Alton Herman Chandler was the second child born to the late Alton Herman Chandler, Sr. and Frances (Houston) Chandler on October 4, 1942, in Germantown (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania. He was given the nickname "Butch" in his childhood and never escaped nor outgrew it for some family and friends.

EDUCATION

Al, as he was known by some in adulthood, was educated in the Philadelphia Public School system. He played the saxophone, was a lifeguard at Wissahickon Boys Club, and played football at Edison High School, including while recovering from a broken ankle determined to stay on the team. After graduation from Edison, he attended Penn State University in College Park, followed by courses at Cooper School of Art in Cleveland, Ohio.

BUSINESS

Before starting his desktop publishing company, Chandler/White Publishing, Al worked at the Philadelphia Bulletin newspaper, designing advertisements, for AT&T, for Perkins Industry in Boston, creating marketing materials promoting energy efficiency retrofitting for existing buildings, and for the marketing group J. Walter Thompson, in Chicago, and he also actively supported Black history and achievement. Among other endeavors, Al provided creative direction for the Miss Black America Beauty Pageant from its inception (serving as art director of the Miss Black America Magazine (1970)), supported Black Family Magazine, and served on the First World Festival of the African Diaspora committee (1978).

Al began life as a publisher, founding Chandler/White Publishing in 1983, offering graphic design, printing, custom publishing and marketing services. His legacy includes the creation of myriad publications, including multi-ethnic educational and general books, advertisements, magazines, posters, baseball media products, direct marketing materials, teachers’ guides, catalogues, and learning games. Working with academics, school boards, businesses, sports teams and religious organizations in Philadelphia, New York, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago, he utilized digital and multimedia technologies to generate artistic outcomes. Though many of these products embraced the celebration of Black history, Al’s served a wide variety of clients, producing a significant number of marketing materials for commercial organizations via newsletters and other publishing formats.

President of his publishing company, Al was featured in various newspapers and other publications over the years, including "Ebony" magazine, and "Black Enterprise". He is listed in "Who's Who Among Black Americans" and is profiled on several websites, (www.crunchbase.com; www. gettexbooks.co.in; etc.).

FINE ARTS

An athlete and a businessman, Al also was a talented visual artist. Having discovered this passion during his teenage years, Al fine-tuned his skills as an artist working in a variety of mediums. He produced a chalk mural on his bedroom wall while in Junior High School which remained there until the house was sold. Over the course of his life, he worked in charcoals and acrylics on matt board and canvas, and also expressed himself in three dimensions as a sculptor working in plaster.

PUBLISHED WORKS

Al’s body of published work includes but is not limited to the following:

Magazines:

1986-1990 - Shop Talk Journal, creative and art direction (Chandler/White)

Activity Books & Games:

1986; 1998 - A series of Children’s Activity Books and Games heralding Black scientists and inventors and promoting education, with titles that included:

 Food

 Communication

 Working Easier

 Transportation

 Safety

 The Old West

Sponsors included General Mills and McDonald’s.

198? - Black inventor finger puppets

1990 - Black Women (learning activities book)

1990 - Tuskegee Airmen (Ann Chandler Howell)

1991 - Conscious Choices of African-Americans during the American Revolution (Ann Chandler Howell)

2001 - African-Americans in Gospel, "Share the Word"

2003 - In Pursuit of Grammar (board game)

2004 - Chicago - Color Pretty - Pretty City Books (Valeria Wiegand, Cover Art by Al Chandler)

Calendars:

1996 - The Power of Discovery + the Challenge of History

1998 - Pioneers & Patriots

2002 - The Art of Benny Andrews

2003 - The Art of Benny Andrews, Praise the Lord

2004 - Poetry of Langston Hughes & the Art of Benny Andrews

2014 - African-American Inventors

2019+ African-American Inventors Plus Facts and Firsts

These materials documented over 3,000 inventions created by African Americans.

Event Materials:

2000 - Suriname Festival planning committee

Inter-American Travel Agents Society (ITAS), St. Lucia organizing committee

2003 - 100th Anniversary of the Wissahickon Boy's Club

Posters:

ComEd's, 'Rapp'n Ricky"

23 Black inventor posters

Books:

1972 - “Take ‘Em to Abelene” - A Curriculum Guide to America by the  Franklin House Soul Train and Backpacking Harmonica Band (Photography by Al Chandler)

1991 - The Handbook for all Professionals

1996 - In the Blocks (Ann Chandler Howell)

2002 - Chicago Tours: A View of Bronzeville (Bernard C. Turner)

2006 - M.E.E.S. and ME: Musing of a Mad Matriarch (Grace Carroll)

Akira's Book Club (15 products)

2015 - Can you look around and find those NOUNS? (Julana Massey)

2015 - Akira's Animal Alphabet Alliterations (Grace Carroll w/ Akira Massey)

2015 - Can you Haiku? (Julana Massey)

2016 - Mischievous Akira (Grace Carroll)

2016 - Akira's Happy Tale (Grace Carroll)

2016 - The First Ten Days (Julana Massey)

2016 - Have You Found Those Useful PRONOUNS? (Julana Massey)

2016 - Do You Have the Nerves to Learn About VERBS? (Julana Massey)

2016 - How Could We Live Without ADJECTIVES? (Julana Massey)

2016 - Veggies Don't Scare Me At All! (Julana Massey)

2017 - What's This Word They Call An ADVERB? (Julana Massey)

2017 - Akira's Same Game (Grace Carroll)

2019 - On This Day in Black History: Inventions, Facts, & Human Rights

2023 - Viviane, Oh How I Miss My Friend (Julana Massey; illustrated by Alton Chandler)

2023 - Gaia Discovers Her Super Power (Janice Little)

2023 - Career Aspirations and Postsecondary Access for Today’s Youth (Dr. Gloria Dunnivan, PhD)

2024 - Jegna Program: Outdoor Activity Coloring Book (Jhsiri Massey)

Gaia's Journey Through Grief (Janice Little)

Comic Books:

1986-1992 - Shoptalk

1994 - Ebony Warrior - The Importance of Tools - Ebony Warrior and the World of Science (Eric Griffin, creator; Frances Kai, writer; Leonard Griffey Jr., illustrator)

2002 - Culture Clique

Apart from his creative and publishing endeavors, Al also was a mentor to many and most recently provided an internship for a student in the non-profit organization "Collaborations & Career Access & Aspirations.”

AWARDS

Al received a Certificate of Appreciation from the Southern Poverty Law Center, signed by its founder, Morris Dees, in recognition of his important contribution to the ongoing fight against hatred and intolerance in America.  His name was to be added to the Wall of Tolerance in Montgomery, Alabama, to provide inspiration to all those who chose to take a stand against hatred.

TRAVELS

Al was adventurous and traveled throughout the United States and the world visiting and doing business in South America (Brazil, and Suriname), the Caribbean, Africa (Nigeria and Senegal), Europe, and Asia (Korea).

FAMILY & FRIENDS

He leaves to cherish his memory: a sister, Ann Chandler Howell, a nephew, Fred Howell, a niece, Deneen Howell, a great nephew Jasper Vieira, a great niece, Vivian Amalia Vieira, a host of cousins, his goddaughter, Quwahia Wong-Lee, his brothers of other mothers, and near to the heart female friends.

CHARITIES:

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in Al's name to either College Track (www.collegetrack.org) or Akira's Book Club (www.akirasbookclub.net)

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