Steve Solms died last week.
I knew him only peripherally, but always got a kick out of his joie de vivre. Others have reminisced about the time the real estate developer and diehard 76ers fan brazenly walked onto the court during player introductions and presented Julius Erving with a doctor's bag. I'll always remember seeing Solms in the midst of a real estate crash, but looking no worse for the wear at poolside in Las Vegas and flashing a wad of cash while buying a drink.
Charlie Bowser just passed, too. Bowser was another Philadelphia institution - a civil-rights pioneer, fierce political tactician, and brilliant legal mind. He influenced an untold number of young Philadelphians looking to enter public life. I brushed shoulders with him when serving as an intern for the MOVE Commission, of which Bowser was an influential member.
Both men were giants in this town, and also characters. Don't misunderstand. To me, character is a term of endearment. It's a descriptor of a man (yes, maybe it's a guy thing) who lives unconventionally, is usually a risk-taker, and has a sense of confidence and fierce independence. I have been fortunate to know many characters. And watching them lead their lives has enriched mine.
Hardy Williams, who along with Bowser made a bid for mayor in the 1970s, was a character. Williams was another African American trailblazer. He was voted the most popular student in his predominantly white high school class, and when I came to know him later in his life, I understood why.
A contemporary of Williams was Jim Beasley, the famed lawyer whose trial bag I had the privilege of carrying. Beasley was known for his record-setting malpractice and defamation verdicts. He once drove a Greyhound bus past Temple's law school building and decided he wanted to study there. (Today, it bears his name.) In his spare time, he flew a vintage World War II P-51 Mustang. Beasley was a great dinner companion. Give him a glass of red wine and he was ready to litigate any subject over a meal, especially if it involved individual liberties.
