The true friends of the Royal Esquire Club outlasted wars, bigotry and changing fashion. But age is catching them. Club members are throwing a party for Howard, the board chairman who has bounced back nicely after losing a leg. The men, most retirees and all but one black, are scattered about the cavernous, windowless clubhouse that stretches a half-block along Rainier Avenue South in the heart of Southeast Seattle's Columbia City neighborhood.
Some members play poker around a circular card table.
Others chat across tables in booths with vinyl benches. A contemporary music video plays on a big-screen TV, but it holds as much interest among the men as static. Herbye White, the club president and junior in age to most members, is glad to see everyone having a good time. For 52 years, the Royal Esquire Club has been the center of social life for a select group of Seattle black men. The club perseveres even as many of its 134 members suffer the creaks that weaken men in their golden years.