Memphis Park Commission Minute Books

Processed by John T. Dulaney 2014 Memphis and Shelby County Room Memphis Public Library and Information Center 3030 Poplar Avenue Memphis, TN 38111

Table of Contents Page 1 Title Page; Photos of Memphis Park Commission Minute Books Page 2 Table of Contents and Container List Page 4 Notes on the Scope and Contents of the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books, and on Using This Collection; Memphis and Shelby County Room Rights Statement; Acknowledgments Page 8 Table I. Summary of Features of the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books Page 10 Table II. Photocopies of Original Indexes to the Minute Books, Collected for Reference Purposes into Box 28 Page 11 Tables IIIa (Auction Square to Morris Park) and IIIb (Museum to Zoo). Memphis Parks and Some of the Park Commission’s Other Facilities, 1906 to ca. 1941

Container List

(Inventories, and Introductions and Excerpts, for the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books; Other Items)

Minute Books, Page Boxes Other Items Folders Inclusive Dates

Page 15 Box 1 Book 1 1 to 11 Sept. 13, 1900 – Dec. 13, 1910 Page 26 Box 2 Book 2 1 to 8 Feb. 14, 1911 – Jan. 12, 1916 Page 34 Box 3 Book 3 1 to 9 Feb. 8, 1916 – Mar. 4, 1924 Page 43 Box 4 Book 4 1 to 13 May 6, 1924 – Sept. 16, 1930 Page 50 Box 5 Book 5 1 to 14 Oct. 14, 1930 – Dec. 21, 1937 Page 57 Box 6 Book 6 1 to 11 Jan. 6, 1938 – Dec. 2, 1948 Page 66 Box 7 Book 7 1 to 11 Jan. 6, 1949 – July 20, 1954 Page 74 Box 8 Book 8 1 to 10 July 29, 1954 – Aug. 1, 1958 Page 81 Box 9 Book 9 1 to 12 Sept. 4, 1958 – Jan. 4, 1962 Page 89 Box 10 Book 10 1 to 11 Feb. 1, 1962 – May 6, 1965 Page 97 Box 11 Book 11 1 to 10 June 3, 1965 – May 2, 1968 Page 105 Box 12 Book 12 1 to 11 May 2, 1968 – May 7, 1970 Page 114 Box 13 Book 13 1 to 12 May 7, 1970 – Nov. 2, 1972 Page 123 Box 14 Book 14 1 to 12 Nov. 2, 1972 – Nov. 7, 1974 Page 131 Box 15 Book 15 1 to 12 Nov. 7, 1974 – Aug. 13, 1976 Page 140 Box 16 Book 16 1 to 11 Sept. 2, 1976 – Jan. 4, 1979 Page 149 Box 17 Book 17 1 to 7 Jan. 18, 1979 – Dec. 6, 1979 Page 155 Box 18 Book 18 1 to 7 Jan. 3, 1980 – Dec. 4, 1980 Page 161 Box 19 Book 19 1 to 7 Jan. 8, 1981 – Dec. 3, 1981 Page 167 Box 20 Book 20 1 to 7 Jan. 7, 1982 – Dec. 2, 1982 Page 173 Box 21 Book 21 1 to 6 Jan. 6, 1983 – Dec. 21, 1983 Page 179 Box 22 Book 22 1 to 5 Jan. 18, 1984 – Dec. 19, 1984 Page 185 Box 23 Book 23 1 to 4 Jan. 16, 1985 – Dec. 4, 1985 Page 189 “ Book 24 1 to 3 Jan. 15, 1986 – Dec. 17, 1986 (Total of 7 folders in Box 23 from Books 23 and 24)

2 Page 194 Box 24 Book 25 1 to 9 Jan. 20, 1987 – Dec. 14, 1989 Page 204 Box 25 Book 26 1 to 7 Jan. 17, 1990 – Nov. 20, 1991 Page 212 “ Book 27 1 to 6 Jan. 22, 1992 – Dec. 17, 1993 (Total of 13 folders in Box 25 from Books 26 and 27) Page 221 Box 26 Book 28 1 to 8 Jan. 26, 1994 – Nov. 20, 1996 Page 231 “ Book 29 1 to 6 Jan. 29, 1997 – Mar. 23, 2000 (Total of 14 folders in Box 26 from Books 28 and 29) Page 240 Box 27 Cassettes Recording Various Meetings, 1988-1994, 1997 Page 242 Box 28 Photocopies of Indexes to Minute Books

Page 244 Figure 1. Watermark on Memphis Park Commission Stationery, ca. 1983

Page 245 Appendix 1. Park Commissioners, Superintendents, Secretaries, Attorneys, and Other Personnel Page 245 Members of the Park Commission for the Period Covered by Each Minute Book Page 251 Names and Terms of Park Commissioners in Order of Appointment Page 252 Names and Terms of General Superintendents, Executive Directors, or Directors Page 252 Names and Terms of Park Commission Secretaries Page 253 Names and Terms of Park Commission Attorneys Page 254 Lists of Park Commission Personnel Found in the Minutes, 1919-1959

Page 256 Appendix 2. Some Primary and Secondary Sources in the Memphis and Shelby County Room for the History of the Memphis Park Commission Page 256 Some Relevant Publications by the Memphis Park Commission or City of Memphis Page 258 Early Park Maps Page 258 Contributions to the History of the Memphis Park Commission, Park System, or Individual Parks Page 260 Relevant Bartholomew Reports Page 260 Other Archive Collections of Significance

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Notes on the Scope and Contents of the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books, and on Using This Collection

The Memphis Park Commission met for the first time in September 1900. Its final meeting took place nearly a century later in March 2000, and in April it was abolished by the Memphis City Council. The Commission customarily met once a month, although at times meetings could be held on two or more successive days. At the other extreme, several months might pass (especially in late summer) without a quorum being present. The frequency with which meetings took place over the years was, in a word, irregular.

During its tenure the Commission was made up of at least 47 Commissioners (one serving twice), of whom at least 16 served as Chairmen. Some Chairmen may be perceived as being more forceful or involved than others. It seems likely that successive Park Commission Secretaries (also numbering at least sixteen) smoothed over the occasional behavioral quirk or contentious issue as they compiled the minutes. This is to say that, as reflected by the minutes, the Secretaries seem to have striven to be informative and impartial.

In addition to the actual accounts of meetings, during certain periods the Secretary or staff or Chairman inserted material that was bound into, or pasted or glued to, or simply inserted between pages of, the minutes. Such material is sometimes not where it belongs chronologically; nevertheless for the most part this paperwork will be found as the Park Commission Secretary left it. Indeed, some of this material may be considered more significant than the minutes themselves, although always being related to the Commission’s concerns. It should also be observed that, especially in the 1970s and ‘80s, there are occasional errors in page numberings, as well as other problems affecting the continuity of the minutes.

Before they were disbound, all minute books except Book 1 consisted of heavy-duty archive-type covers with three lockable binding posts containing up to 500 of 8 ½- by 14- inch pages (that is, 250 sheets of paper) punched with three holes. In Book 1, on the other hand, the sheets of paper were folded and sewn together in true book form, yielding 400 pages (of which only 357 have been used). The book has not been taken apart, but it has been photographed. Because it is still intact, the various portions of Book 1 are described here in its Inventory as “Sections” (each spanning a decade), rather than as “Folders” containing disbound pages.

A review of the various parts of this finding aid may be helpful. Table I summarizes the features of the Minute Books and lists the period of years each book covers, book sizes, the extent to which the minutes are enhanced (or burdened) by additional matter, and whether or not they are indexed. Table II is a list of photocopied indexes that are provided in Box 28 for the convenience of the researcher, making it largely unnecessary to consult the originals in their nearly two dozen separate archive boxes. Tables IIIa and IIIb summarize and date the appearances of the names of some of the Park Commission’s acknowledged facilities over the period 1906-1941, as they are listed in budgets, audits, reports, and the like.

4 The Container List of Minutes of the Memphis Park Commission is probably self- explanatory. Each of the Minute Books (including the still-fully-bound Minute Book 1, as described above) is found in its own archive box, from Minute Book 1 (Box 1) through Minute Book 22 (Box 22). However, the later minute books are of irregular length and their contents have been distributed into boxes for which the book numbers and archive box numbers no longer coincide. An Inventory as well as an Introduction and Excerpts have been prepared for each of the 29 books, as well as Inventories for a set of cassette tape recordings (see below) and for the set of photocopied indexes listed in Table II.

The paragraph introducing each of the 29 Inventories includes a short note about the various types of minute-related material present in each book, material that is almost always adjunct to the minutes and included because the Secretary or others felt it should be bound in or pasted in or simply inserted between two pages. The Inventories are intended to assist in locating information about audits, budgets, lists of employees, and the like (dealing with finances or fiscal matters in general, including fees, rentals, and other uses of Park properties), as well as references in later years to Capital Improvement Projects (CIPs). There may well be overlap between items mentioned in both a book’s Inventory and its counterpart Introduction and Excerpts.

Any organization is likely to evolve greatly over the course of a century. Some of the more obvious or significant changes noted during the processing of the minute books have been tracked, and are summarized in the Introductions to the 29 successive books. Among these are changes in the Commission’s membership and senior staff and the attendees at its meetings, its bidding and billing practices, references to its audits, budgets and financial situations, its accounting practices, its establishment or adoption of new parks or other venues, significant issues that it dealt with or were forced upon it, and the relations between the Commission and the City of Memphis. Note that the Commissioners comprise what is sometimes referred to in the minutes as “the Board.” The accompanying Excerpts are intended to showcase both the large concerns as well as the ephemera that the Park Commission attended to, and to provide some continuity in the stories of its more significant enterprises – the development of the Zoo or the Fairgrounds, for example, or the Clarence Saunders or Lichterman properties, or Mud Island.

A number of cassette Tape Recordings were made of Park Commission meetings during the period 1988 through 1994; there are also a few such recordings from 1997 as well as eight others whose recording date has not been identified. The recordings that have been auditioned are not of very good quality, and only a few have been authenticated as having been made during the meetings they claim to record, i.e. the date written on the cassette. It remains to be seen whether future research may prove any of these attributions false. As mentioned above, Photocopies of Indexes to the minute books (those that have been indexed, or for which indexes have been preserved) have been provided for the greater convenience of researchers.

The size of the Park Commission increased many-fold during its hundred-year existence. The minutes show that in Feb. 4, 1919, 13 named staff members were paid monthly salaries. No laborers are mentioned, although laborers there certainly were; one of the accounting categories in a Dec. 7, 1904 audit was “Statement of Cash belonging to laborers not called for up to date,” naming 25 men to whom small sums of money were owed. By

5 Jan. 1, 1931 park employees numbered 199, and the list now includes named laborers and truck drivers, as well as “watchmen, maids, grass mowers, & keepers . . . of Small Parks.” By Nov. 1, 1951 the number had risen to 245 names; and by Feb. 17, 1992 the Park Commission was informed that there were 426 full-time employees and 44 vacancies. In addition to names, many of these lists fortunately include duties, and salaries or wages. References to such lists, as well as lists of Commissioners and Commission officials and their terms of office, are collected into Appendix 1, providing glimpses of the men and women who led and staffed the Park Commission during its historic hundred-year run. Appendix 2 is a compilation of sources for the history of the Commission that will be found close to hand in the Memphis and Shelby County Room, including the Commission’s own publications from its first decade.

A final special note is required to define the number of “Items” enumerated for each folder in this collection, although this may only be of peripheral or bookkeeping interest to users. Most such “Items” are defined as the dated Minutes of a Park Commission meeting, or indeed even a dated notice that e.g., for lack of a quorum no meeting was held, or that it was postponed or canceled. Minutes themselves, or such a “lack of quorum” notice, will almost always be signed by both Chairman and Secretary. These “Items” will usually include supporting documents such as audits, budgets, bids, blueprints, letters, internal reports and memos, as well as City Commission or City Council approval of Park Commission proceedings, acquisitions or appropriation requests, etc., even though such material may not always bear the same date as the minutes they support. Other “[Items.]”, preceded by this underlined and bracketed label in the Inventories, are notable documents or ancillary material relating to the Park Commission, its staff or its activities; they may be more or less independent of the specific minutes where they are found. The total number of “Items” in each folder is thus the sum of the number of meetings held during a calendar interval (along with their supporting documents), plus the other “[Items.]” as labeled separately. It should be noted that occasionally late in Book 6, in Book 7 throughout, and in the earliest part of Book 8, “bids received” for work or products often appear on their own individual pages and usually were entered into the minute book, dated and signed in, as it were, by both Chairman and Secretary. However, these are not considered to be individual “Items” as defined above, unless it is clear that a quorum of Park Commissioners was also present when these bids were received and considered. If extensive sets of bids appear, sometimes amounting to 20 pages or more as occurs in Books 15 and 16, some of them may have been labeled as “[Items.]”.

Single photocopies or scans of unpublished writings in these papers may be made for purposes of scholarly research.

Memphis and Shelby County Room Rights Statement:

While the Memphis Public Library & Information Center may house an item, it does not necessarily hold the copyright on the item, nor may it be able to determine if the item is still protected under current copyright law. Users are solely responsible for determining the existence of such instances and for obtaining any other permissions and paying associated fees that may be necessary for the intended use. Any image from the library’s collection published in any form must cite as the source: Memphis and Shelby County

6 Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center. For all requests, please contact the History Department at 901.415.2742 or [email protected].

Acknowledgments:

I would like to thank all members of the staff of the History, Genealogy, Travel and Social Sciences Department and the Memphis and Shelby County Room. Their daily encouragement, assistance and suggestions were invaluable. Additional thanks are due to Sarah Frierson for the photographs of the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books on the title page and the Commission’s jaunty watermark on page 244, to Marilyn Umphress for delivering hard-to-find answers to obscure questions raised by minute book entries, to Gina Cordell for coaching me through this unfamiliar exercise, and to Wayne Dowdy for catching a number of errors. Any that remain are of course my responsibility.

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Table I.

Summary of Features of the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books

Box Minute Opening and Closing Dates Inclusive Pages * No. of Pages * Indexed? No. of Index Pages Book 1 No. 1 Sept. 13, 1900-Dec. 13, 1910 1-357 357 No - 2 No. 2 Feb. 14, 1911-Jan. 12, 1916 1-343 343 No - 3 No. 3 Feb. 8, 1916-Mar. 4, 1924 1-402 402 No - 4 No. 4 May 6, 1924-Sept. 16, 1930 1-373 ** 373 Yes 13 5 No. 5 Oct. 14, 1930-Dec. 21, 1937 1-357 ** 357 Yes 7 6 No. 6 Jan. 6, 1938-Dec. 2, 1948 1-445 ** 445 Yes 13 7 No. 7 Jan. 6, 1949-July 12, 1954 1-496 ** 496 Yes 22 8 No. 8 July 29, 1954-Aug. 1, 1958 1-493 ** 493 Yes 24 9 No. 9 Sept. 4, 1958-Jan. 4, 1962 1-498 ** 498 Yes 28 10 No. 10 Feb. 1, 1962-May 6, 1965 1-497 497 Yes 40 11 No. 11 Jun. 3, 1965-May 2, 1968 1-500 500 Yes 29 12 No. 12 May 2, 1968 (cont'd.)- 1-500 500 Yes 40 May 7, 1970 13 No. 13 May 7, 1970 (cont'd.)- 1-500 500 No - Nov. 2, 1972 14 No. 14 Nov. 2, 1972 (cont'd.)- 1-500 500 Yes 22 Nov. 7, 1974 15 No. 15 Nov. 7, 1974 (cont'd.)- 1-385 385 Yes 16 Aug. 13, 1976 16 No. 16 Sept. 2, 1976-Jan. 4, 1979 1-392 392 Yes 29 17 No. 17 Jan. 18, 1979-Dec. 6, 1979 1-146 ** 146 Yes 42 18 No. 18 Jan. 3, 1980-Dec. 4, 1980 1-140 ** 140 No - 19 No. 19 Jan. 8, 1981-Dec. 3, 1981 141-150, 1-104 ** 114 Yes 10 20 No. 20 Jan. 7, 1982-Dec. 2, 1982 105-184, 1-38 ** 117 Yes 11

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Table I (continued).

Summary of Features of the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books

Box Minute Opening and Closing Dates Inclusive Pages * No. of Pages * Indexed? No. of Index Pages Book 21 No. 21 Jan. 6, 1983-Dec. 21, 1983 39-156 117 Yes 12 22 No. 22 Jan. 18, 1984-Dec. 19, 1984 1-99 99 Yes 11 23 No. 23 Jan. 16, 1985-Dec. 4, 1985 100-181 82 Yes 9 “ No. 24 Jan. 15, 1986-Dec. 17, 1986 182-275 94 Yes 7 24 No. 25 Jan. 20, 1987-Dec. 14, 1989 1-55, 1-123 178 Yes Separate indexes to the three years, of 7, 3, and 3 pages respectively *** 25 No. 26 Jan. 17, 1990-Nov. 20, 1991 1-137 137 Yes Separate indexes to the two years, of 4 and 3 pages respectively “ No. 27 Jan. 22, 1992-Dec. 17, 1993 138-144, 8-138 138 No **** No index by Park Commission staff **** 26 No. 28 Jan. 26, 1994-Nov. 20, 1996 139-148, 11-177 177 No - “ No. 29 Jan. 29, 1997-Mar. 23, 2000 178-331 154 No - 27 Tape Recordings of Various Meetings in 1988-1994 and 1997 28 Photocopies of Indexes to the Minute Books, Collected Into This Box for Reference Purposes *These numbers do not take account of the occasional absent pages, or of the sometimes considerable bound-in, pasted-in, and/or interleaved material. The “No. of Pages” total approximately 8,731 pages. The “No. of Index Pages” total 402 pages. ** A large amount of bound-in, pasted-in, and/or interleaved material is present. *** For preliminary handwritten indexes to minutes for 1987 and 1988, see Box 24, Folders 8 and 9, not photocopied for inclusion in Box 28. **** A preliminary index to the 1992 minutes has been prepared by the processor of this collection and is included in Box 28.

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Table II.

Photocopies of Indexes to the Minute Books, Collected for Reference Purposes Into Box 28

Minute Opening and Closing Dates Index or No Index Book No. 1 Sept. 13, 1900-Dec. 13, 1910 No index; missing or never created No. 2 Feb. 14, 1911-Jan. 12, 1916 No index; missing or never created No. 3 Feb. 8, 1916-Mar. 4, 1924 No index; missing or never created No. 4 May 6, 1924-Sept. 16, 1930 Index of 13 pages No. 5 Oct. 14, 1930-Dec. 21, 1937 Index of 7 pages No. 6 Jan. 6, 1938-Dec. 2, 1948 Index of 13 pages No. 7 Jan. 6, 1949-July 12, 1954 Index of 22 pages No. 8 July 29, 1954-Aug. 1, 1958 Index of 24 pages No. 9 Sept. 4, 1958-Jan. 4, 1962 Index of 28 pages No. 10 Feb. 1, 1962-May 6, 1965 Index of 40 pages No. 11 Jun. 3, 1965-May 2, 1968 Index of 29 pages No. 12 May 2, 1968 (cont'd.)- Index of 40 pages May 7, 1970 No. 13 May 7, 1970 (cont'd.)- No index; missing or never created Nov. 2, 1972 No. 14 Nov. 2, 1972 (cont'd.)- Index of 23 pages Nov. 7, 1974 No. 15 Nov. 7, 1974 (cont'd.)- Index of 16 pages Aug. 13, 1976 No. 16 Sept. 2, 1976-Jan. 4, 1979 Index of 29 pages No. 17 Jan. 18, 1979-Dec. 6, 1979 Index of 42 pages No. 18 Jan. 3, 1980-Dec. 4, 1980 No index; missing or never created No. 19 Jan. 8, 1981-Dec. 3, 1981 Index of 10 pages No. 20 Jan. 7, 1982-Dec. 2, 1982 Index of 11 pages No. 21 Jan. 6, 1983-Dec. 21, 1983 Index of 12 pages No. 22 Jan. 18, 1984-Dec. 19, 1984 Index of 11 pages No. 23 Jan. 16, 1985-Dec. 4, 1985 Index of 9 pages No. 24 Jan. 15, 1986-Dec. 17, 1986 Index of 7 pages No. 25 Jan. 20, 1987-Dec. 14, 1989 Indexes to each year (1987, 1988, 1989), of 7, 3, and 3 pages respectively * No. 26 Jan. 17, 1990-Nov. 20, 1991 Indexes to each year (1990, 1991), of 4 and 3 pages respectively No. 27 Jan. 22, 1992-Dec. 17, 1993 No index by Park Commission staff ** No. 28 Jan. 26, 1994-Nov. 20, 1996 No index; missing or never created No. 29 Jan. 29, 1997-Mar. 23, 2000 No index; missing or never created * For preliminary handwritten indexes to minutes for 1987 and 1988, see Box 24, Folders 8 and 9, not photocopied for inclusion here.

10 ** A preliminary index to the 1992 minutes has been prepared by the processor of this collection and is included here.

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Table IIIa.

Acknowledged Memphis Parks and Some of the Park Commission’s Other Facilities, 1906 to ca. 1941

No. Book 1, Budget, Book 1, Report, Book 2, Audit, Book 2, Audit, Book 2, Malone Nov. 7, 1906, Mar. 4, 1908, Jan. 26, 1912, Feb. 8, 1915, Report, Mar. 15, page 11 pp. 199-200 pp. 79-81 pp. 286, 288-291 1915, pp. 310-312 1 Annesdale Annesdale Park Annesdale Park 2 Astor Park Astor Park Astor Park 3 Auction Square Auction Park Auction Square Auction Square 4* 5 6 7 Belvedere Belvedere Belvedere Triangle Square and Blvd. Triangle and Blvd. 8 Bickford Park Bickford Park Bickford Park Bickford Park 9 10* Market Square Brinkley Square Brinkley Park Brinkley Park Market Square 11 12 13 Chickasaw Park Chickasaw Park Chickasaw Park 14 15 Confederate Park Confederate Park Confederate Park Confederate Park Confederate Park 16 Court Square Court Square Court Square Court Square Park 17 18 19 20* Jackson Mound DeSoto Park Jackson Mound and DeSoto Park 21 22 Douglass Park Douglass Park 23 Exchange Square 24 25 Forrest Park Forrest Park Forrest Park Forrest Park Forrest Park 26 27 Gaston Park Gaston Park Gaston Park Gaston Park Gaston Park 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 *Please note historical name usages applied to five facilities that for reasons of convenience and brevity are ignored in the alphabetization of their respective five entries in this table: Market Square / Brinkley Square; Church Park / Beale Avenue Park; Jackson Mound / DeSoto Park; Tri-State Fairgrounds / Recreation Park; and Overton Park Zoo / Zoological Garden / Zoo.

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Table IIIa (continued).

Memphis Parks and Some of the Park Commission’s Other Facilities, 1906 to ca. 1941

No. Book 3, Budget, Book 4, Budget, Book 5, Budget, Book 6, Budget, May 15, 1923, Feb. 18, 1930, Apr. 6, 1937, Feb. 18, 1941 (?), page 339 between pp. 320-321 between pp. 308-311 between pp. 156-157 1 Annesdale Park Annesdale Park Annesdale Park Annesdale Park 2 Astor Park Astor Park 3 Auction Park 4* Church Park Church Park and Church Park Beale Avenue Park Auditorium 5 Beauregard Field Beauregard Park Beauregard Park Beauregard Park 6 Bellevue Field Bellevue Park Bellevue Park Bellevue Park 7 Belvedere Triangle Belvedere Triangle Belvedere Triangle 8 Bickford Park Bickford Park Bickford Park Bickford Park 9 B.F. Booth Park 10* Brinkley Park Brinkley Park Brinkley Park Brinkley Park 11 Brooks Memorial Art Brooks Memorial Art Brooks Art Gallery Brooks Art Gallery Gallery Gallery 12 Carnes Swimming Pool 13 Chickasaw Park Chickasaw Park Chickasaw Park Chickasaw Park 14 Colonial Park Colonial Park Colonial Park 15 Confederate Park Confederate Park Confederate Park Confederate Park 16 Court Square Park Court Square Court Square Court Square 17 Crump Stadium Crump Stadium 18 Charles W. Davis Park Charles W. Davis Park 19 Jefferson Davis Park Jefferson Davis Park 20* DeSoto Park DeSoto Park DeSoto Park DeSoto Park 21 Dixie Court Playgrounds 22 Douglass Park Douglass Park Douglass Park Douglass Park 23 24 Wm. H. Foot [Foote] Playground 25 Forrest Park Forrest Park Forrest Park Forrest Park 26 Robert Galloway Galloway Park Galloway Park Galloway Golf Course Park 27 Gaston Park Gaston Park Gaston Park Gaston Park and Community House 28 Guthrie Playgrounds 29 Handy Park Handy Park 30 Hodges Field 31 Hollywood Park Hollywood Park 32 Klondyke Park 33 Lincoln Park Lincoln Park 34 Litty Park Litty Park Litty Park Litty Park 35 Magevney Home 36 Malone Park Malone Park Malone Park and Pool Malone Pool and Park 37 Morris Park Morris Park Morris Park Morris Park

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Table IIIb.

Memphis Parks and Some of the Park Commission’s Other Facilities, 1906 to ca. 1941

No. Book 1, Budget, Book 1, Report, Book 2, Audit, Book 2, Audit, Book 2, Malone Nov. 7, 1906, Mar. 4, 1908, Jan. 26, 1912, Feb. 8, 1915, Report, Mar. 15, page 11 pp. 199-200 pp. 79-81 pp. 286, 288-291 1915, pp. 310-312 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 Overton Park Overton Park Overton Park Overton Park Overton Park 46 47 North & South Parkway Parkway Parkway Parkways 48 49 50* Tri-State Fair Tri-State Grounds Fairgrounds 51 52 53 Riverside Park Riverside Park Riverside Park Riverside Park Riverside Park 54 55 56 Speedway Speedway 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65* Overton Park Zoo Zoo Zoological Gardens

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Table IIIb (continued).

Memphis Parks and Some of the Park Commission’s Other Facilities, 1906 to ca. 1941

No. Book 3, Budget, Book 4, Budget, Book 5, Budget, Book 6, Budget, May 15, 1923, Feb. 18, 1930, Apr. 6, 1937, Feb. 18, 1941 (?), page 339 between pp. 320-321 between pp. 308-311 between pp. 156-157 38 Museum [Pink Palace] Museum Building and Museum Building and Grounds Grounds 39 Museum Park Lake Museum Lake 40 Neutral Strips Neutral Strips Neutral Strips 41 New Playground N. Memphis 42 New Playground S. Memphis 43 Orange Mound Orange Mound Park Orange Mound Park and Swimming Pool 44 Orchestra Shell Orchestra Shell 45 Overton Park Overton Park Overton Park and Golf Overton Park and Golf Course Course 46 Park Roads Park Roads Park Roads 47 Parkway and North Parkway Parkway Parkway Parkway Extension 48 Peabody Park Peabody Park Peabody Park Peabody Park 49 Porter School Playground 50* Recreation Park Recreation Park Recreation Park – Fair Recreation Park Grounds [Fairgrounds] 51 Red Bud Triangle Red Bud Triangle Red Bud Triangle 52 Riverside Drive 53 Riverside Park Riverside Park Riverside Park and Golf Riverside Park and Golf Course Course 54 Riverside Park Lake Riverside Park Lake 55 South Side South Side Park South Side Park 56 57 Springdale School Playground 58 Swimming Pool Swimming Pool – Fair Swimming Pool [Fairgrounds] Grounds [Fairgrounds] 59 Treadwell Playground 60 University Circle University Circle 61 Washington Washington Park Washington Park & Pool Amusement Park 62 Dave Wells Community House 63 Williamson Park Williamson Park Williamson Park 64 Winchester Park Winchester Park 65* Zoological Garden Zoo Zoo Zoo

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 1 (September 13, 1900 – December 13, 1910)

Only a few audits and reports are bound in with the minutes of this book, although much has been pasted (or glued?) onto the pages. Here and in the minute books to follow, and as more fully described earlier in the Scope and Content Notes, bracketed material indicated thus, [Item.], may be of more than passing interest. These [Items.] are often separately paginated or dated from the minutes.

Box Section Pages Dates Examples of Contents 1 1 1-5 Sept. 13, 1900- Sept. 13, 1900: At the first meeting of the Nov. 29, 1900 Commission, it "proceeded to the discussion of the general subject of Parks, and after such discussion, adjourned . . .” Nov. 29, 1900: Mr. Overton Lea has "executed to us an option upon 175 acres of his tract . . . Bounded on the south by Poplar Boulevard on the east by Cooper Avenue and on the North by Summer Avenue and on the West partly by McLean Avenue . . . " 1 2 6-13 Jan. 26, 1901- Nov. 8, 1901: "It was announced that Mr. Dec. 28, 1901 Kessler was then in the City, and . . . after extended Consultation and Negotiations with him . . . Geo. E. Kessler was employed as Landscape Architect to the Commission for the term of three (3) years . . . upon a salary of Five (5) thousand dollars for the first year . . . No extra pay to be allowed him for travelling expenses, draughtsman or anything else." Dec. 28, 1901: Albert Link is employed "to take charge of the laborers employed upon the Parks, the planting and growing of trees plants etc. and generally such work as he may be directed to do." 1 3 14-31 Jan. 23, 1902- July 25, 1902: "It is important that a system Dec. 3, 1902 of Parkways and Boulevards be now provided for and right of way acquired before the streets and lands suitable . . . shall have been occupied and built upon . . . To this end Resolved: That a system of Parkways or Boulevards be now surveyed and acquired" to connect East Park [soon to be renamed Overton Park] and Riverside Park.” 1 4 32-49 Jan. 7, 1903- Feb. 5, 1903: The Commission authorizes Jan. 6, 1904 bridges to be built in Overton Park and Riverside Park, the latter according to plans 16 furnished by Mr. Kessler "so that same could be submitted to steel Manufacturers for estimate of Cost." 1 5 50-72 Jan. 9, 1904- Jan. 9, 1904: "Judge F.H. Heiskell made Dec. 7, 1904 further report of progress in securing rights of way for Boulevard extending from the south east corner of Overton Park" to Riverside Park. Mar. 9, 1904: "Chairman Galloway moved that $500.00 be expended as a Nucleus for a Zoo at Overton Park. Mr. McFarland Voting against it - tie vote, lost." Dec. 7, 1904: [Item. Report of Edward S. Elliott, Auditor and Accountant.] 1 6 73-104 Jan. 4, 1905- Apr. 5, 1905: "Mr. McFarland offered a Dec. 16, 1905 resolution that the Chairman be authorized to purchase a Gasoline Lawn Mower when the Legislature passes a Bill authorizing the Collection of a Park Tax, seconded by Mr. Galloway and adopted." Nov. 8, 1905: “Resolved that the Chairman be instructed to organize a force of men and take possession of all land from Riverside Park to Overton Park which can be lawfully taken into possession, and to give bond as required by law where same is necessary and move back all fences to the line of the parkway." 1 7 105-148 Jan. 20, 1906- Feb. 7, 1906: "The question of hunting in the Dec. 11, 1906 parks was discussed and finally referred to Mr. Percy Finley [sic for Finlay] the Parks Attorney to draw up an ordinance for passage inflicting severe punishment for violation of same." Mar. 7, 1906: [Item. Chairman Godwin describes the state of Commission finances and recommends amounts to be spent in 1906 for maintenance and administration and for development of the parks, “the Speedway,” etc. Nov. 7, 1906: [Item. Chairman Godwin reports on receipts and expenditures during his two-year term of office.] 1 8 149-193 Jan. 9, 1907- Mar. 30, 1907: [Item. Audit of the Dec. 19, 1907 Commission's books from Nov. 7, 1906 to Mar. 27, 1907.] June 5, 1907: "Mr. Galloway next submitted a report of the Commission's work from the commencement of its work to the present time and upon motion of Mr. Willingham, unanimously carried, it was ordered that 1000 copies be printed and

17 bound in neat paper binding." Aug. 7, 1907: "Mayor Malone appeared before the Board, stating that he thought the Park Commission should take charge of Court Square.” Moved and approved. The Commission also voted to spend $25 for "a babboon" for the Zoo. Oct. 2, 1907: [Item. Chairman Galloway reports on receipts and expenditures in 1907, and estimates the expenditures to May 1908.] 1 9 194-239 Jan. 8, 1908- Mar. 4, 1908: [Item. Acting Supt. Thomas Dec. 17, 1908 reports on both the routine work and the improvements to zoo, parks, parkways and squares.] Apr. 8, 1908: [Item. A petition from 26 donors of Belvedere Ave. requests that the Park Commission lay off and plant the boulevard "under competent supervision." They contribute $510 toward this work.] Aug. 5, 1908: A Mr. Tilley of Hale & Rogers, Architects, New York, appears "before the Board with a blue print showing the quarters assigned to the Commission in the New Court House,” requesting the Board's approval. 1 10 240-311 Jan. 13, 1909- Jan. 13, 1909: "Dr. Turner stated that his Dec. 22, 1909 attention had been called to the fact that Dr. J.W. Scheibler, Veterinarian, had been giving his services to the Zoo free of charge, and for this courtesy, it would be proper for him to be officially known as Veterinarian to the Zoo, and moved" the same. It carries unanimously. Feb. 12, 1909: [Item. A ten- page audit from Feb. 29 to Dec. 16, 1908.] Oct. 13, 1909: "Mr. Willingham reported that he had succeeded in securing four offices in the new Courthouse from the mayor, which he had ordered lettered." Dec. 22, 1909: [Item. Audit, Dec. 15, 1908 to Dec. 1, 1909.] 1 11 312-357 Jan. 10, 1910- Feb. 8, 1910: [Item. A City of Memphis Dec. 13, 1910 Legislative Council Resolution concerning the “Plot of ground turned over to Park Commission, Intersection Belvedere & Madison.”] Dec. 13, 1910: [Item. Letter from Ennis M. Douglass, City Clerk, informing Colonel Robert Galloway that the Board of Commissioners has "unanimously elected you as Park Commissioner of the City of Memphis for a term of six years."

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 1 (September 13, 1900 – December 13, 1910): Introduction and Excerpts

The newly appointed Memphis Park Commission of September 1900 consists of Judge Louis B. McFarland as Chairman, Robert Galloway and John R. Godwin; later in the decade John T. Willingham and Dr. Benjamin F. Turner will replace McFarland and Godwin respectively. Each is required to post a bond of $5,000, equivalent to about $135,000 in 2012, “conditioned for the faithful discharge of their duties.” The original Commissioners waste no time getting down to business. At their second meeting they begin discussing the purchase of land to create two major parks, one to the south and one east of the city, and not long afterward the acquisition of land to connect the two with a parkway. For such large projects, funds will be raised by bond sales, limited by statute at the time to no greater than $250,000 each. By their second year the Commission acquires Overton Park, and shortly thereafter hires landscape architect George E. Kessler (designer of Kansas City’s much-emulated park and boulevard system) to design something similar for Memphis.

As the minutes begin, they are written in a fine legible hand (with occasional exceptions) and continue thus for more than seven years. Typed copies of first letters, then bills, then resolutions, cut-out newspaper notices of bids, etc. begin to be pasted (or glued?) into the minutes beginning as early as September 29, 1903. The first location where the complete minutes of a meeting are typed throughout appears to be March 27, 1907. However, these minutes are not typed onto the pages of the minute book, but are pasted onto its pages in the same manner as bills are. Handwritten minutes resume for several months, but as of April 15, 1908 typed pasted-in minutes become the norm. Near the end of the book, headings appear in red and the text in blue.

Lists of bills incurred by the Commission begin to appear regularly in the minutes by the end of 1901, sometimes as often as once a month, and continue through Books 1 and 2 and into the early years of Book 3. By about July 10, 1905, the lists of bills are typed and pasted onto the pages. The format for payment approval is along these lines: “On motion the following claims were allowed and the Secretary instructed to draw checks for same,” or the even simpler “The following bills were approved and ordered paid.” This form also continues throughout Minute Books 1 and 2 and part of Book 3. As indicated, bills are paid with checks, which are listed in the minutes with the payee’s name and the amount of the check; thus on November 8, 1901, the minutes record the check of $110,000 to Overton Lea for land that will become Overton Park.

Few references are seen to salaries and fewer, if any, to payrolls, a practice that continues for years. The first audit of Park Commission financial records appears in the minutes of December 7, 1904, but audits are not prominent features of Book 1. On November 7, 1906, Chairman Godwin reports on receipts and expenditures during his term of office and includes a rudimentary budget, and Chairman Galloway gives a similar report on October 2, 1907. An audit for 1908 appears on February 12, 1909 and one for 1909 on December 22,

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1909; it may be noted that in the former, in a section on Park Commission Disbursements, there are references to salaries and maintenance costs for parks.

It is clear that the Commission has a bidding process, in which bids are invited for products, services, concessions, construction and the like, although the methodology may not be clear. A bid “for Overton Pavillion stand privileges was submitted by H.S. Hughey” and “Under advertisement the following bids [for paving] were submitted” on August 10, 1903. Some of the early bid notices are cut out of newspapers and pasted into the minutes, for example one inviting bids for “furnishing Music for the Memphis Parks for the season of 1905” (April 11, 1905) or for “furnishing drain pipe under Parkway between Riverside & Overton Parks” (May 17, 1906). A special called meeting is held June 19, 1908 “for the purpose of opening and awarding bids for the erection of a pavilion at Riverside Park.” On January 18, 1910, “The matter of awarding bids for the construction of the comfort station in Court Square was taken up . . . Inasmuch as there was only one bid offered for this work . . . this bid was declined.”

As mentioned above, Chairman Godwin submits a budget in November 1906. Commission properties named there are Auction Square, Bickford Park, Confederate Park, Gaston Park, Market Square, Overton Park, Riverside Park, and the Speedway (part of North Parkway). Two years later another audit adds to this list Brinkley Square (the re-named Market Square), Forrest Park and Overton Park Zoo.

In addition to acquiring land, the Commission finds itself providing construction, caretaking and police services, as well as entertainment. As its component parks and parkways are cleared and planted, buildings are constructed and custodians hired by the Commission. Soon after Kessler designs Overton Park, a superintendent is overseeing its landscaping. Bridges must be built, as well as houses for the “Keepers” of Overton and Riverside Parks. Minutes refer to “park policemen” in gray uniforms and helmets. During the summer, music is provided from Riverside and Overton Park pavilions, and at other locations, by a band numbering up to two dozen musicians.

There are problems to be addressed where park meets city. Telephone and telegraph poles and their wires along the edges of parks and parkways are “inexpedient,” the Commission believes, and it forces companies to remove these eyesores, or tries to. The topic of railroad crossings on the eastern parkway comes up repeatedly. The Commission also works to provide or improve public access to the parks by encouraging the construction of streetcar lines and stations, and indeed the building of streets themselves to poorly-accessible Riverside Park. The acquisition of land for the Parkways becomes a long-drawn-out process, giving one Commissioner what he calls “considerable worry.” Not all park land is used as parks; Astor Park is for years leased to a coal company (which later also causes Commissioners considerable worry).

Once the zoo is established it becomes one of the Commission’s dominant enterprises. Animals are donated by the public or purchased with Commission funds or with monies raised by benefit events, and improved housing is provided from time to time for both inhabitants and their Keeper.

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Toward the end of the Commission’s first decade, representatives of the tax-paying African- American community begin to petition for equal provision of park services, such as children’s playgrounds and equipment, band concerts, and indeed a park of their own, which the Commissioners go on record as favoring. These requests, sometimes backed by members of the white establishment, are taken under advisement, sometimes with the explanation that sufficient funds are not available at the time but that when they are, the requests will be reconsidered.

In late 1910 comes a letter that clearly takes the Commissioners by surprise. Newly elected Mayor E.H. Crump writes to them that, just then, Memphis had enough parks, and that funds are needed for furthering construction of other facilities rather than expanding the park system.

Excerpts from Minute Book 1:

Page 2, Nov. 7, 1900: The city’s Legislative Council is requested to condemn land “on the east bank of the Mississippi River.” (Although some of the landmarks mentioned here are no longer familiar, this may have been land that would become Riverside Park.)

Page 7, Feb. 6, 1901: Discussion of bonds; it is resolved that “one of members of the Commission go to the Money Centres and try to negotiate the sale of $250,000 Park Bonds or less, and report back.”

Pages 10-11, Nov. 8, 1901: An accounting of Park Commission expenses includes Check No. 7 of $110,000 to Overton Lea for 337 acres of land (i.e., the future Overton Park).

Page 13, Dec. 28, 1901: The Commission names Riverside Park, Gaston Park, Forrest Park and East Park. Civil Engineer James B. Hildebrand is asked to “make a topographical survey of the several Parks with maps and drawings to be done as preliminary to final plans of landscape architect.”

Page 24, July 25, 1902: It being “one of the pleasing duties of grateful posterity to perpetuate the name and memory of its illustrious ancestors,” the Commission decides to rename East Park after Judge John Overton.

Page 28, Nov 5, 1902: Secretary A.G. Booth is instructed to take no rental less than $3,000 per annum for Astor Park.

Page 30, Dec. 3, 1902: The Commission has notified Mr. Arch McCarver, who claims a house in Riverside Park, to remove it within 30 days. However, "as we understand the house has been infected with Small Pox we leave it . . . [to the County Physician] to take such action . . . as to him may appear just and proper for the protection of all concerned."

Page 41, July 24, 1903: It is “inexpedient” to have telephone or telegraph wires alongside Forrest Park; the Secretary is therefore “directed to request both Telephone Companies and the Memphis Consolidated Gas & Electric Co. to remove any poles or wires they have on the Park side of the street.”

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Page 42, Aug. 8, 1903: The Commission receives "A petition from J.M. Hickey asking remuneration in the sum of one hundred & fifty dollars for [a] building in Riverside Park destroyed by the Commission, Petitioner claiming to have brought said building from Arch McCarver." Rejected.

Page 52, March 9, 1904: Superintendent Frank G. Knight is instructed “to put Golf links in Overton Park.”

Page 53, April 7, 1904: Prof. Wm. Saxby, Jr. is hired to give concerts in the summer, his band “to consist of Eighteen first class musicians . . . clothed in neat uniforms. . . . The object being to give the Citizens in every section of the City the benefit of the Music as far as practicable.”

Pages 62-72, Dec. 7, 1904: An audit by Edward S. Elliott, “Auditor and Accountant,” includes a “Statement of Cash belonging to laborers not called for up to date.” It names 25 men to whom small sums of money are owed; the smallest amount is $0.15, the largest $3.75. The audit mentions payrolls for Overton, Gaston, Forrest, Bickford and Riverside Parks.

Pages 82 and 83, June 7, 1905: "A Communication from Mr. F.D. Fuller protesting against forbidding negroes (and especially his servant) from passing through Forrest Park was read. Considerable discussion was had with reference to the instructions of the Chairman in this matter, and it was determined best to instruct the policemen at Forrest Park to preserve order, and to use discretion in ejecting objectionable characters and do such other work as the Commissioners directed, but not to prohibit the passing of negroes through the Park. This action to apply to all parks." "Resolved, That the Park Commission favor the establishment of a Zoo, but on account of the limited finances of the Board it does not feel able at this time to promote it, but tender a piece of ground in Overton Park, fronting on Poplar Street about Midway between Cooper and Trezevant Avenues on which is located an old house, for a Zoo Garden." The resolution passes.

Page 99, Nov. 8, 1905: Commission declines to establish a zoo and will “dispose” of the animals already donated.

Page 108, Feb. 7, 1906: “The question of hunting in the Parks was then discussed and finally referred to Mr. Percy Finley [sic for Finlay] the Parks Attorney to draw up an ordinance for passage inflicting severe punishment for violation of same.”

Pages 111-113, March 7, 1906: A letter from Chairman Godwin to the Commission deals with “acquiring the right of way on the connecting Boulevard from Overton to Riverside Parks.” He and Mr. Percy Finlay estimate the cost of acquiring frontages and removing houses will be $12,500. “This estimate does not include Zion Cemetery, which is said to contain, in the ground we would need, about 2,000 graves. Therefore, I think for the present we had best make a jog in the boulevard at this point and go around it.”

Page 118, April 4, 1906: At the prompting of Commissioner Galloway and citizens’ petitions containing “over 2000 names,” a zoo department is established and an appropriation of $1,200 made per year for maintenance of the animals.

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Page 135, July 5, 1906: The name of Market Square is changed to Hugh Brinkley Square. Commissioner McFarland resigns.

Pages 138 and 139, Oct. 5, 1906: John T. Willingham attends his first Park Commission meeting as the newest Commissioner. (Willingham’s record-setting service on the Commission would last until 1933.) The following resolution is spread upon the Minutes: "Whereas Judge L.B. McFarland declined reelection as a Park Commissioner, be it Resolved that the thanks of this Board are tendered to Judge McFarland for his six years of faithful service and especially for the valuable legal counsel and direction which he so freely and graciously gave. Same was duly and unanimously concurred in."

Pages 153-155, March 27, 1907: Commissioners Galloway and Willingham report going into personal debt to a bank to pay bills for maintaining the parks. The Commissioners disagree on how to handle forthcoming bills.

Page 179, Oct. 2, 1907: A benefit ball game played Aug. 18, 1906 between the Business Men’s Club and the Merchants and Cotton Exchange teams raised $3,638.85, sufficient to buy an elephant, a tiger, a leopard, and one pair each of elk and buffalo for the zoo, and to pay their freight to Memphis.

Pages 190-191, Dec. 9, 1907: “It was ordered that all the Park Policemen be furnished with new gray uniform and with helmet” and proposed that the new pavilion at Riverside Park “be constructed with the latest and best workmanship . . . at a cost of $5600.”

Page 198 and 199-200, March 4, 1908: Commissioner Willingham reports that he had the stomach of the bear “Natch” analyzed after its death “and was advised that it had died of poison.” (“Natch” was the first, and for a time the only, animal in the zoo.) A reward of $100 is offered for the arrest and conviction of the poisoner. A long report describes improvements recently made to the parks and parkway – South Parkway and North Parkway, Court, Brinkley and Auction Squares, Confederate Park, Overton Park and Overton Park Zoo, Forrest Park, Gaston Park, and Riverside Park. “A new and much longer row of hitching posts” has been installed at the zoo.

Page 211, May 6, 1908: Commissioner Godwin is still working to secure a right-of-way for the Parkway on Trezevant Avenue east of Overton Park. He says that he “had made no progress since his last report, that the matter had given him considerable worry.”

Page 215, June 3, 1908: The Cumberland Telephone & Telegraph Co. has been requested “to remove its poles off the parkway at various places, but . . . had refused to comply with such request.” The Board’s attorney has informed Commissioner Galloway that “we have a right to remove anything on our parkway”; Galloway is in favor of cutting the poles down if they are not removed, and other commissioners are in agreement.

Page 223, Sept. 9, 1908: M.V. Link (sic for Miles Vandahurst Lynk, M.D., graduate of Meharry Medical College, 1891; founder of the University of West Tennessee and Dean of West Tennessee Medical College) and Julia A. Hooks et al. petition for an appropriation of three month’s rent “for the use of the University of West Tennessee Campus and the purchase of play-grounds apparatus for the colored children to be installed at said colored

23 school campus.” The petition is referred to Mrs. T.M. Scruggs, President of the Play-Grounds Committee. [The Susanne Conlan Scruggs Collection in the Memphis and Shelby County Room contains photos, correspondence and other records of Mrs. Scruggs’ work on behalf of disadvantaged people of Memphis.]

Page 224, Sept. 14, 1908: Mrs. Scruggs states that the Play-Grounds Association offer the petitioners “every encouragement in their undertaking, but that the petition would more properly come before the Board of Education or the City Council.” The Commission entrusts Chairman Willingham with the “delicate task” of replying and saying that the Park Commission “has no money applyable for that purpose and no authority to use any portion” of its funds outside of the parks and parkways.

Page 231, Nov. 11, 1908: The Memphis Automobile Co. has proposed to sell the Commission an automobile for the use of the Superintendent, and he is “authorized to purchase said machine, viz: . . . one model 10 second hand 1908 Buick Runabout, complete with full equipment of lamps, horn, etc.”

Page 236, Dec. 17, 1908: Commissioner Galloway has received a request from the J. Harvey Mathes Chapter of the Daughters of the Confederacy to erect a flagpole in one of the parks that would have “at its top a small United States Flag and under this a large Confederate flag.” He has advised their representative that “in his opinion the government would not permit this.”

Page 252, April 7, 1909: The ordinances just passed by the city’s Legislative Council “providing rules and regulations governing the parks, parkways, etc.” are spread upon the minutes. They govern speeding on the Speedway, use of vehicles and horses in the parks, theft or injury of park plants, etc.

Page 265, May 22, 1909: “Upon the request of the Mayor of Pensacola, Fla., the Superintendent was authorized to ship him a pair of squirrels, if he found that they could be spared.”

Page 270, June 9, 1909: The park on the riverfront between Monroe and Union Avenues is named "Chickasaw Park.” The Band will play at Overton Park on Saturdays and Sundays, Court Square on Monday and Friday nights, Riverside Park on Tuesday, Bickford Park on Wednesday, and Gaston Park on Thursday.

Page 272, June 24, 1909: The Legislative Council of the City of Memphis resolved on June 19, 1909, that Astor Park property “be turned over to the custody, care and control of the Park Commissioners as park property.” The Pittsburg Coal Co. “now occupy the premises.”

Page 281, July 13, 1909: A $1,000 appropriation is approved for the purchase of a pair of ostriches, and Zoo Superintendent Reitmeyer will go to Little Rock or Hot Springs to select them. Electric lights are to be installed in the two Riverside Park pavilions and at the dancing pavilion in Overton Park. $25,000 is appropriated for building “a carnivorous building and an elephant house at the Zoo.”

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Page 285, Aug. 5, 1909: J.A. Omberg, Jr. will build the Carniverous and Elephant Buildings at the Zoo for $24,403, "less the iron work, cages, etc. which was awarded to him for the sum of $3097.00."

Page 290, Sept. 16, 1909: “A petition signed by a great number of colored citizens and tax payers of the City asking the Commission to establish a park for the colored citizens; also a petition signed by a number of white citizens endorsing the colored citizens petition for a park, etc. were read . . . Also Mayor Malone, upon invitation, addressed the Board favoring the establishment of such a park.” Chairman Galloway “felt the Board would consider the matter favorably whenever sufficient funds were available.”

Page 295, Nov. 4, 1909: Automobile speeding on the Parkway is a common problem. Commissioner Willingham is therefore “authorized to purchase one motorcycle and six stopwatches and to arrange for the detection of parties violating the speed limits.”

Page 299, Nov. 24, 1909: The Commission sends a letter to Chas. B. Quinn, Potentate of the Shriner’s Al Chymia Temple, thanking the Shriners for their recent gift of a camel to the zoo; “She is a beauty (from a camel standpoint) . . . May all her troubles be little ones.”

Page 319, March 8, 1910: "COLORED PARK. Mr. J.N. Ford appeared before the meeting and offered certain tracts of land as shown by blue prints which . . . were designated as tracts #1 containing about 328 acres, tract #2 containing about 180 acres, and tract #3 containing about 70 acres" for which he asked $425, $500 and $800 per acre respectively. "The chairman stated that the Commission would take these propositions under consideration and as soon as possible would inspect each tract after which they would give him an answer."

Page 323, April 7, 1910: The Commission notes “encroachment of the River” along the bluff.

Page 332, June 15, 1910: “The matter of purchase of a site for a colored park was taken up." Several sites would be inspected on June 18 by the Commission, attended by "the entire City Commissioners, as well as a representative of each of the daily newspapers, Mr. Tutwiler, President of the Memphis Street Railway Co., and Dr. A.B. Curry, Pastor of the Second Presbyterian Church, who has been very active in furthering the project.”

Page 336, July 16, 1910: A person saying he represented his neighbors in White Haven appears before the board to protest against “a negro park being located in their section. The broad question of establishing a negro park was then taken up and Mr. Willingham stated that after a careful estimate of what would be required to complete the work for which the bonds were issued, it was found that there would not be sufficient funds available to purchase ground for such a park, though each of the Commissioners were on record as favoring it.” The matter will be held in abeyance until such funds became available.

Pages 339-341, Aug. 17, 1910: "Mr. Pfeil of the firm of Shaw and Pfeil appeared before the board and exhibited plans of aquaria that he had prepared at the instance of Mr. Willingham, which he explained. After Discussion, Mr. Turner moved that these aquaria be constructed and that Shaw and Pfeil be authorized to prepare plans and details for same.

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Seconded and Carried." Messrs. Morris and Bro., upon "offering to reletter the Jackson statue for $30.00, and to place plinth under the bust for $25.00," are directed to do so. The Business Men's Club calls attention to the fact "that the old historic Bell Tavern had been condemned by the Building Inspector, and asking that the Park Commissioners acquire and re-erect same in Riverside Park." The Secretary is directed to write the Club that this was a matter "out of the province of the Park Commissioners." Mr. Willingham and the Superintendent "spent an afternoon with several gentlemen who were golf experts and enthusiasts, locating links in Overton Park . . . all were of the opinion that when completed, that no prettier links could be found." The Superintendent was instructed "to construct the links as laid out at the earliest moment."

Pages 343-345, Oct. 10, 1910: Mr. Davis, Superintendent of Small Parks, asks for instructions about dealing with dogs in Court Square; Mr. C.H. Land representing the SPCA formally complains that "dogs had been recently killed by the keeper in Court Square while chasing squirrels in the park. He admitted that dogs and squirrels could not both be permitted in Court Square, and also that the people of Memphis preferred the squirrels." He is informed of the ordinance prohibiting dogs not on chain in any of the parks, and that the Commission would uphold Mr. Davis in the discharge of his duties. Mr. Galloway states there are too many squirrels in Court Square "and recommended that about fifty be transferred to Overton Park." This will be done. Also, Court Square is "being used by a number of itinerant preachers for daily service." The keeper at Court Square is instructed "not to permit such services in the future unless special permission" is granted by the Commissioners.

Pages 350-351, Nov. 28, 1910: In a letter to the Commission, Mayor E.H. Crump praises its work: “The system has been splendidly developed, is a great source of pride to the citizens, and places Memphis at the top in this regard.” However, future plans of the Commission depend on funds that the majority of the City Board of Commissioners believe are required for “the construction of streets and [viaducts]. . . . At this time it is the general belief that Memphis has enough parks for its present and near future needs.” He wants to “pause a while until the rest of municipal utilities are pushed as far forward.” The Commissioners reply by letter that “We were not aware that it is the general belief” that Memphis has enough parks. “Park work never ‘pauses,’ it grows as the city grows.” They recall how the Commission had succeeded despite being hard-pressed financially. “No taxes were levied for park purposes by our city for the years 1900, 1901, and 1902, and only ten cents for 1903, 1904, and 1905. . . . We asked the Legislature to increase the tax to twenty cents for the years 1906, 1907, and 1908, but this has since been reduced to fifteen cents.” Nevertheless, “As to future work we shall not make a move, unless we feel assured that the citizens want it.”

