Hall of Fame

Joe "P" marched in his first parade at the age of ten. He first paraded up Broad Street with the "Two Streeters" in the Comic Division. Joe is the first man from Greater Kensington to be honored with election to the Hall of Fame and it is entirely fitting that he be first. Joe P. server as President of Greater Kensington from 1956 thru 1969. In the past 5 years he has served in various offices and is currently a Trustee. His biggest contribution to Mummery, however, was his nine years as Financial Secretary of the String Band Association during the sixties. Joe served on many committees and was instrumental in making contributions to both the Show of Shows and the Mummers Day Parade and to the tradition of Mummery in general.

It has been a great year, 1979, for Ron Moyer and the Greater Kensington String Band. On January 6th, the band won first prize for the first time and Ron Moyer won a Captain's prize for the sixth consecutive year. Later in January, Ron was elected to the Mummers Hall of Fame. It is an honor for which he is extremely thankful and proud. It is deserving. Moyer has been a mummer for 32 years. He was a bass player for 23 years, 7 of which doubled as Co-Captain. He has been Captain for 9 years. He has been an aggressive member helping to build a good organization. He has been dedicated to the band and to mummery. The officers and members congratulate Ron and thank him for bringing such an honor to the band. Ron joins Joe Pisuzko as the the two representatives Greater Kensington has in the Hall of Fame.

Bill first marched up Broad Street as a sax player with the Feltonville String Band in 1938. In 1941, he joined the Joseph A. Ferko String Band. He paraded with Ferko until 1952 when he joined Greater Kensington String Band. He went back to Ferko a remained there until 1981. For eighteen years Bill held the offices of Business Manager, Treasurer, and a Board of Directors at Ferko. Bill returned to Greater K where he now hold of offices of Business Manager and Trustee. Over the years Bill has been a delegate to the Mummers and String Band Associations. He has also served as secretary of the String Band Association. Bill is presently the Publicity Director of the Mummers Association and a member of the the Board of Directors of the Mummers Museum.

This veteran Mummer stated his string band career with the Aqua String Band in 1961. As a sparkplug of Aqua his was elected Recording Secretary and was active in the reorganization of that band in 1963. After joining the ranks of the Greater Kensington String Band he was elected their President in 1973, a post he still holds in his 12th year. Joe was member of the Board of Directors of the Mummers Museum at the time of their founding in April 1976. Other posts held by Joe include a stint as Publicity Director of the Philadelphia New Year Shooters and Mummers Association; Recording Secretary of the Mummers String Band Association; and after three years as Recording Secretary he was elected President in 1981, a post he still holds now in his fourth year. Under the leadership provided by Joe in his office of President of Greater Kensington and his unwavering lead as President of the Association, both organizations have made many innovations and much progress. Joe is a truly able addition to the Hall of Fame and is deserving of the great honor.

Joe was a member of Greater K from 1960 until his death in December of 1983. All the band members are deeply touched that such an honor has been bestowed on one of their members. Joe started his mummers career as a harmonica player in Uptown String Band in 1940. He quickly became a tenor saxophone player and eventually was named Music Director of Uptown. Joe was privileged to be the band director when Uptown made the now famous recording of "Four Leaf Clover" in 1947. In 1960, Joe moved to Greater K, and served as music director from 1963 to 1966, when a brain hemorrhage almost claimed his life. Joe recovered from brain surgery and returned as music director from 1969 to 1972, when he retired as an active member of the band. In addition to being our band director, he taught many members of other string bands how to play the saxophone.

Len was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a member of Aqua String Band. Since joining Aqua in 1986 he has been an outstanding member. His musical talent on the saxophone is unsurpassed and respected by all playing members. In 1989 he became the music director - a challenge to which he is not a stranger. Prior joining Aqua, he was a member of the Uptown String Band. He joined Uptown at age 10, and was a member for 27 years. At age 13, he became music director, and held that position for 18 years. For five years held dual roles, music director and drill director, as well as Vice President. In 2008 he became a valued member of Greater Kensington String Band.

If ever a man was worthy of induction into the Hall of Fame, it is undoubtedly John "Mickey" Mallon. Mickey was always fun to be around. He led Greater Kensington String Band up Broad Street for seven years as Captain. Mickey, a dynamic showman, was a well recognized marching Captain whose loyalty and devotion to mummery was unsurpassed. It was a treat to watch him perform. His big back pieces have become a part of mummers' legend. He was first prize Captain in 1970, second in 1964 and 1969, and fourth is 1967. In 1965 Mickey received an honorable mention award for marching with a 167 pound Disneyland back piece. Mickey started originally with the Uptown String Band and came to Greater Kensington in 1953. He was elected the band's Captain and marched in front the band in the 1964 parade. A back injury eventually ended Mickey's marching career. With him went a degree of enthusiasm and showmanship that was very rare. When a discussion gets around to the "great" marching captains the name Mickey Mallon is always included.

Joe was elected to the Hall of Fame while a member of Woodland String Band. Joe started his string band career in 1960, joining the Durning String Band. He remained at Durning until 1965, when he moved to Aqua String Band. After moving to Bucks Country, he joined Uptown String Band in 1970. In 1980, he was elected Captain of Uptown, and served in that position for the next 7 years. After a short "retirement", his was persuaded to come back to string band, and he did so with Woodland, as their glockenspiel player.

