Cynthia Roberts, 62, a leader in University City community

Cynthia Roberts, 62, former director of the Parent-Infant Center in West Philadelphia, and a dynamic leader in the University City community, died Wednesday, Feb. 10, of complications from pancreatic cancer at Penn Hospice at Rittenhouse.

Ms. Roberts, along with her husband, Inquirer politics editor Daniel R. Biddle, was a fixture in the Spruce Hill neighborhood for more than 30 years - as a tireless civic worker and the driving force behind the revival of Clark Park, just a few blocks from the couple's home.

Ms. Roberts was perhaps best known for taking the reins of the child-care and after-school center at 42nd and Spruce Streets in 2007, after the death of its previous director, and developing it into one of the city's largest day-care facilities.

"She was the best of us," said neighbor and friend Murray Dubin. "She was very accomplished, but never talked about any of that."

When Ms. Roberts first moved to the culturally diverse neighborhood in the 1980s, the couple's daughter, Ellery, was 2. There were few other families with young children, she told The Inquirer in 2010. By then, the demographics of University City had changed; there were more young families.

The Parent-Infant Center changed, too, planning a $1.5 million expansion and programs to enrich learning for the young.

After completing a master's degree in public policy from Rutgers University, Ms. Roberts became the center's assistant director in 2006 and later moved up to executive director.

"Cindy had to rehab a four-story building and raise a million dollars," said Judy Borie, who assisted Ms. Roberts on the business side part time. The project came in on schedule and under budget.

"It's a wonderful building," Borie said. "I would say that Cindy in those years found her real niche was making things work, putting the pieces together in orderly fashion so that you didn't end up with any extras.

"She loved that job and was very proud of it," Borie said. "The tragedy was that she died so young, because there was a lot more to do."

In June 2012, Ms. Roberts helped launch the Magic Circle outdoor classroom initiative. Keyed to studies linking nature-based learning with healthy child development, the project included a play area set off by an entry arbor.

When the arbor was dedicated in September of that year, she was honored as the director "whose vision and commitment had driven this project forward from its inception," according to the center's website.

Safia Abdullah, the center accounts manager, who knew her for 29 years, said that when Ms. Roberts became the leader, "it was hard for her, being the boss, but she hung in there and we helped."

"Courage is a good word for Cindy," Abdullah said. "She was a fighter."

Ms. Roberts didn't start out as a day-care leader. A native of Dayton, Ohio, she began her career as a journalist. She and Biddle met when both interned at the Cleveland Plain Dealer. She also worked nights for the Associated Press in the San Francisco Bay Area, and at a newspaper in Florida.

While out West, Ms. Roberts came across a news magazine called Parents' Press, a resource for young mothers seeking information on babysitters, pediatricians, nannies, and other parenting issues. A new mother herself, she was impressed by how useful it was.

After the couple settled in Philadelphia, Ms. Roberts, along with friend Sharon Sexton, decided to start a monthly version of the publication geared to the Philadelphia area and South Jersey.

Parents Express debuted in 1990 with Ms. Roberts and Sexton as staff. Initially, it reached 20,000 readers, but by the time the magazine was sold to Montgomery Newspapers in 1997, its unpaid circulation was 100,000.

"We just loved the content," Sexton said. "One year we won an award for the best parenting newspaper in America."

Ms. Roberts also left her mark as the force behind the resurgence of Clark Park, a public green space bordered by 43rd and 45th Streets, and by Baltimore and Woodland Avenues. It was falling to rack and ruin, Borie said.

Ms. Roberts became president of the Friends of Clark Park, a group organized around the park's well-being. She reached out for support to friends, both locals and transplanted Philadelphians.

"I was in Baltimore and heard from her," said Inquirer editor William K. Marimow.

"Let's get this place fixed up and accessible for activities in the summer," was Ms. Roberts' aim, Borie said. "She was with the Spruce Hill Association at that time, and she started beating the drum."

The cleaned-up park now forms the backdrop for a farmer's market, walking paths, a basketball court, and programs for children. "I know that was one of the things she was most proud of," Borie said.

Ms. Roberts was able to galvanize and direct others toward a goal because of her deep people skills, friends said.

"She had a great antenna really attuned to people around her, and to what people were thinking and needed," Dubin said. "She was kind. She also was irreverent and could laugh at herself. She was someone you wanted to be with."

Her husband said: "She was the love of my life. And she was such a great friend and so much fun to be with. And even going through this terrible thing she had to face, she faced it with such grace and courage and humor that many people in our world did not realize she was ill. She didn't let it stop her, and she hardly let it slow her down."

Her daughter, Ellery Roberts Biddle, said Ms. Roberts "was such a loving mom." She taught her daughter a "fierce, feisty independence," Ellery Biddle said, adding: "I don't think I could have asked for a better role model."

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at the Arch Street Friends Meeting House, 320 Arch St. Burial is private.

Donations in Ms. Roberts' memory may be made to fund pre-K slots for disadvantaged children at the Parent-Infant Center, 4205 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19104.

bcook@phillynews.com

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