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Duquesne Proclamations Honor Local Residents

By Nick Zurawsky
The Tube City Almanac
July 29, 2020
Posted in: Duquesne News

Duquesne officials issued two proclamations honoring local residents during last week’s city council meeting.

The first proclamation was posthumously awarded to resident Kirvy Johnson, who died Jan. 31 at age 66.

Raised in Duquesne, Johnson was a fixture in the community. After attending Mon Valley School, he made his living selling handcrafted potholders and slippers.

Among other achievements, Johnson was known as an accomplished hitchhiker. According to the proclamation, at one point in Johnson’s life, his family moved him to New Jersey. Johnson was unhappy and successfully hitchhiked his way back to Duquesne.

Duquesne officials directed that the second Saturday in July be designated “Kirvy Johnson Day” in his honor.

The second proclamation was awarded to twelve women from the greater Pittsburgh area who received legacy awards this year from the Rankin/Mon Valley/Pittsburgh section of the National Council of Negro Women.

The proclamation honors “these twelve extraordinary women have worked tirelessly and contributed so much to their communities so that they would be better places to live.”

The twelve women are Nancy Travis Boulden, Lois Cain, Annie Carter, Harriet McWilson Collie, Willa Greathouse, Velma Jackson, Maribeth Jones, Dorothy Nesbit, Louise Payne, Sylvia Robinson, Beatrice Vassar and Jocelyn Walker.


Nick Zurawsky is a freelance writer in Pittsburgh. He may be reached at nickzurawsky@gmail.com.

Originally published July 29, 2020.

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