Sherman Wellons Sr. took a look at his daughter's fifth-grade social studies textbook four decades ago, didn't like its depiction of African-Americans and began to complain about it. Before long, he was part of a Pittsburgh Public Schools committee reviewing and replacing out-of-date texts.

It was that mix of outspokenness and willingness to get involved that marked the adulthood of Mr. Wellons, a longtime Beltzhoover community activist who overcame a troubled childhood to become admired for his learned and articulate tenacity.

Mr. Wellons died last Sunday at UPMC South Side after the latest in a series of strokes that began impairing his health nine years ago. He was 77 and had been retired for nearly two decades from the central Pittsburgh office of the U.S. Postal Service.

His community involvement over several decades made him known to many people around the city. His childhood included criminal mischief and stays in foster homes, but in later years he befriended many professors and people from all walks of life through public involvement. He and his wife, Constance, who would later become chairwoman of the city's Human Relations Commission, were influential in both the Beltzhoover Neighborhood Council and Beltzhoover Citizens Community Development Corp. after moving to the neighborhood in 1960 to raise their family.

Through appointments or volunteering, Mr. Wellons served on the city's Cable Advisory Committee and the Pittsburgh NAACP Education Committee, the PennDOT Advisory Committee and the board of the Program to Aid Citizens Enterprise, among other activities.

His wife recalled that when other parts of the city were rocked by violence after the assassination of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King in 1968, Mr. Wellons and other Beltzhoover men organized a group called Big Daddies, maintaining a presence that kept peace in the neighborhood.

"He always believed men should take their part and be strong, as an example for youngsters," Mrs. Wellons said. "And he was very outspoken, sometimes to the point of being brutally frank."

On his serious side, Mr. Wellons read books voraciously and wrote frequent letters to the editor to newspapers. Not one for traditional religion, he founded a group called Community Atheists, Deists, Agnostics and Related Individuals and communicated across the country with like-minded individuals for years.

More lightly, he was one of the biggest jokesters in any group and played pinochle with a passion. Instead of playing for money, he and friends forced losers to consume an uncomfortable quantity of water, to the point where the price of losing was more than any money in their pocket.

"My poor bathroom, you'd hear it flushing every couple minutes," Mrs. Wellons said. "And when a buddy refused to drink, they didn't talk for months."

In addition to his wife, Mr. Wellons is survived by two daughters, Stephanie Wellons of Beltzhoover and Sandra Wellons-Atim of Troy, Ohio; one son, Sherman Jr. of Phoenix; two brothers, Leonard Wellons of San Jose, Calif., and Robert Wellons of Beltzhoover; two step-sisters, Helen Johnston and Virginia Collier of Philadelphia; 11 grandchildren; and four great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at 3 p.m. next Sunday at the Hill House Association, 1835 Centre Ave., Hill District.