Homepage of Ben Stahl
 | Ben Stahl 1915-1998: biographical sketch |
| Ben Stahl 1915-1998: obituary |
| The Spirit of Ben Stahl: reflections at his memorial meeting |
| Wikipedia article on Ben Stahl |
| Temple University archives of Ben Stahl's papers |
Some talks and writings:
| Labor leadership in civil rights at the local level: The story of the Philadelphia AFL-CIO Human Rights Committee, 1957-1965 |
| Speech on workers' education and career education. click here to download pdf |
| Labor's New Plan for the Underprivileged. click here to download pdf |
| Remarks on William H. Sylvis. click here to download pdf |
| Vocational Education in Egypt and Israel. click here to download pdf |
| Letter to the Inquirer on Jobs Issue in the City Race. click here to download pdf |
| Letter to FTWP about President Reagan. click here to download pdf |
Biographical note from the Temple Labor Archives
Ben Stahl was a longtime trade union official, as well as an activist for civil rights, and an advocate for education and job training programs. He was employed for 40 years as a representative of national CIO and AFL-CIO.
In the 1960s he directed the Philadelphia teachers and school cafeteria workers' organizing campaigns, which resulted in collective bargaining rights for the Philadelphia Federation of Teachers and the School Cafeteria Workers. From 1969 until he retired in 1982 he was Mid Atlantic Regional Director of AFL-CIO’s Human Resources Development Institute. He was also an appointed member for two years in the 1980s on Mayor W. Wilson Goode’s Commission on Human Relations.
Throughout his life, Mr. Stahl served on various boards and committees as a social justice advocate including Americans for Democratic Action (ADA) and the A. Philip Randolph Institute. He authored numerous articles on labor, civil rights, and employment subjects, and contributed a monthly column to the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin entitled "My Voice" in the early 1980s. Stahl was also the recipient of several awards and certificates such as the James H. Jones, Sr. labor award.
He was a graduate of Central High School in Philadelphia (1932) and attended Gratz College before graduating from Temple University in 1936.