Wesley Kennedy
The swimmers at Drew Park pool were skilled and talented beyond the realm of the general population and most people were unaware of their capabilities. One day, with his father watching beyond the fencing around the pool, Wesley dove from the three-meter diving board. His father’s immediate reaction was to scale the fence to come to his son’s rescue. Even family members had no real awareness of just how proficient a swimmer their offspring really was. Wesley respected and admired his father, not just because he cared about his son’s welfare in the water, but because of the work ethic he demonstrated to his family. It was clear throughout our conversation, Wesley learned from his father and as his role model, he would follow in his father’s footsteps.
Wesley was born in Winnsboro, South Carolina in 1948. Around the age of 3 or 4, the family moved to Columbia and resided in Saxon Homes. Wesley shared that Saxon Homes had approximately 64 barrack style buildings. They were solidly built homes and had a number of bedrooms in apartments depending on the family’s need. The federally funded construction was bound by the railroad on one side and designed as a horseshoe with basically, Drew Park in the center.Wesley lived in building number 63. As several other occupants of Saxon Homes have commented, it was an ideal location to walk to the pool each day and Wesley shared “it was a wonderful place to grow up”. Wesley began swimming at Drew pool around the age of 4 or 5 before moving into the midget boys’ group specifically. He shared he taught himself to swim and dive from a book he had found and read. He added, the young swimmers admired and looked up to the lifeguards and as so many others have contributed, Foxy was one of the favorites. In addition to being good guys, most of the lifeguards were exceptional athletes who competed in a variety of sports. Wesley said he hustled for funds to get into the pool collecting soda bottles for cash or anything that would earn him the money to get into the pool. Initially, he shared the cost for entry was 9 cents, before being increased later to 11 cents. Wesley added though there was just so much to do at the park, it was simple to stay active and to spend the day. The reader is well aware of the many venues at the park including the baseball field, sprinkler pad, community center and a huge playground complete with a merry go round, a horseshoe pit, swings, and everything one could hope for play. Most kids living at Saxon Homes got to be turned loose for the summer and parents could not keep up with all the things they were doing. It has been made quite clear though, the one thing they did not or could not do is to get into trouble. Thomas Martin would have none of that and everyone was well aware of that fact. It has been said during previous conversations, that not only did Thomas know the children who came to Drew Park, but he knew many of the parents, and the youth were well aware of that fact.
When Wesley was 11 or 12, the family moved from Saxon Homes to a single-family home. It was a little out of the city in a more rural area. It made going to the pool as frequently difficult, so there was a period of time that Wesley wasn’t as involved in swimming. After a few years, Wesley was in the position to swim more and at 16, he was trained by Mr. Martin to be a lifeguard and a water safety instructor. He recalls often scrubbing the “ring” around the pool with his lifeguard colleagues. Wesley enjoyed swimming the breaststroke and felt he was good at it. He was also a good freestyle swimmer. Though certainly not his favorite strokes, he felt competent with his backstroke and his butterfly. Wesley’s competition was always his friend Nicky Thompson. That is certainly a name the reader is familiar with, along with his brother Carroll. Wesley said he had lots of red ribbons, of course indicating second place. There were two meets in Columbia each year. Wesley gave good clarification to the difference between a “city meet” and a “state meet” which the Sharks were competitors. The city meets were competitions between “individuals”, while the state meets were “team” competitions. In the city meets members of the Sharks competed against each other as well as any individual who wanted to participate in the event and in the appropriate age category. In reviewing the race results from archived photographs, it’s clear to see that someone from Columbia might take first place in a race while someone from Greenville might take second. At a state meet, the Sharks would be competing against a team from Charleston or Greenwood or Spartanburg with points awarded to the team winning the event. Wesley indicated there were lots of really good swimmers at Drew Park. Both in individual and team relay events, the Sharks often were the winners. Wesley recalls that one time he won a blue ribbon in the one-meter dive competition at a state meet.
Wesley described his father as a common laborer, though there seemed nothing “common” about him. There were times his father held three jobs. He possessed a great personality and a strong work ethic and that was recognized by his employers through promotions in his various positions. His father worked as a janitor for the phone company but again due to his personal traits, was promoted to the position of a lineman and later promoted again to the role of cable repairman which he held until retirement. Wesley’s mom did domestic work and was a seamstress.
Wesley offered a great deal of praise for his teachers in high school. He said his teachers lived in the community and knew their students. He said they “cared about us”. They offered discipline that might have not been pleasant at the time, but was offered as a lesson in life and to help the individual for their lifetime. Wesley shared a statement the reader has already seen before in that he wished they could have gotten new textbooks occasionally as opposed to always getting used books from the white schools. Wesley said they had a good mix of male and female teachers which in his opinion was a good thing as males provided great role models. Wesley said with his teachers’ guidance, you were taught you couldn’t “coast into success”. After high school Wesley was offered a swimming scholarship at Johnson C. Smith University but with five younger siblings, just felt his family could not afford for him to accept the swimming scholarship, and he too accepted a position with Southern Bell, which later became AT&T. He got drafted into the Army and spent three years in the service, in the area of communications, though fortunately avoided going to Vietnam.Wesley took evening classes at Midlands Tech on the G.I. Bill after being discharged from the Army.
