I attended a dinner tonight at The Franklin Institute. I'm ashamed to admit that I haven't been there since I was a girl scout and we had a troop sleepover there. It was the most fun sleepover I can remember. We stayed up all night, running around the exhibits, crawling through that heart. It was better than Disneyworld, and that's the truth.

The dinner was to honor a wonderful man that Philadelphia owes a great deal to - Ralph Archibald, the man who is known as Ben Franklin to Philly residents and visitors from all over the world. You may recognize him from this:


Ralph, or Ben, pretty much just rocks. He's a cornerstone to this town and I don't mean because of the legacy of Ben Franklin as a founding father of Philadelphia and the United States. I mean this man, who is so accurate in his portrayal of the historic icon that even the people who know him personally slip up and sometimes call him Ben, rocks because even when he's not at an event or providing a tour, he's just spotted walking or sit around town dressed in his ancient garb. Like it's perfectly normal to be dressed like it's 1776.

Even better though, is that this man knows his history and is a true humanitarian. Whether giving a national interview or a local tour, if a person comes up to speak with him or ask a question, he will patiently speak with them, or look to find them after.

Ralph is one of those rare people, that I can look at and think, life is so much better than I credit it. I should be doing a better job of participating in life. I should be a better person and remember to project a better outlook. Looking at our Ben Franklin, makes me proud and happy.

So Huzzah to you Ralph!