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 2 (February 14, 1911 – January 12, 1916)

As in the inventory of Minute Book 1 and those to come later, the label [Item.] is used to indicate material that may be of special interest. Beginning here, and later, other bracketed items or page numbers indicate material either interleaved or bound in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Very little such material in this book is bound-in or interleaved, but audits, letters, memoranda, etc. are frequently pasted onto the book’s pages. Pages 261-266 are absent from this book, but the Secretary adds a note to p. 260 that these pages “were not received from printer” and that no minutes are omitted.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 2 1 1-66 Feb. 14, 1911- Pages 5-11: Audit for 1910. May 6, 1911: Nov. 22, 1911 Commission asks the City of Memphis to seek help from Congress and the Federal Government to deal with erosion of the bluff along Riverside Park. May 31, 1911: Commission decides that “negro school children be allowed in Overton Park and the Zoo from 8.00 A.M. To 1.00 P.M. each Tuesday during the month of June next, when accompanied by their teachers.” June 6, 1911: Discussion of a “new parkway” running east from Riverside Park through property in South Memphis. Nov. 22, 1911: Astor Park matter is still “hanging fire in the courts.” 2 2 [1-32] [Nov. 24, 1911- [Item. Inserted between pp. 66 and 67 are 32 May 8, 1916] pages of Minutes of Meetings of the Commissioners for Public Recreation Parks and Playgrounds [P&Pg], the so-called “Recreation Commission,” during the years of its existence. Jan. 12, 1912: P&Pg offers New Memphis Jockey Club $200,000 for Montgomery Park, but this offer was “very positively declined.” May 21, 1913: Minutes mention use of “the Club house at Montgomery Park for the establishment of a Baby Hospital.”] 2 3 67-108 Dec. 5, 1911- Dec. 5, 1911: The Commission has started a July 15, 1912 plant nursery north of Riverside Park. Pages 77-84: Audit for 1911. 2 4 109-152 July 29, 1912- July 29, 1912: City of Memphis requests the Mar. 11, 1913 Commission to join the City in measures to prevent another flood like the one just past. 27

Aug. 6, 1912: Mrs. Bessie Brooks wishes to erect a Memorial Art Gallery in Overton Park in memory of her husband. [Item. Between pp. 132 and 133 are the 1912 expenditures and the estimates for 1913.] Pages 133-147: Audit for 1912. 2 5 153-212 Mar. 18, 1913- May 13, 1913: Word arrives that the City Feb. 19, 1914 Commission has approved the purchase of Douglass Park for use by African-Americans. Sept. 9, 1913: Jackson Mound Park acquisition is final and it is renamed DeSoto Park. 2 6 213-260, Feb. 5, 1914- Pages 213-233: Audit for 1913 and budget for 267-278 Jan. 15, 1915 1914. Mar. 6, 1914: Nurserymen of Memphis protest the sale “in direct competition with them” of shrubbery to the public by the Commission from its nursery. Sept. 8, 1914: “Improper treatment of ladies on the Overton Park course by caddies” forces the Commission to put a policeman in charge of the course. [According to a note on p. 260, pages 261-266 “were missing . . . when received from the printer.”] 2 7 279-343 Feb. 15, 1915- Pages 283-303: Audit for 1914 and budget for Jan. 12, 1916 1915. Mar. 15, 1915: Extensive report from James H. Malone, Attorney, “giving book and page of all property under the control of the Park Commission” and a “statement of dates when the various parks were acquired.” Jan. 12, 1916: The necessary rights-of-way for the construction of South Parkway are now in hand. The Nineteenth Century Club “through its art Committee is hereby authorized to censor all paintings and exhibits of every kind [in the Brooks Memorial Building] in accordance with agreement with Mrs. Brooks.” 2 8 [Index. Minute Book 2 covers and spine.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 2 (February 14, 1911 – January 12, 1916): Introduction and Excerpts

At the beginning of its second decade the members of the Park Commission are Chairman Robert Galloway, Dr. Benjamin F. Turner and John T. Willingham; Abe Goodman will later replace Turner. In Book 2, year-end audits of the Commission become more frequent and will be found here for 1910-1914. Lists of bills owed by the Commission continue to appear throughout, every month or so. A budget (so-called “estimated requirements”) for 1913 is found on sheets bound between pp. 132-133, and budgets for 1914 (pp. 231-233) and 1915 (p. 303) appear at the end of the 1913 and 1914 audits respectively.

The lists of itemized monthly bills are handled as described for Book 1, i.e. (February 14, 1911) “The monthly bills as shown by this appended hereto, were duly considered and ordered vouchered.” The Commission’s purchasing and contracting methods remain varied. Chairman Galloway simply “reports” on April 9, 1912 that he had sold a cottage and “awarded a contract to Lew Tisdale & Co. for installing plumbing fixtures” in an Overton Park lavatory; his actions are approved. The Zoo Superintendent is simply authorized to buy an incubator for hatching eggs produced by birds at the zoo (April 21, 1914). The Commission’s Secretary is directed to advertise for sealed bids for the printing of the Park Report (December 9, 1914).

The minutes themselves are all typed onto the pages of this minute book, a method used until the advent of laser printers in the 1990s. Audits and lists of bills, expenditures, letters from City Hall, notices to bidders, and the like continue to be pasted into the book.

In addition to Park Commission property listed in the discussion of Minute Book 1, an audit in January 1912 (p. 81) adds Annesdale (Park), Astor Park, Belvedere Square, Chickasaw Park, and Jackson Mound (Park). Three years later (p. 286) another audit adds Belvedere Triangle (the re-named Belvedere Square), DeSoto Park (the re-named Jackson Mound), and Douglass Park. Noteworthy is a 1915 report by the Commission’s attorney and former mayor James H. Malone, who gives “a brief statement of dates when the various parks were acquired, and the various sources of title thereto.” His list is worth summarizing here: The Promenade, and Auction, Court, Exchange and Market Squares (1819); Astor Park (1838); Forrest Park (conveyed by unrecorded deed before the Civil War); Bickford Park (1869); Gaston Park (1900); Overton and Riverside Parks (1901); Annesdale Park (conveyance unclear, perhaps ca. 1905); Chickasaw and Confederate Parks (reclaimed from The Promenade, 1906-1910); Belvedere Triangle (1909); DeSoto and Douglass Parks (1913); Tri-State Fair Grounds (later sometimes called Recreation Park, also 1913); and Parkway (no dates given but may have ranged from 1906 to 1916).

The Commission continues to have problems with poles and wires on the parkways, and with speeders on North Parkway who “made as much as eighty miles an hour,” greatly outrunning the park motorcycle policeman. Most of the city remains inside the parkways, but houses are being built along their outer edge and homeowners need access to municipal services. The Commission is now routinely considering requests for sewer and

29 water lines and gas mains to be laid across the parkways to these homes – and contending with a City Water Department that is crossing North Parkway “at will with service pipes over the refusal of the Park Commissioners.” Meetings feature petitions to the Commission to beautify this or that median strip, or grade and plant school grounds, the Shelby County Court House, the new Police Station, the City Hospital, etc. The Commission is asked to “oil streets,” i.e. spray unpaved streets with oil to keep down the dust and to facilitate water run-off. And there is no abatement of the caving in of the bluff along Riverside Park.

Progress is slow in acquiring land for the southern leg of the parkway system. In 1911 the New South Memphis Land Company offers to donate land for this purpose, but the deal is not finalized until early 1916. Jackson Mound Park is acquired after consultation with Mayor Crump who feels the amount to be paid is excessive. And notwithstanding the Mayor’s efforts to curtail what he sees as excessive drain on city finances, the Commission offers a quarter of a million dollars to the New Memphis Jockey Club and thus obtains 210 acres for a “Recreation Park and Play Grounds” alongside East Parkway. George E. Kessler’s “plan #1” for its development calls for a half-mile-long racetrack and a large public swimming pool. The Mayor and City Commission are requested to pay for building the pool.

Mrs. Bessie Brooks informs the Commission of her wish to “erect a Memorial Art Gallery to the memory of her husband” in Overton Park. She will pay to erect, finish, care for and maintain it, and the Commission gratefully accepts her offer.

At the request of “prominent negro educators in the city,” the first arrangements are made for African-American school children to visit the zoo every Tuesday morning in June 1911. The question of a “negro park” continues to be raised; the following year Mayor Crump and City Commissioners write to the Park Commissioners that “it is but fair that some provision be made . . . and there is nothing in the [annual] report of the Park Commission to indicate that such a step is even contemplated.” In 1913 a committee appointed by the Mayor selects “a tract of land known as Douglass Park” for this purpose and the Park Commission takes it over.

Audits indicate that the Commission benefits from the sale of hay and wood and from concessions, at least at Overton Park. The nursery set up in 1911 near Riverside Park annoys “a number of the Nurserymen and landscape gardeners of the City” to the extent that they lodge a protest against the sale of its shrubbery to the public. For six years the Commission works to clarify its title to Astor Park vis-à-vis its occupant Pittsburg Coal Co., and the matter is finally decided by the Supreme Court in the Commission’s favor. Perhaps encouraged by this victory in the Astor Park litigation, the Park Commission also takes action in 1915 “to recover land on the levee occupied by the Dan Shea Boiler works.”

Excerpts from Minute Book 2:

Page 8, Feb. 14, 1911: In the annual audit, a list of “Receipts Dec. 1, 1909 – Jan. 1, 1911” includes the items “Refreshment Privilege Overton Pk., $1758.33,” “Sale of Hay, Shrubs and logs, $626.05” and “Board of Education, 3 Cars Gravel, $57.85.”

Page 27, April 19, 1911: W.W. Robinson applied “for the privilege of selling soda water, and other similar drinks in the Parks”; the Secretary is instructed to “decline his proposition.”

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Page 33, May 6, 1911: The river has “encroached about five hundred feet into the [Riverside] park property in the last six years.” Captain Claude S. Smith of the U.S. Army Corps of engineers suggests construction of revetments and mattresses. The Park Commission requests the Mayor and Commissioners of the City of Memphis to “take up the matter with our representatives in Congress, with a view to securing an appropriation from the Federal Government.”

Page 37, May 31, 1911: A “number of the prominent negro educators in the city” have applied for the privilege “of allowing the negro school children, under proper supervision” to visit the zoo. The Commission decides “that the negro school children be allowed in Overton Park and the Zoo from 8.00 A.M. to 1.00 P.M. each Tuesday during the month of June next, when accompanied by their teachers; the schools to divide their scholars as they deem proper; provided that they go to and return from the park in special cars provided for this purpose.”

Page 47, July 18, 1911: Letter from Mayor E.H. Crump dated June 16: “Gentlemen:--At a recent meeting of the Commissioners of the city of Memphis a resolution was adopted looking toward the acquisition of a park for colored citizens, a copy of which, has been placed in your hands. I will thank you to take this question up again, and see if it is not possible to obtain a site which will meet with the approval of all people.” The accompanying copy of the resolution requests the Park Commission “to see if there is not some spot which can be chosen where its occupancy by the colored people will not lead to friction between the races.”

Pages 99-100, May 15, 1912: Attention is called to “the condition of the drainage in front of the Zoo”; whenever there has been a heavy rain “the water overflowed the street car tracks and caused much damage in the Zoo grounds.”

Page 111, July 29, 1912: A resolution passed by the City of Memphis on July 23 refers to “high water such as recently caused great damage” in the city and requests the Park Commission “to join with the city in an effort to have the next session of the legislature” authorize a $500,000 issue of park bonds “to be applied in part payment of the expense of building and completing the needed improvements to prevent another overflow in the northern part of the city.”

Page 127, Jan. 15, 1913: “Chairman [Galloway] stated that during the year of 1912, he had instructed Superintendent Davis to superintend the planting of the yards of several residents of Memphis without any charge for his services.”

Page 149, March 11, 1913: A “resolution by the Commissioners of the City of Memphis was received and ordered spread upon the minutes” to the effect that the Commissioners had authorized and ratified “the purchase by the Park Commissioners of a tract of ground for Park purposes” (i.e. Jackson Mound Park); the tract was 9.79 acres and the cost was $85,000. The copy bound into the minutes is certified as a full, true and correct copy by Ennis M. Douglass, City Clerk.

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Page 157, April 21, 1913: Potentate A.E. Camero of Al Chymia Temple requests that they be allowed to carry the shrine camel “Al Chymia” with them to Dallas to the Shrine Convention. Permission is given “with the understanding that Al Chymia Temple will bear all expense, and return the camel in good shape.”

Pages 158-161, May 13, 1913: A committee appointed by the Mayor has selected “a tract of land known as Douglass Park to be used as a park for the colored people,” and its purchase has been authorized by the Board of Commissioners. The committee states that “Although all parks in the city are in theory open to the entire body of citizens, custom prevents the colored people from frequenting the park used by the white citizens.” Commissioners Turner and Willingham offer a resolution to purchase the property, and although some individuals including Commissioner Galloway speak against the resolution, it passes.

Pages 167-169, June 10, 1913: “Chairman Galloway stated that he had been arrested but allowed to give a forfeit for $5.00 on account of not having the side walk on Second Street on Court Square repaired. After discussion the Board declined to repair same, taking a position that the City claimed possession of the side walks and that the city should make the necessary repairs.” Messrs. Patrick & Bingley will look after the Golf Links and caddies at Overton Park and will be allowed to charge for lessons. They will have caddies register and wear badges, and caddies will be allowed to charge for their services. “They have agreed to see that order is kept on Links.” A fine selection of “Play ground apparatus” has been purchased for Overton Park for $350.55.

Page 172, June 19, 1913: About 65 acres of land valued at about $4,000 per acre “had already gone into the River” and the caving bank is now only about 40 feet from the large pavilion in Riverside Park. The Mayor was asked for funds to move the pavilion, since the Park Commission has no funds until the receipt of this year’s taxes. The Mayor said he would advance enough money to move the pavilion, but that was all he could do.

Pages 187-188, Sept. 9, 1913: The Jackson Mound Park transaction is now complete. The Commission decides “the name should be changed from Jackson Mound, which signified nothing, to DESOTO, the discoverer of the Mississippi River.”

Page 190, Sept. 27, 1913: Mr. Duke C. Bowers offers “to construct a wading pool for the children of Memphis, at his expense, in Overton Park.”

Page 201, Dec. 9, 1913: Mrs. Henry Oppenheimer complains that “an automobile belonging to the Park Commission had splashed mud and grease on her silk dress, which was damaged to the extent of $35.” She is offered $15.

Page 211, Feb. 19, 1914: George E. Kessler submits a blueprint for DeSoto Park.

Pages 250-251, June 16, 1914: A person “representing the Evergreen Club made a vigorous protest against the practice of allowing negroes the use of Overton Park on Tuesdays. He spoke at length pointing out the dangerous consequences which might ensue and asked the Park Commission to put an end to it.” Others speak to the same effect, pointing out that “the negroes were gradually demanding more and more privileges in the public parks.” The Commission receives their petition for future consideration. The Commission has applied

32 to the U.S. Government to acquire “what is known as the Marine Hospital for park purposes.”

Page 255, June 22, 1914: A resolution is approved stating that because “all necessary work” had been completed at Douglass Park (cleaning up grounds, repairing buildings, digging a deep well), it is decided “that no more permits be issued to colored people for picnics at Overton Park.” Colored children may visit the zoo as formerly, “on Tuesdays, until 1 o’clock P.M.” The Commission will provide within 12 months, “sooner if its finances will permit,” playground apparatus and a wading pool at Douglass Park “for the exclusive use of colored children.”

Pages 258, Aug. 11, 1914: A page is set aside in the minutes dedicated to “Appreciating and Thanking the James Alexander Construction Co., for their generous gift of playground apparatus for Douglas [sic for Douglass] Park.”

Pages 259-260, Sept. 8, 1914: Ladies have suffered “improper treatment . . . on the Overton Park course by caddies.” The Superintendent is authorized to put a policeman in charge of the course, and is also to post the rules governing play. “Mr. Lawrence Hagenback [sic for Hagenbeck] of Hamburg, Germany, from whom the pair of hippottami [sic] were purchased in May 1913 for $4,000.00 on one years time” stated in a letter that on account of the European war he was very hard-pressed for money and would appreciate it greatly if the Park Commission would make a payment. He will be sent $2,700, the amount that has been subscribed so far for that purpose. (The hippopotami were Venus and Adonis, a most prolific, long-lived and remunerative pair of animals.)

Page 275, Dec. 9, 1914: Commissioner Willingham as a committee of one is to confer with City Commissioner Dies “relative to the City installing an arc lamp” at the intersection of East Parkway and Poplar Boulevard in the interest of safety. The Park Commission is receiving “many requests for donations of shrubbery to institutions of a public nature. After some discussion it was agreed that the resolution previously adopted to the effect that the Park Commission would furnish shrubbery without cost to Eleemosynary Institutions should stand.”

Page 280, February 15, 1915: Zoo Superintendent Castang has had an offer from a dealer in New York “to deliver Monkeys suitable for the monkey mountain,” and is authorized “to purchase 20 male and 5 female monkeys at a cost of not exceeding $1,000.00.”

Pages 304-314, March 15, 1915: Minutes begin with a long “statement of the Memphis Abstract Co. giving [deed] book and page of all property under the control of the Park Commission.” This is followed by a report from Attorney (and former Mayor) James H. Malone noting that “recently the Board won the hard fought case of Memphis vs. Pittsburg Coal Co., not only in the Chancery Court and Court of Civil Appeals, but finally in the Supreme Court. This case involved the title to Astor Park.” Filed with the Board of Commissioners (but unfortunately absent from the minutes) is a history of Astor Park and “another paper, giving a sketch of the dedication of Court Square, Market Square, Auction Square, Exchange Square, and also the splendid river frontage called the Public Promenade.” Malone states that he “found a voluminous record in an ancient case in the belfry of the Court House at Jackson, where a large quantity of papers were spread out on

33 the floor, all seemingly waste paper; but in reality they were old records of the Supreme Court.” They included “a lengthy deposition given by Major Marcus B. Winchester . . . in 1851, in the evening of his life.” Malone concludes with “a brief statement of dates when the various parks were acquired, and the various sources of title thereto.” Chairman Galloway has purchased three “valuable crocodiles” in Florida and will also pay to have them shipped to Memphis “and all other expenses pertaining to same.” Mr. Duke C. Bowers proposes to construct a wading pool in Forrest Park, a gift accepted by the Commission.

Page 320, April 8, 1915: The Park Commission is asked by Superintendent Ford of the Recreation Commission for assistance “in prohibiting cigarette smoking among children using playgrounds.” The Commission responds that it has no authority to do this.

Page 331, Oct. 5, 1915: Court Square Fountain “was badly in need of repairs and prompt action was necessary, to protect it from rust and erosion.”

Pages 340 and 342, Jan. 12, 1916: A resolution by the Board of Commissioners of the City of Memphis is spread upon the minutes, stating that as “the Park Commissioners are desirous of constructing a Parkway from the east line of Riverside Park through the lands of the South Memphis Land Company and others to the Hernando Road,” and since the necessary rights-of-way have been donated, the Commission may proceed with the building of the said (South) parkway. “After discussion the hour of meeting was changed from 1:30 P.M. to 3:30 P.M. on the first Tuesday after the first Monday of each month.”

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 3 (February 8, 1916 – March 4, 1924)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Little such material in this book is bound in or interleaved, but audits, letters, memoranda, etc. are often pasted onto the book’s pages. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 3 1 1-40 Feb. 8, 1916- Feb. 8, 1916: Audit for 1915 and budget for Nov. 25, 1916 1916. “It having developed that the Memphis Art Association was not a part of the Nineteenth Century Club,” the following resolution was unanimously adopted: “That the Memphis Art Association is hereby authorized to censor all paintings and exhibits of every kind in accordance with the agreement with Mrs. Brooks.” May 22, 1916: Mrs. Brooks transfers Brooks Memorial Art Gallery to the Commission. 3 2 41-66 Jan. 26, 1917- Feb. 15, 1917: Budget for 1917. [Item. Fifteen Nov. 9, 1917 out-of-sequence pages numbered 469-484 following the minutes for Feb. 15, 1917 contain the Audit for 1916.] Apr. 13, 1917: Robert Galloway resigns as Chairman of the Commission. May 2, 1917: Limits of the zoo in Overton Park are defined. 3 3 67-114 Feb. 5, 1918- Feb. 5, 1918: Annual Report of the Supt. of the Dec. 30, 1918 Zoo for 1917. A fruit stand is to be constructed in Court Square so that visitors can buy food for “the squirrels which have a nation wide reputation.” Mar. 13, 1918: [Item. Pamphlet, “In Memoriam – Robert Galloway.”] [Item. Sixteen pages between pp. 96 and 97 following the minutes of May 14, 1918, contain the Audit for 1917.] July 20, 1918: Contract between the Commission and the Tri-State Fair Association to manage the Fairgrounds. 3 4 115-168 Feb. 4, 1919- Feb. 4, 1919: Annual reports on the park Dec. 16, 1919 system and the zoo for 1918, including 13 names and monthly salaries of the Commission’s department heads and employees. Pages 130-141: Audit for 1918.

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3 5 169-208 Jan. 22, 1920- Jan. 22, 1920: Annual reports on the park Dec. 7, 1920 system and the zoo for 1919, and table of expenditures for 1919 and budget for 1920. Aug. 2, 1920: The Commission is asked to take over “activities heretofore conducted by the Amusement and Recreation Commission.” 3 6 209-260 Dec. 13, 1920- Feb. 1, 1921: [Item. Annual report on the park Nov. 15, 1921 system for 1920, and table of expenditures for 1920 and budget for 1921.] May 21, 1921: Resolution establishing the $250,000 bond issue to improve the Fairgrounds. July 12, 1921: Commission asks the City of Memphis to purchase the R.R. Church property on Beale St. for use as a park. 3 7 261-322 Dec. 20, 1921- Mar. 4, 1922: Bound between pp. 272 and 273 Nov. 21, 1922 are 7 bids for work on the Fairgrounds swimming pool. Also plans for development of the Recreation Department; a course of study will prepare future staff. Pages 285-286: Budget for 1922. July 27, 1922: Refreshment contracts for Overton Park and the Fairgrounds. 3 8 323-372 Dec. 27, 1922- Apr. 11, 1923: Land is donated for Galloway Oct. 4, 1923 Park. May 15, 1923: Budget for 1923 and a list of 17 named employees and their monthly salaries (superintendents, secretaries, policemen, etc.). [2 Items. Following the meeting of May 15, 1923, ending on p. 339, are pages 340-358 containing Annual Reports for 1922 on the park system (dated Jan. 31, 1923) and the zoo (dated Jan. 3, 1923); the former notes that “Church’s Park (Colored)” has been considerably improved.] 3 9 373-402 Nov. 6, 1923- Mar. 4, 1924: Contracts for permanent + [1-24] Mar. 4, 1924 + concessions on the Fairgrounds – roller [Jan. 1 & 9, coaster, carousel, Old Mill, Swinging Beauty, 1924] etc. [Item. Following p. 402 the final item in this Book is the 24-page Annual Report for 1923 from the Secretary and Superintendent of Recreation, the General Superintendent, and the Superintendent of the Zoo, including a three-page “Census of Exhibits [i.e. animals] at the Overton Park Zoo, December 27th, 1923.”]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 3 (February 8, 1916 – March 4, 1924): Introduction and Excerpts

In February 1916 the Park Commission members are Chairman Robert Galloway, John T. Willingham and Abe Goodman. During the course of years covered by Book 3, Galloway is replaced by Albert L. Parker, and Goodman by Frank N. Fisher.

Audits, bills, important correspondence, the Superintendent’s annual reports, a few bids, etc. are still pasted into the minutes. The semi-monthly detailed lists of bills end with one for December 1919, none to follow for a number of years. The form of payment changes to something along these lines: “Bills for the month were approved and ordered vouchered [or paid],” or “Secretary directed to voucher such current bills as were approved by the Superintendent.” Usually there is no indication of how much money is involved; that would not change until 1925 (see Minute Book 4). There remains little or no routine mention of payroll amounts, but some details about how the payroll is handled are seen in a resolution passed April 26, 1921: “Upon motion of Mr. Fisher, the following resolution was unanimously passed, the same having received the second of Mr. Parker. “Resolved that a fund be created in the depository of the Park Commission by the deposit of regular pay roll checks, signed as usual by the Park Commissioners, said fund to be checked out in favor of individual names on the pay roll. Said pay roll checks to be signed by the Secretary or in his absence by the Assistant Secretary, and in the absence of both the Secretary and the assistant Secretary, by one of the Park Commissioners.””

It appears that some items acquired by the Commission are still not necessarily submitted to the competitive bidding process. The Superintendent is sometimes “authorized to purchase” what he needs, i.e. “four good mare mules at not exceeding $250 each” as well as “three power lawn mowers” (April 6, 1916). But also that year (November 25, 1916), “In response to advertisement . . . bids to furnish fish [to the Zoo] for 12 months were opened.” Two bids are identical and the contract is split between the bidders. In June 1919, Commissioner Goodman moves that Commissioner Parker’s “purchase of Mack truck from the Southern Coal Co. for $2,650.00 be ratified” and it is approved. But at the same meeting the “Superintendent was directed to advertise for 350 tons of lump coal f.o.b. Memphis.”

Yearly audits continue for only the early portion of this book, in 1915-1918. The audit of 1915 is preceded by the 1916 budget (p. 5) and the audit of 1916 by the 1917 budget (p. 46). No budgets are seen for 1918-1919, but they resume for 1920-1923. A new feature is annual reports by the General Superintendent of the park system; they appear early in the year for the period 1918-1924.

New parks or other facilities added by the Commission since ones mentioned earlier are listed in the budget of May 1923 (p. 339): Beauregard, Bellevue and Hodges Fields; Brooks Memorial Art Gallery; Robert Church and Robert Galloway Parks; Litty, Malone, (Dean) Morris, Peabody (name changed from Wills Park), and Recreation (later usually called Fair Grounds) Parks; and Red Bud Triangle. References to the acquisition or opening of some of these will be seen in the Excerpts below. At Mayor Rowlett Paine’s suggestion, the

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Commission assumes the work of the city’s Amusement and Recreation Commission in 1921, and by the spring of 1922 it has organized a course of study for those interested in staff positions.

Maintaining and improving Overton Park and the zoo continue to be significant Commission preoccupations, but managing the conversion of the Tri-State Fairgrounds into park and playground requires an increasing amount of attention and funds. A 20-year lease is signed with the Tri-State Fair Association in 1918 for the latter to occupy the Fairgrounds, “now owned by the City of Memphis as a public amusement and recreation park.” Plans call for the mile-long racetrack to be replaced with a half-mile track, and for moving the grandstand alongside it. This takes nearly three years to get underway, but afterward the work proceeds quickly. It is noted that when trees are planted to outline the new roads, “On account of the poor condition of the soil it was necessary to use dynamite in planting these trees and a large amount of new soil had to be hauled for each tree.” A bond issue of $250,000 helps raise funds for “a commodious swimming pool,” an entrance to the grounds, and, to showcase their handiwork, a Women’s and Children’s Building. In 1922 scarcely a meeting passes without reference to some feature of the Fairgrounds as being planned or under construction.

Zoo Superintendent Phil Castang submits his resignation to the Commission in March 1917, and it is accepted by a vote of two to one, Chairman Galloway protesting. Two weeks later Galloway resigns as Chairman, saying that it must be evident “that I am out of line with the present Park Commission” and that other members “have very little confidence in my judgment.” Reading between the lines, it appears that Castang had asked for a salary increase that the other Commissioners disapproved of. Two weeks after Galloway resigns as Chairman, Castang requests his job back and is given it over the protest of Commissioner Goodman.

The consequences of World War I are noticed only occasionally in the minutes. Superintendent of Parks Charles W. Davis reports early in 1919 that the scarcity of labor is so acute, “we endeavored to use women for work on the Parkway and in the parks . . . but this was very unsatisfactory and expensive and we were compelled to abandon this innovation.” Due to war conditions “it was extremely hard to secure material, even at the very high prices, when we needed them”; and war activities in Court Square had “militated against the looks of this park.”

The Commission finds itself balked in an attempt to banish unsightly fruit stands from the sidewalks around Court Square. On the one hand, these stands have become a public nuisance, but on the other, “owing to the peculiar function of Court Square as being the home of the squirrels which have a nation wide reputation” it is necessary to provide some source where the public could buy peanuts and other food for them. The Commission decides to construct a building in the square that can be leased for this purpose. However, despite pleas to the Mayor, the City Commissioners and the Police Department, three years later the sidewalk stands are still there.

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Excerpts from Minute Book 3:

Page 27, May 22, 1916: There is an “imperative need” of a Comfort Station in Forrest Park. Mrs. Brooks is ready to make a formal transfer of the Brooks Memorial Building to the Park Commission; it will be dedicated on May 25, and Miss Florence McIntyre has been chosen as its Custodian.

Pages 30-31, June 19, 1916: Commissioners find the new Hippo House in the Zoo unsatisfactory. Permits have been issued to the Cumberland Telephone and Telegraph Co. to lay conduits under the Parkway “with the understanding that the resurfacing of the Park Way would be done by the Park Commission at their expense.”

Page 48, March 22, 1917: The Commission denies the Water Department’s application to cross North Parkway at No. 1829 with a 5/8-inch service pipe, but will allow it to cross “with not less than a two inch lead pipe for the purpose of supplying this and other houses.”

Page 49, March 30, 1917: The Memphis Artesian Water Dept. objects “to supplying said residence with water in the manner suggested by said Memphis Park Commission” and “Present connections shall remain at option of Water Company.”

Page 58, May 2, 1917: The limits of the Zoological Garden are defined as: “On the South, the Street Car tracks. On the west, McLean Ave. On the North, that part of the North Parkway formerly known as the Speedway. On the east, the road just east of the bear dens, running northwest to the Speedway.”

Page 61, July 23, 1917: Superintendent Phil Castang reports a “list of donations and deaths at the Zoo for month of June 1917.” The new animals include an Elk “Born in Zoo,” a Coati Mundi from “Mrs. Cangland, Galveston, Texas,” a Horned Owl from “Mr. W.A. Smith, City,” etc. Deaths include two “Pekin Nightingales, Natural Cause,” one “Coyoti, Killed, Bad Back,” and a “Sea Lion, Lungs Gone.”

Page 64, Nov. 9, 1917: Miss McIntyre, Director of the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, reports that in October there were 2,974 visitors. The Modern Dutch Art exhibition will end Nov. 15.

Page 68, Feb. 5, 1918: City Commissioners elect Mr. A.L. Parker “to fill the unexpired term of Col. Robert Galloway deceased.”

Page 98, June 11, 1918: A number of residents adjacent to Overton Park have requested that “the use of loud brass instruments and drums during dances at the Rest House be prohibited and the music restricted to string bands etc.” The request is granted.

Page 100, July 16, 1918: “Mr. Goodman moved that the commission appropriate $140.00 for four concerts at $35.00 each to be given at the colored Plymouth Community House. Seconded by Mr. Parker and passed, the Secretary being instructed to prepare the usual contract for the music with [W.C.] Handy’s Band.”

39

Pages 109-114, Dec. 30, 1918: Ringling Bros. donates an elephant to the zoo. James Avdalis wins the 3-year lease to the Overton Park Refectory with a bid of $9,500; an inventory included in the lease indicates he sells ice cream, sodas, cigars, popcorn and coffee.

Pages 115-117, Feb. 4, 1919: A list of rules governing play on the Overton Park golf links is adopted, including one stating that “Women wearing high heeled shoes shall not be allowed on the courses.” Minutes record the names and monthly salaries of the following “heads of departments and the employees under them”: L.M. DeSaussure, Secretary, $200; C.W. Davis, Superintendent, $200; J.C. Shivler, Asst., $125; J.W. Cullen, Zoo Superintendent, $175; M.L. Click, Riverside Superintendent, $100; B.A. Adams, Engineer, $125; L.H. Smith, Time- keeper, $120; J.B. Beckett, Parkway Policeman, $100; C.W. Ferguson, Overton Policeman, $75; J.T. Alexander, Riverside Policeman, $75; Miss F. McIntyre, Brooks Memorial, $100; Miss A. Kamp, Clerk, $66.66; and C.W. Gwynn, Bickford (Park), $10.

Pages 127-128, March 22, 1919: Rules and regulations for Brooks Memorial Art Gallery are adopted; for example, there will be no loud talking, smoking or spitting in the building.

Page 153, Sept. 8, 1919: Commission Secretary L.M. DeSaussure is directed to write a letter to the Mayor and each of the City Commissioners stating that the Commission has built a fruit stand in Court Square “to get rid of the unsightly fruit stands on the corners.” It had been agreed that the Police Department would have the sidewalk fruit stands removed by Sept. 1, but they are still there. The Commission requests that they be ordered off “under the police power of the city at once as public nuisances.”

Pages 169-177, Jan. 22, 1920: The annual report on the park system by Supt. Charles W. Davis states that the Zoological Garden, especially, “required a great deal of attention in the way of new work and repairs.” The monkey house “has long been found to be unsanitary and unsuitable” so it was reconstructed. “The unprecedented rain fall of over seven inches in one day caused great damage to two of the concrete bridges” in Riverside Park. Those repairs were expensive. The largest part of Court Square had been resodded and the comfort station required a large amount of attention, the plumbing having “about served its usefulness . . . During the baseball season the baseball bulletin in front of one of the newspaper offices attracts tremendous crowds who trample out our grass and shrub beds, obliterate the hedge and even break off limbs of the trees.” Confederate Park was used “for a circus and Hippodrome. Almost the entire park was placed under canvas for seven days and nights,” practically obliterating the flowerbeds, the sod and the shrubbery.

Page 199, Aug. 2, 1920: Mayor Rowlett Paine writes the Commission that he has decided “the activities heretofore conducted by the Amusement and Recreation Commission can best be handled under the direct supervision of the Park Commission, and I am asking that the Park Commission take over this work as of August 1st.” He will have the proper ordinances drawn up to authorize this. The Park Commission agrees and elects Mr. Walter G. Smith as Supt. of Recreation with Miss Minnie G. Wagner as Asst. Supt. (See Minute Book 2 between pp. 66 and 67, located in Folder 2 of Box 2, for 32 pages of Minutes of Meetings of the Commissioners for Public Recreation Parks and Playgrounds [P&Pg], the so-called “Recreation Commission,” during the years of its existence. Perhaps this is the Commission referred to by Mayor Paine.)

40

Page 203, Oct. 26, 1920: The bust of General Andrew Jackson in Court Square is “being disintegrated by the action of the weather and inasmuch as this statue had been pronounced by experts as being one of the finest in America” the Secretary is directed to see if it may be placed inside the County Court House.

Page 207, Dec. 7, 1920: Miss Bertha Simmons submits a claim for the loss of her coat in the elephant building, saying it “was taken from her arm by the elephant and destroyed.”

Page 216, Feb. 1, 1921: General Superintendent C.W. Davis’s annual report for 1920 states: “During the year we set aside an area in the [Overton Park] picnic grounds, at the suggestion of Mr. Willingham for the use of automobile parties touring through Memphis. This venture proved to be a wise one and we accommodated a large number of tourists from all sections of the country who were very appreciative and loud in their praise of Memphis on this account.”

Page 229, April 18, 1921: The Legislature authorized “that the City of Memphis shall issue bonds in an amount not to exceed” $250,000, and sell the same, the proceeds to be used by the Commission “in equipping and improving the Memphis Recreation Park and playgrounds for fair and recreation park purposes.” Specific projects are “a commodious swimming pool” for $75,000, an entrance and approaches to the grounds for $50,000, a Women’s and Children’s Building to showcase their handiwork at $100,000, and replanting the grounds for $25,000.

Page 235, May 3, 1921: “A committee consisting of the Secretary, Superintendent and Superintendent of Recreation was directed to investigate and make report as to the availability of athletic fields for negroes as soon as possible.”

Pages 241-242, July 12, 1921: The Commission requests the Mayor and Board of Commissioners of the City of Memphis to purchase the R.R. Church property on Beale Avenue. “In our judgment this property is needed to be improved and used as a recreation park and for general park purposes, and for general public uses.” They have been offered this property for $85,000.

Page 249, Sept. 8, 1921: The name of Wills Park is changed to Peabody Park “at the formal request of the Peabody Civic League.”

Page 251, Oct. 6, 1921: Former Mayor H.H. Litty believes there should be a suitable memorial “to Colonel Robert Galloway in view of his distinguished services in the . . . Park System,” and suggests “that it would be most fitting for the use of Overton Park to be changed to Galloway Park. “ Commissioners heartily agree that there should be some memorial “commensurate with his services.”

Page 255, Nov. 15, 1921: “Mr. Parker moved that Superintendent Davis be authorized to proceed with the development of Church’s Park in accordance with the recommendation and estimates furnished jointly by himself and the Superintendent of Recreation.”

41

Page 270, Jan. 20, 1922: The Secretary is “authorized to issue permit to the Memphis Gas & Electric Co. to cross the South Parkway with a six inch gas main in two places to take care of property at the intersection of the South Parkway and Cooper Street.”

Pages 273-277, March 4, 1922: “General plans for the development of the Recreation Department” are adopted and spread upon the minutes. A public playground course is to be given “to prepare the future members of the Playground Staff for the intensive summer vacation, playground season.” Applicants for a position of Assistant Instructor “must be female citizens of the United States, at least 18 years of age, and must be graduates of a senior high school, or its equivalent.” These applicants, if they pass the course with a grade of at least 88%, are eligible to be appointed Instructor.

Pages 289-290 and 292, May 2, 1922: “Specifications for bathing suits in the municipal pool were adopted and the Superintendent of Recreation directed to strictly enforce the same.” Material is to be of somber colors for both men and women, “No bright colors allowed.” Several probably new playgrounds or other recreation areas are mentioned: Bellevue Athletic Field, Dean Morris Playground, Hill School, and Beauregard Field. The Secretary is directed “to issue permits for the use of the auditorium [in Church Park] for banquets to responsible organizations, provided same was not used for money making purposes.”

Page 296, June 6, 1922: After hearing protests from various sources, and getting advice from “ladies from the Nineteenth Century Club . . . as to what would be proper and advisable,” it is decided that the “Rule in regard to colors [of bathing suits] be abrogated.”

Pages 300-302, July 21, 1922: Litty Playground is turned over to the City of Memphis through the Commission “to be used for Park purposes. . . . Said use to be for members of the Caucasian race only.”

Page 303, July 27, 1922: The Engineers’ Club has asked the Commission to maintain certain neutral strips, but “the Park Attorney advised that we had no legal right” to do so. The Secretary is directed “to write to the Secretary of the Tri-State Fair Association, requesting him to ascertain if Colored Fairs were held in various southern cities and to get his recommendation upon the subject as applying to Memphis conditions.” Refreshment contracts for both Overton Park and the Tri-State Fairgrounds are ratified and spread upon the minutes.

Page 310, July 29, 1922: “The Commissioners feel that the Recreation and Playground Department growing as rapidly as it is, requires the entire time of a General Superintendent.” Mr. L.M. DeSaussure (the Commission’s former Secretary) “with his wide acquaintance and his intimate knowledge of the Memphis Park Commission work is splendidly qualified to fill this exacting position.”

Page 331, April 11, 1923: H.W. Brennan donates about 120 acres for “a new park near the corner of Highland and Poplar Avenue”; the Commissioners vote unanimously to name it Robert Galloway Park, “and the drive around said park, the Galloway Drive.”

Page 352, May 15, 1923: The 1922 Annual Report dated Jan. 31, 1923, states: “Church’s Park (Colored): It will appear that this past year considerable improvement has been made

42 at Church’s Park. The concrete culvert has been finished. The keeper’s house remodelled, painted and wired. The auditorium building done over, the stage has been cut down and a new roof placed over the same. The building has been painted inside and outside with two coats of paint, and a partition placed on the East side for the recreation department. A room back of the stage has been arranged for the recreation department. A meeting room has also been provided for the colored American Legion.”

Page 366, Aug. 16, 1923: Locations are approved for permanent concession on the Fairgrounds: “Roller Coaster, shooting Gallery, Old Mill, Circle Swing, Carrousel,” also the Kentucky Derby, the Swinging Beauty, and the Balloon racer. There will also be a dance pavilion.

Page 368, Sept. 12, 1923: Regarding the “application by Captain W.F. Widgery, Captain of the Salvation Army, for permission to use DeSoto Park, and the application of the Reverend J. Ralph Roberts of the Third Christian Church, to use Bickford park for meetings,” it has always been the policy of the Commission since its beginning not to grant permits “to any organization for exclusive use of any of the parks, or parts thereof, for meetings.”

(Bound in following p. 402 at the end of the book are the 1923 annual reports on onionskin: 5 pages, undated, of the “Report of Recreation Department for 1923” signed by Robert O’Brien, “Secretary & Superintendent of Recreation”; 13 pages of a report covering the entire park system dated Jan. 1, 1924 and signed by C.W. Davis, “General Superintendent”; and 6 pages reporting on the operations of the zoo dated Jan. 7, 1924 and signed by C.W. Cullen, “Superintendent of Zoo.)

On p. 1 of Davis’s 1923 report, under the heading “New Tourists Camp,” he states: “The old tourists camp was inadequate and no accommodations – absolutely an eye sore from the main drive East of the [Overton] Park. At the suggestion of Mr. Willingham we laid out a camp in lots of 25 x 25 with road surrounding same. Also enlarged comfort station, installing shower baths for both men and women, electric lights – In fact we now have one of the most modern camps in the South – small but adequate. During the year 1923 we had 845 Tourists cars to visit our camp and never less than two people and as many as five per car.”

43

Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 4 (May 6, 1924 – September 16, 1930)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. More such material is bound into this book, or is interleaved, than in previous books, while fewer letters, memoranda, etc. are pasted onto the book’s pages. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 4 1 1-26 May 6, 1924- May 23, 1924: Budget for 1924. Dec. 6, 1924: Feb. 17, 1925 Commission asks the bank to allow an overdraft of $300,000 until taxes come in. 4 2 27-64 Mar. 5, 1925- [Item. Following p. 28 and dated January 1925: Nov. 3, 1925 Eleven pages of a report by Herman W. Merkel of New York describing the layout of the zoo and every structure in it, with suggestions for improvement.] May 7, 1925: Budget for 1925. 4 3 65-98 Nov. 8, 1925- Apr. 6, 1926: Budget for 1926. May 18, 1926: July 6, 1926 Commission formally accepts “Mansion House of the Clarence Saunders Estate” for park use. 4 4 99-118 July 16, 1926- July 20, 1926: A German howitzer weighing Nov. 23, 1926 2000 pounds has been obtained by Walter Chandler, and the Commission will build a base for it in Confederate Park. Oct. 12, 1926: Complaints about the Artillery Corps on the Fairgrounds must be addressed or the unit will be asked to leave. [Item. Following p. 118 are six pages dated Oct. 28, 1926, relating to the Clarence Saunders and other properties.] 4 5 119-166 Dec. 7, 1926- May 17, 1927: Budget for 1927. Feb. 9, 1927: June 7, 1927 Rev. T.O. Fuller asks for “Comfort Stations in the up-town districts for benefit of colored people”; he is referred to the City Commission. Mar. 9, 1927: Commission has asked Lorado Taft to come to Memphis to assist in converting the Pink Palace into a Museum. [Item. Between pp. 146 and 147 of minutes of Apr. 19, 1927 are five pages of contract provisions for life and disability insurance for park employees, concluding with a further four pages dated Dec. 1, 1926 listing all Commission employees, their occupations, birthdates, dates employed and race.] June 7, 1927: The various park system properties are 44

consigned to the care of different Commissioners. [Item. Following p. 166 is a set of "Rules & Regulations Regarding Uniforms for Summer Playground Staff 1927."] 4 6 167-178 June 10, 1927- [2 Items. Following p. 170 and dated June 8, June 21, 1927 1927 is a letter and description of planned playground activities, and following p. 178 and dated June 18, 1927 are 27 pages containing detailed schedules and activities of all staff at all playgrounds, and their salaries.] 4 7 179-206 July 5, 1927- Aug. 2, 1927: Commission “certifies” to the City Dec. 19, 1927 Commission the necessity of issuing bonds for $350,000 “for extending, improving and enlarging the Park system.” [Item. Page 206 is followed by a 3-page report on Pink Palace.] 4 8 207-232 Jan. 3, 1928- Apr.3, 1928: Budget for 1928. Apr. 17, 1928: May 22, 1928 Land is purchased for Orange Mound Park. 4 9 233-256 June 5, 1928- June 5, 1928: Commission thanks S.H. Kress for Dec. 18, 1928 his gift of “a handsome Renaissance painting” attributed to Rafaellino del Garbo, to the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery. [2 Items. Between pp. 242-243 are a contract and a map of Fairgrounds Park, and between pp. 254-255 is correspondence of Oct.- Dec. 1928 between the Commission and George H. Mahan, Jr., Architect, about work on Pink Palace and details of its cost.] 4 10 257-290 Dec. 24, 1928- Feb. 12, 1929: Two captured German field Aug. 6, 1929 guns have been obtained from the Army for placement in Overton Park flanking the Doughboy Statue. May 7, 1929: Budget for 1929. July 16, 1929: A new $30,000 auditorium by architects Hanker and Cairns is approved for Church Park. 4 11 291-310 Aug. 20, 1929- [Item. Between pp. 302 and 303 are Dec. 17, 1929 separately-numbered pages of “Bylaws for the Government of Advisory Committee of Museum of Natural History and Industrial Arts,” i.e. the Pink Palace, and other items, dated Mar., Apr. and Oct. 1929.] 4 12 311-360 Jan. 21, 1930- Between pp. 320 and 321 is the budget for Sept. 16, 1930 1930. Mar. 11, 1930: Commission approves sale of the northwest corner of the Fairgrounds to the School Board. 4 13 361-373 1924-1930 [Item. Index to Book 4.]

45

Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 4 (May 6, 1924 – September 16, 1930): Introduction and Excerpts

Park Commissioners in May 1924 are Chairman John T. Willingham, Albert L. Parker and Frank N. Fisher; during the period covered here, none is replaced while each takes a turn as Chairman. No annual audits appear in this book, and no annual reports by the Superintendents of the park system or the Zoo. An item worth noting, though, is a report giving an extensive description of the Memphis Zoo and suggestions for improving it, by Herman W. Merkel, Chief Forester of the New York Zoological Garden (dated January 1925 and bound between pp. 28 and 29). Budgets continue for the years 1924-1930.

Early in this book some variation of the usual comment concerning bill payment is given (“all bills properly approved were ordered vouchered for payment”). Also as usual (since early in Book 3) there is no record of the actual amount, but this changes on November 8, 1925, when dollar amounts appear again, a practice that will continue for the lifetime of the Park Commission. There is no mention yet of overall payroll figures. Details of the bidding and purchasing process continue to be unclear. “Mr. McGee, Architect of Pink Palace” submits bids on marble work and on the heating plant (January 4, 1927). Later that year (August 3) five bids are received for roofing the Auto Building on the Fairgrounds; Chairman Fisher is “out of the city” and asks Commissioners Willingham and Parker to “handle to conclusion.” On April 4, 1929 another Pink Palace architect, George Mahan, is given permission to buy what he requires in the way of hardware, painting and decorating.

The Commission budget of February 1930 (bound between pp. 320 and 321) lists parks or other acquisitions since 1923 as follows: Colonial, Orange Mound, Washington Amusement, and Williamson Parks; Guthrie and South Side Playgrounds; and the Museum (i.e. Pink Palace).

The Commission’s attention continues to be divided between the mundane and the unusual. One of the latter items would have been the contention between the Commission and the Collier family (and its Collier & Collier law firm), who complain about (among other things) the enormous new Fairgrounds swimming pool. When the pool was drained once a week, the “dirty bathwater” as the Colliers referred to it in the newspapers, washed to the north across Central Avenue and flooded the adjacent family farm.

Finances could be a problem; more than once the Commission is forced to borrow operating funds, usually $300,000, until its share of yearly taxes become available the following September. A bond issue of $350,000 that the Commission requested from the City of Memphis in 1927 is intended not only for extending the park system but also for paying current expenses.

The Commission turns its attention to providing greater comfort to park users during this period. The public asks for and the Commission provides more “comfort stations” in pavilions, bandstands and elsewhere, and as it becomes financially possible, it installs heating plants for winter use in some of the larger buildings. It contracts for group life and

46 disability insurance for all park employees and increases fire insurance coverage for its buildings. With increasing park capacity and playground activity come more complaints of injuries sustained on Commission property and equipment. The residents of Kenilworth Avenue and the Parkview bordering Overton Park are perennial complainants to the Commission about problems with traffic congestion due to park visitors.

During the period covered by this book the Soldiers’ Memorial Monument appears in Overton Park, and numerous tennis courts are constructed in both old and new parks. But the heaviest emphasis is given, during the years 1927-1930, to the conversion of the Pink Palace into the Museum of Natural History and Industrial Arts, and to its operation.

In a creative move on June 7, 1927 the Commissioners consign different parts of the park system to the attention of different commissioners. This has become necessary because "the Memphis Park System has grown to such magnitude, with respect to the details incident to the operation thereof, as to necessitate a division of work between the three commissioners . . . in order that the operation thereof may be efficiently and promptly attended to." Commissioner Willingham will supervise Overton Park except for the Zoo and Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, as well as Riverside Park and all other Park properties south of Beale Street. Commissioner Parker will supervise the Zoo, Galloway Park, the Recreation Office at the Fair Grounds, the Recreation Department and its operations in all of the parks, and all other Park properties north of Beale Street including Douglass Park. Commissioner Fisher will supervise Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, the Tri State Fair Grounds except for the Recreation Office, the buildings and grounds donated by and purchased from Chickasaw Gardens, Inc. (i.e. the Pink Palace), the office at the Court House, and the Parkway roads outside of the several parks.

Excerpts from Minute Book 4:

Page 2, May 23, 1924: The Commission decides not to permit free picture shows (with advertising slides) in the parks; that would be “beyond our authority.”

Pages 16-17, July 22, 1924: Recommendation from the City Planning Commission about a "proposed soldier’s memorial in Overton Park.”

Pages 30-36, Feb. 26, 1925: The Commission forwards a report on parks in Memphis, Nashville, Birmingham and Atlanta to Mayor Paine “In order that you might have accurate information as to the comparative condition of the park systems.”

Page 45, June 2, 1925: Soldiers' Memorial Monument approved for Overton Park.

Page 48, July 7, 1925: The Negro Letter Carriers' Band will “furnish music in the colored parks during the summer."

Pages 50-52, July 21, 1925: Former Commissioner Abe Goodman offers to erect at his expense "a suitable golf club building in Overton Park"; the offer is accepted.

Page 64, Nov. 3. 1925: In case of accidents to park workers, department heads are to "make prompt and complete written reports" including names and addresses of all witnesses.

47

Page 65, Nov. 8, 1925: “It was the unanimous decision of the Board to abolish the 3 free days [at the Tourist Camp], effective January 1st, 1926, and make a charge of 50 cents per day, to all tourists, for the first 5 days, and $1.00 per day for the next 5 days. Time limit allowed campers, 10 days. Order for new permit books, with above change in rules, was approved.”

Page 84, April 6, 1926: "Fertilizer" from stables at the Fairgrounds must be removed only by park personnel and used by them only for park purposes.

Page 91, May 18, 1926: Commission accepts "the Mansion House of the Clarence Saunders Estate" (the Pink Palace) for park use.

Page 103, July 20, 1926: Residents of Parkview Hotel and Kenilworth Ave. petition the Commission “to cut a circular street from the roadway in Overton Park to connect with Kenilworth Avenue” near the Poplar entrance so that automobiles don’t have to drive all the way through the park to Overton Park Avenue to get to Kenilworth and the Parkview. The Commission declines to accept the petition.

Page 105, Aug. 17, 1926: Rev. T.O. Fuller requests more lights in Church Park around the new wading pool; refused because the lights "would draw an army of bugs, which could drop in and stop up pool."

Page 106, Sept. 7, 1926: Memphis Aero Club wants to "establish a first-class flying and landing field near Memphis solely for civic purposes" and asks Commission help in completing it. But the Commission can't use park funds for this.

Pages 132-133, Feb. 9, 1927: Rev. T.O. Fuller asks for "Comfort Stations in the up-town districts for benefit of colored people”; the Park Commission refers him to the City Commission. Three baseball diamonds are to be moved from Overton Park to the Fairgrounds.

Page 135, Feb. 22, 1927: The Chairman is to correspond with Lorado Taft of Chicago about coming to Memphis to assist the Commission in converting the Pink Palace into a Museum and Art Building.

Page 139, March 21, 1927: The Commission interviews Mr. O.F. Johnson, an architect from Chicago recommended by Taft to undertake the conversion of the Pink Palace; despite his "being a comparatively young man,” he is hired.

Pages 146-147 and 150, April 19, 1927: Bound between pp. 146 and 147 are 5 pages of group insurance contracts for Commission employees, and 4 pages dated Dec. 1, 1926 listing all employees, from Gen. Supt. Charles W. Davis down. Given are their names, their occupation, their birthdates, their date employed, and their race. First names of some are given, but for many, only their initials. "In addition to paying a specified sum at death, this insurance would also provide for payment of monthly benefits in event of total disability due to sickness or accident, also nursing attention during such disability." A used merry-go-

48 round has been offered to Supt. Davis for $1,750 for Church Park and he is authorized to offer $1000 in return.

Page 183, July 19, 1927: Rev. T.O. Fuller has "asked that the south end of Riverside Park be set aside for colored people, with entrance from the south." The matter is being investigated, “with the view of giving the colored people additional park and playground facilities.”

Page 209, Jan. 3, 1928: Mr. N. (Nicholaus) J. Melroy is appointed Superintendent of the Zoo in place of Mr. Ernest Godwin (resigned).

Page 212, Jan. 31, 1928: The Park Board asks permission of "Mr. Brinkley Snowden, Vice President of Bank" to overdraw "the approximate sum of $300,000" in order "to carry on our park work until our 1928 taxes become available . . . about September 1st, 1928.”

Pages 225-226, May 8, 1928: "Purchase of Colored Playground Property . . . at Spottswood Avenue and West Street, in Orange Mound" is approved by the City Commission.

Page 236, June 19, 1928: “Mr. Parker stated that the Zoo was in need of the following animals, and requested authority to purchase them, which was guaranteed: One Zebra mare, $700.00; two female Wallabys, $300.00, twelve Rhesus Monkeys, $180.00, making a total of $1,180.00.”

Page 249, Nov. 7, 1928: A letter from the “Auto Club of California” desires “information relative to continuation of Tourist Camp in Overton Park. Secretary was instructed to inform the Club that the camp had been discontinued.”

