James A. Black, Jr. ’52 died on December 9, 2016 in Wyndmoor, Pennsylvania. 

(The following was published by Chestnut Hill Local on December 22, 2016)

James A. Black Jr., 88, formerly of Chestnut Hill, a retired Conrail accountant and a 2011 recipient of the Chestnut Hill Community Association’s Distinguished Service Award, died December 9 at Springfield Senior Living in Wyndmoor.

Mr. Black retired in 1990 from Conrail, where he worked in the passenger finance department. Earlier he had worked for Penn Central, the New York Central and Norfolk Central railroads.

He was awarded the CHCA’s Distinguished Service Award for making it his mission to clean up and take care of trees and trash within a six-block walk of his home.

Born in New York City, he was raised in New York’s Westchester County and in Nyack, NY, where he was a member of the high school’s championship band and chorus. He played the clarinet.

After graduating from Bowdoin College, he served in the Army in Korea, where he taught academic subjects to GIs.

While living in Stamford, CT, he served as a Scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts for six years.

In Philadelphia, he was a tutor in reading and math studies for six years with the Philadelphia Literacy Program.

He was an avid swimmer who loved the seashore, especially the coasts of Maine, Cape Cod, Long Island and Key West.