Film honors state’s lion

As a young black man, K. Leroy Irvis really wanted to join a model airplane club…. As a young black man, K. Leroy Irvis really wanted to join a model airplane club. Unfortunately, the other members of the club refused to let him because of the color of his skin.

Instead of backing down, though, he retaliated by forming his own black model airplane club. The two clubs often competed against each other. And according to Irvis, his club won 90 percent of the time.

Purple spotlights and red carpet trimmed with white lights illuminated the Twentieth Century Club on Thursday evening. The event was held to honor Irvis with the world premiere of the documentary of “K. Leroy Irvis: The Lion of Pennsylvania.”

The documentary was presented in celebration of Black History Month.

Irvis has been a crusader for equal rights throughout his lifetime. In 1947 he organized the country’s first demonstration against department stores in downtown Pittsburgh because he believed their hiring practices were discriminatory.

Irvis graduated from Pitt’s Law School in 1954. During his time there, he was a member of the Law Review. Now he serves as a Pitt emeritus trustee, and in 2001 the K. Leroy Irvis Reading Room in Hillman Library was dedicated to him.

Irvis was elected to the Pennsylvania House of Representatives in 1958. He was voted Pennsylvania Speaker of the House by a history-making unanimous vote in 1977, which made him the first African-American Speaker. By the time he retired, Irvis was the longest-serving Pennsylvania House Speaker in the 20th Century.

Vice Chancellor for Public Affairs Robert Hill served as the executive producer for the documentary and Julian Bond as the narrator.

When speaking about Irvis, Chancellor Mark Nordenberg said, “All of us have been the beneficiaries of his efforts.”

Hill jokingly said he had originally intended to make the movie into a major motion picture with pop star Bow Wow playing Irvis as a child and Denzel Washington playing him as a young man.

Before the premiere, Hill assured the audience they would not be disappointed by the film and compared it to dating. The audience roared with laughter as Hill explained to them that both movies and first dates often have surprise endings. He added that this movie would end pleasantly.

Hill concluded by calling Irvis “the ultimate black Panther.”

The documentary contained many pictures from Irvis’s childhood. Numerous colleagues, family members and friends gave testimonies showing their deep admiration and respect for Irvis. Irvis himself also frequently appeared in the movie to tell stories.

“It’s a very great honor to be a lion,” Irvis said. “It gives you a reason to roar.”

A reception was held both before and after the premiere. The audience was filled with numerous community members, including Mayor Tom Murphy. Each couple attending was also given their own copy of the documentary on DVD.