Pages 278-279, May 29, 1929: Mr. E.J. Curry addresses the Board, representing "the committee of colored people present" and presents a petition "signed by a majority of the leading firms and corporations located in North and Northeast Memphis, contiguous to Douglass Park, asking that the Park Board improve and maintain Douglass Park as a safe and serviceable recreation and amusement center, that the property be properly policed in order that its present reputation for lawlessness and improper uses be overcome." The petition was referred to Supt. Davis and Miss Wagner for investigation and recommendations. Complaints have been received about the patina beginning to appear on the Forrest Monument, but it is recommended to let that process continue.

Page 283, July 2, 1929: Tom Collier “asked the Park Board to have the fence at the Automobile entrance to Fair Grounds set back sufficiently to make a larger plaza to the entrance to Fair Grounds in order to avoid traffic congestion, also to enable him to erect a watermelon stand on his property at the Fair Grounds entrance, which the Commissioners declined to do. He then stated he wished to build a culvert on his property along the meanderings of the swimming pool drain, and asked permission of the Board to haul material for culvert across the sidewalk, stating he had no other access to grounds. This matter was referred by the board to Superintendent Davis to be handled with Mr. Collier. Mr. Collier then asked the Board if they would permit him to erect an illuminated sign on the parkway. The Chairman informed him that matter would have to go before the City Planning Commission.”

49

Page 292, Aug. 20, 1929: Mrs. L.P. Cummins will act as "Superintendent and Hostess of the Pink Palace Museum Bldg."; her husband will relieve her as necessary. The telephone in the building will be listed in the next telephone directory "under letter "M" as "Museum of Natural History and Industrial Arts,” instead of Pink Palace Museum Bldg. as now listed."

Page 297, Oct. 8, 1929: Residents of Kenilworth Avenue protest against placing a Miniature Golf Course in Overton Park opposite the Parkview Hotel and petitioners’ homes. Commission rescinds its former approval of this location.

Page 313, Feb. 4, 1930: The "Elliston Mason Collection of Mound Builders' pottery, minerals and other specimens which were given to Cossitt Library" is transferred to the Commission "in fee simple" to be placed in the Museum of Natural History and Industrial Arts.

Pages 334-336, April 22, 1930: Tennis courts at Fairgrounds and Museum Building, and comfort stations in DeSoto Park, Gaston, Malone and Williamson Park are to be provided for in the budget.

Pages 341-342, June 10, 1930: A resolution by the Board of Commissioners of the City of Memphis is placed in the minutes, acknowledging the contributions of the late former General Superintendent, Charles W. Davis, "in making our park system one of the finest in America."

50

Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 5 (October 14, 1930 – December 21, 1937)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A considerable amount of material in this book is bound in or interleaved, while few letters, memoranda, etc. are pasted into this book. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 5 1 [43 [Some pages [Item. Preceding p. 1 are 43 pages dealing Pages, no have no dates; with personnel, insurance and finance page others are matters from 1931 and 1932. The first four numbers] dated Jan. 1, pages contain about 199 names of employees Mar. 24, Nov. and their departments, positions and salaries 3 & 17, 1931, as of Jan. 1, 1931. The next two contain a and Mar. 22, detailed breakdown of the 1931 budget, and 1932] the 21st page is the budget for 1932. Attached tag of paper reads: “These pages were removed from Minute Book #6, otherwise book could not be locked together. Pages belong in years, 1931 and 1932.” The “#6” must be a mistake for Book 5, which runs from Oct. 14, 1930 to Dec. 21, 1937; these pages are all dated within this period.] 5 2 1-28 Oct. 14, 1930- [2 Items. Bound between pp. 24 and 25 is a Apr. 21, 1931 concession contract for Booker T. Washington Park, and an organization chart of the Park Commission with names of 31 department heads and their titles; also a version of the 1931 budget.] Apr. 7, 1931: The Commission "finds that we will again have to borrow funds to carry on our Park work until our 1931 Taxes become available." It asks for $300,000. 5 3 29-50 May 5, 1931- May 19, 1931: “Estimate of Park Properties.” Dec. 8, 1931 Aug. 18, 1931: A new park in Buntyn is to be named Charles W. Davis Playground. 5 4 51-80 Dec. 22, 1931- Jan. 19, 1932: A complete list of Park Nov. 22, 1932 Commission buildings, assembled for insurance purposes. Mar. 22, 1932: Salaries of all Commission employees are to be reduced effective Apr. 1, 1932, as have been those of City of Memphis employees. 5 5 81-100 Dec. 6, 1932- [Item. Bound between pp. 90 and 91 are May 23, 1933 minutes of a special meeting held Mar. 6, 51

1933 that includes a list of about 173 Commission employees arranged by department, with the occupation, salary and race of each.] Apr. 4, 1933: The 1933 budget. 5 6 101-126 June 6, 1933- June 16, 1933: General Superintendent Dec. 28, 1933 Renfrow is instructed “to give the Commissioners a monthly report of all work including construction . . . labor and material expense . . . ” 5 7 127-162 Jan. 2, 1934- Feb. 6, 1934: C.W.A. [Civil Works Aug. 7, 1934 Administration] is constructing Gaston Community House; also, the proposed 1934 budget is on p. 132A. Aug. 7, 1934: The first of three murals in the Museum is completed. 5 8 163-198 Aug. 21, 1934- Apr. 2, 1935: The 1935 budget. May 7, 1935 5 9 199-228 May 21, 1935- July 2, 1935: List of P.W.A. construction Dec. 17, 1935 projects approved by Commissioners; Federal Government will furnish all the labor and half of the material costs. Also, names of 23 office staff and members of the Recreation Dept. who are to receive salary increases. [Item. Between pp. 218 and 219 is a corrected list of W.P.A. projects including “Opera Stage & Orchestra Shell” in Overton Park.] 5 10 229-264 Dec. 27, 1935- Mar. 5, 1936: Discussion about constructing Sept. 2, 1936 “a Riverside Drive.” Mar. 17, 1936: Table of expenditures for 1935 and proposed budget for 1936; also the appointment of an advisory board for the Church Park Community Center. [2 Items. Between pp. 260 and 261 are programs of the dedication of the zoo’s Monkey Island and the park’s Orchestra Shell, both taking place Sept. 13, 1936.] 5 11 265-296 Sept. 10, Sept. 10, 1936: The Van Vleet family is 1936-Jan. 29, thanked “for their generous gift of two stone 1937 lions.” Nov. 5, 1936: Names of three office workers and 20 day laborers, and their wages. Jan. 5, 1937: Rental charges for use of Crump Stadium and Fair Grounds Stadium. 5 12 297-326 Feb. 4, 1937- Apr. 6, 1937: Tentative budget for 1937 and ½ [sic] May 28, 1937 funds spent in 1936. 5 13 327-357 June 22, 1937- Oct. 5, 1937: Mr. Burton Callicott will need Dec. 21, 1937 $78 of materials, an assistant and scaffolding in order to complete the Museum murals. 5 14 [Index] 1930-1937 [Item. Index to Book 5, of 7 pages.]

52

Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 5 (October 14, 1930 – December 21, 1937): Introduction and Excerpts

The Park Commissioners serving in October 1930 are Chairman Frank N. Fisher, Vice- Chairman John T. Willingham and Albert L. Parker. In 1933 John J. Brennan replaces the late John T. Willingham, by July 1934 Lisle R. Hawley has replaced Fisher, by February 1935 Richard B. Barton has replaced Hawley, and by December 1937 Gladden H. Spigener has replaced Parker. Thus at the end of 1937 the commissioners are Brennan, Barton and Spigener. J. Seddon Allen, who is appointed Park Commission Attorney in August 1930, is a fairly regular attendee at its meetings for three decades to come.

One of the earliest appearances of payroll figures in the notices of “Bills Paid” occurs on March 21, 1933, immediately following an extensive bound-in six-page list of Commission employees dated March 6, 1933. Coincidentally or not, this is the first regular meeting attended by new Park Commission appointee J.J. Brennan. Thereafter as a general rule dollar amounts are given for both monthly payroll and monthly bills; we see “Bills paid since last meeting,” “Pay Rolls for Feb. 28th,” “Pay Rolls for March 15th,” “Unpaid bills for February,” etc. Taken together, the payroll plus bills paid might thus give a rough idea of the yearly budget, where formal budget numbers are missing.

Instances have been seen previously, although they are perhaps infrequent, in which the Park Commission’s Superintendents have taken the lead, or been given the lead, in making decisions about equipment purchases or construction projects. The same is true in this book, but the trend now is to be more specific in describing the participation of staff members. For example, on October 14, 1930, Supt. Dave Renfrow recommends the bid for re-roofing the Peabody Community Center that is later accepted by the Board of Commissioners, and in a discussion on November 5, 1936 of bids for the construction of the “Eagle flying cage,” the Board asks Renfrow for his recommendation.

Budgets appear for 1931-1937. The following specifics should be noted. (1) The budget for 1932 is the 21st of a set of onionskin sheets bound in at the beginning of this book. (2) A duplicate but more detailed form of the 1931 budget is also on sheets 6-8 of this set. (3) The budget for 1936 includes net expenditures for 1935 as well as those planned for 1936, and the budget for 1937 likewise shows funds spent in 1936. The construction or improvement of comfort stations continues, and attorney and landowner Thomas B. Collier persists in engaging the Commission in controversy over his holdings bordering East Parkway, and across Central Avenue from the Fairgrounds.

Minutes begin to include fairly long lists of animals needed by the Memphis Zoo. From the Commission’s earliest days, its minutes have shown that it kept a close eye on the zoo’s acquisition of animals, be they donated or purchased, and that its consent (or so practice indicates) was required for all new purchases. An example in Book 1 was a $1,000 appropriation to purchase of a pair of ostriches in Arkansas. Here in Book 5 one of the zoo’s most extensive early shopping lists ranges from buffalo to pumas to African green monkeys

53 to a python. From this point on, throughout most of the lifetime of the Commission, the minutes will feature such lists of animals requested for purchase.

Some other noteworthy items in Book 5 are the following: (1) names, salaries and positions of all park employees, on the first four of the set of bound-in sheets at the beginning of the book, dated January 1, 1931; (2) a Commission organization chart with some 3 dozen names and their positions, apparently of March 1931; (3) a list of parks in “Estimate of Park Properties” of May, 1931; (4) a January 19, 1932 table of “Revaluation of Park Buildings for Fire Insurance Purposes,” which appears to be a complete list of all park structures; and (5) a list of Commission employees dated March 6, 1933, giving their department, occupation and race.

Several significant construction projects highlight the years covered by this book – Gaston Park Community House, Riverside Park Lake, and Orchestra Shell in Overton Park, among others. New parks or other facilities that appear in the budget of 1937 that are not mentioned in the 1930 budget are: Crump Stadium, Charles W. Davis Park, Handy Park, Hollywood Park, Jefferson Davis Memorial Park, Lincoln Park, Orchestra Shell, University Circle, and Winchester Park. Substantial time and space in the minutes is taken up by consideration of the extensive fire and tornado insurance that covers Commission properties, especially some of the new buildings. Crump Stadium and the Fairgrounds Stadium become oft-used venues for football games by prep schools, colleges, junior high schools and charitable organizations, and rules and rentals are established for both.

The term “Depression” has not been encountered in this book, but its consequences have been; there are numerous cases of concession rents being reduced, and the Commission (like the City of Memphis) cuts the salaries of most employees by 10% on April 1, 1932. Several New Deal programs are cited here as sources tapped for construction projects supervised and partially funded by the Memphis Park Commission: (1) R.F.C., or Reconstruction Finance Corporation, created by the Hoover administration and adopted by President Roosevelt in 1933; (2) T.E.R.A., the Tennessee Emergency Relief Administration that dispensed work relief; (3) P.W.A., the Public Works Administration, established in June 1933; (4) C.W.A., the Civil Works Administration, established in November 1933 for the duration of that winter; and (5) W.P.A., the Works Progress/Project Administration, established in April 1935 and whose tenure lasted until World War II.

Civic clubs are mentioned more frequently than in earlier years; some of those petitioning the Commission are Buntyn-Normal Civic Club, Colored Civic Club – South Memphis, DeSoto Civic Club, Glenview Civic Club, Greenwood Civic Club, Highland Heights Civic Club, Hollywood Civic Club, Klondyke Civic Club, North of Macon Civic Club, Southside Civic Club, Southside Progressive League, West Side Civic Club, and Winchester Park Civic Club.

Excerpts from Minute Book 5:

Page 21, March 3, 1931: The Exchange Club of Memphis and Memphis Aero Club wish "to paint marker on roof of Grandstand in Fair Grounds, at their expense, as a guide for airships to the Municipal Airport." Their request is granted.

54

Page 28, April 21, 1931: Commissioner Cliff Davis and Mayor Overton request that the name of Beale Avenue Park be changed to honor "W.C. Handy, a prominent colored musician of Memphis." Board approves this resolution, renaming it "Handy's Beale Street Park."

Page 41, Aug. 18, 1931: The new park in Buntyn will be named Charles W. Davis Playground “in memory of our former General Superintendent of Parks.”

Page 54, Jan. 1932: “The Commissioners reconsidered statement of replacement values of all park buildings, as submitted by Superintendent Renfrow, for the purpose of reducing amount of fire insurance now in effect on such buildings . . . It was the opinion of the Board that both tornado and hail insurance should be carried on such buildings as we have a considerable amount of glass exposed . . .”

Pages 61-62, March 22, 1932: The Commission resolves "that the salaries of all employees of the Memphis Park Commission be reduced, effective as of April 1st., 1932, on the same schedule of reduction as was made by the City [of Memphis]." No reduction was to be made “with regular employees who are earning $2.50 per day or less.”

Page 68, June 7, 1932: "List of Articles Donated to Memphis Museum at Different Times All of Which Have Been Accepted by Advisory Committee of Museum" includes a collection of bird eggs, a photo of Mrs. Jefferson Davis, two moose heads, two oriental weapons, a clavichord, a collection of Civil War relics, and a “Cabinet with Trays of Indian Arrow Points.”

Page 82, Jan. 17, 1933: Caving of the river bank at Riverside Park is noted, and Supt. Dave Renfow "wished to protect further sloughing of bank by starting a public city dump where caving and have the City to dump all refuse there. His recommendation was approved by the Commissioners."

Page 101, June 6, 1933: The Fire Marshal has complained about "a quantity of black powder and high explosive shells stored in the Armory Bldg., Fair Grds., and asked that the Board have same removed at once." Col. Terry of the 115th Field Artillery will be notified to have these removed immediately.

Page 111, Aug. 8, 1933: Jehovah's Witnesses request permission "to use various parks and recreation centers for disseminating bible truths and the preaching of the Gospel by electrical transcription." Commissioner Parker responds to Commission Attorney J.B. Allen, "I believe there was a quiet understanding with the Commissioners that while permit could not be granted, the use of parks for such purpose so long as the gospel teachings were adhered to and no comment or complaint made to the Commission as to the conduct or order of such meetings, the Commission would ignore the fact that permit had not been issued." In this case permission was not granted, as “Such a permit would seriously interfere with our program.”

Page 125, Dec. 28, 1933: George Mahan, Jr., and Everett Woods, Architects, collect part of their fee for drawing plans of the Gaston Park Community House.

55

Page 146, April 17, 1934: The Orpheum Theatre is “desirous of securing for advertising in their theatre in connection with picture “WILD CARGO,” some monkeys or other animals . . . The theatre will provide cages and will be responsible for any damage to the animals or to the public.” Zoo Supt. N.J. Melroy will furnish them with animals.

Page 161, Aug. 7, 1934: “Prof. [Mike F.] Abt stated that one of the three mural paintings for the Museum Building had been completed and asked permission of the Board to continue on the other two paintings as the Federal Government had appropriated an additional sum for labor to complete these paintings as a CWA project. Prof. Abt further stated that the cost to the Park Commission for material to complete these two paintings would be about $300.00. The Board advised Prof. Abt they would see the painting and give the matter further consideration.”

Page 181, Jan. 22, 1935: R.B. Snowden, Jr., Vice-President of the Memphis Cotton Carnival, requests use of the Athletic Building, Merchants Building and Woman's Building "as the Cotton Carnival is desirous to fill the three buildings with cotton products, cotton seed products and a research building devoted to the new uses of cotton and its products, during the Cotton Carnival Festival to be held at the Fair Grounds."

Page 200, June 18, 1935: “Superintendent Renfrow submitted following list of animals needed to replace animals which have died: 1 male buffalo, $100; 1 male camel, $800; 1 pair pumas, $250; 6 white face ring tail monkeys, $108; 6 cinnamon ring tail monkeys, $108; 6 African green monkeys, $150; 6 African Mona monkeys, $150; 1 large python snake, $500. Upon motion of Mr. Spigener, seconded by Mr. Barton and carried, Superintendent Renfrow was authorized to purchase animals as per list submitted.”

Page 202, June 24, 1935: Mr. Pink S. Pruitt, Supt. of Riverside Park, is dismissed along with Mr. Roy Wade, Policeman at the park. Pruitt kept a strayed bull with park stock after it had come into the park, and later butchered it, and Mr. Wade knew about it. General Supt. Renfrow stated that "as bad as he hated to recommend the dismissal of both Mr. Pruitt and Mr. Wade, knowing that both of them have large families and need employment," he was forced to do so.

Between pp. 218 and 219, and presented during the meeting of Sept. 17, 1935, is the “Memphis Park Commission Corrected List of W-P-A Projects and New W-P-A Projects.” It includes construction of a lake in Riverside Park, paving and gutter work in Overton Park as well as construction of garage and implement buildings, a Monkey Island for the Zoo, and an “Opera Stage and Orchestra Shell.” Construction of a community house in Guthrie Park is noted as a “P-W-A” project. Church Park is to have a building remodeled and a culvert constructed, and the Fairgrounds to have eight buildings painted, repaired and reroofed.

Pages 238-239, March 5, 1936: A survey of Riverside Park and the riverbank is to be made "to determine the correct number of acres lost" to caving. Already Supt. Renfrow "and the Engineers for the Memphis Harbor Commission made a rough estimate of the cost of grading and sodding the river bank at Riverside Park and constructing a Riverside Drive. A W.P.A. application was filed by the City for funds to construct this project, the application being contingent upon the U.S. Engineers revetting the lower bank up to flood stage.”

56

Page 250, May 5, 1936: James Avdalis, lessee of the Zoo Refreshment Stand, has "lost considerable business by not being able to sell beer, which is considered more or less a household beverage." He asks permission to sell it, and is granted permission, "provided he does not sell beer to minors or allow the selling of beer beyond the confines of the zoo refreshment stand,” etc.

Pages 265-266, Sept. 10, 1936: The Commission thanks the VanVleet family "for their generous gift of two stone lions now located at the main entrance to the Zoo in Overton Park." U.S. Engineers will help in "selecting dumping areas [along Riverside Park] which will meet with the requirements of the Memphis Park Commission and yet prevent violation of section 13 of the River and Harbor Act of March 3, 1899."

Page 272, Oct. 6, 1936: Southwestern College will use E.H. Crump Stadium for five football games. Lieut. Col. E. Reybold of the U.S. Engineers, West Memphis, Ark., advises the Park Commission to "discontinue any further dumping at the two dumps near the lower end of Riverside Park, stating that the depositing of material on the banks at the two dumps will serve only to temporarily check the progress of the bank caving.” The Board will comply.

Page 278, Nov. 17, 1936: The Advisory Board of the Museum of Natural History and Industrial Arts recommends changing the name to Memphis Museum, "the present name being limited and cumbersome and the name "Pink Palace" not being sufficiently definite." The Board approves.

Page 343, Oct. 5, 1937: “Secretary read letter from Mr. Burton Callicott, under date of Sept. 2nd, 1937 . . . relative to murals at the Museum. Mr. Callicott stated in his letter that the additional work necessary to complete the installation of the murals would require materials at an approximate cost of $78.00 and that he would be willing to give his services without charge, but that he would need an assistant at an approximate cost of $30.00. He also stated it would be necessary to erect scaffolding for this work . . . The Board referred this matter to Superintendent Renfrow for investigation.”

57

Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 6 (January 6, 1938 – December 2, 1948)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A large amount of material in this book is bound in or interleaved, while few letters, memoranda, etc. are pasted onto the book’s pages. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 6 1 [Loose [Budget dated [Item. Loose before p. 1, several pages of material] Feb. 21, 1938]; anticipated revenues and proposed budget + Pp. 1-44 Jan. 6, 1938- for 1938, and 1937 expenditures; football Nov. 17, 1938 schedule and stadium regulations.] Apr. 7, 1938: Old Commission records up to 1929 are destroyed. July 7, 1938: W.P.A.-built bear pits are nearly finished and bears are being purchased “to furnish them.” 6 2 45-92 Dec. 8, 1938 – Feb. 21, 1939: Land for Klondyke Park is Dec. 5, 1939 purchased, and Riverside Park Lake is to be opened. Apr. 18, 1939: Tentative 1939 budget and 1938 expenditures; list of about 85 employees and their salaries or wages. Aug. 8, 1939: Coca-Cola Bottling Co. will remodel the score boards at the Crump and Fairgrounds Football Stadiums in return for local broadcasting rights. 6 3 93-146 Dec. 19, 1939- Dec. 19, 1939: Commission asks City of Dec. 30, 1940 Memphis to undertake $95,000 worth of construction and equipment at Orange Mound Pool, Treadwell, Florida and Carnes Schools, and Booker T. Washington Stadium. Between pp. 108 and 109 are the proposed budget for 1940 and expenditures for nine months of 1939. Mar. 21, 1940: [Item. Contract for the Museum to acquire a large airplane model made by Phoebe Omlie.] Nov. 7, 1940: Magevney Home is accepted by the Commission. 6 4 147-186 Jan. 7, 1941- Feb. 18, 1941: Commission is in favor of a Dec. 9, 1941 pension plan for park employees. Between pp. 156 and 157 are the 1941 budget and expenditures for nine months of 1940. 6 5 187-222 Jan. 6, 1942- Mar. 17, 1942: Park system employee work Nov. 10, 1942 week is changed from six days to five and 58

one-half. May 26, 1942: Second Army takes over most of the Fairgrounds “for the duration of the war.” June 2, 1942: More old Commission records are destroyed. 6 6 223-258 Nov. 24, 1942- Dec. 22, 1942: Salary increases for 29 named Dec. 2, 1943 employees. June 3, 1943: Commission suggests enlarging Beale Avenue Park, Brooks Art Gallery, Lincoln Park, the Zoo, etc. 6 7 259-302 Jan. 6, 1944- Feb. 3, 1944: Chairman Vesey suggests Jan. 4, 1945 changes in the park system; there should be four Groups headed by four Superintendents. [Item. After p. 270, a bill requesting U.S. Govt. funds for damage to the Woman’s Building by the U.S. Army.] June 1, 1944: A short form of the 1944 budget. Sept. 7, 1944: Vesey suggests a new assignment of park system activities for Commissioners. Jan. 4, 1945: Budget amount is approved for 1945. [Item. One of the loose pages following p. 302 acknowledges a check for $3000 from the U.S. Treasurer for Fairgrounds rental.] 6 8 303-350 Jan. 18, 1945- Nov. 1, 1945: H.S. (Hal) Lewis is named Dec. 26, 1946 General Superintendent of the Park Commission. Jan. 3, 1946: Lewis begins a custom of reporting frequently on park work being done. Feb. 7, 1946: Commission purchases the Fairgrounds Carousel outright. Mar. 7, 1946: Budget amount is approved for 1946. Aug. 2, 1946: Fairgrounds buildings used as barracks by the Second Army will now be used to house G.I. students. 6 9 351-388 Jan. 9, 1947- Feb. 18, 1947: Discussion of restoring the Dec. 16, 1947 Court Square fountain and replacing the statue of Hebe, “blown down during a high wind in 1942.” Mar. 6, 1947: Budget amount approved for 1947. Apr. 16, 1947: Two more Commissioners are added to the Board, bringing the total to five; a reassignment of Commissioner responsibilities results. Dec. 11, 1947: Budget amount approved for 1948. 6 10 389-445 Jan. 8, 1948- Mar. 25, 1948: Crump Stadium is to be Dec. 2, 1948 enlarged. Apr. 1, 1948: The burned Woman’s Building is to be rebuilt. July 1, 1948: Playgrounds operating are 28, two more than last year. 7 11 [Index] 1938-1948 [Item. Index to Book 6, of 13 pages.]

59

Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 6 (January 6, 1938 – December 2, 1948): Introduction and Excerpts

Park Commissioners in January 1938 were John J. Brennan, Richard B. Barton and Gladden H. Spigener. John Vesey replaces Brennan in September 1940, Abe Plough replaces Barton in July 1944, and Raymond Firestone replaces Spigener in February 1946. After a legislative act authorizes two additional Commissioners, Sam M. Nickey, Jr. and Henry C. Pierotti join the Commission in April 1947. Detailed budgets appear early in this decade (1938-1941, with an abbreviated version in 1944), although later only the total amount of funds to be expended is given.

For several years now, all bills have been lumped together and approved for payment as a group at the beginning of Commission meetings, along with payrolls. Around early 1945, however, bills are categorized into “General Fund Bills,” “Concession Bills” and “Payroll”. Two years later the categories are General Fund Bills, Concession Bills, Fair Grounds Bills, Linden Avenue Bills, General Fund Pay-Roll, Concession Pay-Roll, and Fair Grounds Pay- Roll, although only a year later than this, the minutes return to the simple format that refers to “bills” and “payroll”, accompanied however by the occasional mention of “Approval of final payment” for certain supplies or services. It appears that purchases and projects may now uniformly undergo a bidding process. Following their receipt, the choice of the winning bid seems often to be influenced by the Superintendent, as it does not appear that the lowest bid is always the winner. When projects are announced, the form that is followed is often “these jobs [will] be advertised for bids in the usual manner, and Superintendent Lewis [is] instructed to proceed accordingly.” Letters of Appreciation received by the Commission become a topic of note and sometimes for discussion beginning in the mid-1940s.

The Commission passes an especially significant resolution during its final meeting of 1947. It calls for “installing a system of budgetary accounting with the view of improving the present system”; this will entail turning over “the custody of the bankable funds of the Park Commission . . . to the General City Government,” which will then sign checks “upon authorization of the proper officials of the Park Commissioners.” This system change will take place “after the issuance of all checks against the Park Commission bank account . . . incident to the 1947 operations.”

No convenient list of parks appears in the later years of this book, but new acquisitions or initiatives encountered in the budget of 1941 and later in these minutes include Beale Avenue Park (formerly called Church Park), Booth Park, Calhoun Street “Parks”, Carnes Swimming Pool, Glenview Park, Hodges Field (previously only maintained by the Commission, not owned), Linden Avenue Amusement Park, Magevney Home, and Pine Hills Golf Course. A playground has been developed at Dixie Court (Dixie Homes), and playgrounds are “in the planning stage” for Lamar Terrace and William H. Foote Homes. Special note should be taken of Audubon Park, a name first applied in 1940 to land that would become Tobey Park, but which by June 1948 has been reapplied to the short-lived “Park Avenue Park,” the future location of the Memphis Botanic Garden. Both DeSoto Park

60 and Beale Avenue Park are expanded during this period, and new playgrounds and swimming pools are added.

Certain Commission decisions reflect problems that arise when both blacks and whites share park facilities: Tuesdays (later Thursdays) are made “Negro Day in the Zoo” excluding whites; Beale Avenue Auditorium (formerly Church Auditorium) is made a black- only venue and not for “mixed parties” as in the past; and the decision is made “to discontinue allowing both white people and negroes” in Astor Park, as it is made “a park for negroes only.”

Throughout these years close attention is paid to football schedules and to improving conditions at Crump and Fairgrounds Stadiums as well as to building new ones. The Commissioners leave many decisions to General Supt. Dave Renfrow, as they did to his esteemed predecessor Charles W. Davis. The W.P.A. continues to work on Park projects, apparently until July 1942 when it discontinues work on North Parkway. Concessions in the parks have multiplied and there are many references to audits being taken of the various concessionaires. Park records have also multiplied to the point that old records must be destroyed in April 1938 and again in June 1942 to make space for new ones. Employees gain time away from work; “crews and gangs” are permitted a half-day off on Saturday instead of working six days a week, park policemen may have two days off per month instead of working every day, and Brooks Memorial Art Gallery will close for one day a week.

In May 1946, the new General Superintendent H. (Harold, “Hal”) L. Lewis begins delivering brief “Superintendent’s Reports” at most meetings. His fairly regular attendance at Commission meetings begins with his appointment in November 1945, and the Assistant General Superintendents and the Superintendents of the Zoo and of Recreation soon join in this practice.

In November 1941 the Commission divides the Park System into eight geographic districts, each with its own headquarters. In February 1944 Vesey calls the current set of departmental responsibilities “unwieldy and impracticable” and suggests a new division into four groups. Group 1 will consist of all parks, road and walk construction, greenhouses, nursery, and institutional buildings such as the Museum, Art Gallery, Magevney Home and the Zoo, as one unit under one Superintendent. This group will be made up of three separate geographic areas, each headed by an Assistant Superintendent. Group 2 will comprise the Fairgrounds, Amusement Parks, Zoo concessions, and all other concessions yielding revenues. Group 3 will embrace the activities of the Recreational Department in playgrounds, community houses, etc., as well as play on golf courses, tennis courts, swimming pools, and football stadiums. Group 4 will be Maintenance, “to consist of the Maintenance of all playgrounds and to assist in the preparation for all activities of the Recreational Department.” Individual Superintendents are nominated for each of these Groups, and Vesey’s suggestions are adopted. Later that year in September, Commissioners adopt a plan whereby different park activities will be supervised by different Commissioners. Vesey will supervise "Zoo Animals, Zoo Buildings, Zoo Grounds, Zoo and all concessions, Fairgrounds Amusement" etc., Spigener will handle Crump and Fairgrounds Stadiums, Gaston, Guthrie Park and Dave Wells Community Houses, Galloway Golf Course,

61 etc., and Plough will take charge of Brooks Art Gallery, Magevney Home, the Museum and its building and grounds, Overton Park Shell, etc.

Excerpts from Minute Book 6:

Page 4, Jan. 6, 1938: The Director of the American Federation of Arts praises Burton Callicott’s murals in the Museum (Pink Palace): “It seems to me that the artists on this project have done a very creditable work and that the murals give just the color and interest which is needed in your imposing entrance hall.”

Page 10, Feb. 8, 1938: The Zoo is overrun with rats. "The board was of the opinion the Zoo should be rid of rats and approved bid of the Orkin Exterminator Co., Inc." The neutral strip on Belvedere Boulevard has been maintained by the Commission "with the understanding that the property owners . . . would repay the Park Commission for this work." They have been doing so, but are now in arrears, and Supt. Renfrow says this strip "requires much more labor to maintain it than the other neutral strips in the City." The Secretary is instructed to bill the owners along Belvedere between Central and Union.

Pages 16-18, April 7, 1938: The Board of City Commissioners has adopted a resolution approving the W.P.A. Project of grading the Riverside Park riverbank, and same is made a part of these Minutes. The following old records up to 1929 are ordered destroyed because "the Park Commission Store Room was cluttered with old records which were monopolising space needed for current records”: Daily Time Sheets; Overton Store Room Sheets; Paid Vouchers; General Fund Checks; Payroll Sheets; Payroll Checks; All Correspondence Up To 1929; All Miscellaneous Records "such as Caddy Tickets, Permit Books, Tennis Reg. Sheets, etc."; and Brooks Gallery Letters.

Page 26, June 23, 1938: Orchestra Shell in Overton Park is leased to Memphis Open Air Theatre, Inc. (MOAT).

Page 30, July 7, 1938: “Superintendent Renfrow informed the Board that the barless Bear Pits, now being constructed with a W.P.A. Project, will probably be completed by August 1st, 1938.” Chairman Brennan recommended purchase of additional bears, and it was decided to purchase three Java Sun bears, three Polar Bears, and two Black Bears.

Page 38, Oct. 4, 1938: Seven cars of coal were purchased last year and of those, one and one-half remain; Supt. Renfrow recommends purchasing four cars for the 1938-39 season. Fifty tons of hay is needed for the zoo.

Pages 40-41, Oct. 18, 1938: Coca Cola bottles are being thrown from the stands in Crump Stadium and it is necessary "to prevent bottles from being taken into the stands before some one is seriously injured." Therefore the concessionaire is to "serve all drinks in cups both at the concession and in the stands."

Page 59, March 21, 1939: Supt. Renfrow suggests that Riverside Park Lake be opened for boating and fishing and that all fishing be confined to boats. He is "experimenting with an inexpensive electric motor which is being constructed in the Park Commission Shops.

62

These motors are to be attached to boats for boating purposes and can be operated from an auto storage battery." The Board approves.

Pages 63-64, April 18, 1939: The 1939 budget provides for a salary increase for 85 named park employees, with their present and proposed salaries as of May 1.

Page 73, Aug. 8, 1939: Mr. E. Pidgeon of the Coca-Cola Bottling Co. "was contemplating spending four or five thousand dollars in remodeling the score boards at the E.H. Crump and Fairgrounds Football Stadiums into electrical controlled boards with Neon lights and asked that he be given the local broadcasting rights on all football games to be played at the stadiums for the next five years." The Board approves.

Page 86, Nov. 7, 1939: The Commission decides to name the new park for African- Americans at Florida and South Parkway in honor of B.F. Booth, “a Democrat . . . [and] negro attorney of Memphis.”

Page 100, Jan. 16, 1940: Orchestra Shell may be used by Memphis churches for Easter Services “with the specific understanding that all services must be strictly non- denominational.”

Page 110 (and contract inserted following this page), March 21, 1940: The Civil Aeronautics Authority offers for display at the Museum "an airplane model constructed by [Memphis aviatrix] Mrs. Phoebe Omlie,” 15 feet long with a wingspan of 47 feet and a three- wheel landing gear, a “pusher type airplane painted dark blue and yellow.” But the Board is not agreeable to the terms of the contract, and Attorney J. Seddon Allen will prepare a new one.

Page 135, Oct. 8, 1940: A new contract will be drawn up between the Commission and the Cotton Carnival for the latter to use Fairgrounds buildings on the same terms as last year; the contract will include a new paragraph "granting the Park Commission the right to re- enter and take possession of one or both of the buildings when, in the opinion of the Commission, a national or local emergency arises, such as housing of flood refugees, war defense purposes, housing of soldiers, etc."

Page 138, Nov. 7, 1940: The Magevney Home, a "generous and appropriate gift" of Mrs. Blanche Hamilton Karsch, is accepted by the City and placed under the jurisdiction of the Commission.

Page 140, Nov. 15, 1940: A special meeting has been called at the request of Mayor Walter Chandler "for the purpose of changing the name of "Church Park" to Beale Avenue Park. After some discussion the Board unanimously agreed."

Page 153, Feb. 18, 1941: A pension plan for the benefit of park employees is discussed and the Commission is unanimously in favor of such a plan, "if after an investigation that is being made in other departments of the City Government it is decided that it can be worked out satisfactorily."

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Page 158, April 8, 1941: It is decided "to allow the [Beale Avenue] Auditorium to be used only by colored people and not for mixed parties as has been the practice in the past."

Page 168, July 8, 1941: After several complaints "about white people and negroes being in the Zoo at the same time on Tuesdays" it is decided "to set aside Tuesday of each week as Negro Day in the Zoo to avoid any chance of any difficulty and to exclude white citizens on this day."

Page 172, Aug. 7, 1941: A number of "old regular employees" have been leaving because they could get better wages elsewhere, so wages will be increased.

Page 183, Nov. 13, 1941: Chairman Vesey and Supt. Renfrow have worked out a plan in which the Park System has been divided into eight districts, "each of which is to have a headquarters as centrally located as possible, which will eliminate moving equipment and men long distances as is often necessary under the present plan."

Page 186, Dec. 9, 1941: “Chairman Vesey advised the Board that a request had been received from Second Army Headquarters for free use and occupancy of the “Exposition Building” and “Old National Guard Armory” . . . for a period beginning November 1st, 1941 . . .” Moved, seconded and carried “that the Second Army Headquarters be granted the free use and occupancy of these buildings as requested.”

Page 196, March 17, 1942: Commission "crews and gangs" have always worked a full day on Saturday; the work week for them is now changed to 5 1/2 days, and the same plan may be adopted for the Recreation Department.

Page 205, June 2, 1942: "The Secretary advised the Board that the basement store room was now completely filled with old records, such as daily time sheets, store room distribution sheets, correspondence, caddy ticket stubs, etc., which have been audited and have no value. In order to make room for 1941 records which are now ready to be moved out of the general office, permission is requested to be allowed to destroy the old records."

Pages 203-204, May 26, 1942: The Second Army is taking over eight buildings "for the duration of the war,” including the Shelby County Building, Woman's Building, Exhibition and Exposition Buildings, etc. It will reimburse the Commission for insurance, maintain them, and return them in original condition. Brooks Memorial Art Gallery will be closed one day each week; it was felt "the directors and employees were entitled to this time off."

Pages 228-229, Jan. 21, 1943: Lieut. Colonel Pethick, Major Neff and Captain Bush of the Second Army appear before the Board "relative to the loss by fire of the Woman's Building last week and [to] make known the needs of the Army for the replacement of this building under lease to them." The army did not know yet the cause of the fire. The War Production Board has requested poplar timber to be cut from Overton Park; poplar veneer is used in aircraft production. After having a forester look at the park, the Commission "declined to entertain the idea at this time."

Page 243, June 3, 1943: Complaints “have been received on conditions at Astor Park . . . [and] it now appears that it will be necessary to discontinue allowing both white people

64 and negroes to visit the park. . . . Inasmuch as there are two other parks for white people near this location, it was suggested that Astor Park be made into a park for negroes only and signs be put up to this effect."

Page 246, June 8, 1943: Commission discusses "purchasing a group of paintings from the Warner S. McCall collection in St. Louis that are now being offered for sale." There are 35 of them, in good condition, and "there are many items of great museum value that go with the group, such as glass, rugs, cabinets, lace, embroidery, etc." It is agreed that “The authenticity of the pictures should be carefully investigated."

Pages 265-266, March 2, 1944: A "Rhythm Room" has been established at the Peabody Community Center for teenage boys and girls in the vicinity, although “it was not to be turned over to them completely until they realized it is their job to conduct the Rhythm Room in proper manner and that their rules and regulations are subject to the approval of the Recreation Department of the Memphis Park Commission."

Page 289, Sept. 7, 1944: "Chairman Vesey presented to the members of the board a break- down of the various activities of the Park Commission assigning certain activities to each member of the board for his special supervision."

Page 299, Dec. 4, 1944: A resolution approves, with deep regret, the retirement of Dave Renfrow after 36 years of service, "because of age and physical disabilities preventing the discharge of his duties."

Page 322, Nov. 1, 1945: Mr. H. (Harold, “Hal”) S. Lewis is appointed new General Superintendent of the Park Commission. City Comptroller Frank Tobey will be asked “to come down and look over our method of paying bills and see if the Park Commission could not follow the same system as the City and have only two signatures to checks instead of four; that is, signature of the Secretary and Chairman . . .”

Page 326, Jan. 3, 1946: Rules are adopted about the signing of checks, i.e. which Commissioner, Secretary, Manager or other staff member should sign checks that are drawn on each of its several accounts or funds.

Page 341, Aug. 2, 1946: Buildings constructed on the Fairgrounds by the Second Army for use as WAC Barracks will now be used "as a housing project for G.I. students"; the Memphis Housing Authority will take them over and put them into condition for G.I. students "in line with other housing projects sponsored by the Memphis Housing Authority."

Page 353, Feb. 13, 1947: Supt. Lewis is instructed to look into the matter of restoring the Court Square Fountain to its former beauty and replacing "the statue of Hebe which was blown down during a high wind in 1942."

Page 358 (and copy of resolution bound in), April 16, 1947: An act of the state legislature authorizes addition of two new Commissioners to the Park Commission, and the City Commission names Sam. M. Nickey, Jr. and Harry C. Pierotti. Vesey suggests a new division of responsibilities among the five of them; “Action will be taken by all, but suggestions will probably come from the Commissioner making a particular study of the places assigned to

65 him.” Agreed. (The Commission voted unanimously to rescind this action at the following meeting.)

Page 363, June 5, 1947: Petitions "from various civic and Garden Clubs" have been received urging the establishment of "a Botanical Garden & Arboretum in the new park grounds recently acquired from the Heard and Snowden estates” (i.e., land that would become the Memphis Botanical Garden).

Pages 389-390, Jan. 8, 1948: A bookkeeping machine has been purchased from the National Cash Register Company; "the machine . . . has been delivered and found to be satisfactory." The Superintendent’s Report states that the Commission "took possession of the new Park Avenue property on December 29, 1947."

Page 415 (and sheet pasted to this page), May 24, 1948: “On the 4th day of August, 1947 David Nason Brock and his brother Charles Edward Brock, minors, were drowned while playing in Rainbow Lake, Overton Park." The resulting wrongful-death lawsuit is settled for $7,533.35.

Page 419, June 3, 1948: “The Commission approved the name of Audubon Park for the newly acquired property now known as Park Avenue Park.”

Page 433, Sept. 2, 1948: The Memphis Kennel Club asks to use the south end of the Shelby County Building for a dog show, “in conjunction with Kennedy Vets and all proceeds to go to the Paraplegics at Kennedy Hospital.” Request is approved.

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 7 (January 6, 1949 – July 20, 1954)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A large amount of material in this book is bound in or interleaved, while few letters, memoranda, etc. are pasted onto the book’s pages. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 7 1 1-58 Jan. 6, 1949- [Item. Pasted to front flyleaf is a list of serving Dec. 15, 1949 Commissioners and terms of office.] Jan. 6, 1949: Sixty-five named employees are to receive salary increases. Mar. 10, 1949: Bert Bates is appointed Commissioner to serve out Raymond Firestone’s term; the 1949 budget is $1,068,850. June 2, 1949: Chip Barwick is appointed to serve out Abe Plough’s term, and Rodney Baber to complete Bert Bates’ term. Dec. 15, 1949: Members of the Commission accept a new set of oversight responsibilities for Commission activities. 7 2 59-114 Jan. 12, 1950- Feb. 2, 1950: The 1950 capital expense budget June 8, 1950 is $625,000. Apr. 6, 1950: Supt. Lewis requests $625,000 of Bond Sale Money for 13 projects, several of them involving new construction on the Fairgrounds. June 8, 1950: Twenty-two named employees are to receive raises. 7 3 115-168 June 15, 1950- Dec. 28, 1950: Long list of employees (one Dec. 28, 1950 count gives about 227 names) and their departments and positions, whose salaries or wages will be increased next month. The 1951 budget is $1,130,350. 7 4 169-224 Jan. 3, 1951- Jan. 25, 1951: The 1951 capital improvement May 3, 1951 budget is $350,000. Mar. 15, 1951: The Billy Graham Campaign Committee will rent the new Arena Building and the Shelby County Building on the Fairgrounds for four weeks at $325 per day. Apr. 12, 1951: Henry Loeb, III is appointed Commissioner to fill out the term of Rodney Baber. 7 5 225-268 May 10, 1951- [Item. Bound between pp. 266 and 267 and Dec. 13, 1951 dated Nov. 1, 1951 is a set of pages containing about 245 names of employees, with their

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departments, positions, and monthly salaries, or daily or hourly wages.] 7 6 269-316 Jan. 3, 1952- Jan. 3, 1952: The maintenance budget for 1952 May 22, 1952 is $1,206,650 and the capital improvement budget is $766,950. Apr. 10, 1952: Discussions are to be held with a local union “with regard to unionizing our Carpenters.” May 1, 1952: The Kress Foundation has assured the Brooks Art Gallery of a gift of twenty-five to thirty pictures. 7 7 317-362 June 5, 1952- July 25, 1952: A donation from Henry J. Dec. 18, 1952 Gaisman will allow purchase of a tract of land to be known as “Gaisman Park.” Nov. 6, 1952: The Kress Foundation gift of paintings will require an addition to the Brooks Art Gallery. Dec. 4, 1952: The maintenance budget for 1953 is $1,243,700, “plus $40,000 if a 6% increase in salaries is granted.” 7 8 363-400 Jan. 1, 1953- Feb. 19, 1953: A committee is to investigate May 7, 1953 the high mortality “of our exhibits at the Zoo.” Mar. 26, 1953: Mr. N.J. Melroy, Superintendent of the Zoo, has reached the compulsory retirement age of 70 years [having been appointed in 1928]. 7 9 401-442 May 19, 1953- June 25, 1953: Arrangements have been made Dec. 17, 1953 to bring children from various playgrounds to the Fairgrounds, “to go through the [newly acquired] Locomotive and visit the Amusement Park.” Aug. 6, 1953: Architect Everett Woods submits plans "showing new addition to Brooks Art Gallery attached to present structure,” and they are approved. 7 10 443-496 Jan. 7, 1954- Jan. 7, 1954: The 1954 maintenance budget is + July 12, 1954 $1,417,675, and Astor Park at the foot of Beale [+ July 20, Street is renamed Tom Lee Park. Feb. 4, 1954: 1954] The 1954 capital improvement budget is $820,246. June 3, 1954: Fifty-two playgrounds will be supervised by the Commission’s Dept. of Recreation this summer. July 12, 1954: McKellar Lake is transferred to the jurisdiction of the Park Commission. [Item. Following p. 496 are the proceedings of an “Open Forum Meeting of the Memphis Park Commission, July 20th, 1954,” about “what could be done at McKellar Lake in the way of development.”] 7 11 [Index] 1949-1954 [Item. Index to Book 7, of 22 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 7 (January 6, 1949 – July 20, 1954): Introduction and Excerpts

Park Commissioners serving in 1949 were Chairman John B. Vesey, Abe Plough, Raymond Firestone, Sam M. Nickey, Jr., and Henry C. Pierotti. There was considerable turnover in 1949; Bert Bates replaced Firestone in March, and in June Edward C. “Chip” Barwick replaced Plough and Rodney Baber replaced the recently-arrived Bates. Baber himself was replaced by Henry Loeb, III in April 1951.

In April 1949, the Tennessee General Assembly enacted a bill (Private Acts, 1949, Chapter 494) giving the City of Memphis control of the “maintenance, management, conduct or operation” of the Park Commission, as well as its “fiscal and accounting methods” and “the budgeting, financing, handling and disbursement of the tax funds or receipts” set aside for its use. This is a watershed in the financial and administrative operations of the Commission. More extensive investigation may prove otherwise, but it appears that after this bill passes, the Park Commission depends entirely on the Board of Commissioners of the City of Memphis (the so-called City Commission), and later the City Council, to approve its projects and to supply funding for them, both before and after the introduction of Capital Improvement Funds or Plans or Projects later in the 1950s. Previous to this there appear to have been different types of accounts within the Park Commission’s own bookkeeping system, and transfers of funds among them, but from this point on the City appears to have controlled both appropriations and transfers of monies, for projects it had the power to approve or veto. Thus requests for “appropriation of funds,” “transfer of Capital Funds” and “appropriation from CIP funds” become more frequent, or rather routine, here and in later minute books.

Another phrase that will likewise become much more frequent in later minutes, which also appears to have its onset in this period, is “approval of change order.” A change order is work added to or deleted from work described in a contract, which will alter the original contract amount or scope or completion date. In other words it is work that is found desirable or essential only after the contact is signed. A small number of single “change orders” appear in Book 7, but groups of them may occupy entire pages in later years.

A new form of record preservation was observed occasionally late in Book 6 and is now carried much further in Book 7 and into Book 8; that is, onionskin paper copies of resolutions by the City of Memphis Board of Commissioners are glued to pages of the minutes to which they refer. These are attached by a dot of glue; sometimes as many as five such copies will be glued on top of each other. As indicated above, the City of Memphis will henceforth control Park Commission funds, and in Book 7 these glued-in sheets of paper record its approval of such items as the $28,500 purchase of the Mizell property to expand the Fairgrounds (p. 363), a loan of $100,000 out of 1953 tax collections (p. 369), and a contract award for $37,000 for improvements to the Memphis Open Air Theatre (p. 227).

At the beginning of meetings, references continue to the payment of payrolls and (undifferentiated) bills, with the occasional mention, farther into the minutes of that

69 meeting, of payments for specific items. This pattern will persist for more than a decade; it remains unclear why some payments should be thus singled out. Bids are now “opened and read publicly” and may be “referred to the Park Commission for action,” or one may be approved straightaway, or all rejected. Sometimes (for instance, bids for trucks) they are referred to the Superintendent and a Commissioner “for study and recommendation.”

Park Commission budgets continue to climb, but with the exceptions of the capital expense budget for 1950 and the capital improvement budgets for 1951 and 1952, few specifics appear in the minutes. Much can be learned, though, from the bids received for very many projects of the Commission during this period. Midway through the 1949 minutes, bids begin to be entered on their own individual pages of the minute books, being “signed-in”, as it were, by the Commission Secretary and sometimes by the Chairman himself. Approximately 69 pages of minutes in this book are devoted specifically to bids that are entered by the Secretary as they are received, and which are mostly all reprinted a second time in the text of the minutes as they are individually dealt with by the Commission. This practice persists for something more than five years, until November 1954. It is unknown whether the onset of this practice is related to the 1949 legislative act mentioned above.

Occasional “Letters of Appreciation” are found in Minute Book 7 in the early 1950s, from the public or from other branches of city government, and further investigation may turn up even earlier examples. These commend the Park Commission or an employee for individual acts of courtesy or helpfulness, or for some civic achievement, or for other reasons, sometimes provoking discussion among the Commissioners. These letters may be printed in full in the minutes, but are generally (as described here and in succeeding years) “read and ordered included in the Minutes,” “received and ordered filed,” “opened, read publicly, and ordered filed” or “read and will be kept on file in the Commission’s Administrative Office.”

In December 1949 Chairman Vesey suggests a new set of oversight responsibilities for Park Commission activities. He moves that "each commissioner be assigned certain parts of the park system for special study . . . [and recommends that] Chairman Vesey have charge of general office, finances, budget, stadiums, amusement park, and co-ordinating activities; that Vice-Chairman Pierotti have charge of all large parks; that Commissioner Nickey have charge of small parks; that Commissioner Baber have charge of recreation, competitive sports, swimming pools and golf courses; that Commissioner Barwick have charge of the Zoo, Art Gallery, Museum, community houses, or other institutions." This was of course not to limit any Commissioner in any way from participating in the department assigned to others. The Commission approves this arrangement. Most meetings continue to feature a summary by the General Superintendent of progress being made on various projects.

The capital improvement budget for 1952 mentions some new parks not listed earlier: Ashburn Park (present-day Ashburn-Coppock Park), L.E. Brown Park, “Collier Tract” (the future Tobey Park), “East of Scott” Park (present-day Howze Park), “Jones & Hugenot” Park (present-day Wagner Park), Kansas Street Park (present-day Riverview Park), and Piomingo Park. Public-spirited citizens donated land for Gaisman Park and Belz Park, and in the last days covered by these minutes, the Commission accepted jurisdiction over McKellar Lake. The minutes also show two name-changes; Piomingo Park is changed to Thomas Alva Edison Park, and Astor Park is renamed Tom Lee Park.

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Several notable employees retire from Park Commission service during this period: Julia F. Cummins, selected in 1929 as “Superintendent and Hostess,” retires in 1950 after 21 years as Director of the Memphis Museum of Natural History; Eleanor P. Toombs leaves in 1951 after ten years as Director of Magevney House; and Zoo Superintendent Nicholaus J. Melroy reaches the compulsory retirement age of 70 years in 1953 after serving in that post for a quarter of a century. However, many less prominent retirees have worked for the Commission for more than three decades, as may be seen in their individual retirement notices in the minutes.

The retirement of Zoo Superintendent Melroy in March 1953 may have been prompted by an inquiry begun a month earlier when Commissioner Nickey asks the Commission “to instigate a thorough investigation into the mortality rate, the feeding practices, whether or not prescribed diets for various exhibits are used, if the food is measured or weighed and the types of feed given to the Birds and Animals.” In his first report to the Commission in February 1954, Melroy’s replacement Raymond F. Gray states that “Our feed bill is down . . . [He] reported 158 species in the Zoo family. . . . [and that] we have a total of 76 ponies which is 17 too many. . . . [Commissioner] Loeb said the Zoo looks very commendable. [Commissioner] Nickey said Memphis is well on the way of regaining the position it once had. It is well we commence thinking – we soon will have the largest free Zoo in the World. The Commission told Mr. Gray that he had nearly one (1) year as Director of the Zoo and that his services have been satisfactory and we wish to commend him.”

Excerpts from Minute Book 7:

Page 14, April 7, 1949: The Commission votes $2,100 for four 40-piece concerts in the Overton Park Shell, one 30-piece concert, and "Fifteen Teen-Age dances."

Page 17, April 14, 1949: Chairman Vesey suggests “the Park Commission try to recover the four cent tax taken off the Park Commission allowance during the depression.”

Page 37, Aug. 11, 1949: A committee is looking into where to place the “nine weapons donated to the Park Commission by the War Department.” The American Legion, “considering the placing of the Memphis Belle on the State Guard Grounds at Hugenot [i.e. Hollywood] and Central, thought the nine pieces of artillery” could be placed around the Belle.

Page 61, Jan. 12, 1950: A new baby hippo has been born at the Zoo; on motion of Vice- Chairman Pierotti, provided it is a male, it will be named Abe Plough.

Pages 73-74, Feb. 16, 1950: Mrs. Julia F. Cummins, Director of the Memphis Museum of Natural History for 21 years, "having passed the compulsory age of retirement for City employees" and having done a “magnificent job,” has applied to retire, but has agreed to stay on until a replacement is found.

Page 95, April 6, 1950: General Supt. Lewis requests Commission approval for an appropriation of $625,000 of Bond Sale Money for 13 projects: Woman's Building ($180,000), Cattle Judging (Arena) ($105,000), Fair Grounds Amusement Park ($125,000),

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Audubon Park, Zoo buildings & Grounds, New Green House, E.H. Crump Blvd., Hodges Field Lighting, Out-Door Arena, Piomingo Park, Lighting Misc. Fields, Play Ground Equipment, and Washington Pool.

Page 118, June 29, 1950: Supt. Marion Hale of the Recreation Dept. reports that “thirty-four White and Colored Play Grounds have been opened under supervision for the summer months.”

Pages 146-147, Oct. 19, 1950: "The City Comptroller is making a study of [Park Commission] records with a view to changing the Park Commission to the basis of other City Departments, whereby if adopted, the City will underwrite the budget of the Park Commission as approved by the City Commissioners each year and the Park Commission will deposit its revenue with the city." Chairman Vesey says "we were not receiving the full amount as set out in our budget . . . and the results were that, we have to lay off employees . . . and let the Park Maintenance work go undone." Hollis F. Price, President of LeMoyne College, has written a letter to the Commission stating “Last Spring a group of citizens met at LeMoyne College to ascertain what we might do to provide some of the cultural advantages of our community for Negroes, which are normally not open to them. We discussed specifically the fact that we did not have access to Brooks Gallery at any time. It was the sense of the group that posed quite a handicap upon the members of the Negro Group. . . . I believe you will agree that in fairness to all our citizens and in order to insure the full development of Memphis, the facilities provided from tax supported sources should be available to all.” The Commission will “turn the letter over to the new advisory board of Brooks Art Gallery for their investigation and recommendations.”

