1:00 Program
The March Chapter Meeting Featured Philadelphia’s Ron Avery, Writer and Tour Guide
Ron Avery, popular writer and walking tour guide, combined history and humor in his illustrated talk Philadelphia in a Nutshell!

A native Philadelphian, Avery was a newspaper reporter in the city for 31 years. His lively Daily News column "Poor Ronald’s Almanac"is still remembered. After retirement, he lectures to Elderhostel groups, leads sought-after walking tours for Friends of Independence and other groups, and has authored three books on Philly: Beyond the Liberty Bell, a guide book; City of Brotherly Mayhem, a book on Philadelphia crime; and A Concise History of Philadelphia.

Avery’s "Poor Ronald’s Almanac" featured our founder, Frank Muhly on March 18, 1992, under the headline "Lewis and Clark started here" with the tag line "In 1803, the great minds of American science were concentrated in Philadelphia, 'the Athens of America.' The city also was the best place on the continent to outfit an expedition." Frank was photographed standing between the portraits of the explorers, then at the Portrait Gallery Second National Bank. (The portraits have now been moved to the First Bank of the United States, while the Portrait Gallery undergoes an extensive renovation. A new exhibit in the First Bank is to open the first week in March, according to National Park Service staff.)