YEADON — When long-time Penn Wood athletic director Rap Curry met with the William Penn School District’s new superintendent, Dr. Eric Becoats, in 2020 and learned that Becoats was looking to upgrade the district’s athletic facilities, Curry was skeptical.
Being Curry, the All-Delco basketball player at Penn Wood and a standout at St. Joe’s, he wasn’t afraid to say so.
“He made it perfectly clear to me about the struggles and broken promises that were given to him,” Becoats said Thursday. “And rightfully so, he was a little skeptical of what I would do after all these years. I shared with him that the district would have a long-range school facilities master plan that would include athletic facilities. He said, ‘OK, we’ll see.’”
That forthrightness, so often in advocating for student-athletes, was among the many virtues Becoats and others extolled. Curry, who died at age 51 in July after a short battle with illness, didn’t see the realization of his dream, a $14.6 million upgrade to the school’s football field and track. But at the official ribbon-cutting for the Rap Curry Athletic Complex – Kerr Field, his community spirit would be preserved for future generations.
“Any of you that knew Rap knew that he did not bite his tongue, and that was the beauty of him,” said Gina H. Curry, Rap’s wife and the State Representative of the 164th district. “I am so proud of you Rap for not biting your tongue, and you have taught me much of the same.”
Gina Curry and family members were among more than 200 people in attendance for the dedication. Penn Wood has been using the turf field for football games since September. The rebuild includes a new track, lighting, bleachers and parking lot that is the first phase of a 10-year district-wide master plan. The ceremony ensured that two significant figures in the community, Curry and William T. Kerr, would continue to be associated with the sporting excellence they hope the facility will inspire.
“He was really valued in this community,” Becoats said of Curry. “He worked with, supported a lot of the students, nurtured them. He was more than an athletic director. He was almost like a father, like a brother, a coach. It was very critical for us to make sure he was part of the process. Unfortunately he’s not with us, so I felt that this was the least that we could do to honor his work, his legacy.”
Gina Curry called the facility, “a memorable space for my family in his horrific time.” She and others cited Curry as integral not just in planning but for many of the logistics that came with the building process.
Curry, a Big 5 Hall of Famer, returned to his alma mater in 2003 as athletic director. He navigated a constantly under-resourced program through numerous challenges. That he wasn’t there to witness the field product was “heartbreaking,” said William Penn school board president Monique Boykins.
“I know he would be saying, we’re rising above adversity. We’re rising above the challenges,” said Boykins, who is also the school’s girls basketball coach and worked with, for and above Curry for years. “And he always believed that if you look good, you feel good. And that’s what we wanted to do for our student-athletes and our community.”
Curry will share the naming plaque with William T. Kerr, the Yeadon resident who was instrumental in pushing for the federal establishment of Flag Day. Kerr’s son, Joseph, was the first athletic director at Yeadon High. Thomas Kerr, William’s grandson, expressed gratitude for the “magnificent creation” in recorded remarks.
Having Curry’s name added is a way to ensure his influence continues.
“Everybody will always know his name,” Boykins said. “We will always keep him remembered and will always speak about him.”