Page 150, Oct. 26, 1950: New rental rates are quoted “for storing equipment such as Buses, Tractor & Equipment, and Automobiles in the building at the Fair Grounds" during the winter; the rate for autos is to be $5.00 per month. Supt. Lewis is instructed to begin work immediately on an Audubon Park Golf Course and Arboretum “and show some real progress.” "Our young Hippo" will be sold for $4,000 to the Mesker Zoo in Evansville, Indiana.

Pages 160-165 and 167-168, Dec. 28, 1950: About 227 named park employees are to receive salary increases on Jan. 1, 1951.The Overton Park Shell may undergo improvements, but first the Commission wants an accounting of all moneys received by MOAT, the Memphis Open Air Theatre.

Page 171, Jan. 4, 1951: An audit of MOAT books shows that while the managers received salaries amounting to $10,200, “others” received $17,533.60. “We [Commissioners] would like to know who “others” are and how much each received.”

Pages 188 and 191-192, Feb. 8, 1951: The Junior Chamber of Commerce is given permission to use the Fairgrounds Arena Building for a Bicycle Rodeo. Permission to use the Arena for a Bicycle Rodeo “for the Negroes” is denied, Chairman Vesey saying “we would make any of the Negro facilities available we have, for this event.” There is further discussion of MOAT finances; Park Commissioner Rodney Baber, President of MOAT, is being sent a copy of the audit and report.

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Pages 210 and 214, April 12, 1951: Mr. Henry Loeb, III is appointed Commissioner to fill out the unexpired term of departing Rodney Baber. A third loan this year of $100,000 is sought from the City Commission “pending receipt of our 1951 taxes.”

Pages 222-223, May 3, 1951: Bob Price of 3740 Kearney Street, Memphis, receives permission "to erect one (1) [copy] of the Ten Commandments on a small stone tablet 34" x 37 1/2" in Confederate Park." The Commission resolves that it "will not allow the operation of any gambling devices, raffle, drawing or game of chance of any kind" in any park facilities.

Page 254, Sept. 20, 1951: The Commission votes to name the new baby hippo born at the Zoo for Vice-Chairman Harry C. Pierotti, Harry if male and Harriet if female.

Page 264, Nov. 1, 1951: Commissioner Pierotti "stressed the need of Doctors being present at Football Games played at Crump Stadium and Hodges Field”; Supt. Lewis is instructed to pass the suggestion on to the School Board.

Pages 286-289, March 6, 1952: Includes three pages of a report by the Commission’s Zoological Society Committee about a recent tour they took of the Lincoln Park Zoo and Brookfield Zoo of Chicago, and three other zoos visited by individual Commissioners (Toledo, Cincinnati and San Diego); the Committee has a number of recommendations for the Memphis Zoo.

Pages 293-294, March 28, 1952: MOAT wants to make changes in the stage and seating of the Overton Park Shell (involving "Theatre-In-The-Round"). This disturbs the Commission, since the Commission spent $45,000 last year to accommodate their wishes then. Purchase of 24 strollers is authorized for the Zoo, to rent for $0.25 per time.

Pages 303-306, May 1, 1952: Mrs. Louise B. Clark, Director of Brooks Art Gallery "said she had been working on a gift from the Kress Foundation for seventeen (17) years and now had the assurance of a gift from the Foundation of twenty-five (25) or thirty (30) pictures." The Commission votes to accept a gift of Engine No. 1350 from the Frisco Railroad Co. partly "for the children's interest"; Chairman Vesey votes No because "We should not maintain anything that is dangerous."

Page 315, May 22, 1952: Radio Station WDIA would like "to sponsor free motion pictures in Negro Parks during June, July and August 1952" and be given "exclusive rights in this field." Permission is granted because Supt. of Recreation Marion Hale "had investigated the program and found it to be a good educational program."

Pages 317-318, June 5, 1952: It was hoped that Davis Park ballfields would be lighted this year, but "electric wire being a critical material we were denied a permit by Government regulations." The City Commission turns over all of the Collier Tract to the Park Commission.

Pages 369-370, Feb. 5, 1953: A tract of land has been donated to the City of Memphis for park purposes that will be "perpetually known and identified as Belz Park, in Memory of Moses Belz." The locomotive engine on the Fairgrounds has been damaged, and the Frisco

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Railroad Co. will repair and paint it, providing however that the Commission will "agree to construct a fence around the Engine to prevent further damages."

Page 376, Feb. 19, 1953: Station KWEM is given permission "to use Beale Avenue Auditorium each Saturday afternoon from 2:00 P.M. to 5:30 P.M. for the purpose of broadcasting music played by small Negro bands." The Office of Price Stabilization has given permission to go ahead with use of electric wire to light a baseball field; it had been planned to light Hodges Field, but it is now decided to light the new baseball field on the Collier Tract instead (the future Tobey Park).

Pages 385 and 387, March 26, 1953: Mr. Nicholaus J. Melroy, who assumed the position of Superintendent of the Zoo in 1928, has reached the mandatory retirement age of 70 years. "A letter of appreciation of Mr. Melroy's long and faithful services was authorized." Mr. Raymond F. Gray, Supt. of the Little Rock Zoo, is employed as Supt. of the Memphis Zoo.

Pages 407-408, June 4, 1953: WDIA has proposed to "present free movies to colored citizens on various colored playgrounds" again this summer. However, the Commission has "received a telegram from the Memphis Neighborhood Theatre Owners [representing 16 theaters] objecting to this activity"; so this year WDIA's request is denied.

Page 421, Aug. 6, 1953: Architect Everett Woods’ new plans for an addition to the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery are approved. The Confederate Corps of America is given permission to erect “a Confederate Flag in Confederate Park at their own expense . . . to be raised under United States Flag daily by park attendant."

Page 427, Oct. 1, 1953: Piomingo Park is unanimously renamed Thomas Alva Edison Park, for "the great inventor . . . [who] once lived adjacent to the Park."

Pages 443-444, Jan. 7, 1954: A layout for improvements at Court Square, proposed Nov. 6, 1952, has never been started "due to considerations of a Parking Garage being constructed under Court Square." This idea has now been abandoned, so a Park Commission Committee will get started on the improvements. "Chairman Vesey informed the Board that Astor Park was located at the foot of Beale Street and it had been suggested that this Park be named Tom Lee Park in honor of the late Tom Lee, Hero of the Norman Disaster on the Mississippi River some years back. Tom Lee saved some 30 people that were aboard the Norman, from drowning." The name change is approved.

Page 469, March 4, 1954: The Memphis Housing Authority offers the Commission a building at 578 Mississippi Boulevard (formerly an office to William H. Foote Homes), suggesting that it might serve as a community building. "We, in the Housing Authority . . . could [then] inaugurate the same type of program [as we have] in a building . . . located on the Dixie Homes Project." Chairman Vesey responds that "we are weak on facilities for Negroes and recommended that we accept the above offer."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 8 (August 6, 1954 – August 1, 1958)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A very large amount of material in this book is bound in and interleaved, while little or no material is pasted onto the book’s pages. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 8 1 [Loose July 29, 1954- [3 Items. Before p. 1: List of Commissioners material] Dec. 29, 1954 and their reappointment dates; two letters of + 1-38 appointment from Mayors Orgill and Tobey; and award,“W.C. Handy’s Birth Certificate of the Blues.”] Oct. 7, 1954: “Salary adjustments” for 20 named Zoo employees. Nov. 23, 1954: Next Capital Improvement Budget is $84,750. 8 2 39-92 Jan. 6, 1955- Feb. 3, 1955: $68,153 is requested from the Apr. 22, 1955 1954 park Bond Fund Budget for various improvements. Mr. Early Maxwell is given the title “College Football Co-ordinator.” Feb. 8, 1955: New community houses are suggested for Gaisman Park, Pine Hill, Colonial Acres, and Davis, Douglas, Orange Mound and Lincoln Parks. Feb. 24, 1955: The 1955 Parks Proposed Capital Budget is $1,353,476; amounts requested are organized by topic, i.e. “Playground Shelters,” “Spray Wading Pools,” etc. Apr. 22, 1955: A third loan this year of $100,000 is requested from City of Memphis. 8 3 93-146 May 3, 1955- May 3, 1955: Mayor Tobey appears before the Oct. 6, 1955 Commission to discuss the 1956 budget; the 1955 budget was $1,475,732. June 2, 1955: The new addition to Brooks Art Gallery will open June 8, 1955. July 7, 1955: Two new members, Leo Bearman and John Gorman, join the Commission, replacing Nickey and Loeb. 8 4 147-206 Nov. 3, 1955- [Item. Following p. 162 is a letter from the Mar. 22, 1956 NAACP dated Nov. 27, 1955 requesting compliance with recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling.] Jan. 5, 1956: The 1956 Maintenance Budget has been cut by the City Commission from $1,710,230 to $1,576,870. The proposed Capital Improvement Budget is $927,850; of this, the Mid-South Fair has requested 75

improvements at the Fairgrounds totaling $360,000, while the other big item is $200,000 for new Community Houses. Harry C. Pierotti is elected Chairman of the Commission; Walker J. Wellford, Jr. takes the place of John Vesey. Mar. 22, 1956: A Report of the Mayor’s Committee on joint use of School Buildings and Grounds and Parks by various civic and other groups is approved (part of the Memphis Comprehensive Plan prepared by Harland Bartholomew and Associates). 8 5 207-260 Apr. 5, 1956- [Item. June 11, 1956: A new organization chart Nov. 1, 1956 of the divisions of the Park Commission.] July 12, 1956: Permission is given for a Fire Dept. Drill Tower and Drill Grounds in Tobey Park. 8 6 261-312 Dec. 6, 1956- Feb. 7, 1957: Supt. Lewis tells the Commission May 17, 1957 "1956 was the biggest year of the Park's History. We had a total of $97,000.00 gain over the previous year in revenue. We added as new facilities: Two new swimming pools - Two new community houses - Acquired a 20-year lease in Fuller Park for an 18-hole golf course for negroes - fifteen new play grounds." The new addition to the Brooks Art Gallery is named "The Samuel H. Kress Addition." 8 7 313-370 May 24, 1957- June 6, 1957: Supt. Lewis requests funds for Dec. 5, 1957 improvements at J.J. Brennan Park, Willow Road Park and C.M. Gooch Park, and for two new wading pools. Nov. 14, 1957: Secretary of the Memphis Park Commission Norris L. Crenshaw retires. The Capital Budget for 1958 is $800,000, and Maintenance Budget is $2,136,755 (as against $1,856,992 for 1957). 8 8 371-430 Jan. 2, 1958- Jan. 2, 1958: Salary increases are given to 17 Mar. 27, 1958 named employees. Mar. 6, 1958: Commission compliments Supts. Lewis and Gray "on the handling of the A.A.Z.P.A. meeting [American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums]; there were Zoo People from all over the country here for the meeting and they were very enthusiastic about our Zoo." 8 9 431-493 Apr. 3, 1958- May 1, 1958: At p. 453 is an “Excerpt from Aug. 1, 1958 Minutes of the Retirement & Pension System Board” dated Apr. 25, 1958, containing names of the 14 park policemen. 8 10 [Index] 1954-1958 [Item. Index to Book 8, of 24 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 8 (August 6, 1954 – August 1, 1958): Introduction and Excerpts

Bound-in, pasted-on and interleaved documents have been a feature of the minute books from the beginning, although they are sparse until Book 5, when what may have been the first copy on onionskin paper of a resolution by the Board of Commissioners of the City of Memphis (relating to a Park Commission matter) appears, authorized and signed by the City Clerk of Memphis. There are not many of these in Book 5; more numerous are letters from firms or various departments of the city government, along with schedules and contracts. Such inclusions are yet more frequent in Books 6 and 7, consisting mainly of budgets and copies of resolutions and the like, signed in the 1940s by City Comptroller Frank T. Tobey. Judging by their numbers here in Book 8, it appears that around the time this book begins, a decision has been made to include in this manner all resolutions (dealing with park matters) from the City Board of Commissioners signed by the Comptroller; almost every third or fourth time a page is turned in this book, onionskin sheets are interleaved with the minutes.

Commissioners serving in 1954 are John B. Vesey, Sam M. Nickey, Jr., Harry C. Pierotti, Edward C. Barwick and Henry Loeb, III. Leo Bearman and John R. Gorman replace Nickey and Loeb in July 1955, and Walker J. Wellford, Jr. replaces Vesey (resigned) in January 1956. Beginning about April 1957, Stanley Dillard, City Commissioner of Finances and Institutions, begins to attend Park Commission meetings frequently.

Payment of bills, payrolls and the occasional separate item (now often substantial groups of items) continues as in Book 7. A feature of this book is that early on, the use of individual pages for recording received bids slows markedly; henceforth with few exceptions bids are only printed once, as part of the proceedings of the meetings themselves. The circle of staff members to whom bids are referred for their recommendations continues to expand; bids are referred not only to General Superintendent Lewis, but also to the architect of the Tennis Building in Beauregard Park (Dec. 2, 1954), or to Mrs. Louise Clark, Director of Brooks Art Gallery (Feb. 24, 1955), and others.

During the course of this book the names of a number of parks are changed. “Collier Tract” is changed to Frank T. Tobey Park (honoring the late Mayor), Kansas Street Park to Riverview Park, “Jonah & Hugenot” to Minnie M. Wagner Park (after the long-time Superintendent of Recreation), “East of Scott Park (Negro)” to Robert Howze Park (“after deceased Negro Gardner [sic] at E. Parkway & Madison”), “Rich Road Property” to J.J. Brennan Park (after the late Park Commissioner), “Tharp Property at Mississippi River Bridge” to E.H. Crump Park, “Third and Adams Park” to Columbus Park, and University Circle Park to Harry Dlugach Park (named for the land donor). A notable change is the renaming of Beale Street Park back to Robert Church Park, the name the park bore from 1921 to 1940 when politics caused it to be changed. New parks mentioned are Brentwood Park, Chandler Park, Cherokee Park, C(ecil). M. Gooch Park, Gragg Park, Magnolia Park, McKellar Lake, “Spanish War Memorial Park at Parkway and Central,” University Park, and “Willow Road Park.” New park or playground sites to be developed are at Mount Moriah

77 and Park Avenue, Sharpe School, Prescott and Rhodes, Cherokee School and East and North Frayser Schools (September 5, 1957). Supt. of Recreation Marion Hale states on January 2, 1958 that “he would like to point out to the Commission that since last fall we have opened several new facilities; namely the Merchants Building; Magnolia, East High, Treadwell, Porter, Melrose, Lester, Frayser, most of which are winter facilities." The new John F. Rogers Tennis Center at Beauregard Park would become a popular facility for that sport.

Requests abound for new community houses, swimming pools and playgrounds. A list of suggested locations for new community houses in 1955 consists of Gaisman Park, Pine Hill, Colonial Acres, Davis Park, Douglas(s) Park, Orange Mound Park and Lincoln Park. A renewed proliferation of and activity by civic clubs is evident in their numerous requests for new park facilities, in the Park Commission’s welcoming attitude toward the Council of Civic Clubs of Memphis and Shelby County, and in the Mayor’s report on making school and park “facilities available for various civic groups.” Budget figures appear for 1954 through 1958, although they are more allusive than in previous minute books. Especially in 1957 and 1958, the minutes indicate that financially these are straitened times, although the Commission tries valiantly to keep up with purchases of park and playground sites near the new subdivisions.

Signs of contention among Commissioners rarely surfaces in the minutes, but several times in the first half of 1955 it is clear that Commission Chairman John Vesey and Commissioner Henry Loeb, III are not working well together. (This was confirmed dramatically in July 1955 when newly-elected City Commissioner Loeb accused Vesey of having Park personnel work on his own property; Vesey was briefly suspended from office and although reinstated, resigned at the end of the year.)

Excerpts from Minute Book 8:

An unbound item before Page 1 is titled “W.C. Handy’s Birth Certificate of the Blues,” awarded to the Park Commission “for Outstanding services in the field of Human Relations” dated Dec. 1, 1953 and signed by George W. Lee, Director of the Blues Bowl.

Pages 41-42, Jan. 6, 1955: A deal has been worked out with Mr. Kemmons Wilson for an Ice Skating Rink in the Arena Building on the Fairgrounds; Chairman Vesey recommends it "not from a Commercial angle but for a service to the many people showing a great love for Ice Skating."

Pages 43-44, Jan. 15, 1955: Commissioner Loeb offers a resolution noting that because there “has been in the last few months disorganization, confusion and some independent thinking by Park Officials and Commissioners, which have been amplified by the Press of the City of Memphis, the Memphis Park Commission [therefore] feels that the minds of the people of the City of Memphis are in confusion, doubt and distrust as to the over-all efficiency with which the Park Commission is being run.” He suggests “that the Board of Commissioners of the City of Memphis shall not consider as recommended by the Park Commission any actions, appropriations or policies without a formal resolution or letter of authorization from the Park Commission."

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Pages 72-73, March 3, 1955: University Circle Park on Jackson Avenue will be named the Harry Dlugach Park in memory of its donor. Also, “We have straightened things out with Colonel Kitrell and Officials of the Harbor Commission” and can go ahead with plans for McKellar Lake.

Page 93, May 3, 1955: Chairman Vesey notes that “Our Budget has increased from (1940) $428,030.00 to (1955) $1,475,732.00." The use of Overton Park Shell, without cost, is requested "for an evening production of the Danny Thomas Show in behalf of the St. Jude Foundation." Approved.

Page 102, May 26, 1955: The estimated cost of improvements at McKellar Lake is $60,000 (Boat Loading Ramp, Parking Areas, Rest Rooms, Water Loading Ramp and Guard Rails).

Pages 110-111, June 13, 1955: A site has been selected for "a monument in honor of the late E.H. Crump . . . in Overton Park near the Flag Pole where the Park Drive divides.” Plans are complete for a new Hippo House at the Zoo, at an estimated cost of $48,000.

Pages 112-113, July 7, 1955: The two new Commissioners replacing Nickey and Loeb are Leo Bearman and John R. Gorman. Absent is John Vesey, Chairman. A memo inserted between pp. 112 and 113 dated July 7, 1955 and signed by Mayor Frank T. Tobey states that "I hereby appoint Mr. Carl Stokes to serve as a member and chairman of the Memphis Park Commission for the period pending final determination of the John B. Vesey matter now before the Board of Commissioners." Below the Mayor's name is the statement in pencil, "Chairman Vesey Reinstated 8/2/55."

Page 136, Sept. 1, 1955: A committee representing the Council of Human Relations requests that one day each week be set aside “for both White and Colored to visit the Zoo together. The Committee also requested that Colored people be permitted to attend the Summer Concerts at Overton Park Shell. . . . The requests were taken under advisement."

Pages 162-163, Dec. 8, 1955: Inserted between pp. 162 and 163 is a letter dated Nov. 27, 1955 to Chairman Vesey from the National Association For The Advancement Of Colored People, Memphis Branch, that reads as follows: “Request is hereby made by the Memphis Branch of the N.A.A.C.P., through its Board of Directors, that compliance with the recent Supreme Court decision outlawing segregation in public parks, playgrounds, and cultural facilities be made effective." It is signed by H(osea). T. Lockard, President, and Rev. A(lexander). Gladney, Chairman of the Executive Board. Agenda item 11 at this meeting states that "Pro-Southerners of Memphis, in large numbers appeared before the Board headed by Harry Pyle, National Chairman with a prepared Resolution voicing objections to opening Parks, Playgrounds and other facilities to race mixing. Chairman Vesey, said I do not know how many Negroes belong to this Organization but I do know it is promoted by outside interest." The NAACP request will be marked "File” which Vesey said "meant NO ACTION toward opening these facilities to the Negroes at the present time."

Page 207, April 5, 1956: To offset expenses, it is necessary to charge for admission to swimming pools; it will be 10 cents for children and 25 cents for adults (at the Fairgrounds Pool it will be 15 cents and 40 cents).

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Pages 214-218, April 19, 1956: Three and one-half pages of discussion about “the location for proposed Municipal Art Center.” It is concluded that “the area EAST of the MOAT [Memphis Open Air Theatre] in Overton Park be made available as a site.”

Page 221, May 3, 1956: The Good Earth Garden Club requests a "plot of ground for the purpose of starting a fragrant garden for the Blind of our city and they preferred the location to be on the grounds of the New Library at McLean and Peabody since this is the place where the books for the Blind are distributed." The Commission says it has no jurisdiction over the library.

Pages 232-233, June 11, 1956: Bound between pp. 232 and 233 is a chart of "Proposed Organization - Memphis Park Commission - City of Memphis." The General Manager (General Superintendent of the Park Commission) will supervise the following persons or divisions: Superintendent of Zoo, Supervisor of Construction & Maintenance, Supervisor of Parks, Superintendent of Recreation, Division of Concessions, and Superintendent of Special Services.

Page 238, July 12, 1956: The Commission approves the request of Fire and Police Commissioner Claude Armour "for space in Frank T. Tobey Park to build a Drill Tower and Drill Grounds for the Fire Department."

Page 246, Sept. 21, 1956: The competition for the design for a proposed Memphis Fine Arts Center in Overton Park has been won by William Mann and Roy Harrover, Architects, Leigh Williams, Associate.

Page 253, Oct. 4, 1956: "A committee of colored citizens appeared before the board requesting the name of Beale Street park and auditorium be changed back to its original name Church park and auditorium. . . . [By unanimous vote] the Commission authorized the name of Beale Street park and auditorium to be changed to Church park and auditorium."

Pages 313-317, May 24, 1957: The Army would like to build a training center in Audubon Park, but the consensus of nearby residents and the Commission is against that location. The question of patriotism being raised, one of the attorneys present says "Just as vigorously as they oppose building an Armory in Audubon Park, they would just as enthusiastically work in doing anything possible to help this Government of our United States of America." Mr. Cecil M. Gooch has donated property at 1235 University Street “for a Park and Playground for the Colored Citizens of Memphis.”

Pages 332-333, Aug. 1, 1957: Dr. David Scheinberg of 150 East Chickasaw Parkway states in a letter that there is an "acute need for toilet facilities at the public park area around the lake in Chickasaw Gardens." Members of the public have requested "accommodations" at his house but recently such requests have become "daily multiple annoyances especially when they wake us up at 6:30 in the morning. . . . Recently a young man stopped up our toilet, requiring a plumber to extract a whole box of cleanex [sic]."

Page 338, Sept. 5, 1957: Supt. Lewis requests funds to develop new park sites: Park & Mount Moriah, Sharpe School, Prescott & Rhodes, Cherokee School, and East and North Frayser Schools.

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Pages 350 and 355, Nov. 14, 1957: "Mr. Norris L. Crenshaw, who has been Secretary of the Park Commission since 1948, and who served from 1926 to 1948 as Clerk in Charge of the Commission's Store Room, filed his request for retirement by reason of ill health, which was granted effective November 15, 1957. This terminates the long and effective service of this devoted and efficient employee." Mr. Gooch has insisted that the land he donated on University St. for a park “be used solely for a negro park and we worked out verbage [sic] whereby it would not constitute a forfeiture should intergration [sic for integration] come."

Pages 383-385, 391-392 and 406, Feb. 20, 1958: Kemmons Wilson lost about $29,000 in ten months at Iceland (the skating rink in the Arena Building). Sale of beer is approved at T.O. Fuller Golf Clubhouse. The Association for the Preservation of Tennessee Antiquities would like to move to a new location a log cabin called "Lambert Logs,” built in 1825, which "has port holes in the walls where they shot at Indians,” because it is on land that will be taken over for a 7,000 ft. runway at the Airport. The Commission decides that most of the land north of Avery St. in the Tobey Park area should be turned over to the Memphis Department of Fire and Police for future expansion.

Pages 437, 440, 442 and 444, April 3, 1958: Captain Dan J. Peeples, Captain of the Park Police, requests three more policemen; "At present, my staff consists of 14 men, including myself. The Park System, growing too rapidly, I now find it impossible to police effectively." The Commission will use funds derived from war bonds "in improving Spanish War Memorial Park at Parkway and Central" and will give the Totem Pole in Confederate Park to the Mid-South Fair, which has asked for it, "provided they pay the expense of moving it." In his report Supt. Lewis informs the Commission “that we are way behind in revenue as well as being behind in getting playgrounds and new parks ready to open."

Pages 447-448, May 1, 1958: Representatives of the Orange Mound Junior and Senior Civic Club state "that they were told a year and one-half ago that a Community Center for that area was under consideration" and want to know when they will get it. Chairman Pierotti said that the next one built will be in Orange Mound. Following a comment by Supt. Lewis that there is a potential 1½-acre site available for the center, Commissioner Wellford said that “anything that we can do for these people at this time will be good in helping to avert misunderstandings.”

Pages 466 and 468, June 5, 1958: Supt. Lewis's report states "We are progressing well at the Audubon Rose Garden, Lake and Arboretum." Cherokee Park is to open June 14, 1958. Kemmons Wilson writes the Commission that "Iceland has no funds whatsoever. It has been a terrible financial loss since the day it opened and I respectfully request that . . . this lease be cancelled." Approved.

Pages 487-488 and 493, Aug. 1, 1958: Four Rest Rooms will be built in four parks: Riverside, Cherokee, Brennan and Brentwood. Supt. Lewis suggests the Commission start acquiring property for parks in the Whitehaven area, or "we will be in the same shape we were in at East Memphis. . . . [It is] an urgent matter, as the developers are buying up the property fast."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 9 (September 4, 1958 – January 4, 1962)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A large amount of material in this book, as in Minute Book 8, is bound in or interleaved, although no material is now pasted into the book. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 9 1 1-40 Sept. 4, 1958- Sept. 4, 1958: Several park names are Nov. 13, 1958 changed. Oct. 2, 1958: Discussion about a Joint Administration Building for the Board of Education & Park Commission in Tobey Park. 9 2 41-82 Nov. 25, 1958- Dec. 4, 1958: Merit pay increases for 49 Feb. 12, 1959 named employees. Jan. 8, 1959: Some Pink Palace property fronting Central Ave. may be sold, the funds used to build a new Museum. 9 3 83-128 Mar. 5, 1959- Mar. 19, 1959: General Supt. Lewis requests May 7, 1959 $56,220 to cover several construction projects. Apr. 2, 1959: The Memphis Ski Club requests the Commission to build “a water ski jumping ramp on McKellar Lake,” and the State of Tennessee wants Commission land for a “New Expressway” [i.e. the Interstate Highway]. May 7, 1959: Bids are received for work on new Fairgrounds Children’s Theatre. 9 4 129-168 May 25, 1959- May 25, 1959: The Zoo Aquarium may be able Aug. 6, 1959 to open in July 1959. June 4, 1959: The Commission has recently installed seven ball diamonds, two lighted softball diamonds, and constructed a baseball grandstand at Tobey Park, seven new playgrounds and three new wading pools. July 2, 1959: Merit pay raises for 32 named employees. 9 5 169-224 Sept. 3, 1959- Sept. 3, 1959: The Zoo’s Animal Hospital is Dec. 3, 1959 complete and the Aquarium should open in October. Oct. 1, 1959: The State of Tennessee will only pay $15,504 for the portion of O’Brien Park that it wants for the new Expressway. Nov. 5, 1959: The Commission increases its minimum wage to 95¢ per hour. 9 6 225-262 Jan. 7, 1960- Jan. 7, 1960: A spokesman for a group that Apr. 7, 1960 includes the civic clubs of Park Manor, Colonial View and Colonial Acres asks for a 82

Community Center, claiming there are some 8,000 families in this area. [Item. Jan. 12, 1960: Minutes of “Joint Meeting of Memphis Park Commission & Board of Education.”] Apr. 7, 1960: The General Superintendent’s title is changed to “Director of Parks”. 9 7 263-312 May 5, 1960- June 2, 1960: The Supt. of Recreation reports Aug. 18, 1960 that “We anticipate operation of 87 playgrounds with some 525 white kids baseball teams and approximately 200 negro teams . . . [and] 100 men’s softball teams, 25 adult baseball teams . . . [and] other activities.” 9 8 313-364 Sept. 22, 1960- Sept. 22, 1960: The Zoo Aquarium had earned Dec. 7, 1960 $39,000 for the Commission as of Sept. 1. Oct. 6, 1960: There are questions about the maintenance of certain Zoo roads after the new Expressway is built. Nov. 10, 1960: The new Expressway will take parts of the Riverside and Pine Hill Golf Courses. 9 9 365-418 Jan. 5, 1961- Mar. 3, 1961: Commission receives bids for May 11, 1961 constructing a Joint Administration Building for the Park Commission and Board of Education. Mar. 2, 1961: Numerous unnamed parks are given names. 9 10 419-460 June 1, 1961- Aug. 3, 1961: Commission Attorney Thomas Sept. 8, 1961 R. Prewitt has submitted a statement “for services rendered by their Firm in some of the integration lawsuits, as well as an invoice from Mr. Walter Chandler for his services in connection with the same litigation.” Sept. 8, 1961: The Junior Chamber of Commerce is permitted to use the Fairgrounds Arena for their Indoor Track Carnival; “They want to build up spectator interest in Track.” 9 11 461-498 Oct. 5, 1961- Oct. 5, 1961: “The Memphis Police Jan. 4, 1962 Department will take over all criminal policing on the parks, and the Park Police will perform only those duties set out by the Civil Service in the “Civil Service Job Classification Book”.” Dec. 7, 1961: Hugo and Margaret Oates Dixon have conveyed to the City of Memphis a painting, “Fishing Boats at St. Valery” by Eugene Boudin painted in 1891. 9 12 [Index] 1958-1962 [Item. Index to Book 9, of 28 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 9 (September 4, 1958 – January 4, 1962): Introduction and Excerpts

The Commissioners in September 1958 are Chairman Harry C. Pierotti, Vice-Chairman E.C. Barwick, Leo Bearman, John R. Gorman and Walker L. Wellford, Jr. Following the resignation of Bearman in November 1960, Mrs. W. (Wilson) Jeter Eason (Lois Nickey Eason) joins the Commission as his replacement and as the first woman to serve. Regular attendees at meetings are City Commissioner of Finances and Institutions Stanley Dillard, Park Commission Attorney J. Seddon Allen, General Superintendent (later retitled Director) “Hal” Lewis, Superintendents of Recreation and of the Zoo Marion Hale and Raymond F. Gray respectively, and Supervisor of Special Services Dave Wells, Jr. Dillard is replaced in January 1960 by James W. Moore, the new Commissioner of Finances and Institutions. J. Seddon Allen retires in December 1959 after three decades as Park Commission Attorney, and is replaced by Thomas R. Prewitt, who likewise attends future meetings on a regular basis.

Many bids are referred to a committee consisting of Commissioners Barwick and Wellford and General Superintendent Lewis “for study and recommendations,” others to “Messrs. Lewis, [and Commissioners] Bearman and Gorman” or (for Fairgrounds equipment) to “Messrs. Lewis and Toulon,” Eddie J. Toulon being the long-time manager of the Fairgrounds Amusement Park. Still other bids are “opened and read publicly and referred to the Park Commission for action.” This pattern of frequently referring bids to the General Superintendent and/or one of his deputies, and a Commissioner or two, will persist for some years. A large amount of material in this book, as in Book 8, is bound in or interleaved, although material is no longer glued onto the book’s pages.

The Commission renames a number of properties during this period. In a meeting on September 4, 1958, existing facilities are given names as follows: Frayser Park & Pool and Frayser Community Center; Georgian Hills Park; McKellar Park; Robert O’Brien Park; Sea Isle Park; Sherwood Park; Willow Oaks Park (a name itself changed to J.R. Godwin Park in 1961); and Willow Park. On March 2, 1961, further changes result in more new park names: Chickasaw Park; Davey Crockett Park; Denver Park; J.R. Godwin Park; Jackson Park; Sidney Lanier Park; L.B. McFarland Park; Mississippi Park; Oakhaven Park; Pershing Park; Pickett Park; Roosevelt Park; Vieh Park; Volunteer Park; Polly Williams Park; and Wilson Park. Other properties mentioned during this period are Avon Park, Grandview Park and Ketchum Road Park (soon renamed Charjean Park), as well as Bethel LaBelle Community Center and Dave Wells Community Center (named for the late G. Dave Wells, Sr.), while the old Barksdale Police Station is put to new uses.

A number of topics draw the attention of the Commission during this period. A “Bartholomew Plan” is cited several times as a reason for taking some action, or for not taking action; this is presumably the Report Upon Schools, Parks and Recreation prepared for the City of Memphis in 1955 by Harland Bartholomew and Associates. The “new Expressway,” i.e. the Interstate Highway or I-40, will occupy portions of several Memphis parks without, the Commission feels, sufficient compensation. The Commission and the

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Memphis School Board are closely associated in many matters, from their cooperation in providing recreation facilities and supervised play for the children of Memphis, to the construction of a Joint Administration Building in Tobey Park. With its purchases of land for future park use, the Commission tries to stay ahead of population spread to the north (the Frayser area), south (the Whitehaven area) and east. Funds must be spent to meet this priority, which postpones many building projects including Community Centers desired by the new subdivisions. And finally the Commission must begin to address the slow-moving but inexorable court-ordered racial desegregation of park facilities.

There is continuing discussion about the re-use of Barksdale Police Station after the police move out, about the urgent need to upgrade Crump Stadium and otherwise meet the needs of burgeoning high school sports programs, and about Cold War and Civil Defense concerns. We also see the amounts of the proposed 1960 Capital Improvement Budget ($1,250,000) on Oct. 1, 1959 and the proposed 1960 Maintenance Budget ($2,258,910) on Nov. 5, 1959, although such figures for other years are absent as usual.

Excerpts from Minute Book 9:

Page 7, Sept. 4, 1958: The names of a number of parks are changed: Cobb Property is changed to McKellar Park, Rhodes & Prescott to Sherwood Park, Willow & Colonial to Willow Park, Potters Field to Frayser Park & Pool and Frayser Community Center, N. Frayser School to Georgian Hills Park, Cherokee (School?) to Cherokee Park, Sharpe School to Robert O'Brien Park, Willow & Cherry to Willow Oaks Park, and Sea Isle School to Sea Isle Park.

Pages 17-21, Oct. 2, 1958: The Commission holds a joint meeting with the Board of Education to discuss a Joint Administration Building for the two bodies.

Pages 37, Nov. 13, 1958: The Quonset hut at Poplar Viaduct and Union Avenue Extended (formerly a Keedoozle store) is on the right-of-way of the new overpass, and Supt. Lewis suggests that it be purchased, moved to the Fairgrounds and used as a Children’s Theatre.

Pages 47-51, Dec. 4, 1958: Extensive discussion about improving McKellar Lake Marina, involving the Marina Barge, Boat Docking Slips, Boat House Anchorage, and Service.

Pages 71-72, Feb. 5, 1959: Frank Ahlgren (Editor of the Memphis Commercial Appeal) informs the Commission that the committee conducting the “successful drive for a memorial to W.C. Handy” would like to erect it in Handy Park; approved.

Pages 115-116 and 126, May 7, 1959: Bids are received for work at the new Children’s Theatre on the Fairgrounds, i.e. installing doors and windows on the Quonset hut, and wiring and plumbing it. In a discussion of seating at Crump Stadium about the wrestling matches, it is pointed out that "they have Sputnik (the wrestler) who has become very popular with the Negroes and they propose to put the Negroes on the East end Zone of the bleachers and put the White people in the South stands and at the ring side seats."

Pages 148, 150, 154 and 156, July 2, 1959: Mr. J.B. Melier, President of the Bickford Civic Club, "pointed out the Bickford Park now is almost surrounded by colored citizens and that

85 it will not be practical to continue operating the park as a white park." The Commission approves the following Park properties as polling places for the upcoming municipal election: Church Park Auditorium, Crump Stadium, Park Commission Office, Hodges Field, Dave Wells Community Center, Orange Mound Swimming Pool, Peabody Community Center, Galloway Golf Club House, Memphis Museum, Audubon Golf Club House, and Pine Hill Community Center. The University of Tennessee has "offered to provide several Medical Students to work in the New Animal Hospital at the Overton Park Zoo. These Students will conduct various medical tests on the animals, and etc." Recreation Supt. Marion Hale has been chosen to receive "the National Pop Warner award for being Tennessee's greatest benefactor of youth in the past two years."

Pages 183 and 184-187, Oct. 1, 1959: The High Point Civic Club earlier proposed that a newly remodeled Galloway Clubhouse could be used by both the golf course and by their club as a Community Center. Supt. Lewis advises against this as beer is sold on the golf course, and "beer and recreation for boys and girls would not mix." The Aquarium will officially open Sunday; there was a "very nice article in the Press this afternoon" about it. The State of Tennessee will only pay $15,504 for the portion of Robert J. O'Brien Park that it wants as a right-of-way for the new Expressway, and is prepared "to file suit against the City of Memphis" for it. Lewis gives his thoughts on the proposed 1960 Capital Improvement Budget, suggesting among other things that the Commission ask for $1,250,000 "in order that we may acquire land while it is still fairly cheap. . . . It is amazing the way that the Whitehaven area is growing." Commissioner Wellford believes "we should go ahead and request a million and one-half and include the Community Centers." Lewis reminds the Commission of the expenditures proposed in the Bartholomew Plan; the current proposed 5-year plan, 1960-1964, is approved. The proposed expenditures for 1960 include: Property, $457,000; Community Centers & Pools, $125,000; Improvements, $77,900.

Pages 199-200 and 205-206, Nov. 5, 1959: The North East Optimist Club and Kingsbury P.T.A. asks for a Community Center at Gaisman Park; the Commission responds that the Bartholomew Plan calls for one there, and that they are next in line. "The greater part of our Capital Improvement Money, said the Chairman, will be spent for the purchase of Park Property which might slow down your Community Center. We feel that this is necessary, however, so that in five years we won't have to buy land at two or three times what it would cost now." The High Point Civic Club gets the same response from Chairman Pierotti. He asks "how many Civic Clubs do we have,” and is told "something like 72." Supt. Hale suggests that something might be worked out so they could use East High School; "We already use a lot of Schools . . . We would have to make a request to the Board of Education." The proposed 1960 Maintenance Budget is $2,258,910. Fees are raised on "Golf Courses, Swimming Pools, Amusement Park and Football." For example, swimming pool fees will go to 50 cents for adults and 20 cents for children.

Pages 214-220 and 223, Dec. 3, 1959: Mrs. Abe Adams of the Ketchum Rd. area returns, asking whether the Commission "are displeased with me?," because there is a rumor to that effect. Being told there is no such feeling against her, she asks once again for a neighborhood swimming pool. During a long discussion, Chairman Pierotti states that "we think it is to the best interest of the Citizens to plan for purchase of real Estate. . . . It is for the best interest of the City and not due to intergration [sic for integration]. . . . Mrs. Adams

86 said, "Can you put yourselves in our place, can you go home and go to sleep, do you feel that a ball diamond and wading pool are adequate?" The Commission considers five possibilities for the enlargement of Crump Stadium. Commission Attorney J. Seddon Allen submits his resignation; however, says he, "I have no intention of resigning from the Intergration Suit.” Chairman Pierotti suggests that Mr. Tom Pruitt (sic for Prewitt) be appointed; “he is a member of Mr. Allen's firm, which would give him the advantage of Mr. Allen's experience . . . [and] The files for the past 30 years are located in Mr. Allen's office. . . . Mr. Allen advised the Commission that he had informed the Lawyers handling the Intergration Suit that the Commission was not asking that they serve without compensation, only that the Commission expected not to be charged too much."

Pages 227-228, Jan. 7, 1960: Supt. Lewis reports that 1959 "was a most successful year . . . Some 275.4 acres of land were acquired and the following projects completed: Zoo Aquarium, Zoo Hospital Building, Zoo Rhino & Tapir House, Zoo Pony Barn, Frayser Community Center, West End Zone Stands at Crump Stadium, Gooch Park Swimming Pool, 3 Lighted Ball Diamonds, 7 New Rest Rooms & Shelters, 4 New Wading Pools. Work was begun on the Hollywood Community Center and the Children's Theatre both of which are progressing very well. In spite of the shortage in budget . . .we had acquired some 7 trucks, 46 pieces of mowing equipment, 7 automobiles, 9 tractors, 2 special tractors." Zoo Supt. Gray reported "that some one and one-quarter million visitors had visited our Zoo during the year 1959." Recreation Supt. Hale says that "we are starting this year with thirteen In- Door Centers, we are going to 10 School Centers for Basketball and Canteens. . . . In the Municipal Sports Department we have 350 teams, we have over 200 Kids teams, 100 Adult teams in Basketball. We have already made request of the Board of Education for use of more of their Gyms for recreation purposes. . . . We have set up a center for colored children (retarded) at the Alonzo Locke School."

Page 240, Feb. 4, 1960: "The various [1959] concessions and business operations were most successful and the Park Commission turned over something like $43,000.00 to the City as surplus."

Page 262, April 7, 1960: Mr. Lewis’s title of “General Superintendent” is changed to “Director of Parks.”

Pages 266 and 268, May 5, 1960: Hodges Field has "been set up for the Chicks and it is all ready for them." The Hollywood Community Center is finished and is awaiting its dedication. The Children's Theatre at the Fairgrounds is open and "is a wonderful facility." Architects have prepared an artist's rendering of the proposed Joint Administration Building for the Park Commission and Board of Education; the estimated cost is $2,714,680 of which the Park Commission’s share will be about $405,000.

Page 277, June 2, 1960: Park Patrolman Alex Masserano, Jr. "was instrumental in saving a child's life and was highly commended in the newspapers of the City and the Park Commission wishes to commend this man."

Pages 292 and 297, July 7, 1960: Zoo Supt. Gray reports that "Tiny Tim, the Gorilla, is growing rapidly and seems to be in good shape. We need a great Apes House very bad. Would like to buy some Orangutans, but we have no place to put them." He also informs the

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Commission that it is necessary for him to move out of the house provided for him at the Zoo; "Three (3) Doctors had advised him to get his wife out of there."

Pages 299-301, July 18, 1960: The Memphis Chicks request permission to build a stadium at Tobey Park "as a result of the fire which destroyed the Russwood Park on Easter Sunday, 1960." Following a discussion of the "Colored Tri-State Fair" of 1960, it is decided that Bert Ferguson of WDIA, rather than the Mid-South Fair, will "sponsor and underwrite" it, and will be paid one-third "of the gross receipts on the City-Owned Rides at the Fairgrounds Amusement Park."

Page 317, Sept. 22, 1960: "The Zoo Aquarium is still going strong, as of September 1, 1960 it shows some $39,000.00 [in admission fees] and [we] believe it will net some $45,000 to $50,000 this year."

Pages 344-345 and 350-351, Nov. 10, 1960: The Commission authorizes an "addendum to the 1961 Capital Improvement Budget in the sum of $20,000.00” to cover the construction of a nine-lane track on the Fairgrounds. This is a renewed request from "Citizens interested in the promotion of Track in Memphis.” A "Bomb Shelter put up in co-operation with the Civic Defense" in Court Square "will have to come down in time for the Santa Claus Headquarters to be installed.” Zoo Supt. Gray reports that "The baby Giraffe is doing very well, however, there is some trouble with his ankles and the Zoo Staff along with the Superintendent have designed and made some boots and braces for the little fellow." The new Expressway will "ruin entirely" the Riverside and Pine Hill Golf Courses.

Pages 384-385 and 389-391, March 2, 1961: Discussion about what use the Barksdale Police Station is being, and will be, put to. Unnamed parks are named (Location, Proposed Name): Jackson & Wales, Jackson Park; Denver School, Denver Park; Park & Mt. Moriah, Volunteer Park; Craft Road, Polly Williams Park; Lanier-Bell, Davey Crockett Park; Mitchell Road, Roosevelt Park; Oakhaven, Oakhaven Park; Point Church, Pershing Park; Raines & Horn Lake, Mississippi Park; Ruppercht Property, Pickett Park; Fox Meadows Area, Wilson Park; Raines & Levi, Chickasaw Park; Vieh Property, Vieh Park; Willow Park, Willow Park; Parkway Village, L.B. McFarland Park; Auburn & McCorkle, Sidney Lanier Park; and Willow Oaks, J.R. Godwin Park. These changes are approved and submitted to the City Commission for approval. Pay toilets will be installed in the Court Square Rest Rooms, one for ladies and four for men. Mrs. Louise B. Clark, Director of the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, is planning to retire on Dec. 31, 1961.

Pages 435-436, July 13, 1961: The Commission will assume the expense of the water to be used in the fountain of “the WWII and Korea Memorial . . . on Federal property at the entrance to the Post Office at the junction of Madison Avenue and Front Street.”

Pages 452, 456 and 459, Sept. 8, 1961: The Memphis & Shelby County Medical Society will use the Woman's Building "for the purpose of displaying Civil Defense Emergency Hospital." Revenue from the swimming pools is “off 15% from last year due to cold days and nights." A Fallout Shelter to be located on the Fairgrounds is approved, "subject to the approval of the Civil Defense Department." The State of Tennessee has agreed to pay $400,000 for the 49.68 acres of Riverside Park required by the new Expressway, and $89,000 for the 9.5 acres of Pine Hill.

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Page 480, Nov. 2, 1961: The City "does not have funds to finance the Park Commission for the first part of the year in 1962. We are in rather bad financial straits for next year."

Pages 491-492, Dec. 7, 1961: A printed copy of the proposed "10 year Desegregation Plan for the Memphis Parks System" [not included in the minutes] is presented to the Commission by Director Lewis. A letter from Commission Attorney Prewitt states that Federal District Court Judge Marion S. Boyd felt that an appeal now in the courts "stayed his hand and that the Park Commission should not file its Plan of Desegregation until after the Court of Appeals has ruled on this appeal." Prewitt wants the letter "spread on the minutes of the Park Commission so that the minutes will fully reflect compliance with Judge Boyd's judgment of June 20, 1961 in the Watson case.”

Pages 495-497, Jan. 4, 1962: Zoo Supt. Gray reports "that he has just been advised by the United States Department of Agriculture that the Overton Park Zoo has been designated as an "Approved Zoo,” being one of the very few in the United States that has been so designated." This is significant because it means the Zoo may receive "hooved or cud chewing animals from overseas,” an exception to a general quarantine on such imported animals that was intended to combat Hoof & Mouth Disease. The Commission supplies all local newspapers with a copy of its Desegregation Plan. "It should be pointed out that the gradual plan as evolved by the Memphis Park Commission cannot be put into effect in an orderly manner except by following the Recreation Department plan for dividing the City into some 99 Playground Districts, all of which is set out in full in the Plan of the Memphis Park Commission."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 10 (February 1, 1962 – May 6, 1965)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. No City Commission resolutions are bound in or interleaved or pasted to the pages of this book. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 10 1 [Loose [1962 and [3 Items. Pamphlet, “Brief of Respondents in material] 1964] Opposition to Petition for Certiorari” related to I.A. Watson et al. vs. City of Memphis; loose paper with term expiration dates for four Commissioners; and policy statement re: new Municipal Stadium.] 10 2 1-54 Feb. 1, 1962- Feb. 1, 1962: Director Lewis reports the Pine Aug. 2, 1962 Hill and Riverside Golf Courses have been integrated. Mar. 1, 1962: A golf course may be constructed in Audubon Park. Apr. 12, 1962: Director recommends charging a fee at the Fairgrounds Amusement Park gate, 15 cents for children under 12 and 20 cents for adults. 10 3 55-116 Aug. 9, 1962- Sept. 6, 1962: The Director states “we have Feb. 7, 1963 been working madly to complete the new Fairgrounds Stadium to get the traffic off Crump Stadium.” [Also Item. Envelope containing 8x10 photos of parents of Ray Firestone, former Commission member.] Nov. 1, 1962: Several letters have been received “requesting ruling on Negro use of the Court Square Rest Rooms. No action was taken in this matter.” Dec. 6, 1962: The proposed 1963 Capital Improvement Budget of $492,978.33 is presented; the Commission would like to add $150,000 for a Gaisman Park Community Center. Jan. 3, 1963: The Director reports that “1962 was a good year financially, we will have approximately $75,000.00 surplus this year.” 10 4 117-162 Feb. 21, 1963- Mar. 7, 1963: Mr. Dave Wells, Supt. of Special May 16, 1963 Services, advises “that we are getting nothing but compliments on the new Running Track at the Fairgrounds." 10 5 163-226 May 30, 1963- May 30, 1963: The Commission acknowledges Nov. 7, 1963 that three days earlier the U.S. Supreme Court 90

ordered the prompt desegregation of all Memphis’s recreational facilities; “further delay would not be permitted.” June 6, 1963: The Commission will cut the number of parks operated in the summer season from 86 to 67. [Item. Letter and legal memo dated June 18, 1963 re: whether it would be legal for the Commission to sell its swimming pools.] 10 6 227-284 Nov. 14, 1963- Nov. 21, 1963: The Commission requests Feb. 13, 1964 $20,000 to remodel Church Park Auditorium; the final figure for the 1964 budget comes to $2,690,880. Dec. 5, 1963: Golf Concession leases are signed for Overton Park, Pine Hill, Audubon, Riverside & Riverside Lake, Galloway, Fuller and Crockett. 10 7 285-326 Mar. 5, 1964- Mar. 5, 1964: The [Goldsmith Civic] Garden May 21, 1964 Center is complete and will be dedicated on Mar. 22. May 7, 1964: Chairman Pierotti says the Commission “should protest with vigor . . . the Express way through Overton Park.” 10 8 327-376 June 4, 1964- June 4, 1964: Zoo Director Robert Mattlin Sept. 10, 1964 shows the Commission “the preliminary plans by Olsen and Urbain for the remodeling of the Zoo.” July 2, 1964: In the last ten years the Commission budget has increased from $1,576,870 to $2,632,000. 10 9 377-430 Oct. 1, 1964- Nov. 5, 1964: Supt. of Special Service Dave Jan. 7, 1965 Wells tells the Commission "he thought the contractors were about one (1) month ahead of schedule on the new Municipal Stadium." Dec. 3, 1964: Chairman advises a group from Frayser that "the Park Commission [will] build a stadium somewhere in Frayser.” Gaisman Community Center will be dedicated Dec. 11. 10 10 431-497 Feb. 4, 1965- Feb. 11, 1965: The Federal Government has May 6, 1965 paid $210,000 for Hodges Field [as the site for the future Veterans Administration Hospital]. Mar. 4, 1965: Hugo Dixon indicates that if his $300,000 art collection cannot be accommodated at the Brooks Art Gallery, “he will give his house to the City to make into a Museum.” May 6, 1965: Director Gray reports that “lights were turned on at the new Memorial Stadium and checked out.” 10 11 [Index] 1962-1965 [Item. Index to Book 10, of 40 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 10 (February 1, 1962 – May 6, 1965): Introduction and Excerpts

The Park Commissioners of the late 1950s and early ‘60s continue in office: Harry Pierotti (Chairman), E.C. Barwick (Vice Chairman), John R. Gorman, Walker L. Wellford, Jr. and Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey) Eason. Commission Attorney Thomas R. Prewitt, City Commissioner James W. Moore and Director H. S. Lewis (who was retitled “Executive Director” in February 1964) attend most meetings, joined from time to time by Lewis’s Superintendents. A few budget figures appear for 1963 (pp. 99-100) and 1964 (pp. 249 and 349). In July 1964 the Director points with pride at the considerable increase in Park facilities and activities over the previous decade (see Excerpt below).

Payment of bills and payrolls is still approved monthly at the beginning of meetings. However, the “approval of payments” for some items, often grouped, now frequently appear in the form of a table, with columns for Company, Description, and Total. This elaboration will continue for some time, occasionally with the name of the account the payment comes from. After years of bid referrals to committees that include a Commissioner, most bids are now referred to the Director and/or one of his lieutenants for study and recommendation, which is often for the low bid but not always. No City Commission resolutions are bound-in or interleaved or glued to the pages of this book.

Some of the items occupying the Commission’s attention are the heavily-used McKellar Lake Boat Ramp and the new Loosahatchie Boat Ramp, the construction in Tobey Park of the Joint Administration Building for the Park Commission and the Board of Education, the donation and construction of the Goldsmith Civic Garden Center, the construction of a high- school football stadium (“Mt. Moriah Stadium," later Halle Stadium), and the attempt to find a location in Frayser for another high-school football stadium that would not only be safe and convenient, but at the same time acceptable to the residents. The construction on the Fairgrounds of the Memphis Municipal Stadium and the Coliseum were not Park Commission projects, but both structures would be handed off to the Commission after they were completed. Both the Zoo and Brooks Memorial Art Gallery see changes in leadership. The Commission contracts to oversee Shelby County parks, adopts the Senior Citizens Center at 1252 Peabody Avenue and the Handicapped Children program begun by Paul Regan, and approves an organizational change that gives future Park Commission Director M.N. “Nat” Baxter an expanded role. Volunteer Park is renamed Pauline “Pep” Marquette Park in memory of the long-time Director of Women’s Athletics, and three new park names appear: Firestone Park, New Chicago Park and John F. Kennedy Park. Other new Commission facilities or structures are Gaisman Community Center, Crockett Park Golf Course, and the World War II and Korean War Memorial. And a question is raised on March 5, 1964, about the proposed Expressway going “right through the middle” of Overton Park. Also at about this time, the Commission approves a "contract for operation of the County Parks by the Memphis Park Commission.”

All park facilities are ordered desegregated by the United States Supreme Court on May 27, 1963, and the City Commission and Park Commission, which have spent considerable time

92 and resources fighting a delaying action, comply. However, the Park Commission feels it is “in the manifest best interest of all the people of Memphis both White and Negro” to close swimming and wading pools both that summer and the next. The Commission even explores the possibility of selling its swimming pools.

The perception is that in this book, a greater percentage of space is gradually taken up by bids, contracts, payment notices and change orders than in earlier books, and that the lists of "animals and fishes" purchased for the zoo (accompanied by their sources and prices) are also increasing in scale. Both could well be due to the increasing activity of the Park Commission on the one hand, and the growth of the Zoo on the other.

Excerpts from Minute Book 10:

A number of items are inserted before p. 1, including a list of the current Commissioners and the dates their terms expire, a 26-page pamphlet, "Brief of Respondents in Opposition to Petition for Certiorari" in the Supreme Court of the United States, October Term, 1962, No. 424, I.A. Watson et al. vs. City of Memphis, filed by J.S. Allen, Walter Chandler, Frank B. Gianotti, Jr. and Thomas R. Prewitt, and a manila envelope postmarked July 16, 1962 containing photographs of Raymond C. Firestone's parents which Pierotti is forwarding to Supt. Lewis "for our files & minutes." (Firestone was a member of the Park Commission 1946-1949.)

Pages 6-7, Feb. 1, 1962: Director H.L. Lewis recommends the Commission reconsider the operation of a Train Ride in Overton Park. It could be on their best interest; “This is a big revenue producer."

