Bill Cosby is awarded Marian Anderson Award

Germantown-born Bill Cosby, son of a sailor and a maid, became the 11th recipient of the city's Marian Anderson Award, given to artists noted for their humanitarian work in the name of the Philadelphia-born contralto.

Cosby - whose folksy humor has been laced in recent years with stern messages chiding many parents for having fallen down on the job - was feted Tuesday night at a gala concert at the Kimmel Center hosted by the entertainer Chita Rivera, a longtime friend.

Cosby, 72, added the Anderson to a slew of honors since he burst onto the entertainment scene in 1963 with an appearance on the Tonight show and two years later became the first African American to costar in a TV series (I Spy on NBC). Cosby has won the Presidential Medal of Freedom, a Kennedy Center Honor, nine Grammys, four Emmys, and, last October, the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor.

Cosby dispensed with prepared remarks as he greeted the 400 dinner guests at the Kimmel Center. Actually, he dispensed with a dress shirt, tie, and dinner jacket - preferring a Central High T-shirt, braces, and suit pants. He got dressed for the concert, where he sat next to his oldest daughter, Erinn.

Before the show, Cosby greeted retired Temple coach Gavin White, who arranged a scholarship for Cosby, a high-jumper, in 1960. "He told me he could do 7 feet," White said in an interview later. "That was the world record at the time. We were at 5-8 at Temple." White said Cosby has been a good friend over the years, treating his coach and his wife to a 95-day, round-the-world trip in 1996.

Cosby provided levity by gasping at the stunning gunmetal-gray gown worn by Pamela Browner-White, chairwoman of the Anderson committee. It was designed by Philadelphia's Melani von Alexandria. "Is your husband here?" Cosby asked in mock alarm.

Jeremiah White, a business consulant, rose to join them. While fiddling with the dress' train, Cosby teased: "She bought that dress and you had nothing to do with it. No lie."

Gov. Rendell gave Cosby a chocolate peanut butter pie from Stock's in Harrisburg. Cosby told the crowd that he once called to get the recipe, and the baker hung up on him.

Upon his arrival before dinner, Mayor Nutter - as would every child of Philadelphia - remembered Cosby "with the 'hey, hey, hey, it's Fat Albert,' and Jell-O and the TV shows, of course." Referring to his later work, Nutter said: "He's a trailblazer who continues to speak the truth. He's also a tremendous ambassador for Philadelphia to the world."

The Anderson, back this year after a one-year hiatus, comes with a crystal obelisk and a $50,000 donation to a charity of the recipient's choice. Previous honorees received $100,000.

The Philadelphia Orchestra - under the baton of maestro James DePreist, a nephew of Anderson, and Thomas Wilkins, music director of the Omaha Symphony - performed on a bill that included opera star Denyce Graves, jazz vocalist Lizz Wright, R&B group Boyz II Men, and pianist Yang Bao, a senior at Girard Academy Music Program High. Another native Philadelphian, comedian David Brenner, did stand-up. Jazz musicians Bootsie Barnes and Tony Williams performed the finale.

William Henry Cosby Jr. left his studies at Temple University in the early 1960s to pursue comedy but later was awarded a bachelor's degree. He earned a master's degree and a doctorate in education from the University of Massachusetts after working on the PBS series The Electric Company and his own Saturday-morning cartoon show, Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

In 1984, his character Cliff Huxtable on NBC's The Cosby Show (1984-92) was ranked No. 1 by TV Guide in its list of the 50 Greatest TV Dads of All Time.

In recent years, Cosby has drawn praise and criticism for comments blasting some African American parents for not raising responsible children.

He counts nearly one million followers on Twitter, the microblogging service, while following only six: the comedian Sinbad, MoviesOnTCM, the tennis star Venus Williams, ESPN, PBS, and Temple football coach Al Golden. Cosby has donated millions to Temple and is a frequent speaker on campus.

Marian Anderson (1897-1993) was born in South Philadelphia and is considered a central figure in the civil rights movement. After the Daughters of the American Revolution barred Anderson from performing before an integrated audience at Constitution Hall in Washington, first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and Interior Secretary Harold Ickes arranged a free outdoor concert at the Lincoln Memorial on Easter Sunday 1939.

Since its inception, the Anderson program has provided more than $470,000 in free public programs, residencies, commissions, and grants to young artists.

Cosby follows Maya Angelou and Norman Lear (2008), Richard Gere (2007), Sidney Poitier (2006), Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis (2005), Oprah Winfrey (2003), Danny Glover (2002), Quincy Jones (2001), Elizabeth Taylor (2000), Gregory Peck (1999), and Harry Belafonte (1998). No awards were given in 2004 or 2009.