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MANFREDI William
Birth: 1 Jan 1911 Philadelphia, Pa.
Death: 30 Oct 2010 Ardmore, Pa.
Burial: Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken, Pa.
Notes
awt Stevens Fam Tree
1920 in Phila 1519 Morris St.
1930 in Phila 1519 Morris St. with grandparents
Philadelphia Inquirer, The (PA) and Philadelphia Daily News (PA) -
Friday, November 5, 2010
Deceased Name: William MANFREDI-HONNEY
PA United States
MANFREDI-HONNEY William, of Ardmore, suddenly on Oct. 30. Beloved
husband of the late Antoinette Manfredi (nee Leodori). Survived by his
son Honorable William Manfredi, Judge of Court of Common Pleas. Two
daughters Christina Hampton and Lorie (Michael) Parkin. One
grand-daughter Paris Jennifer Hampden. Relatives and friends are
invited to his viewing Fri. noon at St. Thomas of Villanova Church on
the campus of Villanova University, Villa-nova, PA 19085. Funeral Mass
to follow at 1 P.M. Interment Calvary Cem. Contributions in his memory
to Augustinian Fund Provincial Office, St. Augustine Friary 214 Ashwood
Rd. PO Box 340 Villanova, PA 19085, would be appreciated.
www.danjolell.com
per Eileen Agnes Lynch, "We Are Family", founded the Honney Theatrical
Agency. Booked most of the major shows and stars that appeared in the
tristate area, "allegedly including the first American tour of the
Beatles"
http://articles.philly.com/2010-11-04/news/24953212_1_show-promoter-stat
e-farm-show-benefit-concert
By Sally A. Downey, Inquirer Staff Writer
Posted: November 04, 2010
William Honney, 99, of Ardmore, a music promoter and talent agent who
once persuaded Elton John to take the stage at the State Farm Show in
Harrisburg, died Saturday, Oct. 30, at Hahnemann University Hospital.
For more than 50 years, Mr. Honney booked shows for theaters,
conventions, colleges, corporations, and charity benefits. In the 1960s
and '70s, he not only promoted rock concerts but also put up posters,
collected tickets, and even pitched in on crowd control, according to
his longtime assistant, Bette Volpe.
Sometimes, he also had to cajole entertainers to perform, she said. He
once persuaded Smokey Robinson to sing in the rain at Franklin Field.
At the farm show one year, John objected to the animal smell and said
he wasn't going to perform in a "loo," Volpe said. Mr. Honney persuaded
John to perform after pointing out that he was getting 90 percent of
the gate.
From the 1950s until the early 1990s, Mr. Honney - who grew up as
William Manfredi in South Philadelphia - produced the annual Hero
Scholarship Fund Thrill Show. The event benefited children of police
officers and firefighters killed or disabled in the line of duty.
His biggest job was in the summer of 1954, when he staged a show called
"Pennsylvania Has Everything" in Madison Square Garden for Lions
International in honor of its incoming president, who was from
Pennsylvania.
For it, Mr. Honney spent nine months and traveled 2,000 miles
throughout the state rounding up performers. He had the Coal Miners
Chorus singing, Mummers strutting from every entrance, and a skit with
Walter Cronkite about the Declaration of Independence, Volpe said.
Mr. Honney told Philadelphia Magazine that he provided dressing rooms
for the cast of 400, handled staging and costumes, and directed the
show.
"He was a gutsy guy. He would never delegate," Volpe said. "There were
times he had three or four shows a night, but he made sure he attended
every one of them to assure they were worthy of his motto, 'A Honney of
a Show,' " Volpe said.
Mr. Honney started out in show business at 16, when he played the
saxophone and danced in his older brother Vic's vaudeville act, the
Little Honeys. Later he became a bandleader and in 1941 decided to
become an impresario. A friend in advertising suggested he add an N to
"Honey" and call his firm William Honney Productions.
During World War II, Mr. Honney served in the Marine Corps, organizing
entertainment for stateside troops. After his discharge, he opened an
office in Center City. He moved to Ardmore in the 1980s.
In 1978 he booked Ballet Folklorico Mexicano at the Villanova
University Field House. In the 1980s, he produced a benefit concert at
the Academy of Music starring the Greek-born singer Nana Mouskouri for
the St. George Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Philadelphia, staged a
Country and Western Jamboree at Liberty Bell Race Track, and presented
flamenco guitarist Carlos Montoya at the Academy of Music.
A 1982 gala to benefit Poland featured the Four Aces; singer Bobby
Vinton; Eagles quarterbacks Ron Jaworski and Joe Pisarcik; and a
half-dozen television stars of Polish descent.
In 1994, when he was 83, he produced a fund-raiser featuring singer
Wayne Newton for the West Jersey Health and Hospital Foundation. He
closed his office in 1995.
Mr. Honney is survived by a son, William J. Manfredi, a Common Pleas
Court judge; two daughters, Christina Hampton and Dolores Parkin; and a
granddaughter. His wife of 62 years, Antoinette Leodori Manfredi, died
in 2006.
A Funeral Mass will be said at 1 p.m. Friday, Nov. 5, at St. Thomas of
Villanova Church on the Villanova University campus. Friends may call
from noon. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery, West Conshohocken.
Parents
MANFREDI Vincent (Jim) (18 Jul 1882 - 12 Mar 1951)
AGNES Carmela (Millie) (23 Feb 1884 - 30 Aug 1924)
Siblings
MANFREDI (unnamed baby) (29 Nov 1903 - 2 Dec 1903)
MANFREDI [CHG TO MANFRED] Umberto (Albert J.) (24 Nov 1904 - 22 Apr 1998)
MANFREDI James (Victor) (Vic) (1905 - )
MANFREDI Vincenza (Alice) (18 Feb 1906 - 17 Jan 1997)
MANFREDI Mildred (Carmela) ("Millie") (18 Feb 1909 - 20 May 1986)
MANFREDI William (1 Jan 1911 - 30 Oct 2010)
MANFREDI Lucy (13 Dec 1911 - ABT 1913)
Marriage To LEODORI Antoinette (29 Aug 1921 - 2 Jun 2006)
m. 1943 Philadelphia, Pa.
Notes
Parents
LEODORI Louis ()
----- Mary ()
Children by LEODORI Antoinette 29 Aug 1921 - 2 Jun 2006
MANFREDI William J. ()
MANFREDI Delores T. ("Lorie") ()
MANFREDI Christina ()
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