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Joseph P. Hand, Sr.
Joseph P. Hand, '54 was born in 1936
and raised in the Lawncrest section of Philadelphia. The
values instilled during 12 years of Catholic education at St.
William's Elementary School and Northeast Catholic High School
have followed and served him for a lifetime.
Unbeknown to Hand, early choices he
made were the start of a lifetime of service to others. Hand’s
service to the community began with his acceptance into
Philadelphia Police Department in 1959. During his tenure in the
police department, Hand received many commendations for his
heroic efforts. He is credited with saving multiple lives during
a subway fire; he was promoted to Detective in the department’s
prestigious Intelligence Unit; he was gifted with a key to the
City of New Orleans for his assistance in apprehending a sniper;
and he was continuously entrusted with the well being of
Presidents, Governors, Mayors and other VIP’s as they passed
through the City of Philadelphia. Despite an illustrious career
with the Philadelphia Police Department, a serious heart attack
in 1975 cut short any thoughts of continuing in this field.
Fortunately for Hand, he had begun paving another path in 1964
when he became a charter member of the Cloverlay Corporation.
Cloverlay helped make a young Olympic boxer named Joe Frazier
the heavyweight champion of the world. This membership developed
into the creation of his own business, Joe Hand Promotions,
Inc., in 1971. As his company evolved into one of the premier
sports promotion companies in the nation, Hand continued to give
back to the community.
Hand continued to feel compelled to do more. Thus the idea of
the Joe Hand Boxing Gym began in 1983. It took one dilapidated
building, twelve years and thousands upon thousands of Hand’s
personal dollars to see the gym open and functioning in 1995.
Initially his goal was to build the finest boxing gym and
community program in the city. After developing the best amateur
boxing program in the United States, Hand began to do even more.
Hand saw the gym as a stepping-stone for many kids. He created a
place for kids to learn about competition and accomplishment
within themselves. And it worked! The Joe Hand Boxing Gym was a
fast success, turning a desolate area of the city into a vibrant
hub of activity. Hand realized the prestige of having the gym
win four National Golden Gloves Championships within five years,
as well as the pride in seeing team members represent the United
States at the past two summer Olympic games.
It was during this time that Hand discovered the kids needed
something more than just a place to train. They needed
encouragement with their school studies and access to
technologies that weren’t being afforded them. So Hand solicited
some help from area unions and corporate friends, cleared space
in the gym, and in April of 2000 the Joe Hand Boxing Gym evolved
into the Joe Hand Boxing Gym and Computer Center. Hand dreamed
of seeing children from all over the city entering his gym to
not only hone their athletic abilities but also their
scholastics skills. He fulfilled his dream and takes great
pleasure in seeing children come to the gym with a gym bag on
one shoulder and a school bag on the other. Hand offered a less
fortunate neighborhood access to a 19-station computer center.
It is not unusual to see children using the computers with their
boxing hand wraps still in place.
Recognition of Hand’s work began in 1992 when he was inducted
into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. 1996 saw Hand
recognized by the World Boxing Association as the Closed-Circuit
TV Promoter of the Year. In 1999 he was named the Veteran Boxers
Association Man of the Year. 2000 saw Hand inducted into the
Pennsylvania Golden Gloves Hall of Fame. That was followed in
2001 by his induction into the Middle Atlantic Boxing
Associations Hall of Fame. 2002 was a banner year for Hand when
he proudly accepted the prestigious Philadelphia Sports
Congress’ Community Service Award as well as being honored by
the Philadelphia 76ers as a Hometown Hero. Honors like these, as
well as his current Induction into NECHS Hall of Fame for
Community Service fuel Hand’s desire to do even more.
Joseph P. Hand, ’54 takes great pride in NECHS’ acknowledgement
of his continued efforts in community service. This induction,
by his peers, reminds him of a job well done but it also reminds
him that his work is not finished and….THE BEST IS YET TO COME!
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