Wesley shared being a Shark at Drew pool was simply “fun”. The lifeguards had boxer type swim shorts for when they were working with red and white, red cross, life guard patches sewn on them. When team members raced, they wore speedos (tight fitting brief type swim shorts) that had the patch sewn on them. Wesley stated, “He was proud to wear the red and white lifeguard patch on our swim shorts”.
Carolyn Fair
Judy Fair (1947 – 2015)
As shared by her sister, Carolyn
There were two Fair daughters, but seriously, if one was not aware of the family, most would have thought there were three girls in the family. If Carolyn and Judy were together, Charlotte Jones, known as Charlotte Ann, was probably with them. Carolyn was the oldest born in 1944 with Charlotte Ann two years behind her and Judy a year younger than Charlotte Ann. Someone generally drove the three young girls to the pool each day, but occasionally, they would sneak away and walk to the pool from their home on Laurel Street. The reader is aware that Laurel Street is near Benedict College. Carolyn shared it was a sure bet the three of them were at the pool every day. Carolyn also set the record straight about female lifeguards. The three were all lifeguard certified having successfully completed the lifeguard course. Tom Martin wanted them to know how to rescue someone, though no females were actually hired. There was a belief that girls might have difficulty getting a larger person safely out of the water, thus no positions were held by females. Carolyn and Judy’s parents were both educators. Their father taught history and served as a coach for Lakeview High School, while their mother taught 3rd grade for the Richland District 1 School. Their mother frequently taught summer school. With mom at work during the summer, the girls convinced their father to build them a lemonade stand. The girls sold lemonade in the Benedict College neighborhood to earn money to pay for the pool’s entry fee. The lemonade stand was not something their mother approved of once she learned of its existence. Their dad and the three girls had hidden the idea from their mother, well aware of her feelings about it. One thing in particular her mom did not favor was the girls getting their hair wet each day. Others have made comment to this writer, that this is one reason so few Black women enjoy swimming or just prevents them from learning to swim. One person noted, if you fall off a ship or out of a boat or just[MOU1] fall in deep water, probably the last thing you’re worrying about is your hair.
All three girls were outstanding swimmers and each swam in a different age category. One only has to review the swimming results posted in the newspaper archives to regularly see all three names winning events. Similar to every Drew Park Shark, the girls could swim any stroke, though they each had their favorite and “go to” stroke. For Carolyn, it was the breaststroke, for Judy it was freestyle, and for Charlotte Ann, she too swam freestyle in most competitions.Again, the three swam in different divisions. Carolyn noted that Judy and Nicky Thompson were the same age while Carroll was the same age as Montez Martin. Hardly a conversation occurs with any former Shark, that the Thompson brothers’ names aren’t mentioned. The two were so popular and so well liked by everyone, and were both outstanding swimmers as the reader is so well aware. There is sadness among everyone who knew them, that they no longer are alive.
Both Carolyn and Judy, along with Charlotte Ann were involved throughout high school in various clubs, as well as swimming each summer. After graduating high school, Carolyn enrolled at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee where she majored in biology. She moved to Washington, D.C., attended Howard University obtaining a Master’s Degree and later earned her PhD from the University of South Carolina in Science Education. Judy also earned a PhD from the University of South Carolina in social work, after earning her Bachelor’s Degree from Fisk University and her Master’s Degree from Atlanta University. Judy worked for the Urban League in Atlanta and the Atlanta Public Schools as a social worker. Upon returning to Columbia for her doctoral work, Judy was employed by the Department of Social Services and the Richland 1 school District. She was very active in local associations prior to her untimely death in 2015.
Carolyn taught elementary, middle school and high school for approximately four years while living in Washington and attending Howard University. She returned to Nashville to teach and serve as a Coordinator at Fisk University where she remained for four years. She left Nashville for Columbia where she worked at Brooklyn Casey High School and Lexington District II. Carolyn indicated it was a very conservative district as was known by most people. She accepted a position at the Governor’s School for Science and Mathematics where she served as the Vice President for Outreach. The school was a residential school, with every student receiving a scholarship. Her focus in the position was on the recruitment of minority students from both large schools and rural or low achieving schools. During her career, Carolyn served as the South Carolina Education Associate Director and President of the National Science Teachers Association.
Returning to Drew Park in our conversation, Carolyn shared her first job was that of a basket girl. None of the males to date have referred to working as basket boys. Each have indicated they worked in the basket room. Carolyn indicated that Judy worked with Charles Bolden Jr. in the basket room as well. The readers will remember that the Fair family managed the snack bar. Carolyn shared they only did that a couple of summers, and swimmers could carry an account at the snack bar, until the week’s payday when they cleared their account. Carolyn noted there was strong support to succeed at Drew Park, and at times they were even “pushed” to succeed. The reader hears this time from Carolyn, that Drew Park pool made for lasting relationships. One worked and swam with individuals who later were your co-workers in other jobs, peers in organizations, sorority sisters and fraternity brothers, and friends throughout your life.
