Ralph Joseph Flood

 Ralph Joseph Flood, aged 79 years, died peacefully at home in Philadelphia on Saturday, October 25, 2014, after a long battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife, Carol, two daughters, Persephone Braham and Eloise Flood, and two grandsons, Hugh Braham and Benjamin Flood. A native-born Philadelphian, Ralph Flood attended Northeast Catholic High School and won a Mayor’s Scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania, where he went on to earn a PhD. He taught English literature at Gettysburg College and Temple University before turning to public radio, where as a reporter for WHYY he covered labor, science, and social issues. He later moved to the Chestnut Hill Academy where he taught English in the Upper School for approximately twenty-five years. He continued to teach after retirement, at Temple University, where he developed courses on work in America and Caribbean literature.

A lover of the theater and classical music, Ralph spent summers deep in the Maine woods, where he designed and built a Shelter Institute house in 1974. He enjoyed a rich social and cultural life, sharing theater, poetry, and music with many colleagues and friends.

Ralph Flood was a passionate political and community activist, serving as a Democratic committee person in Powelton Village for more than 20 years and actively supporting countless liberal campaigns and causes by volunteering his time, opening his home to volunteers and staffers, and giving generously of his resources. Ever optimistic, he deeply believed that political engagement could lead to progress. Of all the causes he supported, Ralph cared most deeply about social justice and the environment. A memorial service will be held at 5:30 pm on Saturday, November 15, 2014 in the Penn Museum's Lower Egypt gallery. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either the Southern Poverty Law Center or The Nature Conservancy.