John M. Phillips Marker Dedication

Carrick dedicates PA State historical roadside marker after the annual Carrick Halloween Parade

On October 31, 2009 at 1:00 pm, just after the Carrick Halloween Parade, the public is invited to the first PA historic roadside marker installation in south Pittsburgh at 2236 Brownsville Road. The Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC) together with the Carrick-Overbrook Historical Society will dedicate the marker for former Carrick resident John M. Phillips at the site of his former home currently the location of St. Pius X Catholic Church. The marker application was sponsored by the Overbrook Community Council and supporting documentation for the application was compiled by the Carrick-Overbrook Historical Society. The PHMC will be represented by State Senator Jim Ferlo. Included in the dedication ceremony will be many of the area’s elected representatives including the original Boy Scouts of America Troop 1, former Silver Tip District. For more information contact carrickhistory@gmail.com and for historical information check the Carrick-Overbrook Historical Society’s web site http://wiki.carrick-overbrook.org/Current_events.

Before the marker dedication the Carrick Overbrook area will hold its much anticipated annual Halloween Parade starting at 10 am at the parking lot at Sankey Avenue and Brownsville Road. The participants’ costumes will be judged at 11 am on the front lawn of Pittsburgh Concord Elementary School located at Biscayne Avenue and Brownsville Road. The parade will continue to the Carrick Foodland for all participants. Everyone is encouraged and invited to participate. Register by calling (412)881-7965.

Born in 1863, Carrick resident John M. Phillips was a conservationist, industrialist, and engineer. He was president of Phillips Mining and Manufacturing Company on the South Side and held many patents. Chief Silver Tip, as he was called by the Indians during his many travels, was among the first to introduce Boy Scouting in Pennsylvania, starting Troop 1 in Pittsburgh. To promote birding and conservation his home was a distribution point for thousands of Russian Mulberry and Cherry tree seedlings and bird houses given away to the children in the neighborhoods. He also was the creator of the State Game Lands which were models for the nation. Mr. Phillips was one of the founders of Pymatuming State Park and fought to retain family oriented boating on the lake. In Carrick he was well regarded and instrumental in the preservation of Phillips Park, which is named after him, and in the formation of Carrick as a borough. He later urged annexation by the City of Pittsburgh in 1927 to better education and to reduce taxes. He was a City Councilman in 1933, a director of South Side Hospital and Phillips Elementary School on the South Side is named after him and his wife Harriet Duff Phillips.

A brief outline of John M. Phillips' accomplishments were read by John Rudiak at the dedication ceremony.

Known as Carrick’s Grand Old Man; Pittsburgh Sun Telegraph newspaper dubbed “Grand Old Man of Conservation”; Named Chief Silver Tip by American Indians and recognized as such by the Boy Scouts of America; namesake of Pittsburgh Phillips Elementary School on Pittsburgh’s South Side; Engineer, Industrialist, Inventor; 1900 President Phillips Mine Supply Company; Co-Founder of the Boy Scouts of America; Founder first Boy Scout Troop in Pennsylvania; Awarded the Hornaday Conservation Award of the National BSA on May 4, 1953; Instrumental in installing the first public sanitary sewer system in Allegheny County in Carrick Borough, PA.; Founder, President and Board of Directors of PA Game Commission - 1905 to 1924; Father of the basic game code of Pennsylvania and model for others across the USA; Councilman City of Pittsburgh under Mayor Charles H. Kline 1933; Director Pittsburgh South Side Hospital; Named several mountains in lakes in British Colombia, Canada; 1926 original Director of the Cooks Forest Association; Director of the founding of Pymatuning State Park; Named Head of the Committee of Conservation of Fur Bearing Animals at President Calvin Coolidge Conservation Conference; Director of The American Bison Society; Founder and Officer American Game Protective Association; Gave thousands of Russian Mulberry and Cherry trees to local school children for Arbor Day and thousands of bird houses to children the annual Bird Day celebrations; Author - Co-authored “Campfires in the Canadian Rockies” with Dr. William T. Hornaday – 1906 and numerous articles in the “Pennsylvania Game News”, including, The Starling Menace, January 1940, The Deer Dilemma, August 1940, Our Soil and Water Problem, February 1950, Planting trees for Posterity and Wildlife, March 1951; Awards First prize for wildlife photograph by the American Museum of Natural History Worldwide completion – circ. 1920; Boy Scouts Silver Wolf Award – circ. 1920; Gold Medal – Permanent Wildlife Protection Fund 1924; Winner of The Outdoor Prize - 1924; along with President Teddy Roosevelt becomes one of the first three honorary members of the Camp Fire Club of America. PA Game Commission places bronze plaque in State Game Lands 25, Elk County, first piece of property purchased under the Wildlife Refuge Law – 1948, honored by then Governor James H. Duff, Pittsburgh Mayor David L. Lawrence. PA State Senate named him as one of the “State’s Outstanding Citizens and Greatest Conservationists” – 1950, 1951, and 1952, Flags in Pittsburgh flown a half mast for a week upon death