Ronald Anderson
“Scum, gutter, flutter”, probably not how one would anticipate any story beginning, but to this writer it was so unusually humorous, he couldn’t resist. What is it? It’s a name made up by Ronald, and the two McIntosh boys, Stanley and Stephen, and it had to do with their early morning routine of getting the pool ready for the morning’s opening. Each morning as they entered the pool area, they had to get into the chilly water and begin scrubbing the “ring” around the pool from the previous day. The three senior lifeguards made it into a competition and the winner got the first break as opposed to having to occupy the lifeguard chairs. If the reader recalls, there were three lifeguard chairs and through the week two were occupied at one time. The third individual, though on break, still monitored the pool deck. On busy weekend days, all three chairs were occupied. Anyway, two of the three boys would begin scrubbing in the deep end which required one to “flutter” or manage to stay afloat holding a brush and a one-gallon bucket of soap. The fluttering motion was with your legs moving to keep you above water. The gutters were around the deck for water outflow and keeping trash out of the pool. Whichever lifeguard made it to the shallow end cleaning first, got the first break the following morning, thus two were competing each morning. Ronald indicated there were other ways the lifeguards competed against each other as well. There was a chart in the office for capturing the number of rescues each lifeguard made. Whenever a rescue occurred, the lifeguard making the rescue was awarded a gold star and it was placed next to his name on the office chart. If the reader recalls, Freddie Brandyburg commented he made 26 rescues his first year, one of those being Ellis Pearson. This writer didn’t ask at the time, how he remembered, but it now has become clearer. Ronald shared it wasn’t unusual for more than one lifeguard to attempt any rescue needed. Each wanted the gold star. Not really, for each lifeguard was so committed to keeping the swimmers safe, each would rush to save someone in need. The “star” was just a nice recognition.
Born in 1955, Ronald has a twin brother, Donald, who also swam at Drew pool as a Shark, though Donald was not a lifeguard. They have a sister, Gail, who swam as well. Gail was two years younger than Ronald and Donald. In all, there were ten Anderson children, six girls and four boys. Ronald and Donald were number 8 and 9 with Gail being number 10. Their mother wanted them to learn to swim and though several were born prior to the pool being built, Ronald said all of the kids swam at Drew at some point. Born in Columbia, the family lived in several different homes with none very far from Drew Park. All of the homes were relatively near each other. They lived off Farrow Road and Colonial Drive in a community called Colonial Heights. Ronald and Lindy Jeffcoat were good friends living relatively close to each other. The only thing the moves impacted were the schools in which Ronald attended, as some homes were zoned for a particular elementary or junior high school. Ronald’s house was located in an area that required him to attend Columbia High School. He attended Sara Nance Elementary School and Withers Elementary based upon the particular house he was living in at the time, and Alcorn Junior High School. As mentioned, he was “zoned” to attend Columbia High School but being small in frame, Ronald indicated he wasn’t prepared to attend high school with white people. He had taken being bullied by Black peers, but being bullied by white kids was something he could not tolerate. He informed his mom following the first week of school, he wanted to leave Columbia High School. Ronald’s grandparents lived near and he used their home address to be able to attend C.A. Johnson High School.
Ronald began swimming at Drew pool at an early age. “When you arrived at the pool you could hear everyone” stated Ronald. He shared like so many others that Drew pool was his summer babysitter. It was a “safe environment” and “you were never alone” were additional comments. Ronald said “Drew pool watched out for you” and “it was part of your fabric”. Ronald said Drew pool was his “first exposure to real trust”. Ronald shared his mentor at Drew pool was Willie Patterson. Most of his memories of his time at the pool are based upon his conversations with Willie. Ronald indicated he grew up in a disciplined family. We were taught to listen and observe rather than speaking. Ronald was left-handed and so was Willie. Willie was the quarterback of his high school football team and the two of them talked about life every day. None of the members of Ronald’s family were permitted to play any contact sport, so swimming was ideal for Ronald. His natural stroke was the breaststroke and he was exceptional. That defining word came from other Sharks within these communications. Ronald noted Lindy (or Ben) was a freestyle swimmer and Ellis (Ray) Pearson was a butterfly guy. He noted the Harkness brothers were tall which made them good at the backstroke. To get acclimated to the pool each day Ronald said they swam the length of the pool underwater.
Ronald became a lifeguard at 15 and worked three years. He was also a senior lifeguard. He was crew chief and WSI certified. His role in part, was to determine which chair you began in for the day, as well as other responsibilities, and for the position earned slightly more per hour. The lifeguards learned how to enter the water for a rescue. One would either shallow dive under the person and use your momentum to bring them up or one could enter feet first and allow the “splash” to push you toward the wall. They learned to enter the water with finesse sometimes diving from the lifeguard chair.
