Albert Lexie (August 1, 1942- October 16, 2018) was a

shoeshiner Shoeshiner or boot polisher is an occupation in which a person cleans and buffs shoes and then applies shoe polish, a waxy paste to give a shiny appearance and a protective coating. They are often known as shoeshine boys because the job was tr ...

from

Monessen, Pennsylvania Monessen is a city in southwestern Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, United States, located along the Monongahela River. The population was 6,876 at the 2020 census. Steel-making was a prominent industry in Monessen, and it became a third-class ...

, United States, who was known for his donations to charity. Lexie worked at the

Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP), popularly known simply as Children's, is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the only hospital in Greater Pittsburgh dedicated solely to the care of infants, children, teens an ...

since the early 1980s. As of February 2013, he had donated $200,000 over the course of his career to the Free Care Fund, more than a third of his lifetime salary. Lexie built himself a shoeshine box while in eighth grade

shop class Industrial arts is an educational program that features the fabrication of objects in wood or metal using a variety of hand, power, or machine tools. Industrial Arts are commonly referred to as Technology Education. It may include small engine ...

Monessen High School Monessen High School is a high school located in Monessen, Pennsylvania. It is part of the Monessen City School District and is the only high school within the city of Monessen. The school colors are black and white. The official high school masc ...

, the last year he attended school. In June 1999, he was awarded an honorary diploma from Monessen High School. Lexie was recognized by ''People'' magazine's "All-Stars Among Us" program and was honored by ''People'' and the

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball league composed of 30 teams, divided equally between the National League (baseball), National League (NL) and the American League (AL), with 29 in the United States and 1 in Canada. MLB i ...

organization at the

Major League Baseball All-Star Game The Major League Baseball All-Star Game, also known as the "Midsummer Classic", is an annual professional baseball game sanctioned by Major League Baseball (MLB) and contested between the all-stars from the American League (AL) and National ...

Anaheim, California Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orang ...

, on July 13, 2010. In 2006, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame for Caring Americans by the Caring Institute. On March 12, 2012, the biography ''Albert's Kids: The Heroic Work of Shining Shoes for Sick Children'' () was published by RoseDog Books and the Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh Foundation. Lexie died on October 16, 2018, at the age of 76.

References

External links

Biography of Albert Lexie
provided by

UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh (CHP), popularly known simply as Children's, is part of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center and the only hospital in Greater Pittsburgh dedicated solely to the care of infants, children, Adolescen ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lexie, Albert 2018 deaths People from Monessen, Pennsylvania Shoeshiners 1942 births 20th-century American philanthropists

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