A very dear and beloved friend

I met Thelma a year or so after I arrived In Philadelphia to attend Temple University College of Music in 1967. I was doing some work for the All Star forum Series, directed by Moe Septee. Thelma and I became immediate friends. She really ran the All Star Forum Series after Emma Feldman took ill in the late 60s and even when Moe was running it, she kept it together and it probably would not have continued without her unwavering dedication. Later when I formed the Performing Arts Society of Philadelphia in the early 70s, Thelma was a volunteer helping with the reception for the CandleLight Concert Series celebrating the Bi-Centennial held in several historic churches in Society Hill. I help out at the All Star Series as a page turner for a number of artists at the last minute, Thelma knew she could always count on me. We remained life long friends. However, after I closed down the Perf Arts Society in the early 80s, our visits were not as many, although we got together for lunch. She invited to her Buddhist meeting at 5th and Blvd, which was quite an experience for me. I would usually hear from her around the holidays, but for this past Christmas i didn't hear from her, called and left messages and then later found out from the Farnese Casa House and they had her nephew call me and I had heard that she passed away in March in a nursing home in west Philly. I gave a gift to Settlment Music School in her memory. She was a friend like no other and I miss her terribly. May she rest in Peace. Jim Robb