In high school, Ronald ran on the track team and tried out for the basketball team but admits he wasn’t very good. He was in the high school choir, certainly a non-contact activity. After high school, Ronald went to Talladega College in Alabama. Ronald only remained at Talladega College for one year. He had always heard if you ever got into trouble with the “law” in Alabama, you’d probably never leave Alabama, so after being “tailed” one day, he made the decision to leave. While at Talladega College though Ronald received a work-study position to operate the campus pool. Unfortunately, the campus gave Ronald no budget for chemicals, no lighting for the pool, and no cleaning materials. Clearly, it was virtually impossible to maintain the pool in those conditions. Ronald returned to Columbia but with the advice from his brother, Donald, who was serving in Korea at the time, Ronald asked his mom for $1,000 and in return, he promised her to get on the “right track”. Ronald decided on attending Clark University in Atlanta where he majored in education. While there, he audited a class in military science and though he thought he wasn’t interested in the military, he shared he found his new calling and the structure he so desired for his life. Ronald received a great deal of support from a Black major which helped overcome some issues he encountered from a white Colonel, who hampered his scholarship, he graduated and received a highly coveted position in the medical service corps as an officer. While in Atlanta attending college, each military student from all the local universities came together for one class at Georgia Institute of Technology. At a ceremony at Georgia Tech, Ronald was awarded a medal of “zero significance” entitled Medal from the Sisters/Daughters of the Confederate Union. As a platoon leader in the tank battalion later, Ronald managed the battalion’s medical aid station. Ronald indicated he always tried to change things that needed to be changed for the benefit of everyone and always attempted to speak up for the “least and left behind”. Ronald retired from the military with the rank of major. He later worked as a Department of Defense contractor and a Defense Department program manager, focused on military healthcare. He retired upon reaching the age of 62. He and his wife Brenda, have a blended family with four children.
Dr. Virginia Brown Lockhart
Virginia Brown’s life could easily be characterized by her “firsts”. She was one of the “first” individuals to swim at Drew Pool when it opened in 1950. As a ten-year old girl in 1950, she was one of the “first” to take swimming lessons which were taught by her brother John A. Brown, who was hired as one of the first lifeguards when the pool opened. John had served in the navy where he became a proficient swimmer, thus he was hired by Thomas Martin. John was nearly eighteen years older than Virginia. She was one of the “first” women to learn how to balance the pool at Drew Park. Taught by her brother, she later was able to balance the pool at her family’s home in Los Altos Hills, California when she lived there. Virginia learned to swim rapidly and competitors frequently watched from behind her as she touched the wall in “first” place. Virginia was fiercely competitive and in the 50-meter freestyle was unmatched. Her time in the 50 equaled that of the world record at that time. The current world record for the 50-meter freestyle is held by Jordan Crooks of the Cayman Islands at 20.08 seconds. Virginia was the “first” to defeat a male swimmer from Morehouse College, considered to be their best swimmer. He was, by the way, the brother of Aretha Franklin. Virginia was the “first” to share she dated another Shark in high school, with that Shark being none other than Carroll “Cut” Thompson, of the “ring of fire” duo with his brother, Nick. Virginia is the “first” female Shark to admit she had a nickname, “Squirt”. Although Virginia was not the first Shark arrested for civil disobedience at the time, she was the “first” to be arrested alongside Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and accompanied him to jail. She spent fifteen days in the Fulton County jail. Virginia was though the “first” Shark arrested twice for civil disobedience. The second occasion brought her face to face with the infamous Bull Connor when her bus was stopped in Anniston, Alabama and she was sent to jail once again. Clearly, she was a “first” class member of the Sharks and what she calls the community development opportunity of a lifetime, to be a member of the Drew Park family.
Growing up in Columbia, Virginia lived on Haskell Avenue, thus she could walk to the pool each day with her sister, Delores who was two years younger. Her father was the Dean of Theology at Benedict College as well as the pastor of the Second Calvary Baptist Church. The parsonage they lived in is currently the International House for Visiting Professors at Benedict College. Her mother was a housewife. Virginia shared her father, a leader among the area’s NAACP, did everything possible to shield her and her sister from the effects of the Jim Crow laws, including never having them use the segregated bathrooms or drinking fountains when traveling, or to never riding a bus, where they would be required to sit in the back.
Virginia shared that Drew pool was so impactful to her life and there were so many lessons learned from teamwork, mutual respect, diligence and working hard for your accomplishments. She recalled the constant swimming back and forth daily at the pool, during practice, learning every stroke, and getting to be not only stronger, but faster. Her sister Delores, was always there next to her and Virginia shared Delores was her strongest competitor, and actually broke one of the records set at the pool by Virginia. Virginia enjoyed diving though never dove competitively. She was a strong breaststroke and backstroke swimmer but readily admits that her weakest stroke was the butterfly. Like the other female swimmers at Drew, Virginia learned to be a lifeguard. She utilized that knowledge later in college where she served as a lifeguard and taught the faculty’s children to swim. Her father passed away when she was seventeen so she needed a job in college to help pay expenses. Virginia swam through high school, and at the age of seventeen, graduated and enrolled at Spellman College. She recalled her grandmother had also attended Spellman College. Prior to high school graduation, Virginia said she was inspired in school by her 9th science teacher. It was due to her teacher, Charles Bolden, that Virginia decided on a life devoted to science. At Spellman College she had a double major in psychology and biology with a minor in education. Following college, Virginia moved to San Jose, California. She became a clinical lab scientist with her interest in biology, and while there met her future husband who was doing his medical school residency. She worked at that position for twelve years before heading back to school for a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology at San Jose State University. Virginia then pursued her Doctor of Education degree from Nova University in Educational Administration. Nova offered classes at the University of California – Berkeley. Virginia remained in Silicon Valley working for both Varian Associates (MRI machines) and Hewlett-Packard where she traveled the world training managers and from where she retired.
