This guest post uses archival documents in the Municipal Archives and Library collections. Readers are advised that as with all U.S. history, there are references to race and its direct relationship to institutional choices. Please note that quotes in this post contain outdated language, e,g. use of the term “Negro.” These instances have been retained and referenced in their original form to maintain historical accuracy and context.
December 1950: Ralph Bunche, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Special Political Affairs is awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in resolving global conflicts including the 1949 Middle East peace accord.
July 1959: United Nations Under-Secretary-General Bunche inquires about membership in the Westside Tennis Club so his son, Ralph Jr., can continue lessons from the Club’s tennis pro. The Club president, Wilfred Burglund dismisses the possibility because “the policy of the club was to exclude Negroes and Jews.”