St. Paul recorder., 1962-06-15
pee WEE REESE QUITS LOUISVILLE
HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION UNDER FIRE;
OPERATES SEGREGATED BOWLING ALLEY

twist, Harold pee Wee Reese,
who Is years ago befriended team
mate Jackie Robinson when the
latter became the first Negro
major league player, last week
resigned from the Louisville HUI
man Relations Commission amid
a storm of charges that he oper-
ates a segregated bowling alley.
His resignation followed pro-
tests from four civil rights and
civic organizations to Mayor Will
liam o. Cowger. Reese was ac-
cused of operating a bowling alley
that does not admit Negroes. Reese
was one of 10 members appointed
to the commission by the mayor.
Another member, Albert ]. Girls
anti, a Louisville restauranter, also
resigned amid similar protests.
Grisanti is the owner of Casa Girls
anti, a swank Italian restaurant
which does not serve Negroes.
Protests were filed with the
mayor by Bishop C. Ewbank Tuck
er of the AME Zion Church and
chairman of the Louisville chapter
of CORE, and the Rev. w. ].
Hodge, president of the Louisville
NAACP.
Bishop Tucker told Mayor Cow
ger in a telegram that he could
not see how two men (Reese and
GrisantD who enforce segregation
in their own businesses could help
bring about integration in Louis
vile, the avowed purpose of the
commission"
Protests were also filed by the
jefferson County Sunday School
Assn, and the Independent I'm
provement Clubs, group support
ing political candidates favoring
integration.
The mayor said, meanwhile, that
he was reluctantly accepting
Reese's resignation. He said he
had talked to Reese and that the
former major league star told him
he felt he could better serve the
cause Of voluntary integration as
a private citizen rather than as a
member"
Reese had told the mayor in his
letter of resignation:
Il personally feel that the COM
will operate better and be
more effective without me on it"
The mayor said further:
II feel it Is unfortunate that
certain elements of the community
have voiced their objections to Mr..
Reese. He has been a champion Of
relations for many
years, and I hope that this incident
will not lessen his desire to serve
his community and his fellow ciu-
zens in other civic programs"
However, another unidentified
Negro leader, writing in the Louis
Vile Defender newspaper, dis
agreed with the mayor. 80 far as
[ know" the writer said, Mr..
Reese's experience in the field Of
race relations begins and ends
with the fact that he is credited
with an assist in Jackie Robin
sons major league debut.
However, this was in 1946 or
:hereabouts, and is of far less i'm
port to me than the cold knowledge
hat today neither Jackie nor any
other Negro is welcomed in Pee
Wees bowling alley"
The writer referred to reports
hat Reese, in 1947, came to Robin
IONS defense when other players
we're giving him the cold shoulder
lfter Jackie was promoted to the
parent team following a spectac-
liar year with the Montreal Roy
lis, Dodgers farm team. ]
Robinson had been signed by |
Branch Hickey, then president of
he Dodgers, in 1945. He thus be-
anne the first Negro to enter
organized professional baseball. In
minor league competition, after
Robinson was subjected to
IL kinds of racial abuses but stuck
out to win a berth on the Dodg-
rs team.
Robinson was given a rough