Marvin and Mickey are the son and grandson of Hughie Black, original co-founder and captain of the Philadelphia SPHAS basketball team. (S.P.H.A.S. South Philadelphia Hebrew Association). The SPHAS were league champions and forerunners of today’s NBA Sixers. The team is featured in the National Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass.
Hughie started Pine Forest Camp in 1931 and Marvin followed in his footsteps as a phys ed teacher and camp director. Marvin, along with his brother in law Ted Halpern, grew Pine Forest into three camps, adding Lake Owego for boys and Timber Tops for girls. Mickey and his family took over directorship in the 1980’s. 5 generations and thousands of campers have enjoyed team sports at their camps. The camps continue to flourish under their family’s care.
Marvin and Mickey both went on to national leadership roles in the camping world. Both served as president of the independent camping industry, representing over 4,000 camps across the USA.
Marvin was an avid tennis player and played competitively into his 90’s. Pine Forest was one of the first private camp’s to host a USTA sanctioned tournament. For his camping legacy Marv was inducted into Temple University “Gallery of Success”. He also received the Jewish Basketball League Alumni Association’s “Mensch of the Year “ award.
Mickey and Marvin were co-sponsors of the Pine Forest Basketball team that won 11 championships over 16 years in the Jewish Basketball League in Philadelphia. The team was honored when it received the Hall of Fame’s Simcha Gersh Award in 2019.
Inspired by their days of participation in the Junior Jewish Basketball League, Mickey and his son Lee, of blessed memory, founded the Philadelphia Youth Basketball League in center city Philadelphia which lasted from 2014-2019, carrying on their family’s long basketball and recreation tradition.
