Kathleen Sullivan

Ordinary riches can be stolen.
Real riches can not.
In your soul are infinitely precious things.
They can not be taken from you.
Oscar Wilde

Riches to Kathleen Sullivan are Family and Friends. They are the core of her being and she holds them dear to her. She is being honored this year at the 10th Annual Delaware Valley Irish Hall of Fame Dinner, having been chosen because of her work with the Irish Memorial. Kathleen’s tireless efforts were paramount to its success.

The night we agreed to meet for this interview was one of those hot, muggy, thick July evenings. We met for dinner and started out on the terrace of the restaurant. She sat there cool, calm and composed, beautifully dressed in a white linen suit and a black ruffled blouse looking positively stunning, sophisticated and self assured. This alliteration fits Kathleen Sullivan perfectly because she is a true Irish beauty- burnished copper hair and flawless white skin. She is one of those women about whom the Bards wrote their lilting lyrics. And, underneath that Celtic façade there lays a dynamic woman.

There are many layers to Kathleen but the foundation is family. Her Irish roots are Wexford (via her Mom, Kathryn Hannify) and Cavan (Dad, Larry Sullivan). Larry and Kate met at ages 15 and 16. It was love at first sight and they married three years later. The Sullivan’s settled in Kensington, Ascension Parish, and had a large family…nine children. There were five boys and 4 girls in this order; Larry, Joe, Dennis, Kathleen, Patricia, Denise, Karen, Michael and Patrick.

Kathleen speaks of her family in loving terms; very nurturing, lots of fun, little money, competitive, equal opportunities. Everyone pitched in. The Sullivan children were a true team; teaching, sharing but mostly loving each other. Her interaction with so many different personalities taught her how to resolve conflicts.

Love of community is a second layer to Kathleen. She is proud to be from Kensington and raved about the benefits. One of these was the McVeigh Center, their home away from home. It offered many activities such as sports, civic and social events. The Sullivan kids competed citywide in basketball, soccer, swimming and many other sports. One of Kathleen’s coaches was a former Olympian, Pearl Nightingale, who took her swim team to a new level. This was a lesson to Kathleen in leadership.

Kathleen Sullivan went to Little Flower High School. She made “All Catholic” as a basketball player and was offered a full scholarship to Penn State. At the same time Dechert, a prominent Philadelphia law firm, presented her with a job offer; $90.00 a week and 21 days of vacation. The exciting challenge of that opportunity and the freedom from academics persuaded her to take the position. Later, Kathleen went to Court Reporting School and worked for Judge Charles Lord for 18 years. She realized early on that turning down that scholarship might have been a mistake. Her Mom kept encouraging her to go to night school and get her degree. Kathleen’s concern was that she would be 40 years old by the time she finished. Her Mom, Kate, in her infinite wisdom said,” You’re going to be 40 no matter what”. Kathleen Sullivan, at age 39 years, graduated with a Journalism Degree, Summa Cum Laude, from Temple University.

After graduation, she was advised by her friend to volunteer with one of the Mayoral Candidates. Luckily for Ed Rendell, she chose him! Impressed by Kathleen’s talents and energy, Rendell assured her, “I’m going to win this election and I will make you one of my city officials.” That for Sullivan was her start of Public Service, a new layer in her life and a very fortunate one for us, the Irish Community.

Well, Ed won and Kathleen became his City Representative. Her years working for Rendell were a great experience for her. It was a 24 hour a day, 7 days a week job. He was one of the smartest people she ever met, tough, a perfectionist who expected everyone else to follow suit. At the end of his years as Mayor he told her that they were like John Wayne and Maureen O’Hara, always fighting tooth and nail about issues but he knew she had his best interests at heart. Those sentiments meant so much to Kathleen.

During that administration, the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick decided that is was time for Philadelphia to have a Memorial built, dedicated to the Irish Immigrants who were forced to flee Ireland during the Great Starvation. Jim Coyne was given that job. He knew that they needed someone of importance to be an Honorary Chairperson in this endeavor. They met with Mayor Rendell who was ecstatic with the idea. He thought it would be wonderful piece of Public Art and a great tourist attraction for Philadelphia. He immediately appointed Kathleen Sullivan to come on board as his liaison and as they say the rest was history. Jim Coyne, who nominated her as a Hall of Fame Honoree, said she was a faithful member from that day on and she now serves as Vice President of the Irish Memorial. She rolled up her sleeves, helped with fund raising and was a quiet source of support with the City and State.

Joe Martz, who was Managing Director of the City of Philadelphia during the Rendell years and an old family friend, said the most amazing things about Kathleen. “She is incredibly modest, very smart, has an enormous heart and is comfortable in every situation.” He rates her as a phenomenal golfer. Joe followed up our conversation with an email which said, “What makes Kathleen Sullivan special is the size of her heart, the breadth of her mind and the depth of her soul.” He said that she enriches the lives of many people and that what he knows about her family and friends, hers is a particularly “rich life.”

Sadly, the family lost their Mom this year but she along with Dad bestowed real riches to the Sullivan’s and Kathleen has shared these with us.

Kathy McGee Burns
President