ALLENTOWN, Pa. — The City of Allentown held a ceremony on Sept. 18 to commemorate the renaming of Valania Park, in honor and remembrance of a beloved community leader, the late Clyde E. Bosket.
Community and family members gathered in the afternoon heat, chatting and sharing hugs before the speeches began.
When Bosket came to Allentown in 1956, he established his first barber shop at 215 S. 5th Street. He went on to open other locations in Allentown, Bethlehem, and Easton, including his most recent shop at Allentown Fairgrounds, Mr. Clyde’s Barber Shop.
Bosket was valued by many in the Allentown community for many reasons, but one of his most significant contributions was the training of hundreds of barbers in the Lehigh Valley, passing on his knowledge for years to come.
In October 2023, Clyde Bosket passed away at the age of 94, preceded in death by 17 brothers and sisters.
Allentown Mayor Matt Tuerk began the ceremony and welcomed the crowd, going on to recall some memories of Mr. Bosket. Like Bosket, Tuerk came to Allentown from South Carolina.
“The Allentown that he found when he arrived is very different from the Allentown that we all love now, but I was lucky enough to arrive after Mr. Bosket had already set the stage,” said Tuerk.
Mayor Tuerk was followed by Lucinda Wright, Deputy Director for the Department of Parks and Recreation. Wright described Bosket as a mentor, a teacher, an entrepreneur and an advocate.
He made sure that no member of the community was left behind, making an effort to support returning citizens, seasonal workers, and those often overlooked in hospitals or nursing homes.
“But above all, he believed in people,” said Wright, “and he lifted them up.”
The park had originally been named after a school principal, John A. Valania.
“This park is used and loved by so many black and brown families… and many felt that the name did not reflect the voices or heritage,” explained Wright. “Today, by renaming it, we are saying that representation matters. We are choosing to honor a leader who embodies the spirit of community.”
As Bosket was a man of faith, the ceremony was attended by religious figures of the community. He was a deacon at the Allentown Union Baptist Church, and was pastored by Senior Pastor Ben Hailey for 20 years.
At the podium, Hailey recalled how Bosket could always be found singing at church programs around the city, and that “he didn’t have a problem grabbing the microphone and giving you a little ditty from his own arsenal of songs.”
Like others, Hailey praised his entrepreneurship, his dedication to family and his contributions to local barbers.
When the owner of G & A Barbershop, Andrew Jones, took the podium, he was joined by all the other barbers in attendance. As a young teen, Jones was one of many whom Bosket took under his wing.
Jones praised Bosket for not only teaching him how to build a business, but also creating a respectful and welcoming culture within barbershops that he hopes to uphold in his own.
As the ceremony neared its end, Bosket’s son Dan took the podium and invited several of his family members to join him.
He furthered the sentiment that his father was an invaluable member of the community, telling of how he was a church trustee prior to being a deacon, as well as a superintendent of the Sunday school.
He also worked with the Department of Corrections and trained individuals to become barbers, providing them with a career upon their release.
“That’s the type of spirit that he had,” Dan Bosket said. “He wanted to basically make sure that people were going to be successful entrepreneurs, and that they would flourish.”
Closing out the ceremony, state representative Peter Schweyer took the podium. He recalled how his office had once been located in the K. Leroy Irvis building in Harrisburg, and, not knowing much about the man behind the name, he conducted some research and discovered the significance of his contributions.
“I tell you that story because naming things sometimes seem silly, sometimes it seems trite,” Schweyer explained. “And there are times where cynics will say naming things is just a cheap political ploy. It’s not. It’s an opportunity for us to sit back and reflect on and learn about those individuals who came before us to help build the community that we live in.”
Attendees then gathered around the entrance to the now Clyde E. Bosket, Sr. Park, watching as the Parks service officially installed the new sign.