Pages 25-27, April 12, 1962: The Commission needs $6,546.40 from 1962 Capital Improvement Funds in order to buy more radios "to meet all the requirements of the Civil Defense." The Director reports that the Park Commission “accepted the monument in front of the Federal Post Office Building downtown."

Page 38, May 3, 1962: Postmaster A.L. Moreland has sent the Commission a letter "regarding the blinding glare made by the newly installed War Memorial at the Main Post Office and the effect it had on the Clerks servicing the Stamp windows just inside the doors." To prevent the glare, the Commission authorizes a planter to be installed on the west side of the Memorial.

Pages 45-47, June 7, 1962: A group protesting the closure of the Washington Swimming Pool is told "the patronage of the pool does not warrant our operating it." Perhaps it can be opened as a "C" class pool, though, and the spokesman for the group responds that "this would be far better than the Children swimming in Wolfe [i.e. Wolf] River." Swings are requested "for the back of the Juvenile Court,” and the Commission responds that if the Court furnishes the swings, the Commission will install them.

Pages 50 and 52-53, July 5, 1962: The Commission names the Holloman property Firestone Park "in honor of Mr. & Mrs. Harvey Firestone, Sr. and recommends same to the City Commission for approval." An anonymous donor will give $175,000 "for the construction of

93 a Garden Center at Audubon Park. Said $175,000.00 to cover the cost of construction and Architects fees."

Page 83, Nov. 1, 1962: There is a conflict between "the Tennis people and the Track people" in the use of the Fairgrounds Arena Building, and the problem is exacerbated by “the lack of heat."

Pages 96-97, Dec. 6, 1962: The Director reports “We are just about ready for the final inspection of our new quarters [i.e. the new Joint Office Building in Tobey Park].” The Commission "hereby gratefully acknowledges with appreciation the unselfish and charitable act of the Goldsmith Foundation, Inc., in providing . . . for the construction of a Civic Garden Center to be known as Goldsmith Civic Garden Center.”

Pages 130-132, March 7, 1963: Discussion of the Bartholomew Plan and the function of the New County Conservation Board; it was "established primarily to provide in the areas outside the City of Memphis recreation areas where they are not now provided." The Commission defers action on "Gaston Community Center and 10 year Integration Plan until such time as the case pending has been argued in Washington.”

Pages 145 and 147, April 4, 1963: Mr. and Mrs. Henry Walker will continue to furnish horse meat to the Overton Park Zoo as they have been doing for twenty years. On the Fairgrounds, the "Horse Barn people were notified to vacate by April 15, 1963 [to make way for the construction of the Coliseum].”

Pages 159-160, May 2, 1963: Regarding the Goldsmith Garden Center, the Director said that Mr. (Elias J.) Goldsmith (Sr.) "stated that he had no more money to go into this project." The Director will go to the Architects and tell them "$175,000 is all the money we have and for them to design a building in that price or we will just have to make other arrangements." Paul Regan of the Crippled Children's Day Camp called to say he had been fired, but "they still wanted to do something for these children"; the Commission can let them have "the old building at the Fairground [formerly] used by the Driving Range [i.e. the Driver Education Center]."

Page 163, May 30, 1963: "On last Monday, May 27th, the Supreme Court of the United States ruled that the gradual program of desegregation heretofore evolved by the Park Commission and put into effect would not be approved. The Supreme Court ruled that the Park Commission was obligated to desegregate all recreational facilities promptly and that further delay would not be permitted. . . . It must be recognized . . . that the Supreme Court decision will necessitate changes in the operation of the Park System. . . . In particular, the Park Commission feels it is in the manifest best interest of all the people of Memphis both White and Negro, that the operation of Swimming Pools and Wading Pools be suspended, for the time being. . . . It is hoped that the recreational program can be continued for the benefit of all citizens but if curtailment or suspension of the playground activities proves necessary, appropriate steps will be taken. As of today all public recreational facilities operated by the Memphis Park Commission will be operated on a desegregated basis."

Between Pages 172 and 173, a letter and 4-page memorandum dated June 18, 1963: The letter, from Park Commission Attorney Thomas R. Prewitt to Commission Chairman Harry

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C. Pierotti, introduces the memorandum which is headed “Memorandum to Mr. Prewitt. Re: (1) Whether the Memphis Park Commission May Constitutionally Sell Its Swimming Pools, After They Have Been Ordered Desegregated [and] Re: (2) Whether the Memphis Park Commission Can Be Forced to Reopen Its Swimming Pools Which It Closed Following an Order That They Be Desegregated."

Pages 178-181, July 11, 1963: Coin-operated Audiorama Units that "play a recording giving historical and current facts about various locations in the City of Memphis" will be placed in certain parks. The Director reports that "we are approximately $10,000.00 behind in revenue at the [Fairgrounds] Amusement Park this year as compared to last year. . . . [The Promoters] want to bring in the Lone Ranger and Tonto." Discussion about selling Hodges Field "to the Veterans Administration for the proposed new Veterans Hospital. . . . Memphis Park Commission should have some voice in where the monies derived from the sale of the property should be used."

Pages 198, 200 and 202, Sept. 5, 1963: Brooks Art Gallery would like to purchase "a 37- volume German work - ALLGEMEINES LEXIKON DER BILDENDEN KUENSTLER . . . These books are written in German, and Mr. Milkovitch [i.e., Michael Milkovich], the Curator, can read them." Raymond F. Gray has resigned as Zoo Director, and Director Lewis is instructed "to write Mr. Gray a letter pertaining to personal belongings left in the house on the Zoo property requesting that he remove same at the earliest date possible."

Pages 222-223, Oct. 3, 1963: The Commission rejects the request "that the new Coliseum be named for Elvis Presley . . . even though it has no jurisdiction over the matter," because of its policy of "naming facilities for persons deceased only." The Commission Attorney presents the claim of Patricia Ann Inman, a "little girl from Texas,” who was injured by "a peacock at the Zoo that is vicious . . . this child did not antagonize the peacock at all, it just attacked her and hurt her quite seriously." The Director was instructed "to look into the matter of the peacock and get rid of same."

Page 243, Nov. 21, 1963: Mr. Thompson, a Commercial Appeal reporter, inquired about "the matter of the Tiger for a Mascot for the Memphis State University. The Director advised the Commission that if this is done it will require a lot of planning and study as to how the tiger will be transported in a portable cage."

Pages 267-268, Jan. 2, 1964: Mr. Robert H. Mattlin is welcomed as the new Director of the Overton Park Zoo. Mrs. Winslow Chapman brought to the Commission a protest by people “in that area” about the naming of John F. Kennedy Park; first of all, they "Objected to the Kennedy name."

Page 274, Jan. 27, 1964: The Commission reviews "the decision of the Board of Trustees of the Brooks Gallery with regard to the Director of the Gallery, Mr. Robert Shalkop,” and requests his resignation.

Page 282, Feb. 13, 1964: Discussion of organizational changes, to wit: "Put the Swimming Pools in the Recreation Department. The Fairground Amusement Park in Maintenance under Mr. M.N. Baxter. Set up a Safety Department (consisting of our Park Police) to be

95 headed by Paul Davis, who is a retired Army Major and fully qualified." The Director is authorized to make these changes.

Pages 294-295, March 5, 1964: The Commission approves a "contract for operation of the County Parks by the Memphis Park Commission . . . On a year to year basis at approximately $2,500.00 per park. There will be some 16 parks this year."

Page 297, March 5, 1964: Mr. Rudolph Jones wants "to come up with a plan to move the Expressway along the north side [of Overton Park] instead of taking it right through the middle of the park. They want to know if the . . . Commission will go along with them in fighting the Expressway. . . . The Commission . . . are very interested and would like to discuss the matter further."

Page 308, April 2, 1964: "The Director advised the Commission that we are co-operating with the Handicapped Children’s Program under Paul Regan . . . we might hire him on a part time basis to help the program along." The Commission hires Mr. Regan at $200 per month.

Page 319, May 7, 1964: "After mature consideration and discussing the matter with the personnel of the Park System, it is the opinion of the Park Commission that in the general interest of the peace and tranquility of the Community and the Park activities as a whole, and also for economic reasons we are recommending that the Swimming Pools remain closed for the present season."

Page 332, June 4, 1964: The Commission instructs its Attorney to draft a resolution stating that it voted "unanimously to go on record as being opposed to the taking of Park Land through Overton Park for Expressway purposes," and that "while not desiring to stand in the way of progress in the City of Memphis, [it] feels very strongly that with further study and consideration, this segment of the Expressway could be routed in such way as to eliminate the need for taking of park land."

Page 337, June 16, 1964: Resolution expressing appreciation of the gift of two paintings from Hugo N. and Margaret Oates Dixon: "The Countryside at Vaucresson" by Edouard Vuillard, and "Printemps a Eragny" by Camille Pissarro.

Pages 338-339, June 28, 1964: Resolution expressing appreciation of the gift of a number of Chinese jade bowls, dishes, figurines and other artifacts, a Japanese stone lantern and carved ivory figures, and a Greek icon, presented by W. Jeter Eason and Park Commissioner Lois Nickey Eason.

Pages 343, 346 and 349, July 2, 1964: Discussion of "the establishment of a public park on the point of City Island [i.e. Mud Island]. . . . Now is the time to make sure that after the rebuilding of City Island by the Corps of Engineers, this land will be set aside as a park site." The architect's estimates for the Zoo Plans indicate "We can get a fairly good job for the $2,000,000.” The Director presents "a report on the past ten (10) years of operation of the Park System"; among other things it shows personnel up 42%, baseball diamonds up 200%, playgrounds up 47%, park acreage up 100%, parks up 50%, community centers up

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225%, tennis courts up 110%, rest houses and shelters up 82%, football fields up 100%, and budget up from $1,576,870 to $2,632,000.

Page 375, Sept. 10, 1964: Mr. Marion Hale, Supt. of Recreation, "requested that the Wading Pools be opened next year." The Commission takes no action on this item.

Page 414, Dec. 3, 1964: Mr. Hale "explained the Senior Citizens program to the Commission stating that it is a new program for the Recreation Department."

Page 427, Jan. 7, 1965: In a discussion of the "Handicapped Children's Building,” the Director states that "we have an angel who will underwrite a new building for this activity, or as he proposed an addition wrapped around the Peabody Community Center. . . . The plan will cost about $90,000."

Pages 449, 451 and 453, Feb. 11, 1965: The Little Theater is "going to have to give up the Museum Theater as it is not big enough and as it also is a fire hazard." Their preference is for an Overton Park Shell site. The new Football Stadium at the Fairgrounds is named the Memphis Municipal Stadium. Mr. Raymond Skinner "wants to build the addition [for the Crippled Children's Building] around the Peabody Community Center rather than a new building."

Pages 464-465, March 4, 1965: Responding to a complaint by the NAACP, “The Chairman suggested that Mr. Smith the Secretary of the NAACP Chapter [sic for Mrs. Maxine Smith] . . . be notified that we will no longer have separate training programs or closing programs [for blacks and whites] and we are also going to have some wading pools open." Mr. Dixon has $300,000 worth of “pictures” to give to Brooks Art Gallery; if no addition is provided for them there, "he will give his house to the City to make into a Museum."

Page 496, May 6, 1965: "The Director advised the Commission that after consulting with Mr. Baxter of the Maintenance Department he would like to present the following schedule for opening the Swimming Pools: 1. Fairground - we need to get this one ready first as this is where we train the lifeguards." Other pools are L.E. Brown, Frayser, Gaisman, Pine Hill and C.M. Gooch. "We will try to have two (2) pools open by June 15th, and the rest we will open one at a time.”

97

Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 11 (June 3, 1965 – May 2, 1968)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Little in this book is thus bound in or interleaved. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 11 1 1-60 June 3, 1965- [Item. Taped to the flyleaf is a list, with terms Oct. 7, 1965 of office, of five Commissioners.] June 3, 1965: The Director advises the Commission that it is falling behind in acquiring land in the newly annexed area; but money is being saved by making joint purchases with the School Boards. Oct. 7, 1965: The fiscal year of the City is changing and this will affect the budget for the first six months of 1966. 11 2 61-116 Nov. 4, 1965- Nov. 4, 1965: "We went into the parking Feb. 3, 1966 business with the opening of the new Memphis Memorial Stadium and we estimated the revenue at $10,000 and the expense at $7,000. For the first three games the revenue has been $9,706.00 and the expense $3,500.00." 11 3 117-188 Mar. 3, 1966- Apr. 7, 1947: A request has been received "that July 14, 1966 the Beatles be allowed to perform in Memphis Memorial Stadium . . . around August 19th." This group “has played in various other stadiums such as Shea Stadium and the Dodger's Stadium.” The Commission decides upon a $7,500.00 guarantee against 10% of the gross. May 5, 1966: The Operating Budget for the new fiscal year beginning July 1st, 1966 and ending June 30, 1967 will be $3,452,825. 11 4 188.1 - Aug. 11, 1966- Oct. 6, 1966: “A letter has been received from 228 Dec. 8, 1966 the Museum Board requesting a change of name to Pink Palace Museum. . . . Mr. John Collier [of the Museum Board] stated that they are trying to project a new image and get a lot more publicity." The 1966-67 Capital Improvement Budget totals $751,450 for a Willow Road Community Center, Baseball Diamond No. 3 at the Fairground, money to develop 4 parks, etc. Dec. 8, 1966: The 1967- 1968 Capital Improvement Budget has been 98

prepared, amounting to $2,720,500. It includes funds for additions to Brooks Art Gallery and the Memphis Museum, improvements to the Shell, purchase of land at Willow Park, etc. 11 5 229-282 Jan. 5, 1967- Feb. 2, 1967: The Commission will have to live Mar. 9, 1967 within the same budget as last year. “We will have to cut about 2 1/2% from our proposed budget . . . Yesterday the minimum wage law hit and we are paying $1.25 per hour." 11 6 283-322 Apr. 6, 1967- Apr. 6, 1967: Minutes includes two pages of June 1, 1967 1967 “Prep School Football Schedule" - 106 games between Sept. 1 and Nov. 24 are approved by the Commission. Also approved are 34 contracts with concessionaires at the Fairgrounds Amusement Park; the rentals range from 10% to 30% of Gross Receipts, or from $30 to $35 per week. 11 7 323-384 July 6, 1967- July 6, 1967: Supt. Hale reports “we have 75 Oct. 12, 1967 playgrounds in operation, 900 junior baseball teams as well as 279 football teams, dancing, arts, and crafts on the playgrounds. We have the Youth Band directed by Mr. Roy Coates. Our payroll numbers 247 which does not include the 174 mentioned by Mr. Hadaway [a War On Poverty program].” 11 8 385-456 Oct. 25, 1967- [2 Items. Dec. 14, 1967: Letters from Mayor Feb. 1, 1968 Ingram suspending three Commissioners. And Jan. 4, 1968: Letter from Mayor Loeb revoking the suspensions.] Jan. 4, 1968: Harry Woodbury attends as the new City Commissioner in charge of Finances and Institutions. In response to a suggestion from T.J. Foley, President of the Memphis Blues (the Memphis AA Professional Baseball Club), the Commission approves naming Fairground #3 Baseball Diamond as “Blues Stadium”. 11 9 457-500 Mar. 7, 1968- Mar. 7, 1968: "The Director reported that the May 2, 1968 Capital and Operating Budgets run over 4 million dollars to cover our needs." Apr. 4, 1968: $338,500 worth of appropriations from Bond Monies are requested to develop 3 parks, Lincoln Park Rest Rooms & Bridges, Audubon Tennis Center, etc. [May 2, 1968: Minutes begin in this book and resume in Book 12.] 11 10 [Index] 1965-1968 [Item. Index to Book 11, of 30 pages.]

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Commentary on Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 11 (June 3, 1965 – May 2, 1968): Introduction and Excerpts

Long-time Park Commissioners Harry Pierotti, E. C. Barwick, John R. Gorman, Walker L. Wellford, Jr. and Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey) Eason continue in office throughout this period. The City Commissioner in charge of Finances and Institutions in 1965, James W. Moore, is replaced in September 1966 by L.D. “Dutch” Erwin. After the City’s governing body changes from City Commission to City Council at the beginning of 1968, the City’s regular liaison to Park Commission meetings is Harry Woodbury, Director of Public Services. Woodbury, Park Commission Executive Director H.S. Lewis and Park Commission Attorney Thomas R. Prewitt attend most meetings. In 1965 the City changes its fiscal year to July 1 through June 30, and the Park Commission follows suit. Some budget figures appear for the years 1966-1967 (p. 157 and p. 206) and 1967-1968 (p. 227), and there is a reference to a five-year $14,000,000 Capital Improvement Program budget in early 1968 (p. 453).

In addition to the usual payment of payrolls and bills at the beginning of meetings, lists continue of “Authority to make payments to the following Companies for work done on the projects listed below” with column headings No., Contractor, Contract and Amounts. Bids are referred to e.g. “the Director [Lewis] and [Maintenance Dept. head] Mr. Baxter” or to “Vice-Chairman Barwick, the Director and M.N. Baxter for study and recommendation.”

From the minutes alone, it is sometimes difficult to be certain which parks and other facilities are ones newly developed by the Park Commission. This is due to references that were no doubt sufficiently informative to meeting participants at the time, but are vague when viewed five decades later. This observation applies not only to this minute book but to earlier and later ones as well.

With the previous caveat in mind, some (apparently) new parks noted during this period are: Walter Chandler Park (“the little park on North Main Street across from City Hall”); Fox Meadows Golf Course; Hanley Park; Andrew O. Holmes Park (formerly the “Messick Road Property”); Harry H. Litty Park (formerly the “Ellis Property”; it is not clear what relation this bears to an earlier “Litty Park” mentioned in several budgets beginning in Minute Book 3); Martyr Park (future location of a memorial to those “who gave their lives in the service of this community during the Yellow Fever Epidemic”); Sunnyside Park; and Tower Park (“a long strip of land [in Frayser] set aside as a park in 1912”). New facilities mentioned here are: Firestone Stadium (earlier called “the Frayser Stadium at Firestone Park”); Arthur Halle Stadium (the new name of the stadium at Mt. Moriah and Mendenhall); Oakhaven Stadium; and the Peabody Handicapped Children Center or “Crippled Children’s Center” and the Peabody Gym.

It may also be noted that Superintendent of Recreation Marion Hale “reported [in January 1965] that the Recreation Department had a fine year with 74 playgrounds and 23 county operations in which we assisted, which made a total of 97 playgrounds. . . . There were 64 in-door facilities operated - 13 Community Centers - 27 Schools and other in-door facilities

100 such as the Shelby County Building and Merchants Building. . . .” In August 1967 the Director reports that “The National standard for Parks, Playgrounds for a city the size of Memphis calls for eleven (11) pools and we already have (9) and one (1) at the Crippled Children's Center, and we are building the walk-in pool at Orange Mound."

Some recurring agenda items that occupy the Commission during this time are: whether or not to purchase the Fox Meadows Golf Course (an issue resulting in a brief suspension of three Commission members by the Mayor); how to proceed with a proposed and long- hoped-for expansion of the Overton Park Zoo while the threat of the Expressway looms; whether and where to relocate the Memphis Museum’s Little Theatre; and the increasing interest of some Memphians in establishing a Mississippi River Museum. Two highlights of this period are the fiftieth anniversary of the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, and the retirement of 45-year Park Commission veteran and Director of the Brooks, Mrs. Ruth C. Bush.

Excerpts from Minute Book 11:

Page 9, June 3, 1965: A letter from the Memphis and Shelby County Health Department finds six swimming pools safe to use (L.E. Brown, Fairgrounds, Frayser Community Center, Gaisman Park, Gooch Park and Pine Hill), but continues "to recommend that all City Wading pools remain closed. In lieu of wading pools, kiddie spray pools are recommended. This eliminates heavy contamination present in untreated impounded water and offers basic Health and Sanitation protection."

Pages 18-19, July 8, 1965: The Commission will work with Raymond Skinner to have a pool built “next to the Peabody Gym and use the Gym for the Handicapped Program. . . . Mr. Hale [Supt. of Recreation] cannot spare the gym this year," but it may be possible in 1966. In a discussion about “V.A. Hospital patients seating at Memphis Memorial Stadium," Executive Director H.S. Lewis says "It is possible to build a platform and ramp it - estimate $400.00 to $500.00 to ramp." The Commission authorizes this.

Pages 27-28, Aug. 5, 1965: The Commission receives a resolution by the Shelby County Conservation Board regarding a Greenbelt along the Mississippi River. It is likely that property along the Mississippi will be acquired for industrial sites, and the Board recommends that in the event this happens, "there be retained an 800 foot strip along the Mississippi to be designated as part of the greenbelt corridor established under the Park, Recreation and Conservation Plan." The Park Commission "by unanimous consent wishes to go on record with all parties concerned as concurring with this plan."

Page 38, Sept. 9, 1965: The Commission commends the Memphis Police Department and Commissioner Claude A. Armour "in connection with the opening of the Memphis Municipal Swimming Pools on an integrated basis." Without their concentrated effort and cooperation the opening "could not have been effected as smoothly and incident free as it was."

Page 93, Dec. 2, 1965: "The Chairman discussed the Liberty [Bowl] Football Game with the Commission. The halftime show is to feature Memphis. It will be on T.V. out east. W.M.C.T. is going to make this available at no cost and [we] think this is a very fine thing."

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Page 103, Jan. 6, 1966: Recreation Supt. Hale reports that his department had a fine year “with 74 playgrounds and 23 county operations in which we assisted, which made a total of 97 playgrounds. . . . There were 64 in-door facilities operated – 13 Community Centers – 27 Schools and other in-door facilities such as the Shelby County Building and Merchants Building. . . . [He] stated that there were some 13 Senior Citizens programs operated through the City."

Pages 108-116, Feb. 3, 1966: The Commission agrees that "employees seeking additional education beneficial to the Memphis Park Commission" may be reimbursed for the cost of college courses, but only if they complete them satisfactorily.

Page 131, March 3, 1966: A letter from Walter Chandler (apparently representing the Brooks Art Gallery Board of Trustees) speaks of the "extreme overcrowding of paintings and sculpture and the offers being made of other materials which we cannot accept. . . . For some time, we have had the feeling that it would be necessary to spend $450,000.00 to build the addition."

Pages 139 and 143-144, April 7, 1966: City Commissioner Hunter Lane, head of the Dept. of Public Service, "addressed the Commission regarding the moving of the Overton Park Zoo to Riverside Park. . . . He was not here to dictate to the Park Commission, he simply wanted to present his case . . . and whatever the decision the Commission made was its own prerogative. . . . He had three major items which were as follows: 1. Re-location of the Zoo in Riverside Park - take it entirely out of the Overton Park. 2. Put the Performing Arts Center in the area along North Parkway in the Overton Park. Leave the MOAT [Memphis Open Air Theatre, i.e. the Shell] area as it is and renovate it." Later in the meeting, the Commission decides "That the proposal of Commissioner Lane to move the Zoo from Overton Park to Riverside Park be rejected."

Pages 168-169, June 2, 1966: Mr. Jesse Turner and Mrs. Maxine Smith address the Commission "regarding complaints to be filed by the N.A.A.C.P. with regard to the intergration [sic for integration] of the Memphis Park System." They state that "Despite the court decision and the federal law [the Civil Rights Act of 1964], our Park Commission has continued the following practices of racial discrimination," to wit, segregated training courses, segregated pageants, segregated sports activities, failure to re-open swimming pools, and employment discrimination.

Page 188, July 14, 1966: In a discussion of personnel needed by the Commission, it is suggested "That Mr. Hale be made Consultant of Recreation at 3/4 pay . . . He is just not financially able to completely retire. He has had 40 years with the Memphis Park Commission with no great big salary and [we] believe he should be given this consideration." The Director would like "to separate the Athletic Department from the Recreation Department" because the program is extensive enough to have its own department.

Page 213, Nov. 3, 1966: The name of the Memphis Museum is changed to Pink Palace Museum of Memphis.

102

Pages 247-248, Jan. 5, 1967: Superintendent Baxter tells the Commission there is "a crazing on top of the concrete" at Memphis Memorial Stadium, and he wants to get an expert in to evaluate it. There is also "erosion at the concrete piers under the stands; we are going to have to go back and put in something to prevent this."

Pages 273 and 276-277, March 2, 1967: The Commission approves "First National Bank's request that BankAmericard be honored in connection with the sale of football tickets at the Memphis Memorial Stadium." $365,000 will be required "to make the minimum wage adjustment for the Laborers,” but it is not included in the budget.

Pages 293 and 296, April 6, 1967: Mr. Guy Robbins of Memphis Botanic Gardens, "our Horticulturist,” has been invited to Milwaukee to receive the award, "Silver Seal of Merit" by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc. The Commission approves "the request of the Mid-South Fair and Coliseum for the changing of the name of the street in front of the Coliseum from Louisiana Street to Early Maxwell Boulevard.”

Page 321, June 1, 1967: The Commission "wants to recommend that the City proceed with this [purchase of the Lichterman property] if they will give us the money for it."

Pages 336-338 and 342, July 6, 1967: Zoo Director Mattlin showed the Commission preliminary plans for the new primate house, the African Veldt, the Sea Lion Pool and Auodad Mountain. The Director is instructed “to include in the next year's Capital Improvement Budget the sum of $250,000.00 for the remodeling of the Overton Park Shell." An injunction filed by the White Citizens Council "against the Memphis Park Commission in regard to Swimming Pools" has been thrown out of court. Mrs. Ruth C. Bush is retiring on Aug. 15 "after 45 years of faithful and loyal service to the Commission. She is at present Director of the Museum where she has served for the past 17 years." The employees request approval of the Commission for a small party honoring this faithful employee. Authorized.

Page 347, Aug. 3, 1967: The Commission approves the naming of parks for two men, Mayor (Harry H.) Litty and Justice Andrew O. Holmes, and instructs the Director "to work up a list of parks owned by the Park Commission as yet unnamed for the consideration of the Commission." Mr. Robert P. Sullivan has been made Acting Director of Brooks Memorial Art Gallery on the retirement of Mrs. Bush.

Pages 362 and 364, Sept. 7, 1967: The Director informs the Commission that the Patterson Transfer Company has donated "three antique Transportation vehicles to the Pink Palace Museum as a memorial to Mr. Robert E. Galloway" ("a stage coach which was operated between Memphis and Nashville, and omnibus and a carriage") which will be kept in the planned Hall of Transportation, to be named in honor of Mr. Galloway. The Director also reports that “Municipal pools were closed without any serious accidents and no incidents [during the summer] with an attendance of something like 170,000.00."

Pages 390-391 and 393-394, Nov. 9, 1967: Mr. Jim Curtis of the Raleigh Civic Club appears before the Board "regarding the proposed Land Fill at the Kennedy Park in the Raleigh Area." The Director says there are "dangerous gravel pits out there that need to be filled.” One solution suggested was to create a garbage dump, "a trash fill covered over each day

103 with no odor whatsoever." Raleigh residents are absolutely opposed. The Commission "approved the naming of the little park on North Main Street across from City Hall the Walter Chandler Park honoring this outstanding citizen and civic leader.” The final decision would be up to the City Commission.

Pages 414-417, Dec. 14, 1967: Lieutenant Sanders, the Sergeant at Arms for the City Commission, delivers to the Chairman, Judge Harry Pierotti, a letter from Mayor Ingram stating that "I feel it is my duty as Mayor to suspend the following named members of the Memphis Park Commission: Mr. Walker L. Wellford, Jr., Mrs. Lois N. Eason, Mr. John R. Gorman." These three commissioners are to appear before the Mayor and the City Commission five days hence "and to bring with you all documents, records and other papers, photographs and any other data in your possession . . . pertaining to your consideration of the acquisition of the Fox Meadows Golf Course property . . . and any other offers of property made to the Park Commission or the City of Memphis" etc. A letter from Richard Ellis of Museum Planning, Inc., New York City, to John Collier of the Memphis Museum Advisory Board enthusiastically "proposes to undertake a study of the requirements for the implementation of a Museum of the Mississippi River at Memphis."

Pages 419, 432, 436, and 438-439, Jan. 4, 1968: Chairman Pierotti reads a "Directive of [newly-elected] Mayor Loeb in Respect to Suspension of Three Members of the Park Commission"; it states "I do not now consider these suspensions to be in effect. However, out of caution . . . I now, to the extent necessary, hereby revoke said suspensions." The Zoo Director reports that "Our Gorilla is getting along fine now and seems well on the way to recovery." It is decided to "patch the Overton Park Shell up for the coming year" rather than rebuild it. After a discussion of reorganization plans "It was the consensus of opinion of the Park Commission that there should be three (3) Assistant Superintendents of Parks." (Later information shows that two of these are James E. Hadaway, Asst. Gen. Supt. of Parks in charge of Recreation, and M.N. “Nat” Baxter, Asst. Gen. Supt. of Parks in charge of Maintenance & Construction.)

Pages 448, 451 and 453-455, Feb. 1, 1968: The Boy Scouts may hold their Camporee in Kennedy Park provided "that absolutely no trees are to be cut down." Some who have studied the plans dealing with the Expressway through Overton Park have advised that “the fumes” would affect animals at the Zoo. “The Chairman suggested that Mr. Mattlin, the Zoo Director, get this information together." In connection with the 1968-69 budget and a Five-Year Construction Program, Director Lewis “advised the Commission that we have come up with a Capital Improvement Program of $14,000,000.00 which we think will bring our system up to what it should be." There are problems at the Memphis Botanical Garden; one is a policing problem, i.e. the Japanese Bridge "which is a very beautiful thing, but is constantly vandalized by the public." One solution might be to catch someone in the act of vandalism and arrest them; "we could get some publicity on it." The Director comments about his experiences “with the Mayor, Council, Recreation Committee, Sports Association, etc., [and says] it is about to drive him insane trying to keep up with what everyone wants and unless this thing slows down it will be necessary to have more help." He is instructed to "look around for a man experienced in Business Administration."

Pages 483 and 488-489, April 4, 1968: The Director reports that Blues Stadium is 99% complete; he thinks "it will be one of the finest baseball stadiums on the country." Lands we

104 propose to purchase this year are “James Road property (low farm land and fairly reasonable), Ball Road property consisting of 23 acres, Alcy Road property and a place for Ball Diamonds." After a discussion of "closed" Executive Sessions, "It was the consensus of opinion of the Memphis Park Commission that discussion of property, personnel, etc., matters should not be discussed in open meetings for obvious reasons." Mr. Sam Phillips of Radio Station WHER requests space for a transmitting tower behind the new County Board of Education Building in Tobey Park; in return the station proposes to pay $2,400 per year "in a regularly scheduled program of announcement and programs on Recreation and Cultural activities." A section for cycling will be set aside in Overton Park "for a period of one month [to] see if it is used; if not, then we will not do it."

Page 493 and 496-500, May 2, 1968: Mr. Dave McKinnie, Architect, addresses the Commission about the Yellow Fever Memorial. The Commission responds that the site and name of Martyr Park have been agreed upon; now it needs to know the exact location desired. The Commission approves more than three pages of fees for golfing, swimming, picnicking, stadium parking, visiting the Aquarium, using boat ramps and the basketball, football, softball and tennis facilities, and for renting Fairground buildings, Community Centers, and Fairground and Zoo concessions. The Director points out that "since the Expressway will eventually take all our power line supplies [at the Zoo]," it will be necessary to have Memphis Light, Gas & Water Division move the lines underground.

(Note: The minutes of May 2, 1968 continue into Minute Book 12.)

105

Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 12 (May 2, 1968 {continued from Minute Book 11} – May 7, 1970)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A limited amount of material in this book is thus bound in or interleaved. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 12 1 1-38 May 2, 1968- [May 2, 1968: The minutes begin in Minute June 24, 1968 Book 11 and continue in this book.] [Item. Letter of resignation from Commissioner “Chip” Barwick in Florida.] June 13, 1968: Chairman Pierotti welcomes Mr. Harold J. Whalum as Commissioner [the first African- American to be appointed to the Park Commission]. June 19, 1968: The Commission requests the City Council to appropriate $1,306,750 of Capital Improvement Funds. 12 2 39-102 July 11, 1968- July 11, 1968: Mr. Hadaway reports on the Oct. 3, 1968 summer program; a total of 555 extra personnel have been hired, 115 using War on Poverty funds and 440 with the help of the Dreifus Fund [Memphis activist Myra Dreifus’s Fund for Needy Schoolchildren]. 12 3 103-134 Nov. 7, 1968- Dec. 5, 1968: Park Commission Attorney Dec. 5, 1968 Prewitt will represent the Commission “In the event the Expressway [through Overton Park] goes to litigation with the State.” 12 4 135-202 Jan. 2, 1969- Feb. 19, 1969: The Director explains the new Feb. 19, 1969 form of bookkeeping. “You must remember that we are required to earn 1/3 of our budget. . . . On the first sheet in the right hand column is what we are asking for, except the fringe benefits such as pensions, hospital benefits, etc. This figure is $5,128,279.17.” 12 5 203-240 Feb. 25, 1969- Mar. 6, 1969: The Commission recommends Apr. 23, 1969 that the City Council offer $950,000 to purchase the Fox Meadows [Golf Course] land. Apr. 23, 1969: A special meeting is called primarily for discussion of the proposed 1969- 70 Operating Budget. The Director reports that in the next budget "things have been cut to the bone." Already "we have the lowest paid Department . . . of the City." 106

12 6 241-282 May 1, 1969- May 1, 1969: The Commission Chairman and June 17, 1969 its Director and Attorney will decide "what is the proper [dollar] figure to recommend to the State" for taking part of Overton Park for the Expressway. June 17, 1969: "The Department of Public Works wants . . . [to use] various park land as collection points for garbage in case their employees go out on strike on July 1st." 12 7 283-332 July 3, 1969- Aug. 7, 1969: The Mayor suggests naming a Sept. 11, 1969 park for Otis Redding, "a Memphian." The Commission votes to authorize its Attorney "to proceed with the [Overton Park Expressway] settlement subject to approval of the Mayor and City Council." A list is to be made "of places where this money could be used for park land in order that said money can be ear-marked as quickly as possible." 12 8 333-390 Oct. 2, 1969- Dec. 4, 1969: Commission Attorney Prewitt, Dec. 18, 1969 representing the City of Memphis and the Park Commission in the sale of Overton Park land for the proposed Expressway, has "succeeded in perfecting settlement of all such claims for the aggregate sum of $2,209,149.00 with $2,000,000.00 thereof being allocated to the City . . . and the balance of $209,149.00 for the Park Commission.” 12 9 391-460 Jan. 8, 1970- Jan. 8, 1970: The firm of Walk Jones, Mah & Mar. 5, 1970 Jones, Architects, is approved to design the new addition to Brooks Memorial Art Gallery. Feb. 19, 1970: "The Chairman advised the Commission that tomorrow the Federal Court hearing is to be held to decide whether or not the City of Memphis should proceed with the construction of the Expressway through Overton Park." 12 10 461-500 Mar. 19, 1970- Mar. 19, 1970: The Scott Street incinerator is May 7, 1970 to be closed down, causing problems for the disposal of the Zoo's dead animals and manure. The solution is for the Zoo to get an incinerator of its own. [May 7, 1970: Minutes begin in this book and resume with a duplicated “minutes page” 11 in Book 13.] 12 11 [Index] 1968-1970 [Item. Index to Book 12, of 40 pages.]

107

Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 12 (May 2, 1968 {continued from Book 11} – May 7, 1970): Introduction and Excerpts

Commissioners Pierotti, Gorman, Wellford and Eason are joined in June 1968 by Commissioner Harold J. Whalum, Jr., the first African-American to serve, who replaces E.C. Barwick. In late 1968 Commissioner Wellford is replaced by John E. Leake, Jr., and in 1969 Mrs. Eason is replaced by Mrs. David B. (Bonnylin or “Bonnie” W.) Martin, and John Gorman by John D. Martin, Jr. Commissioner John Martin is named Chairman at the first meeting of 1970, as Frank B. Miles replaces long-time Chairman Harry Pierotti on the Commission. The retirements and replacements on the Board in the year and a half from June 13, 1968 through January 8, 1970 represent the loss of seven and a half decades of Park Commission experience: Pierotti with his more than 22 years of service (exceeded only by John Willingham’s 26 years), Barwick with more than 18, Gorman with more than 14, Wellford with more than 12, and Mrs. Eason with nearly 9 years.

Executive Director H.S. Lewis and Commission Attorney Prewitt attend most meetings, joined by Harry Woodbury, Director of Public Services, and, for the first time in June 1968, by representatives of the City Council, whose presence is acknowledged by Woodbury as being very helpful in “properly communicating” between Commission and Council. Councilmen W.T. McAdams and Thomas H. Todd attend most meetings, joined occasionally by Councilmen J.O. Patterson, Jr. or Downing Pryor. Although seldom if ever named by the Commission Secretary in the list of persons attending, it is clear from the reports that James E. Hadaway, Assistant General Superintendent of Parks, is frequently present.

There is occasional discussion in this minute book about selling parcels of park land to interested buyers; this continues a practice also seen in Book 11. Payment of bills and payrolls is still approved monthly at the beginning of meetings, while Zoo purchases continue to be recorded separately. Often payments appear as “Approval of payments to the following Contractors [etc.]” with column headings No., Contractor, Project and Amount. Bids are usually referred to staff for study and recommendation to the Commission. This pattern will hold for years.

On February 6, 1969, Attorney Prewitt answers a question about the use of Overton Park, and his response emphasizes that the Park Commission’s power has been greatly curtailed since its foundation. “The Park Commission Attorney advised Mrs. Hines that anything the Memphis Park Commission does is subject to review by the Mayor and City Council. There have been many acts relating to the power of the City Commission. The last gave the old City Commission very broad power over what the Memphis Park Commission does. The Park Commission's powers are very limited and subject to review in almost every phase of its work. The Memphis Park Commission has no title to any land; it is all in the name of the City of Memphis [and] some gifts are restricted by deed of gift in which the donor restricts the use. Only the City Council can dispose of parks, the Memphis Park Commission can only make recommendations. The ordinance and statutes that set out the power of the Park Commission is set out in the City Code.”

108

At the suggestion of Commissioner Leake, the Commission votes on February 5, 1970 to rotate the office of Vice-Chairman of the Commission “on a yearly basis in order to give each commission member a chance to become fully acquainted with the duties." Harold J. Whalum, Jr. is “elected Vice-Chairman of Commission for the year 1970 by acclimation."

At a meeting on April 23, 1969, in a discussion of the 1969-1970 operating budget for the Park Commission, the Director “advised the Commission that these things have been cut to the bone” and that the Maintenance Department is especially hard hit. He presents “a chart of the growth of the Memphis Park Commission and the City percentage wise.” Unfortunately the minutes do not specify the earlier year with which the present one is being compared. Possibly the comparison is between 1960 and 1970, during which decade the U.S. Census figures show a 25.3% increase in the population of Memphis. The Director’s claim is that while the population change has been 30% during the (undefined) period, the park acreage has increased 100%, the number of community centers 225%, the number of football stadiums 400%, and the tennis courts and wading pools each 100%. All this, while the increase in the Maintenance Department for all the above has only been 6%.

The minutes mention few new properties or facilities during this period. There are references to several parks to be developed: Oakville Park, “Whitney”, and sites at “Pendleton and Deadrick area,” “Cromwell, James Road, and Patton & Parkway” as well as “Alcy Road at Samuels.” New community or neighborhood facilities are Willow Park Community Center and James Road Baseball Complex, while a Riverview Neighborhood Facility will soon be built. Two sites are perhaps being managed for Shelby County: Tchulahoma Park Lake and Casper Creek Park Shelter.

Issues that the Park Commission wrestles with throughout this minute book are whether or not to buy the old Jewish Community Center Building on Court Avenue, whether and by how much to improve the Overton Park Shell, whether and where to relocate the Little Theatre, how to deal with the long-planned but architecturally-fraught addition to the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery, and the perennial problem of how to provide simultaneous accommodations for tennis, track and horse shows in the Fairgrounds Arena Building. It appears a foregone conclusion that the Expressway will be built through Overton Park; indeed, the City and the Commission have already spent half the money they received from the State of Tennessee for this land.

Excerpts from Minute Book 12:

Pages 10-12 and 17, June 13, 1968: The Chickasaw Home Owners Association objects to any new buildings around the Pink Palace, including a new home for the museum’s long- time tenant the Little Theatre, whose representative protests that "all the Little Theatre wants to do is to be as good neighbors as they have been for the past 39 years." Chairman Harry Pierotti welcomes Mr. Harold J. Whalum as the new Commissioner (the first African- American to serve). Mr. Hadaway, Asst. Genl. Supt. of Parks, reports "the Recreation Program began June 10, 1968, with 85 Playgrounds, 5 instant playgrounds or a total of 90. Opened 9 Community Centers."

Page 35, June 19, 1968: Harry Woodbury, Director of the City of Memphis Public Service Department, expresses his appreciation for the presence of the two City Councilmen “as it

109 was difficult to properly communicate between the Park Commission and the Council and their presence would help him to properly convey the necessary information."

Pages 52-53, July 11, 1968: Concerning a proposed meeting between union representatives and the Director and Chairman, Park Commission Attorney Thomas Prewitt stated “we have no authority to engage in any Union discussion."

Page 66, Aug. 14, 1968: City Councilman McAdams asks whether the "admission charge had made any improvements in the matter of vandalism at the Zoo," and Zoo Director Mattlin said "that it definitely had - vandalism is almost nil now."

Pages 75-77, Sept. 5, 1968: Memphis Sesquicentennial, Inc. requests permission to erect a log cabin on Court Square modeled after the original Court House that stood there in 1826. The Commission agrees; it will "serve as a Sesquicentennial information center, during the year of 1969." The request of the Rev. Earl Adams "for permission to use the playgrounds for conducting youth revivals" is rejected; "they might be running into the question of constitutional rights on this."

Pages 94-95 and 97-98, Oct. 3, 1968: Presumptive Supt. of Recreation James Hadaway reports that "The growth in the number of [baseball] teams has far exceeded our building of new lighted softball and baseball fields. . . . [T]he Athletic Department would like to recommend the construction of 24 new lighted fields for the 1969 season." The Director reports that the Pink Palace has begun a program of so-called Suitcase Exhibits, "where the different exhibits are sent out to the Community Centers where the children will get to see the exhibits where they would not otherwise." The Fire Dept. was given permission to build a station in Overton Park but because the Expressway will take that spot, they now want to build "facing the Parkway immediately adjacent to our Shop area." The Commission’s long- time Supt. of Recreation Marion Hale requests retirement in December, "concluding 43 years with the Park Commission . . . eighteen (18) of which have been as Superintendent of the Recreation Department." The Commission recognizes his "long and diligent services . . . to the people of the City of Memphis.”

Pages 104 and 117-118, Nov. 7, 1968: Little Theatre President R.E. Overman writes to accept and thank the Commission for "the generous offer . . . of the site at Southern Avenue, Perkins Avenue and Perkins Extended on which to erect a new playhouse." Commissioner Leake “went by the Academy of Arts [in Overton Park] and he felt that it was a disgrace for people to dress in such a manner and be so filthy as some he saw in that vicinity." The Director said that while the Commission agreed, "this facility did not come under Park Commission but under the Division of Public Service – it is just on our property."

Pages 147-149, Jan. 2, 1969: Discussion continues about the addition to the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery. The plans of the original architect, Everett D. Woods, were approved by what Woods calls "a properly constituted building committee," and he would like to be paid for his work. But an expert, Mr. Richard McLanathan, has recommended changes which, if approved, would call for a completely new set of plans. It is also unclear whether Robert McKnight, the Director of the Gallery, approved Woods' original plans; Woods says McKnight did, McKnight says he didn’t.

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Pages 184-188, 190-191 and 197, Feb. 6, 1969: The Commission authorizes applying for Housing and Urban Development funds "to develop certain Park Facilities,” amounting to $150,000 (McKellar Lake), $50,000 (“Pendleton and Deadrick area”) and $175,000 (Riverview Park). The Commission thanks Mrs. Lois Eason for her "many valuable contributions in time and effort, towards the operation and development of the Memphis Park System." In a discussion about placing a Fire Station inside Overton Park, the Park Commission Attorney “advised Mrs. Hines that anything the Memphis Park Commission does is subject to review by the Mayor and City Council."

Pages 197-200, Feb. 19, 1969: The Director informs the Commission that "About three sets of plans [for the Brooks Addition] are out and no one seems to be getting any where . . . as to which plan is the one to be used. . . . The whole thing started in 1966 and the plans that have evolved have been at one time or another acceptable. . . . How Mr. Woods and Mr. McLanathan will reconcile their ideas, I do not know as Mr. Woods wants to make it conform with the rest of the gallery. James Gamble Rogers of New York was the Architect on the original building. This was added on to in 1965 when the addition was built to house the Kress Collection."

Page 206, Feb. 25, 1969: Attorney Prewitt reports on “the [financial] negotiations with the State with regard to the expressway right-of-way through Overton Park. He stated that he felt it would be a mistake to disclose any figures publicly."

Pages 214-215 and 218-219, March 6, 1969: In a discussion of 1968-69 Capital Improvements, Mr. Hadaway mentions "the necessity for these baseball and softball fields. We are losing a number of our diamonds and this is one means by which many children and teenagers are kept off the streets and out of trouble. We had some 2,000 teams playing last year. . . . Mr. Baxter addressed the Commission regarding the Basketball courts which is an item we have been requesting for several years. This is a project planned for our playgrounds, by having basketball goals on the playgrounds the children can just come and play together and shoot goals, etc., rather than just organized games." The Commission has $250,000 approved for remodeling the Overton Park Shell, but the Director asks if its fairly limited use justifies such an expenditure. He will look into "the possibility of a portable shell such as they have in Boston."

Pages 230 and 234, April 3, 1969: The Commission will look at property on Mud Island in connection with a proposed land swap there. During a discussion of a "Policy Manual for the Recreation Department,” the question was asked whether smoking should be allowed. “Mr. Hadaway stated . . . people think smoking is no longer a vice . . . [In fact] a number of the children themselves smoke today. On Motion of Commissioner Whalum and Carried, the Memphis Park Commission authorized personnel to be allowed to smoke in their office."

Page 239, April 23, 1969: The Director wants to submit to the City a request for an additional $50,000 not in the current budget, because the Commission needs to pay "fringe insurance benefits" which we did not know about earlier, as well as an inspection fee of $100 per pool that is required by the Memphis & Shelby Co. Health Department, which we also did not know about earlier. Without these additional funds, "our expenditures will run

111 over on our budget, which would be a first for the Memphis Park Commission in the past twenty-three (23) years."

Page 242, May 1, 1969: A representative of the Sons of Confederate Veterans asks the Commission to "reconsider their ruling with regard to the flying of flags on Park Commission property." The Commission is "of the opinion that they could not in the best interest of the City as a whole reconsider their decision." However, it is decided "that the Confederate Flag might be flown on the five (5) recognized Confederate holidays in the Confederate and Forrest Parks." The five holidays are Robert E. Lee's birthday on Jan. 9, Andrew Jackson's birthday on March 15, Confederate Memorial Day on June 3, Jefferson Davis's birthday on June 3, and Nathan B. Forrest's birthday on July 13. "Commissioner Whalum voted NO.”

Pages 274-276, June 5, 1969: The Commission receives a report from Citizens to Preserve Overton Park about a recent public hearing "on the proposed design of the highway through the park," a purpose thwarted in part "because the engineer [from the Tennessee State Highway Department], when called upon, had disappeared . . . [and] never returned to the Council Chamber during the entire four and a half hours."

Pages 307-309, Aug. 7, 1969: The Commission discusses whether the Memphis Museum, the Art Academy and the Brooks Memorial Art Gallery can legally be separated from the Park Commission. Dr. Peyton Rhodes, Chairman of the Memphis Museum Advisory Board, "stated that there are two main problems [with remaining under the Park Commission]: (1) the lack of money and (2) long range planning."

Pages 319-322 and 327-331, Sept. 11, 1969: Mr. Mario DePietro writes to the Commission suggesting a Bicycle Trail, "a place to ride and create a big club of riders." The Director explains "The problem is that he is from Europe and this is very big over there. We worked up a bicycle trail last year, but when we opened it we just did not have any riders. With Mr. [Raymond] Jones' greenbelt, we will eventually have a bicycle trail on that." Such a trail had been opened in Overton Park but "it was closed because it was not used." The request of Pastor Mike Pearl to hold baptism services at Overton Park Rainbow Lake is declined because "this would set a very bad precedent" and because "the Memphis & Shelby County Health Department would not allow this practice." Mr. Rudolph Jones of the Shelby County Conservation Board addresses the Commission regarding the proposed Scenic Trail and Park Area on the Memphis Riverfront. He explained that the first component would be City Island (i.e. Mud Island, "east bank of Mississippi River on City Island from southern tip to Wolf River Diversion Channel”), the second would be “Jeff Davis Park to E. end Harahan Bridge" including an asphalt path 12 feet wide on the cobblestones, and the third component would be Harahan Bridge itself. It would be called the Mississippi River National Trail. Captain Tom Meanly "wants to sell the [Memphis] Queen to the Park Commission" but his offer is rejected.

Pages 342-343, Oct. 3, 1969: Mr. Arnoult, President of the Student Body at Christian Brothers College, asks to use the Overton Park Shell on behalf of "Memphis Vietnam Moratorium Committee.” After some discussion of who would be participating and "how they would keep undesirables from joining this march," the Commission decides not to issue any permit "to this group for use of any park facility,” but advises them "the picnic

112 grounds is a place of public assembly and the Commission cannot prohibit their assembly there." Councilman Downing Pryor discusses with the Commission the "proposed recreation area on Mud Island."

Pages 379, 384 and 386-387, Dec. 4, 1969: The Director "advised that the Museum had been offered a carved miniature circus which they would like to have." A fire has done some damage to the Overton Park Shell, destroying the east wing. Commission Attorney Prewitt "was employed as counsel by the City of Memphis to represent the interests of the City and Park Commission in respect to the proposed taking . . . for interstate highway purposes, of approximately 26.4 acres of Overton Park." He "succeeded in perfecting settlement of all such claims for the aggregate sum of $2,209,149.00 with $2,000,000.00 thereof being allocated to the City . . . and the balance of $209,149.00 for the Park Commission.” Chairman Harry Pierotti resigns and the Commission expresses its “appreciation for his years of service and the fine work done over the years."

Pages 400-401, Jan. 8, 1970: New Chairman John D. Martin, Jr. gives his views on the people who run the Park Commission: "I find a spirit among the people of the division that is wonderful. You find no clock watchers in the organization, you find men and women who try to plan it so these facilities go around the clock, etc. . . . I believe our Memphis Park Commission is something that each and every person in Memphis should be proud of." The consensus of the Commission about whether to detach the Museum or not, is that "the Pink Palace should remain with the Commission; this is in accord with their request."

Pages 439-441 and 444-445, Feb. 19, 1970: "The Chairman advised the Commission that tomorrow the Federal Court hearing is to be held [in the United States District Court for the Western Division of Tennessee] to decide whether or not the City of Memphis should proceed with the construction of the Expressway through Overton Park." The Commission passes an eight-point resolution stating inter alia that the City of Memphis has already received $2,000,000 for the land to be taken and that it has spent $1,000,000 of it for additional park land, and that the Commission believes "that the use of the park or any of its facilities by the general public will not be substantially or materially affected by the building of the expressway under the design as now proposed." Mr. A.F. "Bud" Dudley, Executive Director of the Liberty Bowl, reports on "the progress made by the Liberty Bowl since coming to Memphis [5 years ago]." The Director advises "that the Mayor had called him on several occasions" about the War Memorial Fountain in front of the Main Post Office at Front and Madison "and they tell us to fix it but do not spend any money." The Director requests "that we tear the thing out, fill it in and plant a flower garden there.”

Pages 485-488, April 16, 1970: The Commission gives the U.S. Marine Corps permission to use the Log Cabin at Court Square as a recruiting station, but “on a temporary basis only.” With regard to a workshop scheduled at Overton Park on Sunday, "the Police Department feels that it is possible that the hippies will be back and they, the Police Department, want strict instructions as to what to do. The Director advised the Commission that the Park Commission did not give the KKK a permit and would not give this group a permit." The artificial turf proposed for Memphis Memorial Stadium "will cost something over $325,000."

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Pages 491 and 499, May 7, 1970: Bids are received for “Remodeling of Overton Park Shell” and the low bid of $36,590 is accepted. The Commission approves helicopter rides at the Fairgrounds Amusement Park this summer, provided the Commission Attorney is satisfied the company is in accord with Commission insurance requirements and with FAA regulations.

(Note: The minutes of May 7, 1970 continue into Minute Book 13.)