The marker before installation.

Carol Anthony, founding member, and the marker before installation.

Julia Tomasic and Penny check out the marker.

John, Natalia and Helena Rudiak, founding members, with the marker.

The official John M. Phillips cake

Dedication Booklet

Left to Right - Zack Toner, Mike Monahan, Norm Brozell, Pat Way, G. Muckle (Eagle Scout), Kyle Wanielista, Brendan Way, Dwayne Hiers (Scout Master), Bob Stein ( Director Learning for Life Greater Pittsburgh Council District Representative).

Presentation of the flag by Boy Scout Troop 614

Founding member Carol Anthony

Founding member Julia Tomasic

Founding member John Rudiak

City of Pittsburgh Councilwoman and founding member Natalia A Rudiak

PA Sen. Jay Costa

PA Rep.Harry Readshaw

City of Pittsburgh Councilman Bruce Kraus

The uncovering of the marker for the first time by the Boy Scouts and the PA Game Commission.

PA Sen. Jim Ferlo made remarks. Sen. Ferlo was representing the PA Historical and Museum Commission at this presentation.

Joe Stefko of the PA Game Commission reads the marker for the first time.

Joseph Stefko, Supervisor of the Pennsylvania Game Commission, made the following remarks:

October 31, 2009

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, Senator Ferlo, Senator Costa, Representative Readshaw, members of the Carrick Overbrook Historical Society, fellow conservationists, family and friends. My name is Joe Stefko and I am the Wildlife Education Supervisor for the South West Region of the PA Game Commission headquartered in Ligonier, Pennsylvania. Earlier this week my Regional Director Matthew Hough asked me if I would attend a dedication ceremony for a historical marker to be placed in Carrick, PA for a former commissioner named John M. Phillips. I have been with the commission as an officer since the early 80s, I have taught and been on staff at the Ross Leffler School of Conservation and have been the Southwest Region Wildlife Education Supervisor for the past 15 years but I was unfamiliar with Commissioner Phillips and his accomplishments. I first sat down with our publication, PA Game Commission 1895 – 1995, which is our history of the agency and then with that tool we rely on so much in this day and age the internet and now have a very comprehensive picture of the involvement, efforts and accomplishments of John M. Phillips in Pennsylvania’s rich hunting heritage.

His list of accomplishments as a conversationalist and protector of wildlife is endless but I would like to call attention to just a few. Early in World War 1 John established and was an officer in the “BUCKSHOT BRIGADE” which was a collection of over 4000 hunters that formed a home guard unit for Allegheny County while his South Side steel plant produced Artillery Guns and LST Landing Craft for the war effort. That same sentiment holds true in today’s world. While listening to David Letterman on late night TV he was interviewing General Norman Swartskopf after the first gulf war and he posed the question. Given the military might of all the countries of the world who in this day and age would you look at to be our most formidable adversary? To which the general replied I don’t think there would be any question it would be the Soviet Union. David then asked him who he would rate second. The general hesitated then smiled and said Pennsylvania on the opening day of deer season.

John was instrumental in the formation of a new state agency in 1895 to become known as the Pennsylvania Game Commission and became one of its six sitting commissioners in 1905 serving some 15 years with the agency. He was instrumental in the restoration of whitetail deer herds to the commonwealth sponsoring the early buck law when numbers were low and later an antlerless season when the species had recovered. He launched a fight to establish the first hunting license in 1905 and saw it become reality in 1913 with a price of $1.00. He later lobbied for a license increase and in one public meeting made the comparison. A boy scout pays 5 cents per week dues to belong to scouting which amounts to $2.60 per year. During that year they plant trees and shrubs for wildlife, build brush piles, erect bird and wildlife boxes and even make trips a field in the winter months to feed the deer and wildlife. On the other hand a hunter pays $2.00 for a license and can hunt everything. They got the license increase. During the 30’s he vigorously campaigned to save valuable marshlands in Crawford County, which would later be known as Pymatuning State Park.

