West Mt. Airy resident Edward W. Duffy holds a copy of his 2013 book, “Philadelphia: A Railroad History.” His newest book, just published, is “Philadelphia Celebrates Three Great Anniversaries: 1876*1926*1976” (Camino Books, Inc., $19.95). (Photo by Len Lear)[/caption]

By Len Lear

A graduate of La Salle and Temple Universities (an MBA degree in Real Estate Development) as well as a former U.S. Army officer, Mt. Airy resident Edward W. Duffy, 69, has worked for the Philadelphia Department of Commerce and several other city or quasi-governmental agencies such as the Philadelphia City Planning Commission and Philadelphia Port Corporation, but he is also a brilliant researcher and history buff.

In 2013 these interests coalesced to produce Duffy’s first book, “Philadelphia: A Railroad History” (Camino Books, Inc., $19.95). His interest in railroads dates from his role as liaison between the city of Philadelphia and various rail reorganization agencies in the early '70s that resulted in the creation of Conrail in 1976.

Since 2013 Duffy has been working on his second piece of impressive authorial research, which just came to fruition in the publication of “Philadelphia Celebrates Three Great Anniversaries: 1876*1926*1976” (Camino Books, Inc., $19.95). The book tells you everything you could ever want to know about the planning, financing and staging of Philadelphia’s three great commemorations of America’s Declaration of Independence. Duffy also chronicles our city’s and country’s evolution regarding civil rights, women’s rights and religious freedom. “My daughter, Fionna, helped me write the book,” Duffy said.

“I started thinking about this book when working on the previous one with the involvement of the Pennsylvania Railroad & Reading Railroad in the Centennial, so I'd say I started assembling research in 2013, but I went full speed ahead in 2015.

“The most surprising information uncovered concerned the conservative Protestant opposition to the Sesquicentennial Sunday opening, whose intensity I hadn't expected. Coming in second would be the mixed opinions held about the proper way to celebrate the Sesquicentennial and where to hold this celebration. I was shocked that there actually was a 15,000 member Anti-Sesquicentennial Celebration League.

“The most compelling (fact uncovered) was the enthusiasm felt by the black community toward participating in the Sesquicentennial and how Mayor Kendrick casually ignored them, dashing their hopes. I could feel their rage and pain.”

Those of us who are old enough to remember the Bicentennial celebration in 1976 may recall the press conference held by Mayor Frank Rizzo on May 27 of that year in which he claimed that left-wing radicals were planning to disrupt the city’s July Fourth weekend activities, which of course would be under a microscope from the entire country if not the world. Rizzo asked for 15,000 armed federal troops to patrol the streets, which was turned down by President Gerald Ford and Governor Milton Shapp.

So Rizzo said the city’s cops were perfectly capable of crushing the alleged left-wing agitators and provocateurs. Duffy wrote, “Rizzo had essentially told would-be visitors that for their own safety, they should stay away from Philadelphia during its most important celebration in half a century — that they would place themselves in danger by being here.”

According to Duffy, “By the time that the Bicentennial had ended, an officially estimated range of between 14 and 21 million people had visited Philadelphia.” Despite Rizzo’s apocalyptic predictions, however, there was no violence and only a few hundred protesters, which of course made Rizzo look ridiculous, to say the least.

“Mayor Rizzo, for all the wrong reasons, basically was indifferent to the Bicentennial and tried to use it to get people's focus off his impending recall,” Duffy told us last week. “He also signed a sweetheart labor deal that bankrupted the city in order to win support, with a one-year contract expiring just before the Bicentennial began, to give the union leverage during the next round of negotiations.”

On personal matters, what was the hardest thing Duffy ever had to do? “Take my blind, incontinent 16-year-old dog on his last ride in the car to be euthanized. I really, really loved that dog.”

What was the best advice Duffy ever received? “From my 8th grade teacher, Sr. Mary Ivan SSJ, at Holy Angels School. 'If it is to be, it is up to me.'”

Where else in the world would Duffy like to live? “An easy one, Ireland. I'm an Irish citizen, and I have an Irish passport.”

What does Duffy do in his spare time? “Cycling on Forbidden Drive.”

For more information about “Philadelphia Celebrates,” visit www.caminobooks.com The book is also available through amazon.com