Kendall Wilson, 73, Phila. Tribune reporter

Kendall Wilson, 73, an award-winning reporter for the Philadelphia Tribune, died of congestive heart failure Monday at his home in Southwest Philadelphia.

He began with the Tribune in 1985 and retired from there in 2004.

Mr. Wilson won the National Newspaper Publishers Association's A. Philip Randolph Award in 1998 for his series on the struggles of African American family-owned funeral homes to avoid corporate takeovers, according to his daughter Kendra Thomas.

In 2005, the Philadelphia Association of Black Journalists gave Mr. Wilson its lifetime achievement award.

"He was a pioneering journalist who covered sports and politics as well as other issues critical to Philadelphia," PABJ president Monique Oliver said in a statement this week.

"Kendall opened the door for black journalists here and beyond," the PABJ statement read. "He was dedicated to his craft, but not only that, he was a caring gentleman."

Robert W. Bogle, president and chief executive officer of the Tribune, which calls itself the oldest African American newspaper in the nation, said in its Tuesday issue that Mr. Wilson was "an invaluable asset" to the newspaper because "he knew everyone and everyone knew him."

Irv Randolph, the paper's managing editor, said in the same article that Mr. Wilson "was knowledgable about the history of this city, who the players were in this city and he just exhibited the best of what you needed in terms of a journalist."

In an interview, Randolph said that when he was a reporter in 1985 and 1986, he would consult with Mr. Wilson.

"Whenever I needed a source, who was the right person to call, he knew just the right person," Randolph said. "He had a wealth of sources and helped me like so many others."

Born in Betterton, Md., he was educated in the Kent County School District and graduated in 1956 from what is now Virginia State University in Petersburg.

A member of Omega Psi Phi fraternity there, he served in the ROTC on campus and rose to captain in the Army Reserve.

His daughter said that "memories will be cherished by Jettie Wilson, whom he shared his life with, and her children, Vondell, Lisa, Karen, Nichole and Alex, whom he raised as his own."

Besides his daughter, he is survived by her mother, Deloris Wilson-Royster; four granddaughters; a stepdaughter, Pamela Hood; and two stepgrandchildren.

A viewing is set for 2 p.m. tomorrow at Francis Funeral Home, 5201 Whitby Ave., followed by a 3 p.m. service there.