A community centerpiece: Angel Brandan, who is now beginning her 35th year at McIlvain Playground, hugs her students last week during an event held in her honor. Steve Schmidt, the facility’s supervisor, declared last Friday “Angel’s Day.” MARIA POUCHNIKOVA / TIMES PHOTO
After 34 years working with preschoolers at McIlvain Playground, Angel Brandan has some funny stories to tell. Her favorite is the one about the little boy who brought his mother’s inflatable bra to what turned out to be kind of an advanced placement “show and tell.”
“His daddy told him to bring it in,” Brandan said Dec. 5 during a party to mark her years at the Frankford playground. The kid showed the bra off and told everybody how it’s put on. It was, to say the least, unexpected.
The Northwood resident began her long association with McIlvain in 1980 as a volunteer with the Tot Recreation program. In 1981, she became assistant teacher. In 1983, “Ms. Angel” took the program’s helm when the director retired.
She is now beginning her 35th year at the playground on Penn Street, according to the facility’s supervisor, Steve Schmidt, who declared last Friday “Angel’s Day.”
Brandan, who also is a crossing guard, has been director of McIlvain’s summer day camp program for the past 20 years, taught a weekly arts and crafts class for five years and led an adult crafts class for 11 years. She has also been a member of the playground’s advisory council for the past seven years.
“Along with her assistant, Linda Fagan (who has been here 17 years), the children enter kindergarten well-prepared for (what) lies ahead of them,” Schmidt said. “Ms. Angel has taught 27 children of children she taught when they attended McIlvain’s Tot Rec program.”
One of those “children” with her own kids in the program is Amanda Meadow of Juniata Park. Two of her children are among Ms. Angel’s charges.
Schmidt said he planned on honoring Brandan as soon as he started working at McIlvain earlier this year and found out she soon would be wrapping up 34 years of service. He told Brandan’s husband, Stephen, kids, parents and local officials on Friday that the City of Philadelphia does not allow municipal buildings to be named for living persons. However, since the little kids in the tot program are known as “Angel’s angels,” he decided to name the room they all use as “Angels Room.”
State Sen. Tina Tartaglione (D-2nd dist.) sent Brandan a Senate citation honoring her work, and state Rep. Jason Dawkins (D-179th dist.) and Kimberly Washington, executive director of the Frankford Community Development Corporation, were at the party to extend their congratulations.
“I don’t think people know how important your work is,” Washington said.
“These buildings are just buildings without people like Angel,” Councilwoman Maria Quinones Sanchez (D-7th dist.) said. “It’s so appropriate that your name is Angel.” ••