Virginia shared she had such fond memories of swimming at Drew Park. She loved the women’s swim suits they wore, talked of her swim mate, Charles Bolden, Jr. and how tough Thomas Martin was in the management of the Drew pool. All this together offered her comfort in that she truly belonged to a family at Drew. She was saddened to hear about how the original pool had been demolished and replaced with one less than half the size. For Virginia, Drew Park meant everything for the African American community and for her personally, she continues to treasure the relationships developed there.
Delores Brown
With support from her daughter, Dalila
The reader is already familiar with Delores Brown from her being mentioned throughout her sister’s history, but with the help of her daughter, Dalila, new details have emerged. Delores has some memory issues she is dealing with presently, so Delila was there to assist her mom. Delores was soundly reassuring though that Drew Pool was “my pool”. That feeling has been pretty much a consensus through each history, but Delores was flatly stating what others have not said so explicitly. To each individual, who ever visited, swam or played in the water, Drew Park pool was a very personal experience. Delores was also very proud that the pool offered her a job throughout high school of selling and collecting entry tickets. It was her first work experience and one that not only was fulfilling, but meaningful to her. The reader already knows she was taught to swim by her older brother, John. His swimming lessons for Delores and Virginia actually began long before Drew pool. John taught the entire family to swim in the ocean during family vacations to Atlantic Beach. Atlantic Beach was the segregated beach for African Americans during this time, since Blacks were not permitted to swim at Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head Island.
As a Shark, Delores competed in the freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke events. As mentioned previously, Virginia indicated Delores was often her stiffest competition and you will recall, Delores actually broke one of her sister’s records at Drew. The two sisters were very strong and speedy swimmers and generally disposed of any competitors with ease. They practiced each day together with each, making the other a stronger, faster swimmer.
Delores was in the living watching tv, when she called for her parents to come and see the news. There on the television set, they watched as Virginia was being arrested along with Dr. Martin Luther King and being hauled off to jail. This writer is sure that made for some interesting family conversation. Virginia previously mentioned her father was the pastor of 2nd Calvary Baptist Church but Delores shared her father, the Reverend Charles Henry Brown, was also extremely well versed in the ancient Semitic languages of Hebrew, Greek and Aramaic. He frequently translated old documents, as well as using them in his theology classes at Benedict College.
Delores attended the American River Junior College in California for her first two years prior to transferring to Benedict College to complete her academic work. Following graduation, she worked at the UC Davis Medical Lab. The lab at the time had a grant to focus on the issue of sickle cell anemia, the disorder that causes red blood cells to become misshapen and break down leaving a shortage of healthy red blood cells. Delores later served as a lab technician for the UC Davis Medical School focused on blood banking. She supervised the Education Program for clinical lab technology. She earned her Master’s Degree as well.
Karen Brown
In this “Golden Anniversary” of the film classic “Jaws”, petite, shy and even demure Karen Brown, had her competitors in the 50-meter breaststroke and the 50-meter backstroke echoing the famous line from the movie, “We’re going to need a bigger boat”. Her competition could simply not fathom how such a small, young girl could actually have such a competitive drive. Of course, Karen begins by stating she could not have been so successful without her mother’s “magic drink” that she was given each morning on competition days. The drink was stimulating and boosted her confidence, even though it was only a combination of grape juice and honey. Upon hearing the sound of the starting gun, she swam her heart out never looking back at her competition until she touched the wall. The daughter of John Brown and niece of Virginia and Delores Brown, it appeared the apple did not fall far from the tree. Born in 1957, Karen learned to swim like her relatives in the ocean and in the pool by her father, John. “Drew was life” according to Karen and both racing and practice were “exhilarating”. It was a “community of happiness”. Swimming afforded me confidence in myself. I had the feeling I could accomplish anything and if someone else could do something, so could I. Practicing and competing offered lessons in drive and ambition. All of these were Karen’s feelings about being a Shark. Karen lived on Frye Road prior to her father accepting a teaching job in California. Since the age of four, Karen had lived at the Drew Park pool and moving was nearly catastrophic for her. She had learned to swim at Drew, first learning to hold her breath under water, learning to float in the prone position, learning the proper way to kick and move her arms in the water and learning to turn her head to breathe. What seemed to be simple tasks provided Karen with the technique, physical attributes and strategy to be successful. She carried those traits throughout life. Upon moving to California, Karen had no pool access as a middle school student, but was able to resume her competitive swimming during high school where she displayed the same winning skills she had demonstrated as a Shark.
In California, she began in a junior college which offered the first two years for free. Following that she attended De Anza College for two years. Following Jr. College at De Anza, she pursued full time employment at Memorex for several years. She also held a position with the Oakland Thoracic Health Science helping people with lung diseases. At the age of 22, Karen began college again at San Jose State University where she earned her Bachelor’s Degree in 1985 as a Health Science major. She met her future husband there and two years later they were married. Karen had several positions following her graduation from San Jose State University. In addition, she earned her teaching credentials for k-6. She held a part-time job as a health clerk for the school districts from 1999 to 2004 when she earned her own classroom. She worked with students transitioning from a foreign language to English in a program called EL (English Learners) where she assessed how they were doing in reading and writing in preparing them to enter the classroom as well. Karen retired in 2017. She and her husband have three children.