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 13 (May 7, 1970 {continued from Book 12} – November 2, 1972)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Several sets of papers in this book were originally stapled to pages of minutes. As noted below, some page numbers are bound out of chronological and/or numerical order. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 13 1 1-70 May 7, 1970- [May 2, 1970: Minutes begin in Book 12 and July 16, 1970 (with a duplicated p. 11) continue in this book.] [Item. Previously taped inside front cover of the book: Two loose pages giving appointment dates of serving Commissioners.] 13 2 71-110 July 20, 1970- Aug. 6, 1970: The Commission will name “the Sept. 3, 1970 park . . . at Winchester and Tchulahoma Road “Medal of Honor Park” honoring the Medal of Honor Winners of the State of Tennessee.” 13 3 111-156 Sept. 17, Sept. 17, 1970: Commission thinks "that the 1970-Dec. 3, Lichterman property should be put in the CIP 1970 [P. 156 for 1970 for $650,000 including government is blank and money." Oct. 8, 1970: Rental for the Overton undated] Park Shell is set at $125 if used for “Civic, Social, Charitable, Educational, Governmental” purposes with no admission charge. 13 4 157-182, Jan. 7, 1971- [Item. Before p. 157, five appointment letters 182A- Feb. 18, 1971 to the Commission, and a record showing 182J attendance of Commissioners for the preceding 1 ½ years.] Jan. 21, 1971: Director Lewis reports that the Memphis Park Commission was runner-up to Washington, DC in the national “Park Management contest.” The Zoo will change its policy from one free day per week, to one free hour per day Monday through Saturday. [Minutes of Feb. 18, 1971 are on page numbers 182A-182J.] 13 5 183A- Mar. 4, 1971- [Minutes of Mar. 4, 1971 are on page numbers 183H, Apr. 1, 1971 183A-183H.] Mar. 4, 1971: Commission has 183-206 “about 18 parks to name.” Apr. 1, 1971: Commission requests appropriations for five projects: Alcy-Samuels, Cromwell Park, Patton Park, Site 50 and Willow Road Park. 13 6 207-262 Apr. 29, 1971- Apr. 29, 1971: The Park Commission Attorney July 14, 1971 explains there are four funding sources for 115

artificial turf at Memphis Memorial Stadium: the $209,000 Overton Park Expressway Relocation Funds, payment on the installment plan, approximately $258,000 in 1971 CIP funds for purchase of five park sites, and for the City Council to appropriate funds. 13 7 261A- July 8, 1971- [Pages out of chronological and numerical 261E, Aug. 19, 1971 order.] July 8, 1971: The Commission adopts “a 264A, set of regulations [governing Overton Park 263-294 Shell] which were not unreasonable.” Promoters will be required to post a $1,700 bond and rental of $300; no concert can be longer than four hours; and the music level cannot exceed a reading of 90 decibels. 13 8 295-344 Sept. 2, 1971- Sept. 2, 1971: The Director reports the new Dec. 2, 1971 addition to the Art Gallery is taking up "practically all of their parking" and they are looking for new areas in Overton Park; this is not the responsibility of the Commission "as they are not under our jurisdiction.” 13 9 345-372 Jan. 13, 1972- Jan. 13, 1972: Riverside Park is renamed Dr. Feb. 3, 1972 Martin Luther King Riverside Park. Feb. 3, 1972: The Commission decides to keep the policy previously set for free admission to the Zoo, “free time 10:00 to 11:00 a.m. only.” 13 10 373-436 Mar. 2, 1972- Apr. 6, 1972: The Commission approves a 5- June 26, 1972 year lease with Frayser Recreation Assn. “for an area of Firestone Park for the purpose of installation of football [field] at their expense,” and discusses how to accommodate tennis, track and horse shows in Fairgrounds Arena. 13 11 437-454 June 29, 1972- July 6, 1972: The Commission votes “from this [+ 10 July 13, 1972 day forward the Youth Center Building No. 2 pages shall be known as the “Perry Pipkin Youth dated Center”.” [Item. July 13, 1972: Special meeting July 13, is held to discuss the proposed interchange 1972] (overpass) carrying Poplar over E. Parkway.] 13 12 455-500 Aug. 3, 1972- Aug. 3, 1972: The Commission considers an Nov. 2, 1972 ordinance making it “unlawful to consume alcoholic beverages on park property” but decides it would be difficult to enforce. Sept. 21, 1972: The Commission deplores “hideous” nighttime activities at Court Square. [Item. Oct. 4, 1972: Veterans of Foreign Wars present award to the Commission.] [Nov. 2, 1972: Minutes begin here, resume in Book 14.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 13 (May 7, 1970 {continued from Book 12} – November 2, 1972): Introduction and Excerpts

Park Commissioners as of May 21, 1970 are Chairman John D. Martin, Jr., Vice-Chairman Harold J. Whalum, Jr., Mrs. David B. “Bonnie” Martin, John E. Leake, Jr., and Frank B. Miles. Present at most meetings are Commission Attorney Thomas R. Prewitt, Executive Director H.S. “Hal” Lewis and City of Memphis Director of Public Service Harry Woodbury. Woodbury is replaced at meetings in October and December 1971 by Jerrold A. Moore, Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Memphis, but new Director of Public Service William C. Boyd becomes the regular attendee from the first meeting in January 1972. Various City Councilmen attend meetings as their terms in office dictate: J.O. Patterson, Jr., Downing Pryor, Thomas H. Todd, Jr., W.T. McAdams, Glenn Raines, Jack McNeil and Ed McBrayer. Chairman Martin leaves the Commission in September 1971 and Elbert R. “Bert” Ferguson replaces him as Chairman. As the office of Vice-Chairman rotates among the Commissioners, John Leake is elected in January 1971 and Bonnie Martin in November 1971. The last meeting in this book mentions the name of John R. Malmo as the new Park Commissioner replacing Frank B. Miles, although Malmo is absent for that meeting.

When Ferguson assumes the Chairmanship, the Commission begins the practice of starting meetings with an invocation, usually by Ferguson or Leake or one of the City Councilmen. Also at Ferguson’s suggestion the Commission gathers for lunch at noon on the first Thursday of the month, has an executive session, starts the meeting at 1 PM and expects to finish by 2 PM. Zoo purchases continue to be recorded, and payrolls and bills are still approved at the beginning of meetings. However, for reasons not clear, the practice of including an itemized list of other bills paid has become much more common. In May and August 1970, for example, long lists appear under the caption “Authority to make payments to the following for work done on projects listed,” and payment is approved by vote of the Commission after an explanation or recommendation by the Director.

Among some of the continuing problems or enterprises dealt with by the Commission during this period are: a conflict over where to build the Whitehaven Community Center; an increasing participation in the Shelby County Conservation Board’s “Mississippi Riverfront Project” that evolves into part-ownership of Mud Island; motorcycle and bicycle trails in parks; the noise level of Overton Park Shell concerts; damage by rock festivals to the Shell and to Memorial Stadium’s turf; and what role the Commission would play, if any, in Mid-South Fair’s future Libertyland theme park.

New Park Commission facilities, or ones whose development is completed during this period, are Army and Navy Park, Medal of Honor Park, Ed Lewis-Will Davis Park (the former “Park and Pendleton” site) and Ira J. Lichterman Park, as well as the William C. Leftwich Tennis Center. Nearly a dozen parks finally receive formal names: Otis Redding Park (formerly “12th Road Park”), C.P.J. Mooney Park (“Cromwell School Park”), O.L. Cash Park (“Indian Hills Park”), Martha Byrnes Park (“James Road property”), Rodney Baber Park (“James Road Park”), Walter K. Singleton Park (“Wooddale Park”), Walter Chandler Park (“Mississippi Park”), Nash Buckingham Park (“Oakville Park”), George Alberson Park

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(“Whitney Road”) and J.T. Willingham Park (“New Allen Road Park”). Perhaps the most significant name-change occurs when Riverside Park is renamed Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Riverside Park.

The Whitehaven Community Center is completed and the Anshei-Sphard Congregation temple on North Parkway is purchased to become the Josephine K. Lewis Senior Citizens Center. Other properties mentioned in passing are: Sunny Side Park (leased from Buckeye Cellulose which now offers a 10-year lease); Egypt-Central Park (Shelby County Conservation Board); Neshoba Park Resthouse (also managed for Shelby County?); Edmond Orgill Park (“new golf course with the county”); and the Shelby County Conservation Board’s plans for a bike trail on Mud Island. A “new” Riverview Community Center is cited, as well as a Hanley Community Center. Architects are selected for Glenview and Bickford Community Centers, and Lincoln Park Community Center is “under construction.” Finally, Youth Center No. 2 Building on the Fairgrounds is renamed the Perry Pipkin Center.

Excerpts from Minute Book 13:

Pages 12-14, May 21, 1970: The Chairman restates the Park Commission policy, which “has been for many years that no political or religious meetings will be held on the park system except at the Fairgrounds." The Commission decides to negotiate a contract with Mr. Fred Hicks to operate a Flea Market at the Fairgrounds; "they have some good items and the man seems honest." The Commission will try to get funds under the Open Space Program to develop five sites: Willow Park, Cromwell Park, Patton & Parkway, Alcy at Samuels, and Levi Gardens (Indian Hills).

Pages 28-30, June 4, 1970: Zoo Director Robert Mattlin "would like to raise the price of the Adult ticket to 75¢ and 25¢ for children up to 12 years and forget the 6 year old thing." Dr. Peyton Rhodes and Mr. John Walt of the Pink Palace Museum Advisory Board present a study involving "the proposed expansion of the Museum, which would require approximately three and one-half million dollars." The Chairman responds that "the Park Board is wholeheartedly for what they propose,” but explains the many obstacles in the way.

Pages 38 and 43, June 18, 1970: Bids are received for providing 141,750 sack lunches "for the Recreation Department's Special Summer Day Camp Program." The Chairman discusses the Mississippi Riverfront Project, "especially with regard to access to the property on Mud Island."

Page 69, July 16, 1970: Mr. Mattlin reports that since the Zoo entrance fee was increased, "we have not had any complaints. The attendance has increased." The presence of a police officer on the grounds on weekends "seems to deter vandalism."

Pages 82-83 and 87-88, Aug. 6, 1970: The Commission decides to name "the park located at Winchester and Tchulahoma Road "Medal of Honor Park" honoring the Medal of Honor Winners of the State of Tennessee." The people of Whitehaven and several City Councilmen want the Whitehaven Community Center to be built in McKellar Park, but it is possible that FAA regulations will not "allow a structure of this type to be built in the glide pattern." The

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Director and representatives of the City will meet with representatives of Warren Brothers about their land on Mud Island.

Pages 101-103, Aug. 20, 1970: The Commission recommends to the City Council that Capital Improvement Budget allowances be made for "Additions to the Memphis Pink Palace Museum for enlargement of the Museum in the sum of $2,750,000.00" and "For the construction of an adequate Planetarium, $1,000,000.00." A letter from Citizens to Preserve Overton Park points out that "the current March-April issue of Architecture Memphis is devoted almost entirely to Overton Park. . . . We ask that the members ponder anew their responsibilities in the custodial care of parks and Overton Park."

Pages 107 and 109-110, Sept. 3, 1970: The Fire Department asks to use Brinkley Park as a site for Fire Station No. 1 but the request is rejected; "Brinkley Park should retain its character as an open area and park as laid out by the founders of Memphis . . . as a beauty spot it will enhance the attractiveness of the new Civic Center." The Whitehaven Community Center is discussed; one suggestion is "that we have two centers of 12,000 square feet [each]" to help resolve the problem of its location. The Commission also discusses "county parks we have taken into the city" and the funding and handling of such parks.

Pages 115-117, Sept. 17, 1970: The Director stated (in connection with the Beale Street Urban Renewal Plan) that it is the law that parks "are to be a part of the overall plan to be considered, but . . . [they] are always too small to be adequate for our use and we need to get them [the Memphis Housing Authority and Planning Commission] to include more space." The Chairman reports that "the Whitehaven people will not retreat one inch from the 20,000 foot community center in McKellar Park." Larry Cox suggests the Commission "fill out a form on each location in McKellar and let them, the FFA, rule on them." The Chairman suggests setting up "a revolving land account of one-million dollars, which would be getting back the Overton Park expressway [Interstate 40] money, which was figured into the CIP program for purchase of land already scheduled." The Commission thinks "the Lichterman property should be put in the CIP for 1970 for $650,000.00 including government money."

Page 126, Oct. 8, 1970: The Commission has heard from the Chief of Airport FAA who has said "that in regard to the construction and location of the community center in the Airways location they strongly advised against it. This was due to the fact that they are going to build the new runway for the airport in that area and this runway would cause excess noise and etc."

Pages 183B, 183D and 183H, March 4, 1971: Mr. Dale Pigford of Razzle Dazzle Productions would like to rent the Overton Park Shell "the first weekend and last weekend from now on until the first of October." However, the Commission "will not waive the $300.00 plus Police paid in advance, rental." The Commission has "about 18 parks to name and we have a number of recommendations." The Director reports that there is nothing in the budget this year "for the Cotton Carnival and they did not pay their bill last year, therefore we propose to do no work for them this year." The architect of the Whitehaven Community Center has submitted a "good, but not good enough" design.

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Page 205, April 1, 1971: A preliminary review is presented of the Management Study being done by Public Research & Management, Inc.; "the report is still in rough form but will be finalized and bound into a nice report."

Pages 207-208, April 29, 1971: In a discussion of funding sources for artificial turf in Memorial Stadium, the Commission Attorney cites “The $209,000 Overton Park Expressway [Interstate 40] Relocation Funds . . . We don’t want to do anything that could be attacked for misuse of Public Money since these funds were received from the State of Tennessee in connection with the Overton Park Expressway for the express purpose of improving land and facilities.”

Pages 210, 215 and 224, May 13, 1971: "Members of the Mid-South Fair Board and their Manager presented to the Memphis Park Commission a film outlining their proposed Libertyland installation at the Fairgrounds." Attending from the Fair were Lee Winchester, Joe Pipkin, Boyd Arthur, Jr., Wilson Sparks and Bob Nichols. Citizens have put ducks on park lakes and there have been "vandalism incidents related to these ducks"; the Director comments that "We do not ask for them, but we are responsible for them I suppose." Motorcycles are causing trouble in the parks, "cutting them to pieces. They completely disregard signs." Some people have petitioned the City Council to buy a church building on North Parkway at the Expressway for a Senior Citizen's Center; the group "plans to raise the money for remodeling." There have been numerous complaints about "the noise of the music at the rock and roll concerts at the Shell . . . something must be done. Mr. Orville Hancock, Press Scimitar reporter, suggested that the decible [sic] system be used to control the volume of the amplifiers."

Page 232, June 3, 1971: The matter "of the [proposed new] Senior Citizens building, Anshei- Sphard Congregation property" on North Parkway comes up again. The City Council has informally approved its purchase for $200,000 "on a deferred payment basis (10 payments at $20,000. with 6% interest).” If approved, "this will be the first time pay basis purchase to be made under the new ordinance."

Pages 238-240 and 242-243, June 7, 1971: Further discussion of the noise level at the Shell concerts. "Mr. John A. Irwin of the Memphis & Shelby County Speech and Hearing Center . . . Is going to provide a decibel meter and an expert to come out and help." The Chairman suggests that "they be required to keep the DB level in the Shell 90 DB or below,” but Mr. Hadaway says that "in order to control this we will have [to have] one of the meters and some one to set it and handle it." The Director reports that requests have come in for bicycle trails and motorcycle trails and he would like to investigate the possibility. The Commission names several parks: "12th Road Park” is named Otis Redding Park, Cromwell School Park is named C.P.J. Mooney Park, Indian Hills Park is named O.L. Cash Park, the James Road property is named Martha Byrnes Park, James Road Park is named Rodney Baber Park, Wooddale Park is named Walter K. Singleton Park, Mississippi Park is named Walter Chandler Park (“Commissioner Whalum voting NO"), Oakville Park is named Nash Buckingham Park, “Whitney Road” is named George Alberson Park, and Allen Road Park is named J.T. Willingham Park.

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Pages 250-251, June 17, 1971: The plans for the Glenview Community Center are getting better, the Lincoln Park Community Center is under construction, and an architect has been selected for the Bickford Community Center.

Pages 283 and 285, Aug. 10, 1971: The Memphis Blues baseball team "have come upon hard times" and ask that their debt of $3,000 be forgiven; the Commission wants to see their books first. There has been "a great deal of vandalism at the community centers and we have to do something." The Commission authorizes "placing dogs with a keeper in these community centers at night to try and cut down on this vandalism." Signs will be put up at all centers, and guard and dog will rotate among the various centers.

Page 295, Sept. 2, 1971: E.R. (Elbert) “Bert” Ferguson joins the Commission as Chairman, establishing a new practice; he “asked the Associate Minister of Christ Methodist Church to come in and give us a word of prayer as we begin on the theory that this area of our activity, as much as any other, can only be conducted as well as we are able to do it[,] and we are able to do it only as God says that we are competent to do so."

Pages 314-315, Sept. 23, 1971: Director Lewis reports that "the area of the Marine Hospital down by Riverside Park - the portion occupied by the Coast Guard has been given to the Memphis Park Commission." Late in the meeting the Director is asked to leave the room; during his absence the Commission votes to name the new senior citizens center "for the director's wife, deceased some two years ago - the Josephine K. Lewis Center."

Pages 316-317, Oct. 7, 1971: Rev. D.E. Herring, Jr., President of Mallory Knights Charitable Organization, requests: "1. That one of the unnamed parks be named after Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2. That permission be granted for erection of some form of memorial to Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. on this park. 3. Would like to . . . [know] why we were so long in being given consideration on this matter." Commissioner Miles responds that the Commission has been thinking about this, that some of the new parks "are very small" and that "It is a matter of finding the right park."

Pages 331-333 and 335, Nov. 4, 1971: The Mallory Knights have requested that Riverside Park be renamed to honor Dr. Martin Luther King. Director Lewis is authorized to attend a public hearing on the proposed overpass at Central and Parkway and "to protest the taking of the land and destruction of the trees and interference with the entrance to the Fairgrounds." At the suggestion of the Chairman, the Commission will from now on “meet for lunch and discuss the agenda prior to the Board meetings.”

Page 343, Dec. 2, 1971: The Director states that the Commission was "told to co-operate with [the Mid-South Fair] and give them any information they requested [for their Libertyland feasibility study], which we have done, but this places our operations and promotions at the Fairgrounds Amusement Park in a bad position."

Pages 345-346 and 351-352, Jan. 13, 1972: Some Commission members argue that the name "Riverside" should be retained in the renamed park because of the history involved and because it would help "people who come in from out of town to know where the park was." The Mallory Knights agree, and "Riverside Park was re-named Dr. Martin Luther King Riverside Park." (For what may be the first time, at least in this era, the vote of each

121 member of the Board is individually recorded; all vote "yes" except Mrs. David Martin who abstains. This practice occasionally recurs in later meetings.) The Chairman would like to see the Commission “have lunch at 12:00, have our executive session and get these meetings started at 1:00 p.m. and normally be through by 2:00 p.m. . . . First Thursday of each month.”

Pages 366, 368-369 and 371, Feb. 3, 1972: In order to get "the Warren Brother's Tract (2.5 acres) at Mississippi River Park," the Commission asks the City Real Estate Department to "initiate condemnation proceedings." Several ideas are voiced in a discussion of the Overton Park Shell: ban concerts and “turn it over to the Art Gallery for parking”; increase the rental (because 90,000 people used it last year); "take the fence down and allow them to have it free.” The Commission approves "the policy with regard to handling of bomb threats [at Memphis Memorial Stadium] as worked out by the Staff."

Pages 388-403, April 6, 1972: The Commission approves "rental of Memorial Stadium . . . for the purpose of putting on a Three Dog Night Show on July 28, 1972, subject to investigation and approval of the Staff as to type show, etc." The Director reports that "Mr. Lichterman called just before closing time yesterday and while there is no particular plan worked out for this I have always thought there should be a Nature Center out there. Since Mr. Lichterman has moved out we have made the house secure in an effort to prevent any vandalism." The latest proposal by the Mid-South Fair for Libertyland is "that they want to take over the Amusement Park and part of the grounds and we maintain them."

Pages 404-405, May 4, 1972: The Commission endorses “the proposal of the Mid-South Fair that the Fair finance a Feasibility and Planning Study to determine the best possible use of the Fairgrounds,” but recommends that the two phases, feasibility and planning, “be conducted by separate and unrelated firms.” Disagreeing with appeals by some of the public to close Overton Park to all except emergency vehicles, Asst. Superintendent Baxter explains that “we as a service agency have to try to please everyone or every segment of the population.”

Page 433, June 26, 1972: “The Whitehaven Community Center was inspected Tuesday and it is over all a good building.” It will open to the public on July 1. The Commission reaffirms an "Agreement between Memphis Park Commission and Shelby County Conservation Board regarding Park Land," that it will "wherever possible . . . purchase park land in an area adjacent to the City Limits to replace the park land taken from the County by the City in annexation."

Pages 445, July 6, 1972: In a discussion of a proposed “interchange” (i.e. overpass) at Poplar Avenue and East Parkway "taking Poplar over Parkway,” the Chairman notes that "due to protests," plans for a similar overpass at Central and Parkway have been shelved. He states that the current plan for the Poplar-Parkway interchange "is perhaps as good a plan as they can come up with and the Traffic Engineer recommends this be done." The motion to approve failed.

Pages 485-486 and 490, Sept. 21, 1972: Commissioner Whalum "would like to propose that the Park Commission go on record as opposing the activities going on in Court Square at night . . . it is quite hideous up there and the activities that take place are shocking." The

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Commission asks the Police Dept. "to put a patrolman up there" and that Mr. Baxter "work with the Light, Gas & Water Division on the lighting." The Director reported “on the Tiger at M.S.U. They wanted to see if it could be housed at the Zoo. . . . [I] do not believe they realize how much is involved in making a suitable cage to carry this animal around. This is a dangerous proposition." The Commission decides to apply to the City Council for purchase of property to provide open space for the Beale Street Urban Renewal Project, otherwise "it will deteriorate into a slum."

(Note: The minutes of Nov. 2, 1972 continue into Minute Book 14.)

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 14 (November 2, 1972 {continued from Book 13} – November 7, 1974)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Some papers in this book are bound in or interleaved. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 14 1 1-54 Nov. 2, 1972- [Nov. 2, 1972: The minutes begin in Book 13, Feb. 1, 1973 and (with a duplicated use of “minutes page” 8) continue in this book.] [Item. Taped inside front cover of book are two pages listing Commissioners’ terms of service.] Feb. 1, 1973: Commission approves “Up-graded “Parks, Recreation & Conservation Plan” as presented by the Memphis & Shelby County Planning Commission.” 14 2 55-100 Mar. 8, 1973- Mar. 8, 1973: Mr. Hadaway “discussed the Apr. 13, 1973 Decentralization of the Recreation Department with the Commission, giving the names of the person in charge of each of the Zones.” The new system is working out well. Apr. 5, 1973: Bicycle riders may gain access to foot trails in Overton Park on weekends. 14 3 101-140 Apr. 13, 1973- May 3, 1973: Twenty firms are interested in June 15, 1973 “making a feasibility study of stadium expansion.” [2 Items. Between pp. 114 and 115 are (1) a program for groundbreaking of the McFarland Park Community Center, and (2) approval of a feasibility study of the Memphis Memorial Stadium.] July 5, 1973: The Commission debates whether to buy property “to serve the Westwood area.” It may cost “almost a million dollars.” 14 4 141-198 July 5, 1973- Aug. 9, 1973: The Memphis Chapter of the Sept. 6, 1973 American Institute of Architects suggests that the AIA might help with the problem of the routing of I-240 through Overton Park. Sept. 6, 1973: The Exchange Club asks to install a Freedom Shrine "in the new McFarland Community Center.” 14 5 199-264 Sept. 17, 1973- Sept. 17, 1973: A Lifetime Pass to Memphis Dec. 6, 1973 Memorial Stadium is issued to "George A. 124

Bugbee, Sports Writer for Memphis Press Scimitar, upon his retirement." 14 6 265-324 Jan. 3, 1974- Jan. 3, 1974: The Park Commission approves, Mar. 7, 1974 in principle, the Mid-South Fair’s proposal for Libertyland. Feb. 7, 1974: The Pink Palace can hold another Crafts Fair as in 1973. 14 7 325-362 Mar. 25, 1974- Apr. 4, 1974: Bids of $294,252 and $156,156 May 28, 1974 respectively are accepted for construction of Katie Sexton Harris Community Center at Klondyke Park, and for remodeling the Fairgrounds Arena Building. Both the Attorney and the Chairman emphasize that all bidders must submit a "Cert. Nondis." (Certificate of Nondiscrimination) clause. 14 8 [25 [From around [Item. Bids involving equipment for four pages of May 22, 1974] swimming pools and what appears to be bids] playground equipment, and for school, sporting and handicraft items, etc.] 14 9 363-404 June 6, 1974- July 11, 1974: Park Commission is running July 11, 1974 short of softball fields and hopes to add land to Tobey Park for more; there is not enough land in Overton Park for such a complex. 14 10 405-420 July 23, 1974- Aug. 1, 1974: Concerned Citizens for Park [+ 27 Aug. 13, 1974 Preservation and Safety urge the Commission pages of to close Overton Park to vehicular traffic. bids, Executive Director Hadaway states that the etc.] Commission "has been instructed to raise an additional $200,000.00 of increased revenue" so he proposes fee increases. [2 Items. Following p. 420 are three pages of "Outstanding Checks" totaling $11,477.72, and 22 undated pages of bids for school, sport and handicraft items etc.] 14 11 421-500 Sept. 5, 1974- Sept. 5, 1974: The Commission approves a Nov. 7, 1974 plan to close the Pink Palace Museum "for a period of perhaps 11 months September, 1975 to July 1976" while remodeling the present facility. Sept. 17, 1974: Fiscal Year 1975-1976 budget summary is approved, totaling $4,158,000, plus several other “special items”. Nov. 7, 1974: A bid of $260,340 for a new planetarium is accepted. [Nov. 7, 1974: Minutes begin in this book and resume in Book 15.] 14 12 [Index] 1972-1974 [Item. Index to Book 14, of 24 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 14 (November 2, 1972 {continued from Book 13} – November 7, 1974): Introduction and Excerpts

Park Commissioners on Dec. 7, 1972 are Chairman E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Vice-Chair Bonnie Martin, Harold J. Whalum, Jr., John E. Leake, Jr., and John R. Malmo who replaced Frank B. Miles one month earlier. In the course of the next two years, the only other new member the Commission gains is Madge Harrison, who replaces Bonnie Martin. City Council members on the Park and Recreation Committee with oversight responsibilities are still Glenn Raines, Jack McNeil and Ed McBrayer, although the latter two are replaced during this period by Robert Love and John N. Ford, the second of whom is in turn later replaced by Gwen Awsumb. As usual, Executive Director “Hal” Lewis, Attorney Thomas R. Prewitt and Director of Public Service William C. Boyd are present at most meetings.

Three park name changes authorized by the Commission during this period are Charjean Park to Robert E. Weakley Park, the “Oberle and Alta Vista site” to Dave Lazarov Park, and Denver Park to John C. Shivler, Sr. Park (named for the Commission’s late 35-year Superintendent of Horticulture). The Klondyke Community Center, even before its construction, is named for Memphis civil rights activist Katie Harris Sexton. Sites are purchased for “Hollywood & Peres” or “Peres Street Park,” and for “Raleigh [Community] Center.” Bids are accepted for Hamilton and Glenview Park Community Centers, and there is reference to construction of a McFarland Park Community Center, perhaps the first mention of this park (or park-to-be). Appropriations are requested from the City Council for work at Lichterman Park, and Church Park is purchased back from the Memphis Housing Authority and is to be redeveloped. One notes again the unhelpful nature of some allusive references in the minutes, especially those concerning locations of new or proposed projects, and likewise unhelpful are references in the minutes to officially discontinued park names. With this in mind, some of the other apparently new projects for which architects are approved in September 1973 are: Neely, Alcy-Williams, “Cochese & Goodlett,” Emerald, and “4th & Mill.” Architects are also considered for Lester and Westwood Recreation Centers.

The Chairman requests members to “arrive on time” in 1973, department heads are asked to give their reports at the beginning of meetings instead of at the end “when everyone has gone,” and the minutes of the previous meeting and the agenda of the upcoming one are to be made available several days before a meeting so that members will be better prepared. It appears that beginning in September 1974 and for some months thereafter, the individual votes of Commissioners are recorded after actions have been moved and seconded; previously this was more the exception than the rule.

A “decentralization” of departments is underway, and a new superintendent is added to the staff: Larry Keenan as Superintendent of Construction and Design. Other Superintendents are John Lloyd (Maintenance), M.N. “Nat” Baxter (Special Activities, sometimes referred to as Special Services), Gerald McKinney (Recreation) and R.R. Schuyler (Secretary of the Commission). A new Executive Director is welcomed, as James E. Hadaway replaces Harold 126

S. “Hal” Lewis after the latter’s record 27 ½ years of service and after earning Memphis a national award in 1972 for having the best park system in the United States. Evidence of a significant Park Commission policy change is seen on March 7, 1974, with a reference to “Cert. Nondis. Clause,” a shortened form of “Certificate of Nondiscrimination Clause.” From this point forward, it appears that most bids involving construction (and therefore hiring practices?) must include this performance clause, identified by a column heading such as “Cert./Nondis.” with bids below reading either “Yes” or “None.” For the first time in many years, probably since the early 1940s, a detailed budget summary is included, for 1975- 1976, as the Commission discusses its plans for new developments; it proposes a budget of $4.158 million plus “several special items,” even though the City of Memphis has told it to ask for no more than $3.6 million.

The Commission deals with a number of continuing issues here: the planning of Libertyland; the development of a park on Mud Island; the renovation of the Fairgrounds Arena, the long-debated addition to the Pink Palace Museum, and the expansion of Memorial Stadium; how best to utilize the Overton Park Shell; whether and how to limit vehicular traffic in Overton Park; declining revenues from the Zoo and golf courses; attempts to control alcohol use during events at Memorial Stadium; and the possibility that the expressway may still go through Overton Park. Commission interest in Victorian Village is expressed for the first time.

Excerpts from Minute Book 14:

Pages 3-4 and 8-9, Nov. 2, 1972 (cont’d.): An architect has drawn up plans showing that an expanded Memphis Memorial Stadium could have about 72,000 seats compared with its current 50,000. Councilman Raines presents the Commission with a resolution from the City Council: "Whereas, the 1972 National Gold Medal Award for Excellence in the field of Park and Recreation Management has been awarded to Memphis as having the top park system in the United States; . . . Now, Therefore, Be It Resolved by the Council of the City of Memphis that the Council go on record as commending and congratulating the Memphis Park Commission, its members, staff and employees for meritorious services rendered and expresses sincere appreciation for the fine work done."

Pages 32-33, Jan. 4, 1973: The Chairman compliments "Mr. M.N. Baxter and Mr. John Lloyd on their [unspecified] promotions within the Department." He also "requested that the Commission members arrive on time during the year 1973." The Commission unanimously disapproves "the present plan [for the Poplar overpass at East Parkway] as forwarded by the State."

Pages 39-42 and 50, Feb. 1, 1973: Two professional football games will be played at Memphis Memorial Stadium, one in August 1973 (Detroit Lions vs. Baltimore Colts) and the other in August 1974 (New Orleans Saints vs. New York Jets). The Director recommends approval of the request by Friends of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum "to hold a Crafts fair on the Museum grounds. The main exhibition area will be on the Central side of the Museum." The Chairman welcomes Councilman Robert Love, member of the Council's Park and Recreation Committee, to his first meeting with the Commission. The Commission discusses a letter from Mr. Newman, Attorney for the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park group, asking the Commission to “make clear that they will resist any further attempt to

127 use the park for roads. . . . [Commission] Attorney [Prewitt] explained the transaction to the Commission [i.e. the sale of Overton Park land for an Expressway], the money received and acreage deeded to the State. He further stated that we have spent slightly over 1.6 million dollars of this money and explained how the money had been spent. The Attorney said that it had occurred to him that when a transaction is rescinded then there is some obligation to return the purchaser’s money. . . . The Director stated that the Memphis Park Commission originally opposed this road going through the park, but when it looked like a lost cause, at that time the Commission approved the sale of the property.”

Pages 55-57, 69, 71-72, 75-76 and 79, March 8, 1973: The Commission discusses expanding and encapsulating Memorial Stadium, and how it should be paid for. "The County Court has already turned down any money." Perhaps the Chamber of Commerce, Liberty Bowl organization and Memphis State University could help; the Commission adds itself to these parties to fund a study of the expansion. Director Lewis has discussed "with Larry Cox, our Park Planner,” the possibility of naming "Denver Park in Frayser (10) acres" for "John C. Shivler, Sr., who was Superintendent of Horticulture for the Memphis Park Commission for 35 years." There is also discussion of 21 Commission projects and the architects or engineers suggested for them. MLGW will be asked to install four bright lights in Court Square; the Commission suggests that the newspapers publish "the matter of closing the public rest rooms at Court Square . . . [to] determine just how many people would object to this action." Mr. Hadaway "discussed the Decentralization of the Recreation Department with the Commission, giving the names of the person in charge of each of the Zones." It is working out well. "The Athletic department is decentralized except for Men's Athletics . . . The Maintenance forces will be decentralized no later than March 15."

Pages 95-96, April 5, 1973: Director Lewis "relinquished his chair and position to James E. Hadaway, who has been selected to succeed him. . . . The Chairman . . . expressed the delight of the Board that he, Mr. Lewis, was going to a position so close as the Mid-South Fair." The Commission passes a resolution thanking Harold S. Lewis for 27 1/2 years service, noting that "under his leadership the Memphis Park Commission did progress and increase some five-fold in acreage and size . . . and he did lead the Park Commission to become Number One in the nation, winning the National Gold Medal Award in 1972."

Pages 100-101, April 13, 1973: Director Hadaway says the Zoo situation has been re- evaluated; “Mr. Hadaway said - we are talking about three things - (1) moving the Zoo; (2) changing the Highway route, and (3) asking for the Penal Farm land [for a relocated Zoo]."

Pages 109 and 112, May 3, 1973: H.S. Lewis, "Mid-South Fair Consultant,” asks to conduct "an observation and research study [for the proposed Libertyland] at the Amusement Park . . . This study . . . will include: 1. Gate count - turnstiles; 2. Ride count to determine high density rides and traffic hours; 3. Evaluation of concessions operations; 4 Public opinion polls [etc.].” An earlier study showed that “Memphis is not ready for a Disney type park but, it should be a much smaller, compact theme park." The Chairman, Director Hadaway and Mr. Schuyler [R.R. Schuyler, Secretary of the Park Commission] have worked out the following method of streamlining the Board Meetings, “if it meets with the approval of the Board: The Agenda will be sent out each Monday prior to the Park Board Meeting and on Tuesday the Staff will get together and make recommendations on the agenda items, then by Wednesday you will have a copy of the agenda, plus all supporting documents that are

128 to be discussed. This will give you Wednesday and Thursday to study them and then on Thursday at the Board meeting you will be thoroughly familiar with all the items on the agenda. . . . Mr. Hadaway further stated that the Chairman felt that the minutes of the Board meeting, previous meeting, should be mailed out on the Wednesday prior to the Board meeting.”

Page 137, June 15, 1973: The Memphis Pink Palace Museum has been accredited by the American Association of Museums.

Pages 152-154, July 5, 1973: Park Police ask the Commission to clear up two points: Decide what hours the parks are to be considered closed; and rule on the question of consumption of alcoholic beverages on park property. The Commission decides that the parks are to be closed “from 12:00 midnight until 6:00 a.m. except where specifically authorized by the Park Commission." It will work out the details of the other question. During a discussion "of declining attendance income at Overton Park Zoo" it is disclosed that free admissions amounted to more than half of the total admissions in June-July 1971-72, and nearly three quarters of the total in 1972-73. Mr. Whalum summed up the problem thus; "What you are saying is that people who could afford to pay, go at the free hour as well as the poor people."

Page 177, Aug. 9, 1973: The new Superintendent of Design & Construction is Mr. Larry Keenan. Larry Cox presents slides as the various superintendents report on their department: Larry Keenan (Construction & Design), R.R. Schuyler (Secretary, Memphis Park Commission), John Lloyd (Construction & Maintenance), M.N. Baxter (Special Activities; sometimes called Special Services) and Gerald McKinney (Recreation). Mr. James P. Cross, Executive Director of the Shelby County Conservation Board, "expressed thanks to the Park Commission . . . for the years of cooperation and the cooperation of the Board members . . . in getting the work done out in the County."

Pages 193-196, Sept. 6, 1973: In a discussion of "Residents on Park Property,” Mr. Hadaway says "It is our thinking now, that we need to get out of the house business . . . However, some of the employees are living in these houses for security sake, for instance . . . the Lichterman House which we plan to use as a part of the development later on as a Nature Museum. We had even boarded the Lichterman home up and it was vandalized so we put one of employees in there for safety." Architects are approved for work on a number of park projects: Zoo, Garden Center, Neely, Cromwell, Peabody, Alcy-Williams, Winchester, Cochise & Goodlett, Oakville, Polly Williams, Riverside, Lichterman, Lanier, Willow, Emerald, Church Park, Patton, Riverview, Glenview, Denver, Indian Hills, Gaston, Wooddale, Crockett, Pickett, Douglas(s), "4th & Mill”, Lincoln, Whitney and Roosevelt.

Page 229, Oct. 10, 1973: The Commission is having difficulty recruiting a new Zoo Director “due to the indecision as to what we are going to do with the Zoo.”

Page 241, Nov. 1, 1973: The Board of Directors of the Lewis Senior Citizens Center may be asked "to propose and recommend locations to the Park Board for multi-use Senior Citizen facilities throughout the City. Presently, they have charge of operation at Lewis Center only."

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Pages 260-262, Dec. 6, 1973: The Commission is given a detailed analysis of the admission policy of the Zoo, especially concerning its "free hour" between 10 and 11 AM, 7 days a week. For many reasons, including the fact that "a large proportion of the zoo visitors entering during the free hour are non-residents of Memphis or Shelby County," the Commission decides that the only free admission will be between 9 and 10 AM on Saturday only, and that only residents of Memphis or Shelby County will be admitted for free.

Page 273, Jan. 3, 1974: After the meeting is adjourned, "Mid-South Fair Officials requested that the Commission meet with them for the purpose of hearing the Liberty-land proposal which has to yet be presented to the City and County . . . [T]he Fair requested that this be entirely off the record and that newsmen leave the room. . . . They stated that they were requesting that the Memphis Park Commission re-endorse this proposal in principal [sic] in order that it may be taken to the City and County for request of funds. The Mid-South Fair Officials said that the matter of Who Managers [sic] The Park in the Future is a decision that needs to be made. By Unanimous Consent, the Memphis Park Commission endorsed, in principal, the proposal for Liberty-Land as presented by the Mid-South Fair."

Pages 294-295, Feb. 7, 1974: The Commission discusses the future of land owned by the Commission near Victorian Village (the “Neely Breakthrough Site”); Mrs. Eleanor Hughes of the Victorian Village Association takes part.

Pages 305-306, March 7, 1974: The Chairman states that “the Commission had asked that the Department Heads give their report at the beginning of the meeting rather than [at] the last of the meeting when everyone has gone." The Klondyke Community Center is officially named for civil rights leader Katie Harris Sexton.

Page 354, May 10, 1974: Dr. Joel Wallach, Zoo Director, gives the Commission a report on the Zoo Dedication to be held a week hence. The Board of Trustees of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum asks the Commission to request an appropriation of $500,000 from Shelby County for Museum expansion; $2.5 million has already been pledged by the City and $2 million will be collected from donors.

Page 370, June 6, 1974: "Mr. Hadaway advised the Commission that it is our intention [in the redevelopment of Church Park] . . . to plan a suitable memorial for the Church Family and we would also allow Mrs. [Roberta] Church to approve the design of the memorial."

Page 385, July 11, 1974: "[A] group of policemen who play ball at the Charjean Park" request that its name be changed to Inspector Robert E. Weakley Park in honor of a man who also played ball at this location. The Commission looks with favor on this request.

Pages 407-408 and 419, Aug. 1, 1974: Representatives of Concerned Citizens for Park Preservation and Safety, address the Commission in behalf of closing Overton Park to vehicular traffic. They are against all motorized traffic, the "congregations of motorized vehicles,” the use of "more than half-ton truck traffic" on the roads, more parking areas in the Park, and the approach of cars too close to the trees on the lot, thereby “compacting the ground. 6. We urge restoring Overton Park to a truly natural park." The Commission decides to "begin immediately for this coming week-end to reinstall the wooden barricades and also seek to have the Memphis Police Department representatives on the site to issue

130 citations to automobiles that violate the barriers." Mr. Clay Huddleston, C.A.O. of the City of Memphis, brings the Commission “up to date on the Volunteer Bicentennial Park (Mud Island). He presented the Commission a drawing showing the proposed park." Director Hadaway says that the Commission "has been instructed to raise an additional $200,000.00 of increased revenue," so he has come up with some proposed fee increases.

Page 446, Sept. 17, 1974: The City has instructed the Commission to submit a budget of no more than $3.6 million, but instead it approves a request for $4.158 million, including $200,000 or more for each of the following projects: Chandler, Goodlett, Kennedy, and King-Riverside Parks; Gaston and Raleigh Community Centers; Parkway Village and Rodney Baber Baseball Complexes; District and Overton Maintenance Compounds; and for the Overton Park Shell. Funds were also requested for “several special items” including Libertyland ($6.570 million), Museum expansion ($2.910 million), Fairgrounds ($1.295 million) and relocation of the Children's Theatre ($400,000). Other items to be discussed later are Blues Stadium ($3 million) and Memphis Memorial Stadium ($15 million for an addition, or $2.5 million for improvements).

Pages 451-459 and 466-473, Oct. 3, 1974: A meeting well attended by interested residents and other parties is held about the “Purchase of Property in Southwest Memphis,” the Robco/Coro Lake/Westwood/Westwood Hills area. The Commission also discusses a "Proposed Fee Increase on Golf Courses, Overton Park Zoo and Ball Entry Fees” and decides to raise golf, zoo, softball, football and basketball fees.

Page 496, Oct. 17, 1974: Mr. Ira Sachs addresses the Commission about the recent fee increases that have been imposed, saying the "percentage increase is far beyond what the government has indicated percentage increases should be in view of inflation and this is a type of jawboning. But I would rather be doing it than the government doing it."

Page 500, Nov. 7, 1974: The Commission is told about "the theft of considerable amount of merchandise during the Friends [of the Pink Palace] Craft Fair on October 12, 1974." The feeling is "that the Security Service did not perform as they should perform."

(Note: The minutes of Nov. 7, 1974 continue into Minute Book 15.)

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 15 (November 7, 1974 {continued from Book 14} – August 13, 1976)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. A few sets of papers in this book are bound in or interleaved. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 15 1 1-40 Nov. 7, 1974- [Nov. 7, 1974: Minutes begin in Book 14 and Dec. 19, 1974 continue in this book.] Nov. 7, 1974: The Commission chooses Site No. 2 for a park in Southwest Memphis. Dec. 5, 1974: [Bound between pages 30 and 31 are three pages of “Building Rental Fees, Mid-South Fairgrounds.”] 15 2 41-92 Dec. 19, 1974- Mar. 6, 1975: The Memphis Pink Palace Apr. 3, 1975 Museum Board of Trustees requests that the name of the Museum be changed to Memphis Museum of Man and Nature, but action will be delayed for public comment. Apr. 3, 1975: Concession sales at Memphis Memorial Stadium amounted to about $400,000 last year, of which the Commission netted a profit of $117,000. 15 3 93-152 Apr. 15, 1975- Apr. 15, 1975: The Commission accepts Zellner July 15, 1975 Construction Co.’s low bid of $4,243,276 for construction of Libertyland. May 1, 1975: The Pink Palace Museum is allowed to “deaccession” or declare a number of items surplus, to be sold by sealed bid or public auction. July 3, 1975: Users of Peabody Community Center ask that it not be closed. 15 4 153-154 July 15, 1975- July 15, 1975: [Item. Between pp. 152 and 153 Aug. 7, 1975 is a set of bids dated July 8, 1975.] 15 5 155-192 Aug. 7, 1975- Aug. 7, 1975: Commission discusses the Sept. 4, 1975 McKellar Lake Marina Lease; topics include capital improvements made by the lessee, the proposed addition of 100 or more new slips, the sale of ice and beer, the operation of the public launching facility and the parking area, fishing vs. boating on the lake, etc.

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15 6 193-246 Oct. 2, 1975- Nov. 6, 1975: The October 1975 Crafts Fair at Dec. 4, 1975 the Pink Palace Museum netted about $29,500 for the Museum. [Superintendent of Special Services] Robert Fouche and [Zoo Director] Dr. Joel Wallach will look into the possibility of establishing a family rate of $25 per year for admission to the Zoo. 15 7 247- Dec. 12, 1975- Jan. 15, 1976: The Commission votes to keep 270-O Feb. 5, 1976 unchanged the name of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum, and Dave “Buddy” Wells retires after 37 years of service to the Park Commission. [Feb. 5, 1976: Pages 270-A thru 270-O are mostly bids for equipment, etc.] 15 8 271-308 Feb. 24, 1976- Apr. 1, 1976: Admission to Libertyland Theme Apr. 8, 1976 Park will be $5 for everyone over 6 years of age. Garden clubs in the area ask for development of Lichterman Park, which may be difficult because the budget allows for no new projects. The anticipated Capital Improvement Budget of $730,000 has been cut to $500,000. Apr. 8, 1976: Executive Director James E. Hadaway has resigned; Nat Baxter is chosen as his replacement. 15 9 309-350 May 6, 1976- May 6, 1976: $25,000 has been requested for a June 3, 1976 study of Lichterman Park. [Item. Inserted between pp. 330 and 331 is the 3-year attendance record for Commissioners Whalum, Malmo and Leake.] June 3, 1976: Mr. Jim Stafford of the National Ornamental Metal Museum Foundation asks permission to open a museum on the Marine Hospital property. July 1, 1976: Substantial Federal monies for the Community Development Program have been allocated for Commission projects. 15 10 [22 [Item. Bound between pp. 350 and 351 are 22 pages of pages of undated bids for office and kitchen bids] equipment, classroom, gym and playground games and equipment, handicraft items, etc.] 15 11 351-385 July 1, 1976- July 1, 1976: Memphis Heritage Inc. asks the Aug. 13, 1976 Commission to delay razing the North Pavilion at King-Riverside Park. Aug. 5, 1976: Libertyland has “greatly exceeded its estimated gross for the first month of operation.” Aug. 13, 1976: The Park Commission passes a resolution approving the construction of I-40 through Overton Park. 15 12 [Index] 1974-1976 [Item. Index to Book 15, of 16 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 15 (November 7, 1974 {continued from Book 14} – August 13, 1976): Introduction and Excerpts

The names of the Commissioners remain familiar ones during the period covered in this book: Chairman E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Harold J. Whalum, Jr., John E. Leake, Jr., Madge Harrison and John R. Malmo. Attending Commission meetings as usual are long-time Commission Attorney Thomas R. Prewitt, Executive Director James E. Hadaway and Director of the City’s Division of Public Service William C. Boyd (although Henry Evans, Chief Administrative Officer of the City of Memphis, stands in for the city when Boyd is absent). City Council members in attendance early in this period are Gwen Awsumb, Glenn Raines and Robert Love, although J.O. Patterson, Jr. replaces Love as of March 6, 1975, Pat Vander Schaaf replaces Awsumb as of April 3, 1975 and Pat Halloran replaces Vander Schaaf as of January 15, 1976.

The last use of the heading "Approval of the Paid Bills" is in the minutes of August 7, 1975, when bills amount to $354,108.50; thereafter at the beginnings of meetings only payroll payments continue as before. In the future, it appears that bills may only appear under "Authority to Make Payments to the Following Companies for Work Done on Projects Listed" with column headings No., Company, Description, and Amount; these amounts, it may be said, are rarely if ever totaled. Also, at least as early as August 1975, the minutes begin to feature the terms "Authority to Cancel the Following Encumbrances" (referring to projects that have been completed at less than anticipated cost) and "Approval of the Following Appropriations and Transfers" (of funds switched from one project to another). The practice noted in Book 14 of recording the votes of all Commissioners continues here through January 1975, but in general, later, only the occasional “No” vote is recorded, or the rare comment that one of the Commissioners abstained or recused himself or herself. Overwhelmingly, the votes are unanimous.

New parks or other facilities mentioned here are: the acquisition of “Site No. 2 . . . in Southwest Memphis” and the “Levi-Neely Acquisition”; Venable Park (located at “Goodlett at Cochese”) which would soon be renamed American Way Park; and the park at Shelby Drive and Weaver Road named Edwin Dalstrom Park. In “the new [softball] complex at Tobey Park,” Softball Diamond #3 is named for the late Hervey Conway, long associated with women’s softball in Memphis, and the Douglass Swimming Pool is renamed the Lucky C. Sharp Swimming Pool after the Principal of Douglass High School “who had been active in the Douglass community since his arrival in Memphis in 1929.” References to “Volunteer Bicentennial Park” on Mud Island virtually disappear while attention is focused on achieving the rapid construction and successful opening of Libertyland Theme Park by the bicentennial date of July 4, 1976. And the Commission shows interest in a proposal for a National Ornamental Metal Museum on the grounds of the old Marine Hospital.

A number of topics engage the Commission during this period. What improvements should the Commission undertake (if any) at the Memphis Blues Baseball Stadium, and should it approve liquor by the drink at the proposed Blues Stadium Club? What terms should be 135 made part of the new McKellar Lake Marina lease? Should the volunteer Zoo Action Group be permitted to operate a gift shop at the Zoo to help raise travel funds for the staff? Should the Commission sell the Senior Citizens Center on Peabody Avenue (and could it legally do so), and should it sell Columbus Park to Calvary Episcopal Church? What action should be taken on a name change requested by the Memphis Pink Palace Museum Board of Trustees? What steps should the Commission take to preserve and develop Lichterman Park, and where would it find the necessary funds? How could the required registration of children by their parents at Gaisman Swimming Pool be managed, if their parents have to work during the hours the pool is open?

The Commission is also confronted with recurring requests by the Pink Palace Museum to de-accession (meaning to sell or otherwise get rid of) numerous items once considered treasures, including artifacts donated in the early 1940s by Memphis pioneer aviatrix Phoebe Omlie, and the “17th Century English Room” donated by Samuel J. Bloomingdale. The newly formed Memphis Heritage organization puts forwards its thoughts about two issues confronting the Commission: selling park land, and demolishing historic landmarks. In contrast to its original thinking in the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Commission now continues to support the position that the Interstate 40 expressway should go through Overton Park.

Excerpts from Minute Book 15:

Insertion between pages 30-31, Dec. 5, 1974: The new schedule of "Building Rental Fees" calls for payment of $150 to rent the Shelby County Building, the Youth Building, the Perry Pipkin Building, or the Arena Building for one day, if no admission is charged for the event and it is of a civic, charitable or educational nature. If admission is charged, the cost will be $200 per day. If the event is of a private or commercial nature and no admission is charged, the fee will be $400. If "such usage is of a private or commercial nature, which includes song fests or evangelistic crusades not sponsored by a group of churches in this city," the charge will be $450.

Pages 42-44, Jan. 9, 1975: The Pink Palace Museum is given permission "to dispose of certain artifacts . . .in the collection at the Museum" but there has been public criticism "for not offering them first to Memphians and Mid-Southerners."

Pages 68, 71-72 and 74-75, March 6, 1975: The Museum Board of Trustees recommends "that the name of the Museum be changed to "Memphis Museum of Man and Nature".” The Commission decides it "would ask for newspaper publicity and see what the reaction from the public will be." Medical bills will not be paid to two Zoo Action Patrol volunteers working at the Zoo, one of whom was bitten by a chimpanzee. "Mr. Prewitt explained that the City has no legal authority to pay these expenses since these people are not City Employees. There was some discussion as to whether the volunteers are aware that any expenses resulting from injuries while working as a volunteer will not be paid." The Chairman suggests that each volunteer could be asked to sign a waiver, "but it was decided that the volume of paper work required would be prohibitive." Mr. Hadaway suggested that posters could be put up at each location stating that the Park Commission is not liable. Mr. Bob Sullivan of the Museum asks for approval "to dispose of the 17th Century English Room which was donated to the Memphis Pink Palace Museum in 1942 [by S.J.

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Bloomingdale]. He explained that the room is not needed in the new regional concept of the Museum." The Commission approves the sale, "with the room being sold to the highest bidder above the minimum of $5,000.00." The previous sale of artifacts from the Museum grossed $96,000.

Pages 79-81 and 91, April 3, 1975: Commissioner Leake states "Park Commission records indicate that our total concession sales last year were approximately $400,000.00 at the [Memphis Memorial] Stadium. Of this, we netted a profit of $117,000.00." The Museum asks for a delay on its request for a name change; "the museum Board is apparently having second thoughts." The Commission endorses "the Chickasaw Bluff Trail" which "would begin at Fuller State Park and run through the City parks along the river bluff and continue along the Mississippi River the entire length of the State." Seven fire engines must be removed from playgrounds because "OSHA had come out with new safety standards regulating playground equipment" and we cannot bring the engines up to the new standards.

Page 94, April 15, 1975: The Zellner Construction Co.'s low bid of $4,243,276 for construction of Libertyland is accepted, with the understanding that they will work with the Park Commission, Libertyland staff, City departments and architects in deleting some of the items "to bring the amount of the contract down as closely as possible to the $3,918,000.00 estimate of the architects, or to the funds allocated."

Page 111, May 1, 1975: The Commission allows the Pink Palace Museum to declare a number of items surplus and sell them by sealed bid or auction. These include a chandelier, draperies and lambrequins donated by Samuel J. Bloomingdale in 1942, and an airplane model, 13 trophies, 2 log books and an aviator’s suit (along with many other items) donated by Phoebe F. Omlie in 1938. The Airport Authority has been contacted and is willing to purchase "the items related to aviation."

Pages 120, 122 and 127-128, June 5, 1975: The Commission accepts the bid by Winn Housemoving Co. of $17,446 for "relocation of Log Cabins for Libertyland." The Boy Scouts of America ("who originally donated the statue to the City") have approved moving “the Statue of Liberty now located in Overton Park to Libertyland." Mr. Fouche recommends three persons as members of the Lewis Center Board, but in response to a question by Commissioner Whalum, Fouche replies that they are all white, "that they had received recommendations for some blacks but they felt they did not have the time to devote to the Board." He adds that only two of the 15 members of the Board are black. This issue is tabled until Commissioner Whalum can meet with Mr. Fouche "for recommendation of blacks to be appointed.”

Page 139, July 3, 1975: The children in a day nursery have not been allowed to enroll in swimming classes at Gaisman Pool, partly because Commission policy is that any child must be accompanied by a parent to enroll. Vice-Chairman Whalum is “disturbed about the policy . . . [which] seemed to punish the children whose parents are working and must put the children in a day care center." It is agreed that staff shall "come up with a policy which does not discriminate against working parents."

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Pages 154-156, 160-161 and 166, Aug. 7, 1975: The Commission discusses the McKellar Lake Marina Lease; topics include capital improvements the current lessee has made, the proposed addition of 100 or more new slips, the sale of ice and beer, the operation of the public launching facility and the parking area, fishing vs. boating on the lake, etc. The Museum requests and is given permission to de-accession 1,727 items, to be sold at public auction. The Commission decides that the policy for registering children for swimming classes should not be changed, with the exception that "adults will be permitted to register up to three children from outside their family." Four new members are approved for the Lewis Senior Citizens Center Board, namely the three white persons originally proposed and Mr. Cato Johnson of the First National Bank of Memphis.

Pages 179-181 and 186, Sept. 4, 1975: Director of Overton Park Zoo Dr. Joel Wallach addresses the Board about an offer from the Zoo Action Patrol, a volunteer group, to operate a gift shop at the Zoo, in part to help supply funds to the staff for travel, since those funds have been cut by the City Council. Mr. Hadaway comments that "some of the Council members firmly believe that travel is broadening, while others believe it is a chance to get away and dissipate City money when of no benefit to the City." Commission Attorney Prewitt has given his opinion "that the City may legally sell the Peabody [Senior Citizens Center] property so long as the proceeds are devoted exclusively for the use and benefit of the Park Commission."

Pages 210-211 and 215-217, Nov. 6, 1975: Mrs. Jan Kabakoff, Chairman of the 1975 Crafts Fair, "reported that 45,000 people had attended the fair during the four-day period October 9-12, that 1,300 volunteers from the City of Memphis had given their time, as well as 150 members of the Friends of the Pink Palace Museum . . . [S]he felt the Friends would be able to give the Museum approximately $29,500.00 from the proceeds of the Craft Fair." The Museum Board asks the Commission to permanently table its request to change the name of the Pink Palace Museum to Memphis Museum of Man and Nature. The Memphis Grizzlies football team has everything it needs to submit its application to the National Football League for a franchise, "except a signed lease from the Park Commission for use of the Stadium.” Mr. Fouche and Dr. Wallach will pursue the possibility of "establishing a family rate of perhaps $25 per year" for admission to the Zoo.

