His passing today at age 78 has many celebrating his pioneering achievements.
Hardy Williams blazed so many trails in this town, it is difficult to list them all in one sitting. His legacy is summed up by someone who blazed a lot of those trails with him.
"Today there is a black mayor in the city, black police commissioner in the city, a black district attorney in the city, and a black school superintendent in this city, and without what Hardy Williams started 42, 43 years ago, that would not be the case today," former Philadelphia mayor, Wilson Goode, Sr. said.
Goode, Philadelphia's first black mayor, served as Williams' campaign manager back in 1971 when Williams battled Frank Rizzo for mayor.
12 years later, Wilson Goode won the mayor's office with the support of organizations Williams started.
Current mayor of Philadelphia, Michael Nutter, is an equal admirer of Hardy Williams and cherishes his accomplishments.
"There are numerous elected officials in Philadelphia and parts of the state who would not be in office but for his trailblazing work, his commitment to justice, his particular focus," Mayor Nutter said.
His son Anthony now holds his father's old senate seat in West Philadelphia.
