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Proclamation honoring in memoriam James V. Cunningham, Sr. for his professional excellence and contributions as a professor of the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Social Work.
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WHEREAS, James V. Cunningham, Sr., a respected professor in the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Social Work, passed away from this life on March 28, 2014 at the age of 91; and
WHEREAS, during WWII, Mr. Cunningham joined the U.S. Navy where he served as a Supply/Payroll Officer on the DD-877, USS Perkins, which entered Tokyo Bay on September 2, 1945, when the Japanese surrendered; Before joining the Navy, Mr. Cunningham earned both an undergraduate and graduate degree from the University of Notre Dame; In 1969, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cunningham was instrumental in forming the Pittsburgh Neighborhood Alliance which advocated for local citizens in Homewood, East Liberty, Oakland and Shadyside. His passion led him to a 40-plus year career as a professor teaching and writing about community organization and urban neighborhood development at the University of Pittsburgh’s Graduate School of Social Work; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cunningham served as the Democratic Party Ward Chairman of Pittsburgh’s 7th Ward (Shadyside) for 15 years in the 70s and 80s and ran for City Council in 1971. In addition, he was the Executive Director of the City of Pittsburgh Home Rule Government Study Commission that led to the adoption of the City Home Rule Charter in 1974; and
WHEREAS, during the Civil Rights movement of the 60s, Mr. Cunningham had the honor of marching with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Selma, Alabama; He was an active founding member of the Race and Reconciliation Dialogue group of St. Paul’s Cathedral parish and an active volunteer with the Living Wage Campaign for the Pittsburgh region;
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that Allegheny County Council does hereby honor in memoriam James V. Cunningham, Sr. for hi...
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