From Philadelphia to Washington & Back Again, the Fall Travels for the Young & Witty Ben Franklin Continue

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania – November 20, 2013 –   From Philadelphia to Washington and back again, the fall travels for the young and witty Ben Franklin continue.

This past Monday night at the Franklin Institute, the young and witty Ben Franklin joined the celebration of the 150 anniversary of the Solvay Chemical Company, as more than 500 people, including employees from Solvay’s labs in Bristol, Pennsylvania attended a special ceremony.

Hundreds of employees from Solvay’s regional headquarters in Cranbury, N.J., its Bristol laboratories, and plants in West Deptford, N.J., Marcus Hook, Pa., Newark and Marshallton, Del., and Baltimore, gathered at the Franklin Institute to celebrate and hear from Solvay Chairman Nicolas Boël, a descendant of Ernest Solvay.

The young and witty Ben Franklin was joined at the Solvay 150th Anniversary celebration by special guests who included representatives from the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia, the American Chemical Society, the American Chemistry Council, the Society of Chemical Manufacturers & Affiliates and the University of Pennsylvania.

The 73rd Postmaster General of the United States, Patrick Donahoe (left) meets the Young & Witty Ben Franklin at the Grand Opening of the Gross Stamp Gallery at the Smithsonian.
Earlier this fall, the young and witty Ben Franklin was a special guest of the Smithsonian on Sunday, September 22nd, for the grand opening of the William H. Gross Stamp Gallery at the Smithsonian National Postal Museum.  He was on hand to meet guests, and talk about his favorite objects going up on display.  Of course, Ben Franklin is noted as the founder of the first postal service in the United States, and those in attendance posed for photos with the young and witty Ben Franklin, while learning about his role in the history of the post. 
Along the way, the young and witty Ben Franklin has also made personal appearances at dinner events at the General Warren Inne in Malvern, and shared a “Walk with Ben” with visiting groups from out of town throughout Old City Philadelphia.
As portrayed by actor and entrepreneur Rob DeVitis, the young and witty Ben Franklin is not a staid and stuffy historical figure dusted off for bored schoolchildren to pass along the way, more than the face on a $100 bill, Franklin is an engaging and thoughtful figure who was not only a statesman but an inventor, a musician, a writer, a printer, founder of the post office and the library.  Franklin was a multi-talented sensation of Philadelphia in the 18th Century who has come back to live in the 21st Century to share his experiences as one of the sensations of the age.

The young and witty Ben Franklin has earned accolades for his appearances at a number of high-profile public and private events over the past 14 months.  He is a Preferred Vendor of the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau, which enables him to provide additional resources to conventions, groups, and meetings planning to hold events in the Philadelphia area.


The young and witty Ben Franklin can be invited (for a modest fee) to attend your special events, either in the City of Philadelphia, or in areas surrounding William Penn’s Green Country Towne.  The young and witty Ben Franklin can speak to any and all groups on topics including American history, Philadelphia history, and the life that earned him the title “The First American.”  For additional information about the young and witty Ben Franklin, including rates and availability, visit http://www.BenFranklinToday.com.  The young and witty Ben Franklin is also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Ben-Franklin-Today.