Henry Kennedy
As the first cousin to Gary and Thaddeus Bell, Henry Kennedy shared like many before him, he virtually lived at the Drew pool from sun-up to sun-set each day. Henry started swimming around the age of five and was actively involved in learning to swim almost immediately. He stated he had fond memories of the people there and the “family environment” created at Drew Park. One particular “family” he enjoyed was that of our friends, Nick and Carroll Thompson. Henry indicated he never knew Carroll to be called anything but “Hightower” due to fantastic diving from the high board. He was “an outstanding diver, handsome and great to watch” declared Henry. His memories of Nicky were just as equal, as he recalled how fast and how smooth Nicky moved through the water. Henry shared that Nicky had longer hair which he often shook leaving the water and he tried his best to imitate that head shake, though his hair was cut short by his cousin’s dad, the barber. “It was a special time” Henry said, and “a great recreational outlet for the Black community at large”. For Henry though, most of his competitive swimming occurred not at Drew pool. At the age of 9, Henry’s family moved to Washington, DC. Henry had been born in Columbia in 1948 and initially, his family lived with his maternal grandmother at 1010 Oak Street. The family later built a home in the suburbs of Columbia. Henry shared he spent a great deal of time with his cousins at their initial home in Allen-Benedict Court within walking distance to the pool. In Washington, DC, the family lived in a couple of different locations and Henry shared to go to swim practice each day at the YMCA, he would catch a bus for an hour ride, practice, and then head to school to be on time. The YMCA where Henry swam was near the White House. Henry was the only Black member of the Y team and he was selected the captain of the team. Henry indicated he was an outstanding swimmer and in DC at the age of 11 was offered the opportunity to practice each day with the Howard University swim team. He got to occasionally travel to meets with the Howard University team and often warmed up with the team. Henry credits his dad for meeting with the coach of the Howard University team, Dr. Clarence Pendleton, to get the permission for his participation. Of course, he could not compete but just imagine getting the opportunity to practice with a university team at that age. Henry could swim all four strokes, but his favorite stroke was the breaststroke.
Henry shared a fascinating story about his father. His father’s mom died within 24 hours of his birth. His mother’s grandfather was white and he married a Black woman. Henry said his grandmother’s mother was a slave and the mistress of a white slaveowner who upon his death, left her property which became the family farm. They grew sugarcane on the farm. Henry’s mother’s sisters took him upon the death of his mom and his dad grew up on the farm in Louisiana. Later, Henry’s grandfather remarried and took Henry’s dad to New Orleans to live. Henry’s dad always wanted a family. Maybe it was because of his unique upbringing, but a family meant a great deal to him. Henry’s mother was sixteen years old when she married his father. They kept the news from everyone at the time. Henry’s dad had joined the army, and they met at the USO. They were married within three weeks of meeting. Henry’s mom had been admitted to South Carolina State University but at the time, married women were not accepted at the University, so she kept her marriage secret and completed her degree in education. His dad had been transferred to a base in Kansas from Fort Jackson, and upon a visit a local cab driver recognized his mom and refused to take the couple to a local motel. The couple was forced to reveal the marriage to her family. Henry’s mom wanted an advanced degree but colleges and universities in South Carolina would not permit Black women to take advanced degrees, and actually paid them to go out of state. Henry’s mom attended New York University and Henry stayed with his cousins, the Bell’s while she was in New York.
Henry shared his father always appeared an unrealistic and unforgiving individual. While living in Washington, DC, Henry competed in an AAU swim competition in Northern Virginia. The times registered in the competition were to be used for the Olympic trials. Henry didn’t do well coming in next to last. His unforgiving dad told Henry he needed a new sport. That year for Christmas he asked for a ping pong table but on Christmas morning Henry found instead a tennis racquet and a can of tennis balls. Henry immediately went outdoors, found a wall, and began hitting balls against the wall. He quickly learned he really enjoyed tennis. Henry played tennis in high school.
Henry graduated from high school and attended Princeton University. He played tennis at Princeton. He majored in history, sociology, and economics. He was in the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. Upon graduation from Princeton, Henry attended Harvard University School of Law. Following law school, Henry accepted a job with a law firm, Jones, Day, Reavis and Pogue. After that, he joined the Assistant U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, a position he held for three years. He was appointed as an U.S. Magistrate, the youngest person ever appointed by the judges of the U.S. District Court. The United States Magistrate is a judicial officer in the federal court system who assists U.S. District Court judges. It was a position he held for three years. President Jimmy Carter appointed Henry to the Superior Court of the District of Columbia and he remained in that role for eighteen years. The Superior Court of the District of Columbia was established by Congress as the trial court of general jurisdiction for the District of Columbia prosecuting most non-federal crimes occurring in District of Columbia. President Bill Clinton appointed Henry to the Federal U.S. District Court where he served for fourteen years prior to his retirement. Henry has continued playing tennis and swimming. He is a 7-time National Black Champion of the American Tennis Association. He won championships in the following age group divisions, 35, 45, 55, 65.
Henry has two siblings, a brother Randall and a sister Angela. Randall is a respected legal scholar on Race in the U.S. He is a graduate of Princeton, the Yale Law School, was a Rhodes Scholar and clerks for a Court of Appeals judge. He served as Thurgood Marshall’s clerk. Randall is the youngest tenured faculty member of the Harvard Law School a Professor of Law and the author of four books. Angela is also a graduate of Princeton, Howard Law School and serves a public defender in Washington, DC. Angela and Michelle Obama were Princeton roommates and are best friends.
