Parade officials Kathy McGee Burns and Michael Bradley, far right, pose with Mayor Michael Nutter, left, and Grand Marshal John J. Dougherty Jr. ,t he 2012 parade grand marshal.
As always, there’s a long day of ceremonies a few days before Philadelphia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade. But this one was longer than most. It was filled with accolades for this year’s Grand Marshal, John J. Dougherty Jr., business manager of IBEW Local 98, the electricians’ union, and a long-time fixture on the city’s political scene.
Saluting Dougherty were mayors (current Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter and former Mayor Bill Green), politicos (including most of city council as well as the Pennsylvania State Senate and House of Representatives), clergy, local TV celebs, and family members (including Dougherty’s younger brother Kevin, a judge, who said he knew that Dougherty was destined to be a fundraiser when, as a young child, Kevin asked his big brother to hold his hand when he was scared one dark night and John replied, “Sure. . .for a quarter.”).
Dougherty defiantly repeated his mantra “I’m proud to be white, Irish, Catholic, union, and a Democrat” several times over the course of the day, though he said he’d been dogged by reporters that day who wanted to know, “Did you really say that?”
“I said, yes I did, and I’m going to say it again later,” Dougherty told the crowd at the Doubletree on Broad Street, where he was officially “sashed” as Grand Marshal, as he mimicked hanging up a phone.
“I am proud of those things,” he told the friendly, receptive audience. “That describes my father. Why would I not want to be like my father?”
Early in the day, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick, the second oldest Irish organization in the US, laid a wreath at city hall to honor Revolutionary-era patriots of Irish descent. The city erected a plaque on the west side of city hall acknowledging those men, but current construction force the ceremony to the north side of the building facing Market Street.
Also honored: Five men selected for the parade Ring of Honor for their efforts to preserve Irish heritage in the US. Read about them here.