Ed Moyer has played the saxophone since he was five years old. He joined the Aqua String Band in 1947 at the age of thirteen. His brother, Ron Moyer, who went on to be Captain of Greater K, accompanied him. Ed left Aqua for GKSB in October of 1954, and rest they say, "is history". IN 1966 he was a founder of the "new" and present club on Edmund Street. As a sax player in the band for the last 50 years, Ed has maintained an attendance record for jobs and rehearsals of 90% or better most years. Always a family man, he brought two sons into the band. Steven is past music director and Scott will mark 15 years as Captain in 2005. In addition, Ed held office in the band continuously for 36 years, stepping down in 2002 after 33 years as band treasurer. He also found time to help design and build back pieces and props. Ed is a lifetime Gold Card member of Greater K.

Charlie has been a marching member of Greater K continuously since the 1949 New Year's Parade. The only exception was 1953-54 when he was serving our country during the Korean War Conflict. Charlie started out as a drummer and quickly switched to banjo. He has been a front line fixture every New Year's Day for over 50 years. He is a lifetime Gold Card member of the band. Over the years he has held the following offices: President (1962); Vice-President (11 years); Drill Master (16 years); Trustee (4 years); Business Manager (4 years). As a retired Philadelphia Police Captain and Commander of Narcotics & Homicides, Charlie was called upon by the String Band Association to coordinate security for many years as the Show of Shows at Convention Hall. Charlie was also one of originators of the Mayfair-Holmesburg Thanksgiving Parade, the third largest in Philadelphia. Many Association Bands have performed in that parade. Charlie's motto is "To work with others to entertain people and help them forget their cares is truly what Mummery is all about".

Bob's mummer career started with the Gallagher Club 1950. After 3 years with Broomall, Bob an accomplished accordion player joined Greater Kensington and has been a member for more than 50 years. He is a "gold card" lifetime member of the band. Bob's real claim to mummer's fame is his innovative work as a builder extraordinaire of captain's back pieces. He has built the back piece for every captain in the band's 60 year history. Mickey Mallon, Ron Moyer & Scott Moyer have enjoyed 1st prize captains' awards due to Bob's creativity. Being a true mummer, throughout the years, Bob has also built back pieces for captains of Hegeman, Avalon, Ferko, Garden State, Woodland and Quaker City. His ideas changed the way back pieces were built. He was the first to use copper tubing for frames and chicken wire instead of cardboard. The band is happy and proud to call Bob one of their own and again, congratulate him and wish him well as he continues to help perpetuate and improve the great mummer's tradition.

His mummer career began with Trilby in 1964 were he served as drill master and assistant captain. He joined Greater K in 1973 and was drill master (1976-82) when the top prize was won in 1979. He was captain of the band in 1983-86, and he took third and fourth place captain's prize in a hotly competitive (and much larger) field. A lifetime member of the Mummers' Museum (where he has done gratis electrical work), Bob finds his way into many string band causes and within a short time others in the organization are seeking his counsel. While Bob is seen at the band year-round, his wisdom is sought more heavily as Fall move into the stomach-clenching weeks prior to the parade. He has coordinated Captain Scott Moyer's parade performance every year since 2000. He can be found helping build props, giving advice to various club committees under the gun as January 1 approaches. This past year Bob Dicks, 44 years into it, was helping unload props.

Scott joined Greater K in 1981 as a bass player and became captain in 1991; the longest serving captain at GK. Throughout his 20 years of service at the head of the band, he has garnered Numerous top 5 prizes, including a first prize in 2001 and a third prize 1989 as co-captain. During his years of parading Scott Moyer has devoted thousands of volunteer hours to the organization, to various String Band Association committees and to the community at large. He is the prototypical captain; wielding tools to improve the GK clubhouse; hauling lumber for parade props; running fund raisers; recruiting young members and teaching them how build the traditional mummers costumes. Scott is an accomplished bass player and sometimes plays the instrument during concerts. But most often he connects with the audience while his musical comrades perform behind him. His friendly countenance lights up as he performs the traditional "Mummer's Strut" in front of a school hall audience or he dance the polka with a smiling grandmother. "If they smile, I've done my job" say Scott.

Spence White - 2009

A $4 Banjo Turned This Street Urchin into a Hall of Fame String Band Legend. Back in the 1920s, when men were men and Mummers were marathoners, parading from deep in South Philadelphia to distant points in North Philadelphia and back, little Spence White would wake up on New Year’s Day and travel from his home in Philadelphia’s Kensington section to the Big Parade many miles away. His mode of transportation: little kid feet. “Back in those days kids could walk to the parade, it was that safe,” recalls Spence. “Some years I’d walk by myself because I loved those string bands and the banjos, which were such a big deal then. I followed them up the street because of that sound. I would just dream about being in there playing with them.” Now 96 years old, sitting in his Northeast Philadelphia home, Spencer Granville White shakes his head at the dream that became a Mummers reality: a 76-year string band career that this year earns him induction into the String Band Hall of Fame. He moved to Aqua String band in 1950 and in 1955 found his permanent Mummer home: Greater Kensington String Band (GKSB). By then, Spence White was well known for his banjo playing and singing, in the clubhouse, in local taverns (“I remember I played and sang all night in one bar for 50 cents”) and he was a summertime fixture at Wildwood, NJ, establishments such as the old Seven Seas tavern. He won over audiences with his bold voice, snappy playing and sunny disposition. (“I’m not one bit shy.”) And always with him was Elizabeth, his wife of 57 years. Some bone fractures have drastically reduced his banjo time, but as Spence wanders around the GKSB clubhouse on Tuesday nights, greeting those who ask him about the old days, he shows the impish grin known to so many around Mummery. He also retains his zeal for the music. “It’s in my blood,” he says. “To this day if a band comes down the street, I hurry to the door and it’s been that way since I was a kid. I think Mummers are special people.” Because of you, Mr. White, our Hall of Fame today is a more hallowed treasure of string band history.

*Hall of Fame Members*