Kenneth W. Milano, Curriculum Vita
2313 E. York Street, Philadelphia, PA 19125.
215 317-6466
kennethwmilano@comcast.net
www.kennethwmilano.com
Biography:
Kenneth W. Milano is a historical & genealogical researcher with over
twenty years experience in the history of Philadelphia’s neighborhoods of
Fishtown and Kensington, as well as the metropolitan area of Philadelphia.
He was born and raised in Kensington and still lives in that section of
Philadelphia, where his mother’s German ancestors first arrived from
Unterleichtersbach, Bavaria, in the early 1840’s. His family has been in
Kensington for over 165 years.
Ken is a graduate of Temple University, where he graduated from the
History Department, having specialized in American History with a
concentration in local Philadelphia history. Ken received a Bachelor’s
Degree in 1995, graduating “cum laude.” He studied under the direction of
Professors Howard Ohline (Revolutionary America and Early Republic),
Professor Herbert J. Ershkowitz (Jacksonian America), and under the
social historian Professor Allen F. Davis.
Before attending Temple University, Ken served a four-year apprenticeship
as a Marine Painter, at the old Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, where he
worked on the Service Life Extension Program (S.L.E.P.), helping to
restore aircraft carriers for the United States Navy.
After college, Milano taught G.E.D. and English as a Second Language
classes for 8 years at the Lutheran Settlement House in Kensington, where
he met and married Dorina Lala, formerly of Fier, Albania. They have two
small boys, Francesco and Salvatore.
Ken also has a 20-year history in the rare and scholarly book selling and
manuscript business. He currently sub-contracts with the book selling firm
of Michael Brown Rare Americana, LLC, of Philadelphia, where he
catalogues rare books, manuscript collections, and ephemera. In this
capacity Ken has researched families throughout America and England.
While in college and for some time after, Ken worked for eight years at the
distinguished book selling firm of William H. Allen, of Philadelphia, under
the directorship of Mr. George R. Allen. The shop was America's best for
Greek & Latin Classics.
In the mid 1990’s, Mr. Milano, along with Rich Remer and Torben Jenk,
helped to found the Kensington History Project, a community based
historical group that researches, lectures, and publishes on the history of
Kensington and Fishtown. Ken has been an event speaker on numerous
local historical topics for Kensington and Fishtown history. He has spoken
at the University of Pennsylvania, Community College of Philadelphia, and
for the Free Library of Philadelphia, as well as to local public schools and
community organizations.
Mr. Milano also keeps abreast of the genealogical and local historical fields
through his membership in the Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania, and the
Historical Society of Pennsylvania, andthe Association of Professional Genealogists.
In 2008, Ken was elected tothe Board of Directors for the Pennsylvania Genealogical
Society for term of 2008-2010. Ken is the chairman of the Volunteer Committee and
the Nominating Committee. In 2003, Ken was inducted into the Philadelphia Archdiocese’s
Northeast Catholic High School Alumni Hall of Fame, for the fields of Arts/Education/Entertainment.
He was also made an honorary member of APT (Association of Philadelphia Tourguides).
Ken has a large collection of printed books, manuscripts and ephemera
connected to Kensington history. He has also spent untold hours
researching in ancient deeds and maps to clarify the development
patterns that shaped this community. In addition to writings that have
already been published, Ken has written an unpublished biography of
Anthony Palmer, the retired sea captain who chose the name Kensington
in 1730 for the 191½ acres he was subdividing just two miles up the
Delaware River from Market Street.
Education:
1977: North East Catholic High School, General Academics
1988: Philadelphia Naval Yard -Marine Painter Apprenticeship Program
1995: Temple University, BA, Cum Laude, Specializing in American History &
Delaware Valley History.
Awards:
2003: North East Catholic High School Hall of Fame, for Arts, Education, &
Entertainment.
2009: Fishtown Neighborhood Association Community Service Award.
Leadership & Community Service:
1980s: Board of Directors New Kensington Neighborhood Advisory Committee;
Founding Board of Directors for New Kensington Community Development
Corporation; Founding Board of Directors for New Kensington Federal Credit Union.
1990s: One of the founders of the Kensington History Project.
2008: Member of the founding board of directors for the Penn Treaty Museum.
2008-10: Board of Directors, Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Memberships:
Association of Professional Genealogists
Genealogical Society of Pennsylvania
Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Penn Treaty Museum
St. Anne's Alumni Association
North East Catholic Alumni Association
Association of Philadelphia Tourguides
Publications:
1996: Kensington and the Founding of Philadelphia (1681-1800), in Kensington
History; Stories and Memories (Philadelphia: Brighton Press, 1996).
2002: John Hewson; Kensington’s Revolutionary War Hero, in Pennsylvania
Legacies, (Philadelphia: Historical Society of Pennsylvania, Nov. 2002)
2006-present: The Rest is History — a weekly local history column published in the Star Newspapers.
2008: Remembering Kensington & Fishtown: Philadelphia Riverward
Neighborhoods, book, (Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2008).
2009: The History of Penn Treaty Park, by Kenneth W. Milano (Charleston, SC:
The History Press, 2009)
2009: The History of the Kensington Soup Society, by Kenneth W. Milano
(Charleston, SC: The History Press, 2009).
Consultant to:
Perseverance — Todd Noe with the communities of Kensington and
Fishtown, in New Land Marks: public art, community, and the meaning of
place, edited by Penny Balkin Bach. (Washington, DC: Grayson Publishing,
2001).
Finding America in Its First Political Textile, by John R. Monsky, in
Winterthur Portfolio, A Journal of American Material Culture. Volume 37,
Number 4. Winter 2002.
The Jewish Community Under the Frankford El, by Allen Meyers with Carl
Nathans (Charleston, SC: Arcadia Publishing Inc., 2003).
Philadelphia Graveyards and Cemeteries, by Thomas H. Keels (Charleston,
SC: Arcadia Publishing, 2003).
From the Del to the El: a Neighborhood Evolving, by New Kensington
Community Development Corporation. (Philadelphia: Scribe Video, 2005,
documentary)
Palmer Cemetery: The Heart and History of Fishtown, by the Fishtown
Neighbors Association. (Philadelphia: Scribe Video, 2005, documentary)
The Man of Many Vases: John Hewson, Calico Printer, by Kimberly Wulfert.
Folk Art Magazine, Fall 2007. (New York: American Folk Art Museum,
2007).
The Agitator's Daughter; A Memoir of Four Generations of One
Extraordinary African-American Family, by Sheryll Cashin (New York:
Public Affairs, 2008).
The history of the United States cent revealed through copper isotope fractionation, by Ryan Mathur et al. Journal of Archaeological Science, Vol. 36, Number 2, February 2009.
National Radio Interviews:
NPR's Weekend Edition with Liane Hansen, July 13, 2008: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=92499279
WHYY's Chef's Table with Jeff Coleman, September 10, 2009