Henry has two daughters, Morgan and Alexandra. Both are Princeton graduates as well. Morgan played the flute in the orchestra, graduated Magna Cum Laude, won an award for the best thesis in Harvard Law and currently represents Google. After graduation, Alexandra went to work for Under Armour and later becoming the Chief of Staff for Under Armour. She later went to work for Twitter before becoming Executive Vice President of My Code.
Henry says he is a man of strong opinions and beliefs. Then again, Henry was at Drew Park swimming under the tutelage of Thomas Martin who himself had very strong beliefs about life, behavior, determination and commitment. Henry defines success as a person who manages to develop and maintain good character traits such as honesty and kindness. Without doubt, the Drew Park pool staff at all levels had these traits instilled and drilled into them from the time they first entered the grounds at the youngest of ages.
EW Cromartie
Growing up, EW lived on Haskell Avenue, the same street as Virginia and Delores Brown. EW’s father had a grocery store and a liquor store on Gervais Street. His mom was a registered nurse. EW began swimming at Drew pool when he was around 9 years old. He was born in 1945. His mother drove a truck and every morning she would load all the neighborhood kids in the back of the truck, tell them to sit down, and head to the pool. EW began his swimming lessons with Johnny “Rock” Edwards and Jimmie Ruff. He indicated Milton Davenport also help him learn. All of these guys were lifeguards and the reader is certainly familiar with their names. Though once EW learned to swim well, he continued to avoid the deep water. He said the deep water scared him. One day, Thomas Martin and one of the lifeguards, knowing full well EW was a strong swimmer, picked him up and tossed him into the deep water. He came to the surface and swam to the middle of the pool, knowing then, he could handle himself and feeling more assured about his next venture into the deep. He became a junior lifeguard and was certified as a lifeguard but never employed at the pool as a lifeguard.
EW enjoyed competing in meets. He shared he was a fast swimmer in the freestyle events, but preferred to do those less than 200 meters. He said he won several ribbons particularly in the 50 and 100-meter events. He also swam the butterfly and the backstroke. EW shared the swimming trips to Jacksonville were really fun and the team loved putting on the water shows wherever they traveled. In Jacksonville in particular, it was fun because they stayed overnight at the swimmers’ homes, sleeping on the floor. EW said the experiences swimming as a Shark were so memorable that even though he had not thought about his swimming days in quite a while, the memories flooded back like they were yesterday. He was amazed at how much detail he remembered from that period so long ago.
In 1963, at the age of 18, EW had to prove he could swim to get credit for a physical education class at Michigan State University, and not be required to take the entire class. Few in the class really believed he could pass the swim test to avoid taking the class, but when he jumped in the water, totally splashing everyone on the side of the pool, he proceeded to freestyle to the end of the pool, leaving his fellow freshmen standing with their mouths open in disbelief. He passed the test and avoided the class. EW experienced a similar situation with his foreign language requirement at Michigan State University that same year. At C.A. Johnson High School, EW took Latin. He was required to take a year of foreign language at Michigan State University unless he could prove his proficiency in a foreign language. Under disbelieving stares and amazement from his language instructor, EW proved his extensive knowledge of Latin, a language only one other freshman student could handle, and thus both were able to opt out of the requirement.
After graduation from Michigan State University, EW attended the George Washington School of Law. He graduated, returned to Columbia where he established a law practice and decided to run for City Council. EW was elected, the first African American to serve since Reconstruction by defeating five candidates without a runoff. It is at this point in his life and career, EW realizes the dividends of his swimming experiences from the Drew Park pool. He utilizes the returns from his investment as a Shark, recalling his tenacity from competing, and the values that contributed to his successes. Drew Park needed a Wellness Center as the original pool had been demolished due to structural issues. As a new member of the city council, EW began the process of planning the new Drew Wellness Recreation Center. The costs would be staggering, the approvals would be both time consuming and challenging, but EW recalled the teamwork needed as a Shark for success and began with those memories in mind. He brought together community leaders from the local area, neighborhood presidents, the Parks and Recreation personnel, and faith leaders from the nearby churches to form a Cooperative Improvement Community Council. He provided each with the knowledge they would need to support decisions including dealing with local crime in the area, designing and choosing the types of recreational facilities, hiring contractors, architects, obtaining Congressional support for funding and all the various components needed to fulfill the destiny. Through each stage, EW built consensus among the team, found Congressional support, and today, the 40,000 square foot Drew Wellness Recreation Center stands as a testament to teamwork and what can be achieved with opportunity and hard work. EW credits as well, the cooperation and commitment from individuals such as Mary Skinner Jones, Gilbert Walker and Alison Baker. EW states if he had not been a Shark, he might not have had the “vision” of what a true recreational facility could provide to the community. One other very important facet for building consensus was the involvement of the school system and an understanding and commitment to teaching kids to swim. With the support of Richland District One personnel, EW planned to have school-aged kids learn to swim. To date, EW notes that more than 100,000 young boys and girls have taken swim lessons as part of their educational experience due to this partnership. This writer frequently swims at the Drew pool and watches with joy as the second-grade boys and girls don their “shark” finned life preservers and learn to swim in the pool. It is absolutely fun to watch these young kids knowing that the skills they are developing are an integral component to their education, and more importantly, could at some point save their lives as well as provide a healthy lifetime habit. This is the result of swimming. EW reflects on this and smiles proudly at just how much the Drew Park pool impacted his life and prepared him to face challenges he couldn’t have imagined as a Shark competing those many years ago.
