stol, that came first. He served as a member of the Borough Council for more than thirty years. As the active head of the two Bristol banks he gave wise counsel as well as financial advice to many local family (Hutton 131). Grundy's love for his community did not end with his death on March 3, 1961. The millions left to charity under his will including the establishment of both the Margaret R. Grundy Memorial Library and the Radcliffe Street home as a museum, are simply extensions of his interest in good citizenship in general and in his home town in particular (Hutton 130). A reporter for an independent Bucks County newspaper interviewed Joseph Grundy in 1909 and commented, "And Joseph Ridgeway Grundy, asking and receiving nothing refusing honors other men plan and struggle for, fights and spends because he loves his country, state, county, and neighbors." When he became convinced that new fire fighting equipment was a real need in Bristol, he ordered it without consulting anyone, and paid the bill himself (Hutton 131). Certainly the Pennsylvanian felt it in abundance for his family, his home town, and his state (Hutton 132).Those who admired him called The Pennsylvanian, because of his zeal for an interest in his state (Hutton 1). Joe's zest for life, his ingrained sense of civic responsibility, quiet confidence and relentless ambition all stemmed from parental influence. Grundy came from just such a line of upper class, socially prominent Quakers (Hutton 33). Such an atmosphere probably explains his life-long cheerfulness and imperturbability qualities stemming from the warm security of a happy home life. Young Joe Grundy basked in the affection of both maternal and paternal grandparents as well as devoted parents (Hutton 56). With his blonde good looks, merry blue eyes, and bubbling humor, he never lacked feminine companionship (Hutton 71). Many explained Grundy's bachelorhood in terms of his Victorian sense of responsib...
