KC Museum
Welcome to my Manila site!

Posted by Lori Wear, 4/22/02 at 9:54:09 AM.

Black History Month

Art Williams

Art Williams became the National League's first African American umpire on September 18, 1972. He began officiating games in 1973. He called plays from third base in the Los Angeles Dodgers' 10-inning, 3-2 triumph over the San Diego Padres in San Diego. After his debut as an umpire, he said that he was more nervous than he had ever been in his entire life. He was a graduate of baseball's Umpire Development School. Williams, a major league umpire for four seasons, was a minor league pitcher in the mid-1950s. Art was considered a major league prospect as a baseball pitcher and was signed out of high school by the Detroit Tigers organization. He was also a pitcher for the Bakersfield Indians. He was inducted into The Bob Elias Kern County Sports Hall of Fame in February 1982.

Pearl Lowery Winters

Pearl Lowery Winters was a renowned contralto singing star in the early 1900s. After hearing her sing at a concert, President William McKinley is said to have called her “the nightingale of California." Ms. Winters was born on November 26, 1882. She came to Bakersfield around 1912 after marrying local businessman Edward W. Winters. One of Bakersfield's most prominent African American women, Mrs. Winters was an active member in this community for five decades. She worked with the Cain African Methodist Episcopal Church, the United Service Organization, the Red Cross, the Golden West Women’s Club, and California State Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, among other organizations. She also participated in the dedication of Hart Memorial Park. Mrs. Winters continued to perform until her death in 1957.

USO No. 2 Committee, 12-1-1942
Front Row: Beatrice Hattley, Lucille Kerford, Pearl Lowery Winters, James E. Stratten, Paul Cunningham, Beatrice Cumby, and Ethel Osborne; Middle Row: Mary Cotton, Erma Jones, Lena Handis, Emma Drisdom; Back Row: Edna Spencer, Aline Houston, Hugh Lowery, Augusta Poole, Edna Dewey Tillyer

Charles M. Bussey

Charles M. Bussey was born in Bakersfield on April 23, 1921. He graduated from Kern County Union High School in 1939. He was a Tuskegee Airman and decorated veteran of World War II. He went on to serve in the Korean War and was recognized as a hero of that war. Charles received the Silver Star, Bronze Star, Purple Heart, and Air Medal for his service to our country in the military. He retired from the Army as a lieutenant colonel in 1966. After leaving the Army, Bussey owned a furniture refinishing business. He went on to work for Bechtel Corporation. Bussey was appointed to San Francisco's Juvenile Justice Commission in 1969. He wrote his memoir of combat in Korea titled, “Firefight at Yechon: Courage and Racism in the Korean War”, which was published in 1991.

Print This Page   Email This Page