Pages 226-227, Nov. 10, 1975: The Commission approves a lease agreement with the Memphis Grizzlies for use of Memphis Memorial Stadium.

Page 233, Dec. 4, 1975: The Chairman said "the Park Commission is being required to come up with another $150,000.00 in revenue" and the Commission unanimously approves an "increase in swimming admission fees from 20¢ to 25¢ for children under age 18," which should raise about $10,000 based on last year's attendance.

Pages 247-249, Dec. 12, 1975: The Commission approves the "request of the Memphis Blues to build and operate a stadium club, including the sale of liquor by the drink." Does the Park Commission have the legal right to change the name of Memphis Memorial Stadium to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium? Attorney Prewitt's view is that the Commission can only recommend the name change to the City Council.

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Pages 252 and 267-268, Jan. 15, 1976: The Commission approves the naming of the park at Shelby Drive and Weaver Road for the late Edwin Dalstrom. It defers action on a staff request to define games of chance prohibited "in the [Golfing] Concession or Clubhouse area" as "cards, checkers, dominoes, etc." Mr. Dave "Buddy" Wells, currently Manager of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, is retiring after more than 37 years of service to the Park Commission; he is honored by a plaque recognizing his "long and dedicated public service and achievements . . . [and extending] to him a sincere thanks for a job well done."

Pages 278-279 and 286-287, March 12, 1976: The General Services Administration of the City of Memphis has requested the Commission "to negotiate with the Calvary Episcopal Church the sale of the small park site located at Second & Adams." (Park Commission Secretary Schuyler later informed the Commission that the property is actually at Third and Adams.) Mr. David Bowlin of Memphis Heritage, "a group dedicated to the preservation of buildings, parks and open space land," said the group "had no objection to the Park Commission selling the land but their concern and interest was that when park land is sold, they would request that a similar park be placed in the immediate area." The All-Memphis Women's Softball Association requests that Softball Diamond #3 at Tobey Park "be named for Mr. [Hervey] Conway, who had been associated with women's and girl's softball in Memphis for many years." Parkway Village Area Council requests that the athletic complex at Cochese and Goodlett be named “American Way Park.”

Pages 292, 294-295 and 299, April 1, 1976: "Discussion of Admission Price to Libertyland Theme Park: . . . The Memphis Park Commission unanimously approved a $5.00 gate admission for Libertyland Theme Park for all persons over 6 years of age, with a special rate for groups of 30-150 of $4.65 per person . . . with these admission charges allowing the person unlimited use of rides, shows and other facilities of the park, with the exception of food and merchandise for which there will be an additional charge." Garden clubs in the Lichterman Park area "make several requests of the Board; (1) that money be budgeted in July, 1976, for some development of Lichterman Park; (2) that plans be drawn for development of the park, taking into consideration the needs of the community; (3) remedies be taken to stop the dumping of litter and the removal of discarded or unused Park Commission equipment; and (4) someone be kept domiciled in the log house on the property to prevent vandalism of the house. . . . There was a discussion concerning the budget for the coming year and the fact that the Park Commission had received instructions from the Mayor that there would be no new Capital Improvement projects allowed in the new budget, and only those projects already in progress would be considered, leaving us with a Capital Improvements budget of $730,000. Mr. Hadaway stated that only that morning he had been told that the Capital Improvements budget would have to be reduced to $500,000, which means that we will not even be able to finish or continue some of the projects already under construction." Bids are received for 240 uniforms for Libertyland.

Page 308, April 8, 1976: Special Called Meeting "to have a vote from the Park Commission on the nominations for the directorship to succeed James E. Hadaway who had resigned and already left to assume his new position in Los Angeles." The vote is unanimously in favor of appointing Mr. Nat Baxter as Executive Director of the Memphis Park Commission.

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Pages 309-310, a page inserted between pp. 330-331, and 331, May 6, 1976: At the CIP Budget Meeting, $25,000 was budgeted for engineering and design of Lichterman park, "contingent upon the Park Commission receiving the $25,000 appropriation." Members of the Peabody Senior Citizens Center have several complaints about the center, including that it is too small "to have the entertainment they wished to have,” that "some of the men were unable to climb the steps" to their second-floor restroom, and that the one downstairs "was inadequate to serve 70-80 women." The Chairman responded that "we are stymied for the time being with the lack of money to negotiate and put the building into proper condition." A loose sheet gives the attendance record of three Commissioners through the May 6, 1976 meeting; the three are Walum, Malmo and Leake, of whom Mr. Walum has been the most reliable attendee (at 37 of 48 meetings). Mr. Baxter announces "that he had been trying to determine the best way to disseminate information to the Commission prior to the meetings. He said that the format in writing the agenda would be changed to include a small paragraph stating what each item is about, and that he wished to propose that the Park Commission go back to the luncheons prior to the Board Meeting."

Pages 334-335, 340 and 349, June 3, 1976: Messrs. Jim Stafford and Abe Sauer of the National Ornamental Metal Museum Foundation, Inc. request permission to operate a museum at the Park Commission's Marine Hospital Property. “Commissioner Malmo felt the idea . . . basically attractive but also believed the Commission needs to know a great deal more about it before any long term usage of the buildings is approved." On the matter of "Possible Sale of Columbus Park to Calvary Episcopal Church," the Commission decides the property is not for sale. The Commission approves a request by the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves "to use Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for Training Exercises . . . to Include Instructions in Rappelling from Heights of Stadium . . . [so long as] the City of Memphis and Memphis Park Commission will be held harmless against any injury or damage caused by this use."

Pages 351-354 and 360, July 1, 1976: The Commission will only renew the Memphis Blues Professional Baseball Association's lease for one year, not five, because it has no experience with the new facility the Club is to build, the Stadium Club, and it would like to "reappraise the situation at the end of one year to determine if, in fact, the Club has been operated in the manner it should." The Chairman states that "the general feeling is that the Commission would like to go along with the National Ornamental Metal Museum Foundation . . . in order to put the buildings at the old Marine Hospital to some use." It therefore approves a Concession Agreement with the foundation. Memphis Heritage Inc. requests a 30-day delay in razing the North Pavilion at King-Riverside Park. Nat Baxter states that "he has been notified that $750,000 has been approved for a new Community Center [at Gaston Park] . . . [Supt. of Planning and Research] Harry McLeod has met with the Architect . . . Also, Federal monies for the Community Development Program have been allocated for the Whitehaven Ball Diamond, Rodney Baber Baseball Complex, Kennedy Park and Lichterman Park; there is no City money funded for these projects." (Apparently, however, despite this last comment, the City Council has allocated $125,000 toward improvement of Lichterman Park, because a discussion ensues over how to spend that amount.) Given its choice, the Park Commission "has other lands on which it feels it should move first. Mr. Baxter said "you win some and you lose some, and be thankful for what you get”." He feels that if the Commission asks to use the money for something else, "this would be risking the loss of the $125,000."

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Page 370, Aug. 5, 1976: Regarding the North Pavilion in King-Riverside Park, Mr. Jim Roper of Memphis Heritage presents three proposals: "a) Removal of the architecturally significant portions of the building, such as beams, columns, the crow's nest and staircase to another site in the City . . . b) Removal of the above sections to a location where they can be stored . . . c) Restoration of the Pavilion." Also, “Mrs. Gwen Awsumb . . . indicated there might possibly be some monies in her Community Development Program for assistance on the Pavilion." Libertyland has "greatly exceeded its estimated gross for the first month of operation," and General Manager Bob Howard states that "the entire Staff of the Park is very grateful [for Memphis' acceptance] . . . The response and comments received have been terrific."

Pages 383-384, Aug. 13, 1976: The Commission has been asked to "use its expertise in making an environmental statement as to the effect the [I-40] expressway might have on the [Overton] Park. . . . [The resulting] report was a very favorable one, in that, by proper plantings, it would be only a short time before the damage could be recovered and repaired, as the climate in this region is very conducive to rapid growth." In support of the construction of the expressway through the park, the Commission unanimously adopts the following resolution: "Memphis Park Commission does hereby approve the construction of I-40 through Overton Park. It is the Park Commission's conviction that damage to trees and vegetation can be repaired and improved within a reasonable period of time."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 16 (September 2, 1976 – January 4, 1979)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Some such material in this book is bound in. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 16 1 1-50 Sept. 2, 1976- Sept. 28, 1976: Special Called Meeting Dec. 2, 1976 "primarily to discuss the proposed Capital Improvements Budget for 1978-1982 . . . The City Administration has indicated the Park Commission will receive a bottom line allocation of $975,750." Sept. 28, 1976: [Item. Bound between pp. 20 and 21 are five pages relating to possible projects (FY 1978-1982) if funds are obtained from the Federal Govt.] 16 2 51-106 Jan. 6, 1977- Jan. 6, 1977: Libertyland has been asked May 5, 1977 several times for a profit and loss statement for its first months of operation; reply is that due to certain problems this has not been possible. Nat Baxter says he has given them a deadline for providing this information. Apr. 7, 1977: [A page of bids for concession supplies for Liberty Bowl Stadium that includes 500,000 pounds of pea ice, 200,000 frankfurters, and 80,000 packs of cigarettes.] Bob Howard, General Manager of Libertyland, provides the Commission with the projected 1977 budget amounting to $1,172,421. 16 3 107-134 May 5, 1977- May 5, 1977: A letter from Dr. Malcolm Arth, June 2, 1977 Chairman and Curator of the New York Museum, “has highly complimented the Museum and stated it is one of which any city could be proud." June 2, 1977: Commission approves development of "Tanner Property at Central and Hollywood," but developers must put back as many trees as they remove. 16 4 135-170 July 7, 1977- July 7, 1977: Commission approves a new set Sept. 1, 1977 of admission rates to the Pink Palace Museum. Mr. Bob Howard reports that a total of $3,300,000 has been spent at Libertyland "and the job is pretty well complete."

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16 5 171-212 Sept. 20, 1977- Nov. 3, 1977: A proclamation of gratitude is to Feb. 2, 1978 be presented to Mr. Paul R. Coppock, "one of Memphis' most dedicated historians, for the fine work he has done informing Memphians of their heritage." 16 6 213-254 Feb. 2, 1978- Mar. 2, 1978: Larry Cox, Project Manager of May 4, 1978 Mud Island Development, says the City Council has appropriated $3.8 million for this project and that $300,000 has been set aside to purchase artifacts for the River Museum. Apr. 6, 1978: The Commission has applied to the Community Services Administration for a summer playground grant of $185,640. 16 7 255-266 May 4, 1978 May 4, 1978: The Commission endorses the plan of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum Board of Trustees to raise $450,000 to fund more permanent exhibits. [Item. Between pp. 260-261 are 17 un-numbered pages of bids.] 16 8 267-302 June 1, 1978- June 1, 1978: The new Park Commission July 20, 1978 greenhouses are very near completion. July 6, 1978: The Commission votes to permit the Confederate Flag to fly in Confederate, Jefferson Davis and Forrest Parks, all year long. [Item. Following p. 302 are four pages dealing with specifications for the Museum's new planetarium.] 16 9 303-344 Aug. 3, 1978- [Item. Following p. 316 are two maps, one Oct. 5, 1978 showing the Fairgrounds.] Oct. 5, 1978: Team dressing rooms at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium will be carpeted with "a material known as Ken-turf." The Commission approves moving the Antique Car Ride to make room for an outdoor ice skating rink. [Item. Following p. 344 is a map labeled “Airport Ownership” showing part of McKellar Park.] 16 10 345-392 Oct. 25, 1978- Dec. 7, 1978: Libertyland's Frost Festival will Jan. 4, 1979 be held from Dec. 19, 1978 through Jan. 1, 1979; "the Park will be in full operation.” Projected revenue is $405,000 with a net profit of $54,000. Jan. 4, 1979: Discussion of "contracting a large portion of the services provided by the Park Commission on the [Mid-America] Mall to a private firm"; savings may be at least $250,000 over 3-year period. 16 11 [Index] 1976-1979 [Item. Index to Book 16, of 29 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 16 (September 2, 1976 – January 4, 1979): Introduction and Excerpts

Three new Park Commissioners are appointed during this period. At first the familiar names are encountered, those of Chairman E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Harold J. Whalum, Jr., John E. Leake, Jr., Madge Harrison and John R. Malmo, but Pete Mitchell and Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. replace Whalum and Leake in October 1977 and Thomas “Tommy” Harkins replaces Malmo in March 1978. Members of the City Council attending the Commission meetings from September 1976 are Glenn Raines, Pat Halloran and J.O. Patterson, Jr., but Billy Hyman replaces Halloran in January 1977, Oscar Edmonds and Pat Halloran replace Raines and Patterson in January 1978, and Glenn Raines replaces Halloran in January 1979. The City’s new Director of Public Service, Wallace Madewell, replaces William C. Boyd at the first meeting in 1976; both he and the Commission’s Executive Director M.N. “Nat” Baxter and Legal Counsel Thomas Prewitt, Sr. are present at most meetings, until Baxter is replaced by Gordon J. Sprague in July 1978. Beginning in January 1977 and continuing midway through 1978, the reporters attending from the Commercial Appeal and the Press Scimitar are acknowledged as among those present.

Two apparently new topic headings for accounting purposes appear in the minutes of May 1977, “Approval of the Following Capital Improvement Budget [or Program] Amendments” and “Approval of the Following Appropriations,” and in December 1977 the Commission begins a tradition of “Recognition of New or Recently Promoted Employees.” In December 1976 Executive Director Nat Baxter announces that "at the beginning of each Park Commission meeting in the future, one of his Superintendents would take approximately ten (10) minutes to brief the Board on certain new aspects of their Department's operation." These will appear under the topic heading “What’s New?” “Letters of Appreciation” to the Park Commission have often been the last item mentioned before adjournment, but here in Minute Book 16 in the late 1970s this agenda topic has moved to the early portion of the minutes, following the topic “What’s New” and preceding the new topic of employee recognition. In this book very little supplementary material is bound in with a meeting’s minutes, aside from the occasional set of bid sheets. In later books this will change markedly.

It is worth noting that the number of Superintendents has increased, in line with the proliferation of the Commission’s activities. Under the leadership of the Executive Director there are now (at least) the following Superintendents of various divisions mentioned in the current minutes: Supt. of Recreation (Gerald McKinney); Supt. of Special Services (Robert Fouche); Supt. of Construction and Maintenance (John Lloyd); Supt. of Design and Construction (Larry Keenan); Supt. of Planning and Research (Harry A. McLeod); Supt. of the Fairgrounds Complex (Al Brown); Supt. of Golf Courses (William C. “Dub” Bowie); and Supt. of Stores (L.[Lonnie] F. Tant).

Names of probable new projects or facilities undertaken during this period are as follows, presented with the usual caveat that overfamiliarity or carelessness may have resulted in more than one name being assigned by Commission staff to certain items, or to items 144 already named in earlier minute books. New community centers are: Magnolia, Raleigh- Scenic Hills, West Parkway Village-Oakhaven, Fairley Road, North Frayser, and Raleigh- Willow Road. New tennis centers and swimming pools are: Oakhaven and Glenview Tennis Centers, and Whitehaven, Parkway Village, and Westwood Pools. New developments are: Whitehaven Lane Park Development, Southside Park Redevelopment, and Texas Courts Neighborhood Park; and bids are received for Walker Neighborhood Center, Harvester Hills Neighborhood Park, and Lester Community Center, Pool and Park Improvements. Name changes are: Redbud Park to Barton Heights Park; Whitehaven Baseball Complex to Will Carruthers Baseball Complex; Raleigh Recreation Complex to Harry C. Pierotti Recreation Complex; Hobby Center (in Tobey Park) to Sue Hicks Hobby Center; and American Legion Baseball Field at Halle Park to Tony Gagliano Baseball Field. The Commission makes two notable new acquisitions: the “Site G Acquisition,” i.e. Treasure Island in McKellar Lake; and the Armory Complex on the Fairgrounds, the latter through a land swap.

The increasing availability of Federal funds is noteworthy, as is the diligence shown by Commission staff in appreciating the opportunities provided. The Commission has applied for “E.D.A. [Economic Development Administration] – Public Works Program grants” (September 28, 1976); it has been awarded four public works grants which are “100% Federal money” (January 6, 1977); it negotiates with the Board of Education to be part of a U.S. Dept. of Agriculture program that would furnish 20,000 sack lunches this summer “at $0.86 per lunch” (May 5, 1977); CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) grants have allowed eleven Community Centers to be open more hours per day “to allow for Senior Citizen Activities” (October 6, 1977); the Commission applies to the Community Services Administration “for a summer playground grant of $185,640” (April 6, 1978); it applies for a National Endowment for the Humanities planning grant for the Mississippi River Museum (May 4, 1978); and it notes that the new Park Commission greenhouses “were constructed through an EDA grant in the amount of $186,000.” (June 1, 1978)

The so-called Mud Island Project gains momentum; “it is to be considered a [City] Council project” although the Commission will have input and eventually take it over. Bids are to be opened in December 1976 and it is hoped the park will open in May 1980. Commission staff is to recommend members of an Advisory Board in late 1977. The name of Mud Island itself is debated, but as a local historian notes, “the island has no official name. However, more people have referred to it as “Mud Island” over any other name.” Project Manager Larry Cox points out in March 1978 that the City Council has appropriated $3.8 million for the project; he mentions the planned tram, the $300,000 set aside for purchase of artifacts for the River Museum, and the “scale model of the lower Mississippi some five city blocks in length.” Libertyland Theme Park gives the Commission some concern because profit and loss statements are not being provided in a timely fashion. Its tax status is also being rethought. A total of $3,300,000 has been spent, making it “pretty well complete.” However, one more major ride is approved, “a combination of the Wabash Cannonball and a Loop Ride”; the Revolution will cost $1,500,000 although unanticipated expenses will add a further quarter-million.

Some concerns noted in the minutes are the operation of McKellar Lake Marina, the increase in littering in the parks (and around the city in general, leading to a partnership with the City Beautiful Committee), the hostility of Chickasaw Gardens residents to holding

145 the annual Crafts Fairs on Pink Palace grounds, the need to increase fees at the Pink Palace Museum and Overton Park Zoo, and the damage caused to park trees by Dutch Elm Disease and Oak Wilt. Some welcome news is that following renovations the Pink Palace Museum will reopen in 1977, that Supt. of Recreation Gerald McKinney is elected President of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Society, that Magevney House is to undergo archeological studies and restoration, that a new planetarium is installed at the Pink Palace, and that the Ornamental Metal Museum is to open soon.

Excerpts from Minute Book 16:

Pages 3-4 and 10, Sept. 2, 1976: Dr. Daniel Buechner "informed the Board that the people living on McKellar Lake face a natural disaster unless something is done very soon." Sediment is being deposited behind the Marina "as a result of the I-55 construction" and the Corps of Engineers "does not look upon McKellar as a part of their Federal Waterways and will not . . . dredge out the sediment." Supt. of Recreation Gerald McKinney reports that the Recreation Department's 1976 Summer Program was "the largest program ever in attendance," totaling 2,980,756 participants.

Page 20, Sept. 28, 1976: No provisions have been included in the Capital Improvement Program request for Senior Citizens; Comm. Whalum "stated the Senior Citizens are concerned about having to use community centers which are frequented by youth; they are afraid of being intimidated. In their own centers, they would not be faced with such problems." Commissioner Malmo sums up by saying "Memphis is a poor city and must learn to live on a poor budget."

Page 22, Oct. 7, 1976: Representatives of the Peabody Senior Citizens Center say "they have been offered facilities at St. John's Methodist Church by the Pastor until such time as a permanent building might be available." The Commission responds that a special meeting will be held during which "the Commission's objective will be to determine whether it needs to become more heavily involved in these programs or to pull back from them which it is not at all inclined to do. Chairman Ferguson stated the Board feels it is a function of the Park Commission to provide recreation for everyone. Of course, money must be discussed in the process."

Pages 35-36, Nov. 4, 1976: For about two years part of Overton Park has been closed to traffic, but now thought is being given to opening it up again, partly in view of "the recent decrease in revenue" although the latter could also be due to the opening of Libertyland. Perhaps the new Zoo director being sought now should be "a good business administrator and publicity man . . . rather than a veterinarian."

Pages 44-46, Dec. 2, 1976: The Memphis Pink Palace Museum Board of Trustees has adopted the policy of charging each adult $1.00 and children 6-12 years old $0.50. "Based on opening the [renovated] Museum January 1, 1977, projected revenues were some $98,000. However, opening date is now set for February 27, 1977." Attorney Thomas Prewitt informs the Commission that "The [Memphis] Blues [baseball] team has left the premises, but has also left a great deal of personal property there. . . . [H]e has also learned that the Internal Revenue Service has a lien on the property for unpaid taxes and, in his opinion, it is of greater value than the Park Commission has." He recommends direct

146 cancellation of all Board agreements with the team, and furnishing the IRS "with all the information at hand on the property."

Pages 59 and 61, Jan. 6, 1977: The Commission sends the City Council an amendment to the proposed anti-fishing ordinance, which currently reads: "It shall be unlawful for any person to bathe or fish in any of the waters or fountains, or cast any substance therein, or disturb or interfere in any way with the fish, birds, or animals within any public park, parkway, square or place," adding the words "Except that the Park Commission may authorize fishing in one or more of the lakes under its jurisdiction and adopt rules and regulations in respect thereto, and post appropriate signs to give the public notice thereof." Libertyland has been requested several times to provide a profit and loss statement for its first months of operation, but the Commission "has been informed that due to certain problems this has not been possible.” Executive Director Nat Baxter says he has given Libertyland "a final time limit of February 1, 1977, to present this information."

Page 66, Feb. 3, 1977: In his "What's New?" report, Supt. of Construction and Maintenance John Lloyd informs the Commission that the weather has been a problem this winter; "Where recreation is in progress, the thermostats are being set on 55 degrees. This action has been taken in an attempt to eliminate the possibility of having to cut fuel off completely."

Pages 74-75 and 78, March 3, 1977: The current landscaping plan for King-Riverside Park "calls for removal of the existing Pavilion . . . And installation of a parking area for the Golf Clubhouse.” The Commission agrees that the Libertyland lease should be reassigned from the Mid-South Fair Association, Inc. to Libertyland, Inc. for tax reasons.

Page 93, April 7, 1977: About a year ago the Zoo Action Patrol requested permission to operate a gift shop, and it was granted although that approval was not reflected in the minutes; a motion approving this policy is now made and carried.

Page 106, May 5, 1977: The problem of littering in the parks is very serious. Commissioner Malmo suggests requiring a maintenance deposit of groups using the parks, and Chairman Ferguson suggests finding "a method of getting individuals to accept some pride and responsibility," proposing "that the news media begin a publicity campaign to affect that result."

Pages 116-117, 119-120 and 121, June 2, 1977: Supt. of Recreation McKinney reports that "With the rapid growth of skateboarding, tournaments were held recently at the Raleigh and Willow Road Community Centers." The number of gyms open this year "has been cut from 30 to 16 due to problems with the City's operating budget." There is further discussion of how to manage the Fairgrounds flea markets, because some operators of the markets have requested that "they be granted exclusivity in the use of these buildings. . . . This is a very sensitive problem." The Commission discusses a proposed ordinance "Regarding Consumption of Alcoholic Beverages on Park Commission Properties." Mr. Baxter says "the baseball and softball teams are consuming these beverages to excess. The umpires are having problems with them in this respect."

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Pages 137-139, July 7, 1977: The Commission recommends an ordinance to the City Council stating that "It shall be unlawful for any person to consume any beer or other alcoholic beverage in any of the public parks or areas under the jurisdiction of the Park Commission, except in such enclosed buildings or other structures as are specifically designated and authorized by the Park Commission." The Commission approves a set of revised admission rates to the Pink Palace Museum, taking into account the new free admission policy for Museum members and a charge for admitting groups of students.

Pages 150-151 and 156, Aug. 4, 1977: Mr. J.C. Levy, who has operated rides on the Fairgrounds and at the Zoo for 27 years, appears before the Commission to discuss his hobby, "The Talking Phone." He wonders how many people at the meeting have ever called 278-2370, "stating those who have not, have been spared to this point." Mr. Levy said "he believed The Talking Phone is an important advertising medium for the Memphis Zoo . . . As of July 22nd, a total of 3,270,428 calls have been received." The Commission thanks him "for his humorous and interesting presentation, as well as for his contribution to the Overton Park Zoo and Aquarium." The Commission approves a new admission rate for students at the Overton Park Zoo, $0.20 for Shelby County students and $0.25 for students from outside Shelby County.

Pages 164-165 and 169-170, Sept. 1, 1977: The Commission supports a move by the Pink Palace Museum's Board of Trustees "to offer a large, unfurnished room at the Museum for a temporary display of Elvis Presley artifacts or mementos which might be procured. These could be housed there until completion of the Island Museum. Wallace Madewell stated he has been appointed . . . to serve on a committee to look into a permanent memorial in memory of Elvis Presley." The Commission discusses the naming of "Mud Island." The Commission unanimously votes that "those properties under jurisdiction of the Memphis Park Commission be named Mud Island, including those projects built thereon."

Pages 173-174, Oct. 6, 1977: Mr. McKinney reports that “participation at Peabody Senior Citizens has greatly increased because of the move to St. John's Church. The overall attendance is up some 40%.” Commissioner Harrison objects to the idea that either McKellar Park or Overton Park be named in memory of Elvis Presley.

Pages 190-191 and 193, Nov. 3, 1977: The Commission and the State of Tennessee will jointly fund a study of the Magevney House. "The program will give the Commission some indication of what is original in the House and what has been restored. When the Park Commission obtained the Magevney House in 1943, the facility was in bad condition. Funds were appropriated to restore it. Bob Sullivan said he has reason to believe there were very extensive alterations made to the house. The report would show what needs to be done to bring it back to the original state. . . . The Magevney House Staff is now reduced to saying "we think" that this is the way the house was." A proclamation of gratitude is to be presented to Mr. Paul R. Coppock, "one of Memphis' most dedicated historians, for the fine work he has done informing Memphians of their heritage."

Page 201, Dec. 1, 1977: The Commission and Zoo Staff are informed that "Mr. Marlin Perkins of "Wild Kingdom" fame has agreed to be the guest at Zoo Day on June 18, 1978."

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Page 209, Jan. 5, 1978: The Commission will propose at its next meeting to name the Raleigh Recreation Complex after the late Judge Harry C. Pierotti, who "served on the Park Commission Board for almost two decades and was Chairman for some fourteen or fifteen of those years."

Pages 217-218, Feb. 2, 1978: The Commission approves negotiation with Mr. Andy Fox "on a contract to produce a Policy & Procedure Manual for the Commission" because currently it "operates under certain policies which are not citywide, and these need to be put together under one unit." The Commission approves a contract with Memphis Soccer Club, Inc. "covering rental of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium." Dan Wilkinson, Chairman of the Libertyland Committee, informs the Board there will be a 10% increase in the admission fee in 1978; "Last year, Libertyland reduced its operating deficit but did not operate in the black."

Pages 256, 261, 264 and 266-267, May 4, 1978: The Commission endorses the plan of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum Board of Trustees to raise $450,000 to fund "the next major segment of the Museum's permanent exhibits." The reduced fee structure at John Rogers tennis facility seems to have helped; play is up almost 50% over last year. The Foundation for establishing the Ornamental Metal Museum plans "to start actual renovation within 30 to 60 days and have set a tentative opening date for February, 1979." Mr. Baxter will resign at the end of the month; he "said the Memphis Park Commission is the finest in this country, as [is] its staff, and that it has been a sincere pleasure to work with and for the system over the past 25 years."

Page 269, June 1, 1978: Several citizens urge the Commission to reinstate the policy of flying the Confederate Flag in Confederate, Jefferson Davis and Forrest Parks on the same five holidays when it used to be flown. A member of the Sons of Confederate Veterans states "the two races are now getting along marvelously in Memphis" and he believes "the racial overtones have long been overplayed.”

Page 298, July 6, 1978: The Chickasaw Gardens Homes Association demands "that the Memphis Pink Palace Museum grounds not be used for the Crafts Fair” and requests a meeting with the Board. Attorney Prewitt says “a Court would have to rule as to whether this use of the property offends" certain covenants in the deed. The Commission will meet in due course with both the Board of the Crafts Fair and the Association.

Page 299, July 20, 1978: The Commission receives bids (in the range of $1.1 million) for construction of the Lester Community Center, Pool and Park Improvements.

Pages 305-306, Aug. 3, 1978: The Commission approves installation of electric meters at each slip at McKellar Lake Marina; boat owners use a lot of electricity. "[S]ome of the tenants leave their air conditioners on at all times, as well as their heaters during the winter."

Pages 326-328, Sept. 7, 1978: Charles Wilson, Director of the Zoo, requests $25,000 to purchase two Orangutans; he states "the Orangutans are those which have appeared on the Johnny Carson show. . . . In order to purchase these animals, Mr. Wilson said he first had to secure a permit from the Federal Government to purchase an endangered species. . . . This

149 particular purchase will require the Mayor's approval" as it is more than $5,000. The first list of artifacts to be purchased for the River Museum is submitted; it includes riverboat sidelamps, four deck chairs, and "Bullets embedded in wood.” Artifacts to be investigated for purchase include a Confederate belt and buckle and a Union Naval sword and sheath.

Pages 339-340, Oct. 5, 1978: The Commission approves the terms of a property swap with the Tennessee National Guard, trading the 15-acre Armory complex at Hollywood and Central with 30 acres owned by the Commission, part of McKellar Park. "[T]he [City] Council finds that it is in the best interest of the City of Memphis to acquire said 15.112 acre tract for public use purposes . . . The existing structures and grounds at the Armory site can be used for improvement of the Stadium Complex."

Page 348, Nov. 2, 1978: Four more ladies restrooms for the Stadium are to go out on bid soon.

Page 364, Dec. 7, 1978: Mr. Fouche, Supt. of Special Services, reports that the Ornamental Metal Museum "would be ready to open on February 6, 1979." Chairman Ferguson believes "this is a tremendous organization with much greater scope than he had realized."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 17 (January 18, 1979 – December 6, 1979)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. This book, the first of a series of minute books containing the minutes of a single year only, frequently has material bound in following the minutes of each meeting, much of which consists of tables of bids. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 17 1 1-38 Jan. 18, 1979- Feb. 1, 1979: Whitehaven Tennis Center, under Apr. 5, 1979 construction, is damaged by high winds. Other construction is "being done at Frayser, Riverside, Bellevue and Glenview Tennis Centers." Mar. 1, 1979: Mr. John Tapp, "General Foreman in charge of Maintenance at the Memphis Zoo" leaves the Park Commission after almost 26 years. 17 2 39-72 May 3, 1979- May 3, 1979: A long list of Mississippi River June 7,1979 Museum artifacts is approved, including a Palmetto Musket and a Tree-fluted Brass Steamboat Whistle. A resolution is passed requesting the City Council to close Cherry Road through Audubon Park, "and that the road . . . be designated a "park" road." [3 Items. Following p. 52 are three pages of "Policy for After Hours Usage" of the Pink Palace Museum, one page about the "Proposed Medical Exhibit" there, and two pages of Mississippi River Museum "Artifact Acquisition Approval List".] 17 3 73-92 July 5, 1979- [3 Items. Following p. 82 are 5 pages of Aug. 2, 1979 tentative budget and plan of the Pink Palace "Boom Era" Exhibit; resolution signed by principals of the Memphis Pink Palace Museum and the Commission stating that setting the Museum's thermostats at 78 degrees F (as President Carter's energy conservation program has requested) "will cause damage to historic and natural history collections” in the museum, and a copy of the new Recreation Department's newsletter, The Agenda for July 1, 1979, describing three CETA (Comprehensive Employment and Training Act) grants to the Recreation Dept., the variety

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shows to be presented as part of the "Arts in the Park" program, the new "beep ball" baseball-type game for the sightless that will be conducted on Tuesday afternoons "behind the Doughboy Statue in Overton Park,” etc.] [Note that pages 93 and 94 of minutes are absent, but minutes appear to be complete.] 17 4 95-118 Sept. 6, 1979- Sept. 6, 1979: Mrs. Eldon Roark thanks the Oct. 4, 1979 Park Commission for honoring her late husband by naming the new facility in Whitehaven the Eldon Roark Tennis Center. Oct. 4, 1979: The Commission approves use of Tom Lee Park by Methodist Central Hospital "for promotional pictures . . . [in] recruiting brochures for the hospital." [2 Items. Among other minute-related material following p. 118 are a copy of the standard Riverside Park Marina Inc. berthing lease with rules and regulations for the use of the marina, and a discussion of the “Park Ranger Proposal.”] 17 5 119-136 Nov. 1, 1979- Nov. 1, 1979: Commissioner Wolbrecht Nov. 16, 1979 compliments the group working on the feasibility study of enlarging Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. The contract with Handicapped, Inc. is approved "with the stipulation that Handicapped, Inc. be contacted to have black representation included in the 1980 Executive Committee appointments." The Park Ranger Proposal is approved and "will be passed on to City Council for further action." Nov. 16, 1979: A special meeting passes a resolution supporting the location of the proposed Tennessee Mega-Zoo in Shelby County. [Item. Among other minute-related material following p. 136 is a (revised?) set of “By-Laws of Recreation Services for the Handicapped, Inc.] 17 6 137-146 Dec. 6, 1979 Dec. 6, 1979: Memphis is "still very much in the running" for the proposed Tennessee Megazoo. 17 7 [Index] 1979 [Item. Index to Book 17, of 42 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 17 (January 18, 1979 – December 6, 1979): Introduction and Excerpts

Previous minute books have covered periods from as short as three years to as long as ten. Beginning with the present book in 1979 and lasting through 1986 (Book 24), each minute book covers only one year. Most books in this group also include bound-in supplementary material following the meetings that the material pertains to – letters, property maps, bids, contracts, and the like. The minutes of May 3, 1979, for example, are followed by three sheets of "Disposition of Bids,” two sheets describing "Policy for After Hours Usage of the [Memphis Pink Palace] Museum exhibits and Planetarium facilities,” one sheet listing proposed new members of the Museum Board of Trustees, one sheet concerning the "Proposed Medical Exhibit" and its location in the Museum, and two sheets listing new Mississippi River Museum acquisitions that require Board approval. These are all related to topics discussed on May 3. Bid sheets comprise the largest amount of material thus bound in. (Although of course bids never disappear from the minutes proper; bound-in sets of bids such as these are shortened or summarized in some fashion when the items are discussed and voted on.)

Commissioners are long-time Chairman E.R. Ferguson, Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison, Tommy Harkins, Pete Mitchell and Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. Other regular attendees are Executive Director Gordon Sprague, Attorney Thomas Prewitt, Sr., and Glenn Raines of the Memphis City Council. (At the meeting of Sept. 6 the name of City Councilman Billy Hyman appears as an attendee, but at no other meeting, and City Council member-elect Barbara Sonnenburg attends the December 6 meeting.) Breaking a decade-long tradition, the City’s Director of Public Service is no longer in attendance, nor does that official attend in the future.

For a set of minutes covering only one year, this book records a considerable amount of new construction and other work being done on Park Commission properties. In addition to construction of the new Whitehaven Tennis Center or Complex (soon to be renamed Eldon Roark Tennis Center), the Frayser, Riverside, Bellevue and Glenview Tennis Centers are also given attention. Other structures mentioned here that appear not to have been named in earlier minutes are: Bellevue Park Tennis Center; “Hyde Park Sr. Citizens”; Orange Mound Senior Citizens Center; Tim McCarver Stadium; and Westwood Community Center. New (?) park names are: "Code North/Green Law Area Community Center & Park"; Dixie Heights Neighborhood Park; "Klondyke Area Park"; "Rozelle Area Park”; Trigg Neighborhood Park (or “Parkway Lauderdale Trigg Park” or “Trigg West Park”); West Junction Park; and Westside Park. Three older park names recur, but it is not stated whether they have been formally re-re-named: Charjean Park (which had been renamed Robert E. Weakley Park); Redbud Neighborhood Park (which had been renamed Barton Heights Park); and Wooddale Park (which had been renamed Walter K. Singleton Park). To confuse matters further, reference is made to a Singleton Park Basketball Court. Finally, sometime during this year or previously, the Commission has apparently been made responsible for improving the Mid-America Mall, judging by a payment recorded in the November 1979 minutes.

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The Sue Hicks Hobby Center is “honored with the Grumbacher, Inc. Award of Merit for having the most outstanding arts and crafts program in the nation,” while Executive Director Gordon Sprague is elected President of the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, and Superintendent of Recreation Gerald McKinney is "presented the Professional Fellow Award by the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, the highest award given by the Association."

Excerpts from Minute Book 17:

Pages 10-12, Feb. 1, 1979: "On February 14, 1978, Memphis City Council requested that the Planning Commission do a study of the waterfront." The completed report was presented to Council on Nov. 14, 1978, and after a public hearing on Jan. 12, 1979, it is presented here today by Mike Ritz. The five study areas are: 1. Tipton County Line to the Loosahatchie River; 2. Loosahatchie River to the Hernando Desoto (I-40) Bridge; 3. Hernando Desoto Bridge South to the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge; 4. Memphis-Arkansas Bridge to the Desoto County, MS Line; and 5. McKellar Lake Area. Speaking of Area 3, it is recommended that “The cobblestone frontage on the riverfront be nominated for inclusion as an historic place in the Federal Register of Historic Sites. . . . [And that] A detailed development plan be prepared by the Center City Commission for the cobblestone wharf and the surrounding area.”

Pages 14-15 and 18-19, March 1, 1979: The Commission approves expanding the Zoo Action Program’s associate membership to include limited free admission; if services by ZAP volunteers "were translated into dollars, Mrs. [Margie] Schneider stated ZAP would have given over $45,000.00 worth of volunteer service to the City of Memphis." A new tennis court rental fee structure "will, hopefully, encourage play on public courts at all hours and by entire families." For example, the current charge per player for 1.5 hours is now $1. The new plan charges an individual player $72 per year (with senior citizens being charged half price), and a family will be charged $144 "regardless of number in family." The National Street Rod Association has promised to bring the National Streetrodders Convention to Memphis in every even-numbered year if their request to hold the event on the Fairgrounds in 1980 is approved; the request is approved.

Pages 35-36, April 5, 1979: Another list of artifacts is approved for the Mississippi River Museum; it includes "Collection of Admiral Farragut's material" and three chewed hospital bullets.

Page 39, May 3, 1979: "The Sue Hick [sic for Hicks] Hobby Center was recently honored with the Grumbacher, Inc. Award of Merit for having the most outstanding arts and crafts program in the nation. The award was accepted by Mrs. Jean Kirkbride, Director of the Center." The Commission has received three "special projects grants through Title VI totalling one-half million dollars" for three new programs. Recently senior citizens' activities were expanded in 20 community centers and one of the grants will further enlarge this program, while another "will be used to start a new outdoor wilderness program . . . which will include . . . camping, backpacking, canoeing, climbing . . ." The Park Commission summer program will begin the first week in June "with 140 playgrounds, 20 mobile units and 1800 softball/baseball teams."

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Pages 55 and 57, June 7, 1979: "The Department of Agriculture is helping in the Summer Food program which feeds 20,000 youngsters a day. This program started eight (8) years ago and is the 3rd largest in the country." The property at Whitehaven Lane and Auburn Road is named in honor of Mr. David Carnes, and the Whitehaven Tennis Complex in honor of Eldon Roark. Mr. Bob Fouche presents the proposal for the Clarence Saunders Grocery Store Exhibit. "That exhibit would be a replica of the original Clarence Saunders grocery store . . . located on the second floor of the new building . . . a walk-through replica 22' x 44'. The name of the store will be "Piggly Wiggly.” The Pitt-Hyde Corporation "has pledged total funding."

Pages 74-75, July 5, 1979: The upcoming "Boom Era" Exhibit at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum will be one of the Museum's major exhibits, being "a presentation of the years 1830 thru 1878." The Commission approves the appropriation and fund transfer of $15,000 "from Overton Park Expressway Relocation Project" to the Lewis Senior Citizens Center elevator construction project. (A copy of the latest “Agenda” is included, the newsletter of the Recreation Department of the Park Commission; it describes the three CETA [Comprehensive Employment and Training Act] grants to the Recreation Dept., the variety shows to be presented as part of the "Arts in the Park" program, the new "beep ball" baseball-type game for the sightless that will be conducted on Tuesday afternoons "behind the Doughboy Statue in Overton Park,” etc.)

Page 83, Aug. 2, 1979: Mr. Gerald McKinney introduces Mr. Jimmy Ogle, who from now on "will be in charge and co-ordinate all special events for the Recreation Dept."

Pages 96-98, Sept. 6, 1979: Mr. Avron Fogleman reports on "the proposed $1.2 million expansion program involving Tim McCarver Stadium. Proposed expansion and improvements will include: 4286 additional seats; 6 rest rooms (total of 10) . . . roof over 50% of seats; 7 additional concession areas; backs to all seats (9480); improved light system . . . Mr. Fogleman stated that he would finance $250,000 of the proposed project." After a detailed discussion of the pros and cons of holding the annual Crafts Fair on the Pink Palace Museum grounds, the Commission votes to approve use of the grounds for this purpose "for 1980, 1981 and 1982." It is reported that net profits from these fairs increased from $14,000 in 1973 to $44,000 in 1978; for seven years it would be about $250,000.

Pages 107 and 112-113, Oct. 4, 1979: “[Director of the Mississippi River Museum] Michael Sievers displayed several artifacts which have already been acquired and gave a brief description of the significance of each." The Board takes under advisement the recommendation of Glen Campbell, Administrative Manager, that a division of Park Rangers be created. They might help with crowd control at special events, public relations, park inspection for safety hazards, patrolling, general security, etc., "short of the police function."

Pages 119 and 131, Nov. 1, 1979: "Harry McLeod, Superintendent of Planning and Research, made a slide presentation of projects currently under construction or recently completed. Points of interest included Linear Park, Gaston Community Center, Audubon Golf Course, Goldsmith's Garden Center, Galloway Golf Cart Storage, John F. Kennedy Park, Eldon Roark Tennis Center, Westwood Pool, Walter Chandler Park, Goodman Clubhouse,

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Southside Park, North Memphis Community Center, and Lichterman House." "Mr. Gordon Sprague reported that the steam engine which has been donated to the Mississippi River Museum will be available for Board members to see on Wednesday, November 3, at 11:30 a.m."

Pages 137, 139-140 and 144, Dec. 6, 1979: John Lloyd, Supt. of Maintenance, reports the finding of "unexpected interior deterioration" of the Court Square Fountain, necessitating "a new contract for total and complete restoration of it." The 1981 Tennessee Recreation and Parks Assn. Annual Conference will be held in Memphis, and Mr. Gordon Sprague has been elected as 1981 President of the Association. Mr. Gerald McKinney, Supt. of Recreation, has been "presented the Professional Fellow Award by the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association, the highest award given by the Association." Touche Ross & Co. did an earlier study of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium expansion in 1973 and recommended encapsulation or doming of the Stadium. The now-complete 1979 study recommends improvements including "ramps, toilets, concessions, seating behind boxes, Stadium Club, elevators and encapsulation, for a total of $30 million." The Commission votes unanimously in favor of this expansion. The Commission approves the purchase of a Lowland Gorilla for $46,518.75; this "includes a fertility check, licenses, permits, fees, delivery, and insurance for 30 days. The approval to purchase this gorilla is contingent upon a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 18 (January 3, 1980 – December 4, 1980)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Material is bound in following the minutes of each meeting, much or most of which are tables of bids. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 18 1 1-16 Jan. 3, 1980- Feb. 7, 1980: The Memphis Old No. 7 Rugby Feb. 7, 1980 Club requests that the Tobey Park Rugby Field be renamed "in honor of the late Kenneth McBride . . . coach and president of the Old No. 7 Rugby Club. He played rugby in Memphis for twelve years and was a founder and supporter of this sport in the Memphis area." [Item. Following p. 16, among other material, are the 1979 and 1980 Libertyland budgets.] 18 2 17-40 Mar. 6, 1980- Mar. 6, 1980: The Commission accepts bids Apr. 3, 1980 totaling $76,359 for Miller and Budweiser beer "for Stadium use" and an unspecified amount "for the National Street Rod Association.” Apr. 3, 1980: Memphis in May would like to use Tom Lee Park. Since that organization "receives revenues from concessions and beer activities” the decision is subject to City Council approval (because beer is being sold on park property). 18 3 41-54 May 1, 1980 May 1, 1980: The Memphis Botanic Garden Foundation requests permission "to operate a gift shop at the Goldsmith Civic Garden Center, with all proceeds going back into the Foundation for the operation of the Garden Center. The gift shop would be staffed with volunteers." 18 4 55-80 June 5, 1980- June 5, 1980: The June Information Session July 3, 1980 will be held at the Raymond Skinner Handicapped Center. The Park Commission’s "1980/81 Budget Status Report" lists 36 categories. July 3, 1980: Michael Brown seeks to operate horse-drawn carriages in Overton Park, as he has done in Overton Square, for a 90-day trial period. The Commission approves, "with contract to include exclusion of certain 157

areas of the park." The Commission also grants the FBI permission "to use the radio tower on the Barksdale Boys Club property for a period of five years." 18 5 81-114 Aug. 7, 1980- Sept. 4, 1980: "The first baby gorilla conceived Oct. 2, 1980 by artificial insemination (named KWANZA, born 31 August 1980) died suddenly during the night of 3 September 1980." It may have died of pneumonia; "The mother had been excellent in her care of the baby." [Item. Following p. 104 are ten pages dealing with the consumption of alcoholic beverages in parks.] 18 6 115-126 Nov. 6, 1980 Nov. 6, 1980: The General Manager of Mud Island explains that it will become a major tourist attraction. The Commission approves the use of Handy Park by the Blues Foundation from June 1 through Aug. 31, 1981. If construction on Beale Street causes a problem, the Foundation should meet back with the Board. [Item. Following p. 126 are eleven pages dealing with the merger of the Memphis Zoological Garden and Aquarium, and the Zoo Action Program.] 18 7 127-140 Nov. 20, 1980- Dec. 4, 1980: Tentative delivery date for the Dec. 4, 1980 non-fluoridated drinking fountain in Audubon Park is early January, 1981. The new addition to Goldsmith's Garden Center will be dedicated and opened on Dec. 12.

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 18 (January 3, 1980 – December 4, 1980): Introduction and Excerpts

Commissioners are Chairman E.R. Ferguson, Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison, Pete Mitchell, Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. and new Board member John B. Maxwell (replacing Tommy Harkins). Present as usual at most or all meetings are Executive Director Gordon Sprague, Attorney Thomas Prewitt, Sr. and City Councilman Glenn Raines. Councilman Michael Hooks also attends the meeting of February 7. New Commission member Herbert Hilliard replaces Pete Mitchell at the August 7 meeting.

Bids and other miscellaneous material continue to be bound into the minutes, now joined by items such as "Agreement - Use of Park Property - Memphis Park Commission” (basically a lease governing use of park facilities) and, infrequently, material concerning park real estate, about the purchase or long-term lease of, or the sale of unused or surplus, parcels of land. An innovation is the formal agenda item, “Information Sessions,” to be held at various park venues; the note in the February meeting introducing this item speaks of “resumption” but such sessions do not appear to have not been mentioned earlier (unless the reference is to the “What’s New” sessions).

Two detailed Park Commission budget summaries (not simply the Capital Improvement Budget) appear in June 1980 for the first time since 1974. The "1980/81 Budget Status Report" for “FY’80” and “FY’81” has 36 categories called “Functions”. It will be recalled that in early decades of the Commission, monies were mostly allocated to specific parks, but these budget summaries consist of entries such as “Park Adm.,” Maint. Adm.,” “Parks” ($2,342,000), “Rec. Admin.,” “Zoo,” “Museum,” “Garden Center,” “Mud Island,” “Crafts/Music/Dance,” “Football/Soccer,” “Basketball,” etc. The total “Mayors Budget FY’81” is $17,513,379, the “Tentative Adjusted Budget FY’81” is $16,651,837, and the “Budget FY’80” is $15,554,771. The Commission receives a helpful grant of $655,2000 this year from the U.S. Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service.

Several new park projects are mentioned including a bike trail in northwest Memphis running between University and Watkins (a Community Development project), the installation of the Lewis Center elevator, an Audubon Park picnic area, and the Lichterman Park Nature Study Center (August 7). Tobey Rugby Field is renamed in honor of the late Kenneth W. McBride, “coach and president of the Old No. 7 Rugby Club. He played rugby in Memphis for twelve years and was a founder and supporter of this sport in the Memphis area,” and Frayser Community Center is renamed in honor of the late Ed Rice, "a lifelong Memphian, living his last 45 years in, and serving, the Frayser community. He . . . was more lovingly known as "The Mayor of Frayser"." (See February 7 and March 6.) A proposed large new soccer complex is described, to be located on Quince Road (November 6), and the new addition to Goldsmith's Garden Center will be dedicated and opened on December 12. References are seen to work done on “Elvis Presley Park.” (These are to the so-called Elvis Presley Memorial Park, a no-longer-extant plaza at Main and Beale Streets where the singer’s statue was located for some years.)

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Superintendent of the Zoo Charles Wilson receives the Commission’s congratulations at least twice in 1978. The March minutes note that he "has been appointed to serve a three year term on the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums Board of Regents for the school of professional management development of zoo and aquarium personnel. . . . This represents another example of the high esteem [with] which national organizations view the Park Commission staff." And in July he is cited for receiving a Letter of Appreciation from Robert O. Wagner, Executive Director/American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, congratulating him for the Zoo's "outstanding efforts at captive propagation"; the zoo's efforts at captive breeding "entitle the Memphis Zoological Gardens and Aquarium to Silver Propagator's Certificates."

Excerpts from Minute Book 18:

Pages 1-2, Jan. 3, 1980: “Douglas Noble has been chosen as the new Museum Director . . . [and] will begin his new position . . . on February 11, 1980." New Board member John B. Maxwell is introduced; he received his law degree from Vanderbilt, "was in the Nashville Legislature for two terms in the 1960s, and served on the Shelby County Quarterly Court for ten years." The Commission approves closing the Memphis Pink Palace Museum for a benefit party for "a permanent exhibit in the Museum which would cover the history of medicine as it relates to Memphis and the Mid-South region." The party will be held by the Memphis and Shelby County Medical Auxiliary which has raised $20,000 of the $75,000 goal.

Pages 7-8, Feb. 7, 1980: Information Sessions will be held each month at a different Park Commission facility for Board members and other interested parties. Two homeowners representing 104 residents around the Pickett Park area oppose building the North Frayser Community Center in that park, asking that it be built in Crockett Park instead, which is larger. However, based on the demographics and the site’s geography, their request is turned down, Pickett Park being deemed the most acceptable location.

Pages 17-18, March 6, 1980: Larry Cox, Project Manager for Mud Island, states "the monorail contractor will begin construction of the transit system in July of this year." The Phase III portion (marina, riverwalk, amphitheatre, etc.) will be advertised for bid in 7 to 10 days. Charles Wilson, Supt. of the Zoo, "has been appointed to serve a three year term on the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums Board of Regents for the school of professional management development of zoo and aquarium personnel. . . . This represents another example of the high esteem [with] which national organizations view the Park Commission staff."

Page 38, April 3, 1980: "Terry Holtshouser, who lives next to Medal of Honor Park, addressed the Board about problems incurred with citizens using the park. During the ten months he has been at this location, Mr. Holtshouser stated he had telephoned the Police Department approximately 300 times on various complaints which included burglaries, vandalisms, and open harassment of his guests. He has problems with automobiles parking behind and around his home; noise, littering, drinking and drugs, all occurring on his property." The Commission has offered to pay half the expense for a fence, but he does not think it would solve the problems. He suggests, among other things, erecting a gate at the park entrance, closing the parking lot at night, and adequately lighting the parking lot.

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Pages 42, 49 and 52-53, May 1, 1980: Mr. Joe Savarin representing the Blues Foundation requests permission "to use W.C. Handy Park during the months of June, July and August (three hours per day, seven days per week) for the purpose of presenting some local talent for entertainment." They wish to finance this entertainment by selling t-shirts, beer, hotdogs, etc. The Commission approves, contingent on City Council approval (because of the sale of beer). "A grant in the amount of $655,200 from the U.S. Heritage Conservation and Recreation Service was approved on March 27, 1980. This grant requires 30% in local funding (G.O. Bonds) and makes necessary [certain] changes in the Capital Improvement Budget." The amount of $230,587.55 is approved for an "Addn. to McCarver Stadium,” and $49,009.00 for "Seating/McCarver Stadium.” Commissioner Wolbrecht comments on "how proud we are of the great job" Avron Fogelman is doing with the Memphis Chicks Baseball Team.

Pages 65 and 67-69, June 5, 1980: New Board members are approved for the Lewis Center and the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. A proposal "to have a roller skating rental operation in Overton Park" is opposed by the East Parkway Association and by the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park, and is denied by the Commission. The Park Commission’s "1980/81 Budget Status Report" appears, giving "Budget FY '80" and "Mayor’s Budget FY '81" for 36 categories.

Page 71, June 19, 1980: At this special meeting, the Commission approves “an exclusive rental contract with Joe Davis for skating in Overton Park for ninety days, with limited merchandise to be sold."

Pages 73 and 80, July 3, 1980: The “What's New” agenda item features "Al Brown, Superintendent of the Fairgrounds, [who] presented slides and brief discussions of Libertyland, Memphis Chicks, Memphis Rogues, memorial plaques at the Stadium, Fred Hicks Flea Market, National Street Rod Association, and the Cotton Carnival." A Letter of Appreciation from Robert O. Wagner, Executive Director/American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, congratulates Charles Wilson for the Zoo's "outstanding efforts at captive propagation"; the zoo's efforts at captive breeding "entitle the Memphis Zoological Gardens and Aquarium to Silver Propagator's Certificates." Terry Holtshouser thanks the Board "for speedy measures taken to alleviate problems at Medal of Honor Park which were affecting he and his family."

Page 81, Aug. 7, 1980: Harry McLeod, Supt. of Planning and Research, brings the Board up to date on several projects: Texas Courts, Trigg East Park, Trigg West Park, the Orange Mound Senior Citizens project, a bike trail in northwest Memphis running between University and Watkins (all Community Development projects), the installation of the Lewis Center elevator, Audubon Park picnic area at Goodlett and Southern, and the Lichterman Park Nature Study Center.

Pages 93-95 and 102, Sept. 4, 1980: "The Chairman introduces new Board Member Herbert Hilliard. Mr. Hilliard, a former Memphis State Basketball player, is Branch Administrator and Senior Vice President for First Tennessee Bank." In connection with several requests to allow beer consumption in parks, the Commission discusses this issue; there is also an

161 ordinance change in the works. More work is done at Elvis Presley Park. The dedication of the restored Court Square Fountain will take place Sept. 11 at noon.

