Local Community, Friends Mourning Loss Of Beloved Activist, 'True Philadelphian' C.B. Kimmins

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- A beloved Philadelphia activist known for both his hard hat and his soft heart, has died. C.B. Kimmins was on a mission to stop violence. Our Ukee Washington knew Kimmins well and shares his remarkable story.

Friends are hailing Bernard "C.B." Kimmins as a true Philadelphian.

"You could not miss him," Washington said.

Kimmins wore a trademark white hardhat covered in stickers.

He was a Philadelphia schoolteacher whose activism blossomed in the late 1960s. He was out on the streets, confronting drug dealers and trying to stem the tide of violence.

Eyewitness News also spoke to fellow activist Mannwell Glenn. He sought out Kimmins in the early 1990s, and they partnered to speak to school children.

"He took people with him from all walks of life -- radio personalities, television personalities, ex-convicts, former boxing champions, activists, you name it. They came and joined us to comfort these young people and get them to understand that they were valued and they had to work," he said. "People would stop him on the street or wherever he was and say thank you for coming to my school, thank you for taking the time out to talk to me, you changed my life. He would say thank you because you're the paycheck."

Glenn added that Kimmins didn't do this for money and every car that he ever owned was "held together by hope, bubblegum and band-aids."

Friends say Kimmins died Sunday at the age of 76 from ongoing heart complications.