NEW EXHIBIT ENHANCES ALREADY-POPULAR PHILLY NEIGHBORHOOD TOUR
GPTMC, Girard College and State Museum of PA Commemorate Brown vs. Board of Education

Philadelphia, May 10, 2004 — The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) is adding a new dimension to this season’s Philadelphia Neighborhood Tours by incorporating the exhibit, Overcoming Barriers: The Integration of Girard College, on loan to Girard College from The State Museum of Pennsylvania. Incorporating the exhibit, which chronicles the journey of the first African American students to be admitted to Girard College, into the Philadelphia’s Civil Rights Struggle tour is particularly timely as 2004 marks the 50^th anniversary of the historic Brown vs. the Board of Education ruling, banning racial segregation in public schools.

The exhibit, focusing on the 1968 integration of Girard College, enhances GPTMC’s already-popular Philadelphia’s Civil Rights Struggle tour, taking place this season on May 15, 2004. The three-hour excursion recounts significant moments in Philadelphia’s history by taking participants to North Philadelphia, the epicenter of the city’s civil rights struggle. While at Girard College, the site of dramatic protests during this tumultuous time, tour participants will view the Overcoming Barriers exhibit, which employs photographs, letters and artifacts to recount the Hicks family’s struggle to have their sons admitted to Girard College. One of the exhibit’s highlights is an interview with Theodore Hicks, recalling his experience in gaining admittance to, attending and graduating from Girard College.

The Neighborhood Tourism Network is a GPTMC-sponsored coalition of community-based organizations dedicated to the economic and cultural development of their communities through cultural and heritage tourism. For tour reservations, call GPTMC at (215) 599-2295 or e-mail ntn@gophila.com.

The hours for the Overcoming Barriers: The Integration of Girard College exhibit are Wednesday through Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., May 14 through August 1, 2004. The exhibit will be displayed in Founder’s Hall at Girard College, 2101 S. College Avenue. The public may call (215) 787-2680 with questions, Monday through Friday.

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Girard College is a private, full-scholarship boarding school for academically capable girls and boys in grades 1 through 12, from families with limited financial resources, headed by a single parent or guardian. All Girard students receive full scholarships to take part in the school’s strong academic program and to live on campus. Girard is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools. Over 94 percent of Girard graduates are accepted to colleges and universities. For more information on Girard College, visit www.girardcollege.org.  

The State Museum of Pennsylvania, Harrisburg, is one of 26 historic sites and museums on the Pennsylvania Trail of History administered by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. For more information on the State Museum, visit www.statemuseum.org.

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia’s regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region’s economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of www.gophila.com/pressroom

May 2004

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