From left, Man of the Year Michael Bradley, Megan and Patsy McDonald, and Harry Marnie, president of the Philadelphia Emerald Society.
If he does nothing else in his life, Michael Bradley is always going to be known as the man who, in the midst of a budget crisis that threatened the future of the Philadelphia St. Patrick’s Day Parade, simply refused to believe the old adage, “You can’t fight City Hall.”
Last March, the city was demanding that the parade committee foot a hefty bill for parade-related municipal expenses. Either that, or no parade. Bradley, who directs the popular televised event, earned quite a rep for himself when, in return, he offered the city what amounted to a Hobson’s choice: a peaceful parade or an organized riot.
The peaceful parade went on.
The Philadelphia Emerald Society took note of Bradley’s gutsy accomplishment—and many other lifetime achievements—by naming him 2010 Man of the Year.
Bradley has two demanding jobs: he’s president of a commercial flooring company and also a commercial real estate firm. He’s also well-known as a coach of soccer and several other sports. Bradley also organizes the Penn’s Landing Irish Festival.
Bradley accepted his honor last week on the same night Police Sgt. Patrick McDonald and his father Larry McDonald, a retired city fire department captain, received the group’s police and firefighter awards. Patrick McDonald was shot and killed in the line of duty in September 2008; Larry McDonald, a retired fire department captain, died of a heart attack April 7, 2010, while riding his bike in Northeast Philadelphia.
The presence of the McDonald family was not lost on Bradley, who paid tribute to the fallen heroes.
“It’s an honor to be in the same room with the McDonald family,” he said. “I can’t say enough about those two men (Patrick and Larry McDonald) and how lucky I am to be here tonight. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
A proud Penn State grad, Bradley closes his e-mails with a quote from Joe Paterno: “Believe deep down in your heart that you’re destined to do great things.” In the eyes of the Emerald Society, that’s just what he’s done.
