Sign Installed in Renovated Ned Wolf Park Commemorates Ned’s “Burning Passion for Social Justice”

In April, 2011 a sign was placed in Ned Wolf Park, located at the corner of Ellet and McCallum Streets, to commemorate the life and work of Edwin (Ned) C. Wolf, the Law Center’s first Executive Director. The park, located in Philadelphia’s West Mt. Airy neighborhood, was posthumously dedicated to Ned in 1979. The placement of this sign marks the end of a renovation project that began in the fall of 2006, when neighbors in the area organized to transform the previously neglected space, remodeling the park and planting over 1400 plants.

The sign reads:

“This park is dedicated to the memory of Edwin (Ned) C. Wolf (1939–1976). With a burning passion for social justice, Ned Wolf worked tirelessly to correct social inequalities in Philadelphia and the nation. As an assistant district attorney and civil rights lawyer he took on cases that tackled tough issues: fair policing, equal opportunity housing and employment, and integration of the Philadelphia School Board.

He helped found the Public Interest Law Center of Philadelphia in 1974 to “advance the Constitutional promise of equal citizenship to all persons irrespective of race, ethnicity, national origin, disability, gender or poverty. 

Ned Wolf also strove to create a diverse West Mount Airy, serving twice as president of West Mount Airy Neighbors.”

The sign quotes Ned: “Some lawyers I know lead two lives – their regular work and then this sort of thing, which interests them. It’s rough on them. I lead only one life.”