James “Garrett” Garrett
James “Foxy” Evans
David Whaley
Johnny “Rock” Edwards
This writer will venture from the traditional stories related previously to share what information he can ascertain regarding the men listed above. No history of the Drew Park pool Sharks would be considered complete without detailing some information regarding them. The four men listed above were not only accomplished swimmers, but truly outstanding individuals due the respect received by their peers. For most of these men, locating family members has been a challenge as many swam as early-generation Sharks and sadly are no longer with us. Having said that, their contributions are such they deserve being added. Many are the names of Sharks the reader has heard about previously and for some, quite frequently. It was Foxy who rescued a young Delano Boulware around the age of eight and gave him the nickname “Domino” that he has carried with him nearly 70 years. Archive records of swim meets at Drew Park are full of stories regarding the winning exploits of James Evans in every age category and in numerous events. In each, James Evans came in first place. It was David Whaley’s football injury on the first play of the season which required the removal of his spleen, and set Thaddeus Bell on his journey to becoming a doctor. Harvey Dorrah shared how he and Jimmy Garrett shared a paper route to earn the pool’s entrance fees. In reading the stories shared, each of these young men made a difference to the lives of their friends, peers, and fellow Sharks. Each was a competitor and as you will learn, made an impression on their communities throughout their lives. For many, their exploits far exceeded Drew pool, as they excelled on the football field or other athletic and academic endeavors.
James Garrett, usually called “Garrett”, was an outstanding athlete at C.A. Johnson High School. Like many of his fellow Sharks, Garrett was a lifeguard and a water safety instructor throughout high school. He became one of C.A. Johnson High’s most celebrated athletes excelling in football, track and basketball. He served as the President of the school’s Student Council as well as the football team’s quarterback. He won a scholarship to Michigan State University. Though an outstanding high school quarterback, he was passed over by the white coach at MSU because of the general perception at the time that good quarterbacks had to be white. Garrett went on to excel in track and was the Big 10 broad jumping champion. Garrett grew up in a single parent home in Saxon Homes and had serval siblings. He was one of the Sharks premier sprinters, swimming the 50 and 100-meter freestyle
David Whaley grew up in Saxon Homes like many of his peers. You will recall, that he and Thaddeus and Tadpole worked for two summers at the girl scout camp in North Carolina as lifeguards, thanks to a connection and recommendation from Thomas Martin, when Drew pool had reached its limit on lifeguards. David was the captain of the football team at C.A. Johnson High School. David graduated from Allen University, and went on to earn a PhD at Clemson University, being one of the institution’s first Black graduates. He later became the Dean of Students at Benedict College and later served as the Vice President for Student Affairs at Benedict College.
Johnny “Rock” Edwards, like many of his Shark teammates, grew up in Saxon Homes near the pool. He later moved to the Edgewood Community. Sadly, Johnny Edwards passed away only a month from the writing of this story. His personal history would definitely have been a major addition to the history of all the Sharks. Recently, this writer had the opportunity to talk with Moses Felder, Frank McBride and Carl J. Frederick, Sr. about “Rock”. The name Moses Felder is in itself, an historic monument within the city of Columbia. Moses has operated Hill’s Barber Shop on Elmwood Avenue for 59 years. Moses, Carl and Frederick all were swimmers at Drew Park pool and all were very familiar with not only “Rock”, but just about everyone who ever swam at the pool. Drew was that type of community as the reader is well aware. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, “Rock” was one of the best all-around athletes to ever swim as a Shark. Not only was he extremely fast, he was an outstanding diver. Standing on the edge of the high dive, he was an imposing figure. He not only had an imposing physique, but he displayed a sense of strength, to match the large, powerful and impressive body that commanded attention. “Rock” though was so much more than a handsome looking man with an equally good-looking body. He was personable, cordial, well-known for his generosity and kindness and he never met a stranger. He was friendly, known by everyone and a guy everyone could look up to as an example. To many of the young swimmers he was a role model one could only hope to emulate in life. On the diving board, “Rock” would “clown around” sometimes to entertain. He would often swim underwater nearly the length of the pool to impress people. He had a younger brother he protected and who was always at his side. “Rock” was an outstanding dresser, immaculate and with impeccable taste. He was truly quite a specimen of a man.
In addition to being an outstanding swimmer for the Sharks, “Rock” was equally talented on the football field playing for C.A. Johnson High School and later for South Carolina State University where he swam as well. During high school “Rock” also played basketball. He was one of the finest athletes to ever play at C.A. Johnson High School. Later, “Rock” made New Jersey his home, and he served as both Deputy Commissioner and Assistant Director of the New York Housing Authority. His demise has left a gaping hole in the hearts of so many of his fellow Sharks and his community of peers. at Drew Park pool.
[MOU1]