President Russell W. Wylie presents the Presidential Medal posthumously for Thomas O. Peterman, to Susan Peterman, his widow. At right is Todd R. Peterman, his son.
How old is the Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick? Well, the group organized in Philadelphia in 1771. George Washington was an honorary member. This was the group’s 236th annual banquet.
Is that old enough for you?
The Friendly Sons—officially, “The Society of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick for the Relief of Emigrants From Ireland”—celebrated in lavish style at Villanova’s Montrose Mansion.
The night featured performances by the University Glee Club, the McDade School dancers and the Philadelphia Emerald Society Pipe Band. The United States Navy Villanova University Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps presented the colors.
Larry Mendte, the CBS3 anchor, must have a clone walking around somewhere because he managed to attend every Irish event known to humankind on St. Patrick’s Day, including this one. He served as emcee.
The emotional highlight of the evening was the posthumous presentation of the society’s Presidential Medal to Thomas O. Peterman, the group’s former treasurer.
Peterman, who died of leukemia in December, also was active in many other local Irish causes, including the Philadelphia Irish Famine Memorial. He attended the University of Pennsylvania and the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis and was a Naval Reserve veteran. Accepting the award from president Russell W. Wylie was Peterman’s widow, Susan Brown Peterman and his son Todd R. Peterman, the new treasurer of the society.
Wylie noted that Peterman was proud of his involvement in the Friendly Sons. In a group with such deep roots in U.S. and Philadelphia Irish-American culture, it’s easy to see why.
