A local basketball legend was recognized at the second annual McKeesport Past and Present Reunion/Community Day the weekend of July 11.
Frederick (Freddie) Lewis was honored by having the street in front of the Swin Cash Recreation Center of McKeesport named for him.
Lewis, a former National Basketball Association and American Basketball Association player attended McKeesport High School. He currently works as the general manager for the Pittsburgh Xplosion, a team of the Continental Basketball Association.
The Indiana Pacers during the ’70s with such stars as George McGinnis, Roger Brown, Donnie Freeman and Mel Daniels were recognized as one of the best teams ever assembled with Lewis running the club from his point guard position.
LEWIS DRIVE—McKeesport’s mayor James Brewster presents a street sign to ABA legend Fred Lewis.
Frank Francis, a major organizer for the event said it was important to recognize Lewis because of the positive impact he has had on the community.
The person responsible for McKeesport’s community day is Barbara Price Spencer.
“She had a vision of bringing the community back together,” said Francis. “We all picked up the baton and saw that Barbara’s vision became what it was.”
Spencer passed away in 2006 before the first community day that occurred the following year.
Spencer was a McKeesport native who left the area for approximately 30 years before returning to the place closest to her heart said Kay Stinson, another major organizer of the event.
“We were a close knit community at one time,” said Stinson.
It is this type of community that is the inspiration for the reunion, with people from all over the country traveling to McKeesport to reunite with old friends and family.
At the formal dinner on the first night, awards were given out to different people, including the person who had traveled the farthest to be there and the oldest member in attendance.
The first event in 2007 was so successful, the committee decided to move this year’s dinner celebration to the Palisades dance hall in order to accommodate for a larger turnout. This year approximately 400 people attended.
The three-day celebration was filled with many activities including a performance by the Black Berets drill team and a registration drive for Sen. Barack Obama’s presidential campaign.