Blair County court dedicated to longtime community leader

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — A basketball court in Altoona was re-dedicated on Thursday to a longtime community leader.

Friends, family and community leaders hosted a ceremony and block party for the Donald E. Witherspoon basketball court at Booker t. Washington Park on 19th Street. People who live near the park spoke about the impact the park makes on the community.

“It’s amazing. Things have changed a lot here since they put this park in,” Terry Bookhamer, a local resident said. “There’s kids, they come from Juniata and all over Altoona to come here just to play.”

The ceremony took place on Thursday, Aug. 24, but the park was officially named in his honor last summer. There is a plaque at the court hung in Witherspoon’s honor.

Whitherspoon was also the Blair County NAACP President for nearly three decades.