposals that Williams opposed were a water ice stand on a small parcel of ground at Castor and Adams avenues; a day-care business on Herbert Street; a crematory at Greenwood Cemetery; the city’s use of eminent domain to displace the venerable Clearkin construction company; and a school for court-adjudicated kids at the former Northwood Nursing Home.
Williams, a retired accountant and stockbroker, was a supporter of other efforts, including the Northwood Academy Charter School and Thomas Shallcross School’s move to the Friends Hospital grounds.
Fred Maurer, an Olney resident and community activist, was another close friend of Williams. Maurer published a book in 2000 called Grubbtown that included information supplied by Williams on Frankford Creek. The two also worked to stop a parking lot from being built on park ground near the Hill Creek housing project and were active in opposing Fox Chase Cancer Center’s proposed expansion into Burholme Park.
"This is a tragedy for the community," Maurer said of Williams’ death.
Williams was a close ally of Edward Becker, a federal judge from Northwood who died in 2006, and was a supporter of the Society Created to Reduce Urban Blight (SCRUB). He fought to preserve the Burk deed restriction, which allowed only single-family homes in a large portion of Northwood. And he wanted to protect the community against what he thought was any improper use of the long-vacant land at Adams Avenue and Roosevelt Boulevard.
In general, he supported the rights of citizens to weigh in on zoning cases. He kept extensive records in filing cabinets in his basement and made frequent use of his computer, fax machine and telephone to communicate.
"It was his stimulus of life," Maurer said of his activism.
At the time of his death, Williams was working with Menkevich to build the new Northwood Homeowners Association.
Menkevich and Williams resigned their posts with the Northwood Civic Association last year after a falling out with the other members of the board of directors. They celebrated with their allies by drinking tequila, scotch and beer at Menkevich’s house.
At about the same time, East Frankford Civic Association president Peggy Hoch was being replaced by disgruntled residents, and Williams lent her a sympathetic ear. Hoch died of lung cancer in January.
Menkevich described Williams as his "mentor" and continued to refer to him as a "director emeritus" of the civic association.
While the other board members claimed that Williams controlled Menkevich, the outspoken former president said Williams and Judge Becker often advised him to keep his cool.
Larry Yaremko, a Northwood resident who operates a neighborhood-based Web site, called Williams "the most knowledgeable layman on the topic of Philadelphia zoning that I knew."
"Leonard was uncompromising in his belief that Northwood should not have to endure change brought about by non-conforming property uses," Yaremko said, "and he made an eloquent case for Northwood residents to fight to keep the neighborhood’s residential quality of life from being eroded." ••
Reporter Tom Waring can be reached at 215-354-3034 or twaring@phillynews.com