By far his greatest legacy to our agency and the people of the Commonwealth has been the establishment of the State Game Lands system. From his early crusade and purchase of 6288 acres of land in Elk County formally known as State Game Lands #25 has evolved a game lands system encompassing over one and a quarter million acres, a land base larger that the entire state of Delaware. Through our wise management of these resources we are able to perpetuate acquisition of future parcels through timber and natural gas revenue all the while managing the habitat for an abundance of game and non game species. What is really significant about this accomplishment is that these Game Lands are set aside for all Pennsylvanians to enjoy, hunters and non hunters alike, and for this legacy alone all Pennsylvanians owe him a tremendous debt of gratitude. On behalf of the current officers, staff, deputies, hunter-trapper education instructors, volunteers and the thousands of dedicated hunters and trappers in the state of Pennsylvania I say THANK YOU JOHN M. PHILLIPS.

Joseph V. Stefko Wildlife Education Supervisor PA Game Commission 4820 Route 711 Bolivar, PA 15923

Boy Scout Troop 614, formerly the original Silvertip Troop 1 founded by John M. Phillips

Bill Phillips, grandson of John M. Phillips, with his son.

The day after the dedication - sunny and warm - Helena Rudiak and the marker.

By Ken McCarthy

Carol Anthony grew up in Carrick and remembers walking past the mansion overlooking Brownsville Road and wondering who lived in the big house and what their lives must be like.

"It took 50-some years, but I finally had my questions answered," said Ms. Anthony, a founding member of the Carrick-Overbrook Historical Society.

The historical group did research, raised money and has now erected a historical marker honoring John M. Phillips, the former owner of the mansion, which was called Impton and is now the site of St. Pius X Church.

"When we got involved in this and started putting it together, it was interesting to note how many people became educated through the process," said John Rudiak, a member of the historical society. "People would go to Phillips Park, but they didn't know why it was called that. Even the Game Commission largely forgot about his contributions."

Mr. Phillips was the creator of the State Game Lands, which were used as models for the rest of the country, Mr. Rudiak said. He also was one of the founders of Pymatuming State Park.

In addition, he helped start the first Boy Scout troop in the state, although he was never a Scout himself, Mr. Rudiak said.

Phillips Elementary School also is named after Mr. Phillips.

Born in 1863, Mr. Phillips was a conservationist, industrialist and engineer. He was president of Phillips Mining and Manufacturing Co. on the South Side.

The historical society received approval in July for the marker from the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission but needed to raise about $1,350 to pay for about half the cost of the bronze piece.

Mr. Rudiak said that was achieved through individual donations, including about half from Mr. Phillips' descendents. Some of the Phillips family attended the Oct. 31 ceremony to unveil the marker.

"It was the first time many of them had stepped foot on the property for years," Mr. Rudiak said. "But they remembered being there as children."

"As we dug into the history, we became more and more impressed by what this one family was able to achieve," Ms. Anthony said. "We wanted to share what we were finding."

Julia Tomasic, another founding member of the historical society, said seeing old photos of the Phillips' mansion piqued her interest to find out more about the family.

"I mean this house and all the questions you might consider when seeing something that isn't there anymore kept me obsessed," she said. "I see Carrick as a typical city neighborhood with its typical issues, but I also see a gem in our rich history. It was forgotten, but I want it to live on and let the next 100 years of Carrick residents remember when things get rough here that this place is worth fighting for. It's worth saving."

Natalia Rudiak, a member of the historical society and city councilwoman-elect for District 4, believes the marker can offer hope to Pittsburgh's Carrick neighborhood.

"Many residents do not realize what wonderful history they have in their own backyards, and we hope folks are inspired by the past to feel confident in the future," she said. "This is not just a historical marker, but it was a foundation for our community."

Freelance writer Ken McCarthy can be reached in care of suburbanliving@post-gazette.com.

[Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09323/1014574-55.stm#ixzz0XXrd1lFQ]