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Donald M. Black, Sr.
Barbara Bloom
Stuart Bogom
Doris L. Clinkscale
Julie Cox
Kate and Thomas Deahl
Fred Dedrick
George C. Draper
Bob Elfant
Fran Emery
Ann and Bill Ewing
David Fellner
Robert Fluhr
Dorothy Guy
Jean Harland
The Hartsfields
Yvonne Haskins
Pat Henning
Lucy Hill
The Johnson Sisters
Andre Johnson
Esther Kahn
Maurice Kilson
Kimbleton and Miller
Andy Lamas
Martha Kent Martin
The Moraks
Robert N.C. Nix II
John and Mary Nolan
Jim Peterson
Debby Pollak
Shirley Ransome
Daisy Reddick
Harold Rush
Steve Stroiman
Tim Styer
Yvonne Thompson-Friend
Mabel Williams
Dr. William Winston
Dan Winterstein
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George C. Draper
George C. Draper has been one of the leaders of the Upper
Wissahickon Civic Association (UWCA) since it was founded in the early 1990s.
UWCA is an association devoted to improving life in the Wissahickon Avenue /
Allens Lane  area.
A primary goal of the group is, according to George, “to preserve the beauty
of the area.” It also honors young people in the area who graduate from or do
particularly well in school. It works to reduce crime in the area. And it keeps
an eye on local and state government for the members of the association. As
George jokingly puts it, “We are busybodies.”
George has served as recording secretary of UWCA for two
years and chairperson of UWCA’s fund raising project for the last four years.
He is a liaison person for UWCA with other community organizations. And, given
his experience as a retired sergeant of the Philadelphia Police Department, he
helps his neighbors who have concerns about safety and security in the
neighborhood.
In addition to his work with UWCA, George served on the
steering committee of Wissahickon Avenue Neighbors, a group formed to oppose the
widening of Wissahickon Avenue. George says “The state wanted to cut down
trees and widen the road. We convinced them to see things our way.” The road
was basically unchanged but the state “improved some areas where there had
been frequent accidents.”
George has lived in Mt. Airy for 25 years. He says it “is
the best move I ever made.” As a member of the Police Department he was not
regularly assigned to Mt. Airy. But when he was in charge of the anti-crime unit
he would “put two or three teams up in Mt Airy” even though Mt. Airy is
“not the best place to look for criminals.” But the teams he put in Mt. Airy
did “come up here and make some good arrests” as did George himself on one
occasion. He also recalls that when he was the sergeant in the 35th district,
the sergeant in the 14th district was sometimes out. So, for two or three weeks,
“I had the 14th district as well.”
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