James F. Brockson Sr., 80, GE employee

James F. Brockson Sr., 80, of Prospect Park, a retired General Electric Co. employee and a civic activist, died Sunday, Feb. 26, at home of complications from Parkinson's disease.

On July 4, 2005, Mr. Brockson received Prospect Park's Citizen of the Year award, recognizing almost 40 years of service to the borough.

Mr. Brockson cofounded the Prospect Park Youth Club in 1967 and served as president. He coached the club's senior boys' traveling baseball team for many years and also coached bowling and basketball teams.

A longtime Republican committeeman, Mr. Brockson served on the Prospect Park Borough Council in the 1970s and 1980s and served on the borough's planning commission, parks and recreation commission, and zoning board. As president of the Prospect Park Library Board in the early 1990s, he secured a grant to renovate the building. He was active with the neighborhood town watch and was a member of the Optimist Club.

Mr. Brockson grew up in Southwest Philadelphia and graduated from John Bartram High School.

He served in the Army in France during the Korean War.

After his discharge in 1954, he went to work for GE in Southwest Philadelphia. He retired in 1992.

Since 1952, he had been married to his high school sweetheart, Vivian Healy Brockson.

Mr. Brockson enjoyed Eagles football and the music of Hank Williams Sr., and was a devoted fan of Al Jolson. He served on the board and was past secretary-treasurer of the International Al Jolson Society, dedicated to the memory of the vaudeville performer who starred in the first "talkie" movie.

Asked by a Philadelphia Daily News reporter in 1993 to explain Jolson's appeal, Mr. Brockson said: "His mannerism, the way he moved around a stage. Best of all was his projection. He could fill a whole theater with his voice."

"My kids think I'm nuts," he said. "They can't understand it. But I could listen to Jolson all day."

In addition to his wife, Mr. Brockson is survived by sons James Jr. and Scott; daughters Joyce Armstrong and Lynn Gallo; 10 grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

Friends may call from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 29, and from 11 a.m., followed by a funeral at noon, at Griffith Funeral Chapel, 520 Chester Pike, Norwood. Burial will be in SS. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Marple Township.

Donations may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, Box 5018, Hagerstown, Md. 21741.