Pages 105, 109 and 112-113, Oct. 2, 1980: The third Memphis Funfest will be held Oct. 11 and will include new games: a "5,000 meter race, frisbee golf, hole-in-one contest, Old Games tournament, canoe tug-of-wars and a kite flying contest." The Commission approves contracting with the Iron Butterfly Co. "to bring in the 20th Century Dinosaur Exhibit from January 30 through April 4, 1982" to the Memphis Pink Palace Museum, and it votes to allow a construction company (for a fee of $5,000) to use Victorian Village Park "during construction of Juvenile Court . . . immediately across the street from the Park."

Pages 118, 120 and 123, Nov. 6, 1980: A new Mississippi River Museum artifact acquisition list is approved; it includes an 18th century British spontoon. Supt. of Recreation Gerald McKinney reports "on the proposed development of a soccer complex to be located on Quince Road. The complex will be built on approximately 75 acres of land and will consist of several junior and senior soccer fields, practice fields, a 5,000-6,000 seat stadium, parking and concession facilities. The total purchase price is $654,534.96." The City Council has adopted three new ordinances "concerning alcoholic beverages that have direct impact on the Memphis Park Commission."

Pages 130 and 135, Dec. 4, 1980: Judy Huff, Chairman of the Mid-South Crafts Fair, reported that the 1980 fair grossed $99,000 and netted $53,000, the proceeds going toward the Museum's expansion. Also, in 1980 "they did not receive any complaints, due to the Fair, from residents of Chickasaw Gardens." The Commission decides to delay leasing the concessions operations at the Fairgrounds, because "due to the loss of the pro soccer team, loss of interest in stadium seating expansion . . . staff felt that there were not enough attractions to warrant these concession operations."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 19 (January 8, 1981 – December 3, 1981)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Material such as bids and leases or other types of agreements with various parties is bound in following the minutes of most if not all meetings. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 19 1 141-150, Jan. 8, 1981- Jan. 8, 1981: The Commission "unanimously 1-8 Feb. 5, 1981 approved the FY'82-'86 Capital Improvement Program and Budget as presented by staff. (Copy of same attached.)" The next Information Session will be held at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum where the "Them Bones" exhibit will be shown and the "Boom Era" exhibit will be previewed. [Item. Bound in following the Jan. 8 minutes are three pages showing 1982-1986 Capital Improvement Projects.] Feb. 5, 1981: The new Curator of Lichterman Nature Center, Peter Money, is introduced. The next Information Session "will be held at Lester, the newest Community Center." 19 2 9-22 Mar. 5, 1981 Mar. 5, 1981: Staff is given permission "to reimplement the practice of reserving tee times" at Crockett, McKellar, Pine Hill and Riverside Golf Courses. [Item. Bound in following the Mar. 5 minutes are CIP budget materials, 1982-1986.] 19 3 23-44 Apr. 2, 1981- May 7, 1981: A letter from Marx and Bensdorf May 7, 1981 praises Jimmy Ogle for his brochures describing Park Commission activities. “They are using the brochures to welcome newcomers to Memphis and to make them aware of recreational opportunities." 19 4 45-62 June 4, 1981- June 4, 1981: [Item. Following p. 54 is a copy of July 2, 1981 the Commission’s “Fiscal Year 1982 Budget Summary.” The latter contains a column headed "Number of Positions Eliminated.”] 19 5 63-70, Aug. 6, 1981- Aug. 6, 1981: The Commission authorizes “a 73-82 Sept. 3, 1981 lease agreement with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary" for use of a building in the McKellar Lake area "in exchange for their assistance and special patrol services . . . in 163

hopes of alleviating" certain safety problems. [Note that pp. 71-72, between the Aug. 6 and Sept. 3 meetings, are absent, but the minutes of both meetings appear complete.] 19 6 83-104 Oct. 1, 1981- Oct. 1, 1981: The Commission approves Dec. 3, 1981 “request of Jan Gardner & Associates to conduct a bicycle race in Overton Park on October 10, and agreement to allow sponsor [Lowenbrau Beer] to dispense free beer to participants." It likewise approves a request by Jan Gardner & Associates "to conduct a run in Overton Park on October 31, 1981, called the "Goblin Gallop"." The sponsor, Miller Beer, will be allowed to sell beer to participants. Nov. 5, 1981: The 1981 Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association Conference will be held in Memphis on November 22-24. 19 7 [Index] 1981 [Item. Index to Book 19, of 11 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 19 (January 8, 1981 – December 3, 1981): Introduction and Excerpts

At the beginning of the year, Commissioners are Chairman E.C. Ferguson, Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison, Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., John B. Maxwell and Herbert Hilliard. Executive Director Gordon Sprague and Attorney Thomas Prewitt, Sr. are in attendance, as is Memphis City Councilman J.O. Patterson, Jr. who replaces Councilman and faithful attendee Glenn Raines. Ten-year veteran Commissioner Ferguson is replaced as Chairman by Maxwell in July, and Wolbrecht is elected Vice-Chairman in the place of Harrison (who continues however as a member of the Commission). Only four Commissioners are mentioned in the July and August minutes, but John Elkington is appointed to the Commission and attends in September, thus returning the membership to five.

The supplementary eight- to twelve-sheet sets of bids are no longer bound in with the minutes. Much more commonly bound in now are agreements with lessees about the use of park property and other forms of contracts, plus relevant correspondence, etc. One of the items bound in following the June 4 minutes is a page presenting the Commission’s "Fiscal Year 1982 Budget Summary"; subheadings are “80/81 Current Year Budget,” “Approved 81/82 Budget” and “Number of Positions Eliminated.” Categories include Park Administration, Maintenance Administration, Parks, Mechanics, Museum, Community Center, Lewis Center, Football/Baseball, Basketball/Volleyball, Playgrounds, etc. The “80/81 Current Year Budget” total is $13,174,542, and the “Approved 81/82 Budget” is $12,928,921.The column headed "Number of Positions Eliminated" ends with a tally showing that 101 “F/T" (full time) and 118 "P/T" (part time) positions might be eliminated. As pointed out in minutes of April 2, there are “tight budgetary reasons” for considering such measures. A relatively new agenda heading in the February minutes illustrates yet another manner in which funds may be shifted about: "Approval of Resolution Amending the FY'81 Capital Improvement Budget by Unappropriating Funds in Certain Projects and Transferring Allocations to Other Projects as Listed Below."

This year the Commission is awarded a substantial federal grant of $822,500 via UPARR, the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery program funded through the U.S. Department of the Interior. This will assist with the renovation of certain older facilities in desperate need of rehabilitation. The April "What's New" presentation concerns "new construction projects which have been recently completed or are in final stages . . . Gaston Park, Lincoln School Park, Overton Park Playground, Gooch Park and swimming pool, Rodney e parking lot, Belz Park, North Frayser Community Center, East New Chicago, Lester Community Center, Firestone Concession, University Park, Greenlaw Community Center, Medal of Honor Exercise Trail and King-Riverside Picnic area." Some items on this list are truly new parks or structures and not renovations: the North Frayser Community Center (site of the October “Information Session” held at its dedication and open house), Greenlaw Community Center (confusingly referred to in 1979 as "Code North/Green Law Area Community Center & Park"), Medal of Honor (Park) Exercise Trail, and King-Riverside Picnic area. Another three of these projects may be renovations to existing parks, or entirely new parks: Lincoln School Park, East New Chicago, and Firestone Concession. 165

Departing Commission Chairman Bert Ferguson is recognized "for many accomplishments during his tenure as Chairman of the Park Board. . . . During his term [since September 2, 1971], the Memphis Park Commission prospered and grew with the following additions: 14 [sic] Community Centers - Bickford, Douglass, McFarland, Riverview, Raleigh, Whitehaven, Westwood, Mitchell, Glenview, Lester, Harris, Greenlaw, and North Frayser; 6 Swimming Pools - Douglass, Lester, Riverview, Raleigh, Willow, and Westwood; 1 Golf Course - McKellar; 4 Ball Fields - Rodney Baber, Will Carruthers, and Gagliano, and remodeled Tim McCarver Stadium; 5 [sic] Tennis Centers - Whitehaven, Whitehaven Indoor, Wooddale, and Audubon Bubble; 4 New Buildings at the Memphis Zoo - Primate House, Pachyderm House, East Gate, and remodeled the East Gate; 4 Zone Offices. The Memphis Park Commission acquired the Lewis Senior Citizens Center and Orange Mound Senior Citizens Center. An Addition to the Pink Palace Museum was made. In sports, we had World Football and NASL Soccer at the Stadium, and Southern League Baseball at McCarver Stadium. We acquired land for a major Soccer Complex. Numerous smaller projects, modernization of building, etc., were accomplished.” In this recitation of accomplishments, some community centers appear to be mentioned for the first time: Bickford, Douglass, McFarland, Raleigh, Mitchell, Glenview, Harris, and North Frayser (although there may have been earlier allusions to their planning or construction, for example in the cases of Bickford, Raleigh, and Glenview).

The Memphis Park Commission takes no official notice in its minutes of the fact that on January 16, 1981, the United States Government and the State of Tennessee ended their 25- year-old attempt to extend Interstate 40 through Overton Park.

Excerpts from Minute Book 19:

Pages 141-142, 146 and 149, Jan. 8, 1981: In "What's New,” Douglas Noble tells the Commission about the upcoming "Them Bones" exhibit at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. "He said this is the first real in-house effort made by Pink Palace Staff to put such a presentation together using our own collections." The Commission unanimously approves its FY '82-'86 Capital Improvement Program and Budget. The Commission discusses the Alcoholic Beverage Ordinance and decides that McKellar Lake Marina and all golf clubhouses, patios and practice greens be “permanently exempted,” and that the Executive Director "exempt on an event-by-event basis" Memphis Pink Palace Museum, Goldsmith Civic Garden Center, the Zoo and the Fairgrounds. The Commission is awarded a grant of $822,500 by the U.S. Dept. of Interior for renovation of "some of our older facilities that are in desperate need of rehabilitation. (A copy of the FY ’82-’86 Capital Improvement Program and Budget is bound in with the minutes.)

Page 3, Feb. 5, 1981: The Commission will purchase an IBM Corp. "Electric Memory Typewriter for the Maintenance Department" for $2,182.50.

Pages 10, 14 and 17, March 5, 1981: The Commission decides to keep Overton Park roads open during the week and close them on weekends. It approves free admission to the Zoo on April 4, 1981, when the Zoo will celebrate its 75th Anniversary. "The Zoological Society also asked that a special concrete marker be poured on which the Society would mount a plaque to NATCH, "the little bear that started it all"."

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Pages 29-31, April 2, 1981: Some Hobby Center patrons object "to the placing of the Children's Theatre within the Hobby Center building,” fearing it will "change the atmosphere and . . . interfere with those classes." But the Commission reaffirms that "the Children's Theatre was, and is, a priority item in the 1982 CIP budget,” with Commissioner Harrison voting no. Fee increases are approved for swimming, tennis and golf, with Commissioner Hilliard voting no; the increases are "vital due to tight budgetary reasons."

Pages 35 and 40-41, May 7, 1981: Gerald McKinney informs the Board that “twenty members of the Peabody Senior Citizens Club had been invited and performed at the White House on May 3. They gave a presentation of "The Roaring 20's--Them Were the Good Old Days".” The Ambassador of Egypt attended the Memphis Pink Palace Planetarium show, "Egypt's Eternal Skies.” He said, “I don’t care if we have to move this entire Planetarium, piece by piece, to Cairo. I want the people of Egypt to see it.” The Commission approves a request from Federal Express for private use of the Memphis Zoo after hours on July 12 for which the company "will pay a flat rental fee of $5,000 plus $1,000 to cover expenses.”

Pages 46, 50 and 53, June 4, 1981: The Commission decides not to offer a reduced golf fee to the handicapped. Supt. of Special Services Robert Fouche has made this recommendation because staff has "determined that disability is a factor which is virtually impossible to define or monitor . . . [W]ith the various degrees of disability, how could the program be defined and implemented fairly or consistently?" The sixth annual Zoo Day will be held June 13. "Charles Beck, Curator of Reptiles, will be talking about the frog jumping contest on the "Marge Thrasher Show" on June 11 and John Stokes, Assistant Curator of Birds, will be promoting Zoo Day on "Good Morning From Memphis" on June 10." The staff recommends that an unused strip of land at Audubon Park be declared surplus and sold. Chairman Bert Ferguson is lauded by the Commission "for many accomplishments during his tenure as Chairman of the Park Board.” Bound in following the minutes of this date is a map of Audubon Park showing parcels of land bordering the park along Park Avenue and Perkins Road.

Pages 55-57 and 61, July 2, 1981: John Lloyd, Supt. of Maintenance and Construction, in an overview of “the impact of the current budget reductions and ensuing layoffs of personnel,” announces "a reduction of seventy-eight positions." The Commission renews for another year the lease agreement with St. John's Methodist Church "which currently houses the Peabody Senior Citizens Program,” and renews the lease with the National Ornamental Metal Museum Foundation for ten years. Hours during which the Memphis Pink Palace Museum is open to the public are reduced from 57 per week to 37 per week, "due to reduced funding for FY'82." The staff will try to arrange a lease with United Methodist Neighborhood Centers to operate Malone Swimming Pool “for a Five Year Period for the Purpose of Operating a Catfish Farm and Related Food Type Ventures."

Pages 68-69, Aug. 6, 1981: Staff will "negotiate a lease agreement with the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary" which has asked for use of a building in the McKellar Lake area "in exchange for their assistance and special patrol services . . . in hopes of alleviating" certain safety problems. A group of citizens who live next to Lichterman Park are concerned "about people who stay in the park until late hours of the night and feels that the park may

167 encourage attacks and other various problems." Bob Fouche explains that Staff is aware of the "intended use versus actual use of the picnic area.”

Pages 73 and 80, Sept. 3, 1981: Chairman Maxwell introduces new Board Member John Elkington, "a Memphis developer and realtor." The Commission grants a temporary easement to the U.S. Corps of Engineers at Mud Island "for the purpose of dredging Wolf River Channel" and sells a never-used strip of land at Audubon Park for $3,750. Attorney Prewitt explains that “monies derived from disposal of this property (and other such related transactions)” could only be used for acquisition of new park land.

Page 83, Oct. 1, 1981: "Chairman Maxwell presented [Zoo Director] Charles Wilson with two awards: A Certificate of Accreditation by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, and the Significant Achievement Award for the captive propagation of the Lowland Gorilla through artificial insemination."

Pages 95-96 and 98-99, Nov. 5, 1981: In addition to other lease agreements approved at this meeting, leases are signed for the following golf courses: Overton, Pine Hill, Audubon, Galloway, McKellar, Crockett, Riverside and Fox Meadows. The agreement for the Fox Meadows course calls for "One hundred dollars ($100.00) per month plus twelve percent of gross sales of food and refreshments in excess of $10,000.00 plus seven percent of gross rental on riding cards." The Commission approves an increase in Pink Palace Museum admission rates for adults from $1.50 to $2.00, and for children 5-18, senior citizens, and college students, $0.75 to $1.50.

Pages 101 and 103, Dec. 3, 1981: A letter from the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums to Charles Wilson acknowledges "successful first breedings of the Douc Langur, Nilgiri Tahr, South American Sideneck Turtle and White-necked Picathartes at the Memphis Zoo." The Commission approves appropriating $185,368 "for the purpose of rehabilitating the Skinner Handicapped Center . . . Source of funds is the Federal UPARR Grant . . ." (UPARR was the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery program funded through the U.S. Dept. of the Interior.)

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 20 (January 7, 1982 – December 2, 1982)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Material is bound in following the minutes of most meetings. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 20 1 105-124 Jan. 7, 1982- Jan. 7, 1982: The Commission renews its Feb. 4, 1982 agreement with Handicapped, Inc. to run Raymond Skinner Handicapped Center; "Handicapped, Inc. has agreed to raise $10,000 per year to be used for handicapped services." [2 Items: Following the Jan. 7 minutes are pages listing Capital Improvement Projects for 1982 and 1983, and the "Project [Priority] Ranking and Cash Flow Projection" for fiscal years 1983-87.] Feb. 4, 1982: [Item. Following these minutes are 14 pages of an agreement between the Commission and the Memphis Museum System (made necessary “because of increased activities” of the museum system), including by-laws of Memphis Museums, Inc.] 20 2 125-142 Feb. 18, 1982- Mar. 4, 1982: [2 Items. Following p. 132 is a Apr. 1, 1982 page giving Libertyland’s 1981 and 1982 budgets, and a set of four agreements for the use of Memphis Park Commission property for various Memphis in May activities: Tom Lee Park for the Sunset Symphony, the Barbecue Contest, and the International Festival; and Church Park for the Beale Street Music Festival.] Apr. 1, 1982: The Park Commission approves a contract with the Cotton Carnival for use of the Fairgrounds that takes account of "payment of past-due rent and rent that would be due under the new Agreement." 20 3 143-154 May 6, 1982- May 6, 1982: The Commission approves May 20, 1982 holding a rugby tournament during Memphis in May on the Overton Park Rugby Fields, and approves a $7,140 bid for 34 tons of horse chow for the Memphis Zoo. 20 4 155-166 June 3, 1982 June 3, 1982: In the What's New segment, "Don Pafford presented slides depicting the condition of Tom Lee Park after this year's 169

Memphis In May barbeque cooking contest. The park had pits and sunken areas, ruts from the traffic, water standing in areas, and litter strewn everywhere." 20 5 167-184 June 17, 1982- July 1, 1982: The Commission renews a five- Aug. 19, 1982 year lease of the lower level of St. John's United Methodist Church for a Senior Citizens Program. Commission also approves working with Levi Strauss & Co. Community Involvement Team "to install a permanent wheelchair ramp at the Skinner Handicapped Center." Aug. 5, 1982: The renovated Skinner Handicapped Center is now open to the public. 20 6 1-38 Sept. 2, 1982- Nov. 4, 1982: The Commission is given "an Dec. 2, 1982 overview of the condition of the field at the Stadium before and after the "Super Jam '82" concert, and measures taken to put the field back into playing condition." It approves a "resolution appropriating $112,687 for an animal rehabilitation building at Lichterman Park." 20 7 [Index] 1982 [Item. Index to Book 20, of 11 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 20 (January 7, 1982 – December 2, 1982): Introduction and Excerpts

The same Park Commissioners are in office as in 1981, that is Chairman John B. Maxwell, Vice-Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., Madge Harrison, Herbert Hilliard and John Elkington. As usual, Attorney Thomas Prewitt, Sr. attends most meetings, as does Executive Director Gordon Sprague until his resignation in March; thereafter no Executive Director is mentioned until Gerald McKinney is appointed in time for the November meeting. Glenn Raines of the Memphis City Council is listed as being absent from the February 4 meeting but his name does not appear for any of the other meetings. Councilwoman Barbara Sonnenburg attends the July meeting, and the Commission introduces a new major heading into the minutes, “Supplementary Agenda.”

A popular renaming takes place in June, with the naming of Overton Park Shell in honor of Raoul Wallenberg at the behest of Catholic Charities in Memphis, the Memphis Jewish Federation, and the National Conference of Christians and Jews in Memphis. The park located at Capital and Claybrook is named "Lucille Price Park" and the Commission approves renaming the Audubon Lake the "Ray Deaton Lake.” Bids are received for "Binghampton Park Site Improvements"; this park may not have been mentioned previously. The Children’s Theatre is dedicated and the newly-renovated Skinner Handicapped Center is once again open to the public. The National Guard vacates its Armory and property at the Fairgrounds for newer quarters near the airport, and the Park Commission will soon “assume control of the 15+ acres . . . Consideration is being given to relocating concessions and storage from the Stadium, Fairgrounds maintenance crew, and the Boxing Program." For the second time the Commission is asked to consider selling Columbus Park and for the second time declines.

At the January meeting it is announced that the Commission has prepared a Leisure Services Plan pertaining to the Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act. This is “required prior to the final release of some $1.5 million in federal grant funds” and “delineates problems facing the leisure service system in Memphis and portrays a plan of action for their resolution." Supplementary material to the January meeting provides an unusual amount of detail about Capital Improvement Programs for 1982 and 1983, as well as several future CIPs in the form of "Project [Priority] Ranking and Cash Flow Projection" for fiscal years 1983-87. The fiscal year 1982 CIP Project Status lists 27 items while 1983 has a further 26. A total of 69 projects are listed for years 1983 through 1987.

Beginning with Book 20, the Park Commission’s handling of its funding procedures as reflected in the Minutes becomes less complex. That is, seldom if ever do we now see mention of “unappropriating funds” or “transferring allocations” or “cancelling encumbrances.” We do still see approval of change orders, disposition of bids, resolutions appropriating funds or the moving of money from one Capital Improvement Project to another, approval to hire project consultants, and approval of payments. (The latter is usually in the form of a table that lists the company or contractor, the project number, the amount of the payment, and the percent of project completion that this payment for work 171 represents.) It is possible, although this is not a topic addressed in the minutes, that numerous resolutions seeking approval of various transfers, payments, allocations, etc., require approval of the City Council or of a city officer as defined by ordinance or policy.

Excerpts from Minute Book 20:

Pages 106-107, Jan. 7, 1982: The Dinosaur Exhibit will open Jan. 30 at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. The Museum will also exhibit "one of four copies of the Magna Carta" for three days.

Pages 118 and 122, Feb. 4, 1982: The Commission approves use of Tom Lee Park by the Blues Foundation, represented by Mr. Joe Savarin, to conduct free music festivals in June, July and August. It also approves use of Martin Luther King/Riverside Park by WLOK for the May 1 Stone Soul Picnic. Last October, laser light shows were shown "which grossed approximately $22,000. . . . As successful as the in-house laser productions were, problems arose that resulted in the decision to discontinue them in-house." But they will continue to be shown at the Planetarium through a contract with "a professional laserist."

Pages 127-128, March 4, 1982: Representatives of Catholic Charities in Memphis, the Memphis Jewish Federation, and National Conference of Christians and Jews in Memphis, seek "approval for the renaming of Overton Park Shell in honor of Raoul Wallenberg." He was "a Swedish Diplomat who . . . personally saved 100,000 Jews from execution at the hands of the Nazi High Command." At the end of the war he was captured by Soviet Occupation Troops and "has not been heard from since, but has been sighted in Siberian Prison Camps as recently as 1981." The "General Services Division of the City of Memphis has requested authorization to sell Columbus Park located at Third and Adams Streets." This is an 0.11 acre park, "vacant with the exception of an historical marker noting that this was the site of Nathan Bedford Forrest's early home."

Pages 134-135 and 139-140, April 1, 1982: The park located at Capital and Claybrook is named "Lucille Price Park.” The Commission approves the bid of Jim Dunn & Associates for "Custodial Maintenance / Liberty Bowl Stadium" for 1982-83 for a total amount of $30,664.46, and A&A Guard Service's bid to provide security to the Fairgrounds Complex (20,000 man hours), Stadium interior security (6,000 man hours) and Stadium parking and security, for a total of $163,804.18. After several concerned citizens address the Board "in opposition to the sale of Columbus Park,” the Commission decides not to sell it. The Commission votes to "apply for the summer feeding program grant. This grant is through the United States Department of Agriculture in the amount of approximately $450,000.00."

Pages 144-145 and 151, May 6, 1982: The Commission approves an appropriation of $83,775 for renovating the Dave Wells Community Center, and a bid by Hollywood Feed of $7,140 for 34 tons of horse chow for the Memphis Zoo. Magnolia Community Center will be dedicated on May 13, and the dedication of the Children's Theatre "will be held in the near future."

Pages 155-156, 160, 162 and 165, June 3, 1982: In the “What's New?” segment, "Don Pafford presented slides depicting the condition of Tom Lee Park after this year's Memphis In May barbeque cooking contest. The park had pits and sunken areas, ruts from the traffic,

172 water standing in areas, and litter strewn everywhere." The next Information Session will be held at the new Children's Theatre. The Commission approves an agreement with the River City Motocross Assn. "for a five year lease of land for the purpose of developing the site for a motocross course." Delta Refining Co. is granted "an additional 50 years to their original contract" (to occupy land at a corner of Martin Luther King - Riverside Park), “contingent on Mayor’s approval.” The Commission wishes to amend the FY'82 Capital Budget by adding a new project, to improve "King-Riverside Park roads and bridges with an allocation of $200,000." $125,000 would come from a donation by Delta Refining Co. A request is made "that the lake at Audubon Park be named the "Ray Deaton Lake" in honor of Mr. Ray Deaton. Mr. Deaton actively worked with children and adults and was master of ceremonies for the Mid-South Junior Fish Rodeo (which is held at Audubon Lake) for 30 years." "After much study and deliberation . . . the Park Board unanimously approved renaming the Overton Park Shell in honor of Mr. Raoul Wallenberg."

Pages 169 and 174, July 1, 1982: The Memphis Zoological Society raised about $22,000 for the American Cancer Society during this year's Zoo Day, a record amount; Commissioner Harrison is acknowledged for her hard work during this project. The Commission approves "renaming the Audubon Lake the "Ray Deaton Lake" for as long as the Fishing rodeo is held at the lake." Councilwoman Sonnenburg tells the Board that the City needs "camping grounds for out-of-town visitors,” suggesting that the Mud Island Greenbelt might be used; the Board will see whether “this would be economically feasible.”

Pages 177 and 181-182, Aug. 5, 1982: The renovation of the Skinner Handicapped Center "has recently been completed and is now open to the public." The Commission approves "appropriating $130,896.00, annual payment, to Walter D. May for the Soccer Complex." "Upon unanimous approval of the appointment of Gerald McKinney as the Executive Director of said [Park] Commission, an audience of approximately 100 supportive citizens and Staff gave Mr. McKinney a standing ovation."

Page 1, Sept. 2, 1982: "Commissioner Harrison presented Charles Wilson with the Governor's Distinguished Service Award for the Memphis Zoo's work with the handicapped and mentally ill."

Pages 9 and 16, Oct. 7, 1982: Glen Campbell, "who previously held the position of Administrative Manager to the Director, has been selected as Superintendent of Recreation. Mike Hjort, who was previously Assistant Superintendent of Recreation, has been promoted to the position of Administrative Manager." The National Guard will have moved away from the Fairgrounds property at Central and Hollywood and relocated at "the McKellar property" by the end of December. "The Park Commission will then assume control of the 15+ acres and must place in the 1983 CIP Program any priorities involving the land and buildings. . . . Consideration is being given to relocating concessions and storage from the Stadium, Fairgrounds maintenance crew, and the Boxing Program." Tom Lee Park is added to "the previously approved list of areas which give the Executive Director authority to approve" the possession, consumption and sale of alcoholic beverages; this is because "Tom Lee Park has become a "special purpose" park used primarily for festivals and special events."

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Pages 27-28, Nov. 4, 1982: The Commission approves the request from Memphis Arts Council to use Tom Lee and Confederate Parks for the Fourth of July celebration for the next five years (1983-87). The Commission also approves the request of Memphis In May to use Tom Lee Park and Church Park for 6 events in May 1983; the litter deposit for each is $600. Concession fees for these events are $50 for each food and/or soft drink concession stand and $100 for each beer concession stand. The Beale Street Development Corporation may be allowed to lease Handy Park (currently 95-98% complete) for the next five years, for "planned promotional activities in this park almost every day of the year.” However, the leasing arrangement will have to take account of the increased maintenance this heavy daily use would entail, because "there are no funds in the [Commission] budget for such use."

Page 31, Dec. 2, 1982: The Memphis Park Commission has received the following awards from the Tennessee Recreation & Parks Association: Commissioner's Award for Programming (for Kountry Kamp); Commissioner's Award for Recreation Planning (for Year 2000 Leisure Services Plan); TRPA Cultural Arts Award (for Theatre Mobile slide presentation); TRPA Lifetime Memberships for long time service in Recreation presented to Elmer Henderson and Lenora Sigman (retired employees); and TRPA Certificates of Appreciation to all Board Commissioners.

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 21 (January 6, 1983 – December 21, 1983)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Supplementary material is bound in following the minutes of most meetings. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 21 1 39-60 Jan. 6, 1983- Jan. 6, 1983: [Item. Bound in are two pages of Mar. 8, 1983 “Project Ranking, FY 84-88, Capital Improvement Program” (totaling 51 projects) and a plan relating to "repayment of Libertyland debt . . . operating revenues from Libertyland Theme Park have been below projections."] Feb. 10, 1983: Supt. of Recreation Glen Campbell explains that with concession rights at softball and baseball fields, "first priority has always been given to neighborhood groups, second priority to adult groups and third priority to miscellaneous teams who participate." Mar. 8, 1983: The Commission receives a Community Development Block Grant of $60,000 for the purchase of four vans for the Recreation Dept. 21 2 61-70 Apr. 7, 1983- Apr. 7, 1983: Supt. of Recreation Glen Apr. 16, 1983 Campbell reports on video games in community centers, and recommends "that they be added to the game rooms of all community centers, contingent on the consent of each community center booster club." [2 Items. Bound in following p. 68 are a copy of bylaws of the Memphis Botanic Garden Foundation and a copy of a lease agreement for use of McCarver Stadium by Mid-South Professional Baseball, Inc.] 21 3 71-82 May 5, 1983 May 5, 1983: The Commission accepts a pledge of $100,000 from the Memphis Zoological Society “to replace the Reserve Bird House which was recently destroyed by fire.” [Item. Bound in is a copy of bylaws of the Lewis Senior Citizens Center.] 21 4 83-116 May 19, 1983- May 19, 1983: The Commission approves Aug. 17, 1983 "changing the regular board meetings to the Third Wednesday of each month (Executive 175

Session meeting at 12:30 and regular meeting at 2:00 p.m.).” June 2, 1983: Commission approves the 1984 Memphis In May Exhibit, "Ceremonial Objects of Ancient Mexico," for the amount of $3,525; it will be on display at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum. Olin Morris, President of the Mid-South Fair, requests approval to operate Bingo at Libertyland on three days of the week during the summer, and during the Mid-South Fair. Approved, "contingent on following all State regulations." July 20, 1983: The Commission approves the use by Memphis State University of "corner signs and paid advertising at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium." Staff is instructed "to contact any other schools who also play in the Stadium and make them aware of this opportunity." [2 Items. Following p. 110 are two agreements, one with the Liberty Bowl Festival Association and one with Memphis State University, for use of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium for football games.] 21 5 117-126, Sept. 7, 1983- [Pages 127 through 130 are missing, but 131-156 Dec. 21, 1983 otherwise the minutes appear complete.] Oct. 19, 1983: “What's New” presentation by Glen Campbell includes slides of several programs: "Fall classes at the community centers, the Armory project and programs, the new Golden Olympics program, and dedication of the new Rozelle-Annesdale Park." [Bound in is a one- page agreement with the Plough Foundation concerning its grant of $100,000 to the Aquarium Fund.] Nov. 16, 1983: The contract with J.C. Levy to operate amusement rides at the Memphis Zoo is renewed; "The Park Commission will receive 30% of the gross receipts from the operation." [Item. Following p. 142 is a map of the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium.] 21 6 [Index] 1983 [Item. Index to Book 21, of 12 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 21 (January 6, 1983 – December 21, 1983): Introduction and Excerpts

Members of the Park Commission in 1983 are Chairman John Maxwell, Jr., Vice-Chairman William Wolbrecht, Jr., Madge Harrison, Herb Hilliard and John Elkington. In November, Hilliard is replaced by Shelby State Community College Basketball Coach, Verties Sails, Jr. As usual, Executive Director Gerald McKinney and Attorney Thomas Prewitt, Sr. attend most meetings. Another regular attendee now is City Councilman A.D. Alissandratos, usually joined by fellow Council member Barbara Sonnenburg, and occasionally, resuming a lapsed practice, by one or another City official: Mike French, “Asst. Chief Admn. Officer”; Ray Daniels, “Deputy Director/Public Service”; Virginia Rutledge, “Director of Finance”; Paul Gurley, “General Services Director”; or Ray Kinney, “Administrative Assistant to CAO.” Mayor Richard C. Hackett is present in April for a consideration of the Fiscal Year 1984 operating budget. In the course of the year, some major changes take place in the Commission administration: Robert R. Schuyler, Secretary of the Commission since 1957, retires in February and is replaced by William M. Hjort; Thomas R. Prewitt, Sr., Park Attorney since 1959, retires in December; and Executive Director Gerald McKinney’s year- and-a-half-old appointment to that post is rescinded in November and Mr. Allie J. Prescott, III is appointed in his place. A new topic, “Old Business,” is introduced into the minutes.

Klondyke Pool is a new construction, and note may be taken of the soccer venues mentioned at the December 17 meeting. Of these (Kennedy, Jackson, Berclair, O'Brien, Willow, Wooddale, Wilson, Oakhaven, McFarland, and Sea Isle), the name “Berclair” as a park or field does not seem to have been mentioned previously. Also cited in December is the fact that the Commission will soon take up the “rehabilitation” of the National Guard Armory buildings on the Fairgrounds. Dedication of “the new Rozelle-Annesdale Park” is referred to on October 19; these names as parks have earlier been mentioned separately, but this may be the first time they appear together and hyphenated. West Junction Park is renamed in honor of Mr. Alonzo Weaver, and the name of Alabama Street on the Fairgrounds is changed to "Bear" Bryant Street. Finally, the Commission agrees with Memphis City Schools "to change the name of Firestone Stadium to Charles Greenhill Memorial Field" after a former Memphis State University Football player.

It appears that water-related and other structural problems persist at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. From time to time during the year, references are made to “waterproofing expansion joints,” “grout and stabilizing footers,” “caulking, injecting and rebonding,” “elevator and custodial maintenance,” “painting light towers and press box,” more “waterproofing,” “repair of cracked and spalled concrete,” “repair of pilings and footings,” and more “water rehabilitation.”

Earlier reluctance to engage park facilities in commerce appears to have been evaporating for years; in this book it is worth noting the advertisements authorized at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium during Memphis State football games, and the approval of selling advertising to sponsor tee hole signs at park golf courses.

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Continuing the practice seen in Minute Book 20, the Park Commission’s Fiscal Years 1984- 1988 Capital Improvement Program is presented in considerable detail (January 6). Some of the 51 items are: Rank 01 (at the top of the list), “Museum PH. [Phase] IV Exhibit,” $330,800 (FY 84) and $220,000 (FY 85); Rank 07, “Armory Rehabilitation,” $385,000 (FY 84) and $200,000 (FY 85); Rank 21, “Cat Country-Zoo,” $50,000 (FY 84), $300,000 (FY 85), and $487,000 (FY 86); Rank 38, “Pink Palace Reroofing,” $165,000 (FY 86); Rank 44, “Mphs. Botanic Garden PH. II,” $350,000 (FY 87); and “Fairley C/C” (Community Center), $700,000 (FY 88).

Excerpts from Minute Book 21:

Pages 39 and 45, Jan. 6, 1983: Doug Noble, Director of Museums, reports on "Project Pink,” the arrival of a "real" museum system. It includes “one of the largest history and science museums in the southeastern United States with planetarium. The "system" includes the oldest residence left standing in the City of Memphis and a brand new nature center scheduled to open in April 1983." The Commission approves naming the Texas Court property in honor of Jack and Garrett McNeill. Bound in is the Commission’s Capital Improvement Program consisting of 51 projects to be undertaken during the next five years.

Pages 47-48, Feb. 10, 1983: "The Chairman expressed a special welcome to Council Members Sonnenburg and Alissandratos. Special recognition was given to [Secretary] Mr. R.R. "Bob" Schuyler who is retiring after 37 dedicated years to the Park Commission. Bob will be missed by one and all!" Gate admission is increased for Libertyland; General Admission goes up from $6.50 to $8.75.

Pages 58 and 60, March 8, 1983: "Dr. Charles Crawford, Chairman of the Shelby County Historical Commission, came before the Board requesting that Ashburn Park be renamed in honor of Mr. Paul Coppock." Records indicate that he is responsible for the park's existence today. "In 1953 when Mr. E.H. Crump decided to sell the park, it was Mr. Coppock's newspaper crusade that saved the park. On at least two occasions he defended the park against proposals to convert it" to other use. West Junction Park is renamed in honor of Mr. Alonzo Weaver.

Pages 61 and 65, April 7, 1983: Letters of appreciation commend the Commission staff on an excellent job in hosting the 1983 Regional National Recreation and Park Association Conference in March, and thank Commissioner Harrison "for hosting a reception in her home" during the Conference. The Board approves William M. Hjort to fill the position of Board Secretary. "After much consideration and thought,” the Commission rejects renaming Ashburn Park.

Pages 71 and 79, May 5, 1983: The Commission authorizes "application for a UPARR [Urban Park and Recreation Recovery Act] grant for the rehabilitation of nine [later ten] swimming pools and four community centers." The application will be for approximately $2 million and "the local match will be 30%, or approximately $400,000." The Commission will "seek a United States Department of Agriculture Grant in the amount of approximately $675,300 to provide summer youth lunches at various playgrounds for the 1983 program." Glen Campbell recommends that video games be placed "in certain selected community

178 centers.” During a six-week trial period, "machines were placed in supervised game rooms which also contained other various table-type games and he felt that the machines added "color, glamour, and sound" to the centers. Some people who came in to specifically play the video machines also became involved in other activities." No problems arose.

Pages 105-106, July 20, 1983: Based on certain criteria, "the Director recommended the Board approve, in principle, the potential lease agreement with Logan Young, representing an expansion franchise in the United States Football League." The legal counsel for the prospective franchise expressed "their excitement and pleasure surrounding bringing professional football to Memphis, particularly with creditable local ownership. . . . Mr. Fred Smith, Chairman of Federal Express . . . expressed his support . . . to Mr. Young's efforts." The Commission approves "the Logan Young United States Football League Franchise as the lessee . . ."

Page 112, Aug. 17, 1983: Jimmy Wilder, Marketing Director for Memphis State, informs the Board that Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium advertisements will be as follows: Northwest corner, Rock 103; Northeast corner, Old Milwaukee Beer; Southeast corner, Wendy's; Southwest corner, Goldsmith's; and the banner, Seessel’s. Commissioner Harrison expresses concern that “too much advertising [is] taking away from the beauty of the Stadium."

Page 117, Sept. 7, 1983: The Park Board approves a resolution allocating $1,110,000 for renovation of ten swimming pools; $777,000 will come from Federal UPARR funds and $333,000 from G.O. (General Obligation) Bonds.

Pages 120 and 123, Sept. 21, 1983: The Commission approves the names of fourteen citizens newly appointed to the Memphis Zoological Society Board of Directors and three newly appointed members of the Lewis Center Board of Trustees.

Pages 138-139 and 141, Nov. 16, 1983: The Commission approves a picnic lunch policy at the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium. Citizens would be directed to two designated areas “and would be informed that (due to strict diets) animals should not be fed people-type food. . . . [T]hose desirous of utilizing these areas would not be charged to re-enter the Zoo after having eaten their lunches." A plan is presented to the Board “which would provide tee hole signs for each golf course at no cost to the Park Commission. Question before the Commission was the selling of advertising to sponsor the signs." The Commission approves the concept, “contingent on Staff and the Park Attorney advising the Commission on the necessity of competitive bidding." Commissioner Wolbrecht "moved that the appointment of Gerald McKinney as Executive Director be rescinded, effective December 31, 1983, such rescission being without fault or delinquency on his part. . . . Mr. McKinney "said there may be citizens in the audience who wanted to speak on his contributions and years with the Department, but requested that they not do so. . . . The vote was unanimous to rescind the appointment . . .” Following the minutes of this meeting is a bound-in map of the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium, labeled “Item #7 Attachment.”

Page 147, Dec. 15, 1983: Mr. Allie Prescott is appointed as the new Executive Director of the Memphis Park Commission, effective Jan. 1, 1984. He "is considered an excellent choice

179 for three reasons"; he has had a long association with the Park Commission, he is a native Memphian, and he "has experience in the administration of athletic endeavors."

Pages 149-152 and 155-156, Dec. 21, 1983: Representatives of the architectural firm of Hnedak, Bobo and Gooch present their "master plan for the rehabilitation of the National Guard Armory buildings.” Park Commission Secretary Mike Hjort has been chosen 1985 President Elect of the Tennessee Recreation & Parks Association. The Coca Cola Bottling Company proposes to replace the present Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium scoreboard. The new board's electronic controls will be "100' long x 23'4'' high . . . and will be more than twice the size of the existing board . . . 9,901 lamps will be used (existing scoreboard uses 2,245 lamps). . . . The proposed scoreboard will require a computer in its operation, which will have 512K of memory. Included . . . [is a] message center which will operate in color and will afford unlimited animations. . . . [It] will be the largest in the Mid-South . . . The only cost to the city will be to bring electrical wiring to the scoreboard." The Commission votes to accept the scoreboard. It also approves a request to "negotiate the purchase of two female lowland gorillas,” the cost of which should not exceed $150,000. It approves a one- year contract with the Memphis Shelby Soccer Federation to operate concession stands "at the following soccer facilities: Kennedy, Jackson, Berclair, O'Brien, Willow, Wooddale, Wilson, Oakhaven, McFarland, Sea Isle." The Commission concurs with the decision of Memphis City Schools "to change the name of Firestone Stadium to Charles Greenhill Memorial Field" after a former Memphis State University football player who recently died in an airplane accident. Thomas R. Prewitt, Sr., resigns as Staff Attorney; he has served as attorney to the Memphis Park Commission for nearly 25 years, “providing legal advice and friendship during the terms of five executive directors and four chairmen.” Most of his services have been provided "without compensation as a contribution to the public." The Commission provides him with a free lifelong pass to all Park Commission facilities.

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 22 (January 18, 1984 – December 19, 1984)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Supplementary material is bound in following the minutes of several meetings. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 22 1 1-16 Jan. 18, 1984- Jan. 18, 1984: David Williams is approved as Feb. 15, 1984 Park Board Attorney; he is "an attorney with the Heiskell, Donelson, Bearman, Adams, Williams and Kirsch law firm, with over twenty years of experience." Jan. 24, 1984: The Memphis Chicks Baseball Organization would like to install artificial turf in Blues Stadium that it would pay for; permission is granted. Feb. 15, 1984: The Memphis Zoological Society asks that profits from the American Cancer Society's annual Zoo Day "be put back into the Zoo in some fashion rather than being used to inflate the City's General Fund." [Item. Following p. 16 is a list of Fiscal Year 1985-1989 Capital Improvement Projects.] 22 2 17-35 Mar. 7, 1984- Mar. 7, 1984: [Item. Bound in is a set of Memphis Apr. 11, 1984 Zoological Society bylaws.] Mar. 21, 1984: Public Service Director Paul Gurley asks “why the Park Commission is not receiving a percentage of the gross sales [of novelties at the Liberty Bowl] rather than a flat rate." Supt. of Special Services Robert Fouche responds “that this was not a negotiated contract but, rather, a "bid" contract . . ." Commissioner Elkington will soon present a proposal he calls Adopt-A-Park; one of the features is "to involve neighborhood groups in helping maintain City parks." 22 3 36-63 Apr. 18, 1984- June 6, 1984: A contract is approved with Mid June 20, 1984 South Concerts Inc. and Pace Management Corporation to hold the United States National Hot Rod, Truck and Tractor Pull and Motor Sports Spectacular at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium. June 20, 1984: A citizen addresses “the status of the locked gate entering the island at Chickasaw Garden Lake. . . . [He] believed there was an attempt to restrict the public use of

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public lakes and wanted the Park Board to be aware of the problem." Commissioner Harrison tells him that the problem has been “taken care of.” [2 Items. Bound in is the "New Fee Structure for Recreation Department" and a petition signed by 43 North Memphis businesses that advocates keeping open "the Washington Pool located at Second and Marble Streets. This is the only pool for area residents, and must not be closed. The community needs the pool; most of all our children need the pool."] 22 4 64-99 July 18, 1984- Sept. 7, 1984: A contract is approved with Dec. 19, 1984 Yeates, Gaskill and Rhodes "to provide engineering services to install additional waterlines to supply Liberty Bowl and to correct sewerage problem to prevent back-up into team locker rooms." Nov. 21, 1984: Doug Noble, Director of Museums, "proudly announced that the Pink Palace has been awarded an Achievement Award from the Shelby County Historical Commission for its History of Health Care exhibit, "From Saddlebags to Science.” The Memphis City Beautiful Commission has “presented an award to the Memphis Park Commission for its efforts in making the City a more beautiful place. . . . Memphis was recently awarded 1st Place Clean Community System Keep America Beautiful, Inc. National Award in the over 500,000 population category." Dec. 19, 1984: The Park Rangers present a plaque to Boy Scout Brandon Webb "for the excellent job he recently did of clearing the trails in Overton Park. The project will help Brandon obtain the rank of Eagle Scout.” 22 5 [Index] 1984 [Item. Index to Book 22, of 11 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 22 (January 18, 1984 – December 19, 1984): Introduction and Excerpts

Park Commissioners in 1984 are Chairman John B. Maxwell, Jr., Vice-Chairman William Wolbrecht, Jr., Madge Harrison, Verties Sails, Jr., and John Elkington. Elkington is replaced by Henry M. Turley, Jr. as of October 17. Others customarily in attendance at meetings this year are new Executive Director Allie J. Prescott, III, new Staff (sometimes called Board) Attorney David Williams, and (beginning in June) new Secretary Sharon Sivert. City Councilman Oscar Edmonds appears twice at meetings early in the year, and Mayor Richard C. Hackett is present in February. Others from the City government making occasional appearances are Ray Kinney, “Administrative Assistant to CAO,” Paul Gurley, “Public Service Director,” and Jim Broughton, “Director of Public Services, City of Memphis.” It appears that two new topic headings recently introduced into the minutes, “Supplementary Agenda” and “Old Business,” are not sufficient; the Commission introduces another, “Other Business.”

The minutes this year cite several lists of Commission facilities that embody some of its varied responsibilities. Baseball fields (February 15) – “Kennedy Baseball Complex, Rodney Baber Complex, Firestone Football/Baseball, Willow Road Softball Complex, American Way Complex, Fairgrounds #1 & Tobey Softball, Will Carruthers Baseball Complex, Gagliano & Tobey Baseball Complex, Bellevue Baseball Park, Whitney Park Baseball Field, Westside & Grandview Baseball, Goodlett Park Ball Field, Gaisman Park." “Early Childhood Development Programs in the following community centers” (March 21) – “Mitchell Community Center, Riverview Community Center, Gaston Community Center, Klondyke Community Center." Tennis centers (April 11) – “Leftwich, Whitehaven, Wooddale, Ridgeway, Raleigh, Bellevue, John Rogers, and Frayser.” “Five of the fourteen lakes [over which] the Park Commission has jurisdiction” (Nov. 21) – “ Ray Deaton Lake in Audubon Park, McKellar Lake, North Lake and South Lake in McKellar Park, and South Lake in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Park.”

The name of Martyr’s Park appears this year, seemingly for the first time (April 11); and the field at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium is named Rex Dockery Field in honor of the former head football coach at Memphis State (also April 11). The acquisition and completion of May Park Sports (Soccer) Complex is aided with an appropriation of $708,718 (June 6), and it is announced (Nov. 21) that the Commission "will acquire and develop two 5-acre parks in the Cordova area in the next five years as a result of the recently annexed area in Shelby County.”

Admission fees increase at the Pink Palace Museum (May 7), and fee schedule increases are seen for all venues supervised by the Recreation Department (June 20). Certain other Commission financial needs are satisfied via grants obtained, from the $803,358 “to provide lunches daily at playground programs” (Aug. 1) to the $40,896 “for meal services and instructors” at the Lewis Senior Citizens Center (Sept. 19). In 1983 Libertyland Amusement Park meets its financial obligation to the city for the first time (Feb. 15). The cost of the tennis program has been increasing, but it is hoped (April 11) that a

183 reorganization will “retain and improve the current services and reduce costs.” The Commission earns two impressive awards in 1984 (Nov. 21): a Memphis City Beautiful Commission award “for its efforts in making the City a more beautiful place”; and “1st Place Clean Community System Keep America Beautiful, Inc. National Award in the over 500,000 population category."

Executive Director Allie Prescott reports on April 18 that his ”initial charge . . . [was] to examine the structure of the Memphis Park Commission and examine the need for reorganization." This results in substantial management changes. The job of Mike Hjort, Supt. of Administration, is abolished, as is that of Robert Fouche, Supt. of Special Services. Don Pafford, Supt. of Construction and Maintenance, is reassigned and a new Supt. of Maintenance, Bobby Ward, is brought in. Supt. of Planning and Research Harry McLeod and Supt. of Recreation Glen Campbell remain in place. Other significant changes could occur depending on the extent to which features of a new plan put forward by Commissioner Elkington are implemented (April 11).

Once again a “List of FY [Fiscal Year] 85-89 Park Capital Improvement Projects” is bound into the minutes (Feb. 15). The totals projected for each year are: FY 1985, $2,749,240; FY 1986, $2,197,680; FY 1987, $2,338,340; FY 1988, $2,325,240; FY 1989, $2,208,240.

Excerpts from Minute Book 22:

Page 6, Jan. 18, 1984: Commissioner Elkington passes out copies of his “plan for inventorying park land and the possible disposition of unused holdings."

Pages 9-10, Jan. 24, 1984: Commissioner Harrison takes issue with one paragraph of Elkington's study and would like it removed. "That paragraph indicated that, while prices of such programs as golf, the Zoo, and tennis had increased, services and program quality had decreased." She presented six reasons why the services and program quality had improved for golf, and seven concerning the Zoo. Chairman Maxwell commented that "the same could be said for Tennis."

Pages 11 and 15-16, Feb. 15, 1984: "Administrative Manager Jimmy Ogle introduced the six Park Rangers who will be patrolling Overton, McKellar and Audubon Parks. . . . [T]he rangers have been in training during the cold winter months and are now out in the parks to insure proper usage of the parks, providing participant information and acting as a deterrent to crime." The Commission is asked to approve Libertyland’s 1984 Operating Budget. Attendance for 1983 was 761,215, and the park "employs 846 young people during their open season." Last year the theme park "met its $250,000 obligation to the city for the first time.” Abe Plough feels that Overton Park is “being patronized by a "bad" element and that the thick foliage growth and underbrush was unsightly and unuseful to the citizens of Memphis." He would like it to look more like Audubon Park. "If the cost [of clearing it out] is prohibitive, Mr. Plough suggested using labor from the inmates at the Penal Farm on weekends. . . . Commissioner Harrison related that . . . prior thinking was to leave the park in its natural setting . . . [but that] such thinking may be outdated in terms of practical application."

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Pages 17-19, March 7, 1984: The Commission approves a fee increase for the Memphis Pink Palace Museum, required to offset expenses of "the Memphis In May exhibit" and upcoming new exhibits. Supt. of Special Services Robert Fouche reports that "the Museum will open several new permanent exhibits in the next eighteen months. This month, the Oxbow Lake Exhibit will open at a cost of $75,000. In May, the Medical History Exhibit will open, which adds another 2,300 square feet of exhibit space at a cost of $215,000. Also in November, the Mammals of the Mid-South will open, adding 1,500 square feet at a cost of $100,000. This will bring the Museum to 90% of its exhibit capacity." Commissioner Wolbrecht reports that he has been in touch with Abe Plough and that "Mr. Plough did not request a general clearing of plant growth in Overton Park, but a general clean up including some of the undesirable elements using the park . . . his concern was more with park security and safety than with removing plant life."

Pages 34-35, April 11, 1984: According to Commissioner Elkington's proposed study, the staff should "conduct a thorough inventory of all park holdings, identifying which parks serve entire communities and those which serve small neighborhoods. To also identify those holdings which are undeveloped and/or obsolete." Once the inventory has been completed, the Commission could consider selling obsolete properties or leasing them to neighborhood organizations or outside agencies, or arrange for local park/playground areas to be controlled and maintained by neighborhood organizations. On the subject of acquiring new land, "There is a tremendous need for additional land holdings, especially in the growth corridors." Elkington recommends exploring "the possibility of requiring land developers to dedicate a percentage of land to be used specifically for public recreation. The land would be maintained by the homeowners who benefit from the land." The Commission approves the proposed study.

Pages 42-43, April 18, 1984: Director Prescott reports that his "initial charge . . . [was] to examine the structure of the Memphis Park Commission and examine the need for reorganization." He therefore suggests: that Supt. of Maintenance Don Pafford be reassigned "to the Foreman of the Greenhouse, Forestry, and Construction"; that the "position of Superintendent of Administration held by Mike Hjort . . . is no longer needed"; and that the "position of Superintendent of Special Services held by Robert Fouche should be abolished" because the people who report to him, "directors of the Zoo, Museum, Garden Center and Golf - would be better managed reporting directly" to the Executive Director. The position of Administrative Manager should be abolished and Mr. Ogle should "be promoted to the newly created position of Deputy Director." Prescott says he has had "nothing but cooperation from all three employees and that he had nothing but positive things to say in their behalf." When asked about "the present status of the Maintenance Department,” Prescott replies that "the Crafts Department, Storeroom and Vehicle Maintenance Shop would go to the General Services Division. Grounds Maintenance, M & O, Greenhouse, Forestry, and Construction would be retained by the Park Commission." The Commission approves this plan.

June 20, 1984: Bound in following the minutes are two sheets of "New Fee Structure for Recreation Department" (softball, basketball, football, baseball, tennis, pools, hobby center, workshop, golf, museum, nature center, and zoo) and two sheets of a petition signed by 43 North Memphis Businesses advocating keeping open "the Washington Pool located at

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Second and Marble Streets. This is the only pool for area residents, and must not be closed. The community needs the pool; most of all our children need the pool."

Pages 66 and 68, July 18, 1984: A Grant Agreement is approved with Memphis Museums Inc. in which the latter "shall provide $259,000 in funds to the Memphis Park Commission for the purpose of employing supplemental staff for the Memphis Museum System." The grant will provide about 10 full-time employees and 20 to 40 part-time employees. The Commission approves keeping the Pink Palace Museum open until 5 PM (instead of 4 PM) during the summer, to accommodate "out-of-town tourists who generally arrive at the Museum in the late afternoon."

Page 71, Aug. 1, 1984: The Commission accepts "a grant in the amount of $803,358.00 from the United States Department of agriculture to provide lunches daily at playground programs."

Pages 77-78, Sept. 19, 1984: Mr. Sherman Perkins comes before the Board as a representative of the North Memphis Civic Club to discuss the closing of the Washington Pool. Chairman Maxwell tells him "better use of public funds could be used in building a new pool at Bickford Community Center which is only three blocks from Washington Pool rather than trying to renovate a 45-year old pool."

Page 82, Oct. 17, 1984: Five Commission employees have been “presented awards from the Memphis-Shelby Soccer Foundation for work associated with the design and building of the May Park Sports Complex."

Page 97, Dec. 19, 1984: The Commission approves holding a number of events in Tom Lee Park during the summer of 1985: Memphis In May Barbecue Cooking Contest, Sunset Symphony, Cotton Carnival's River Pageant, and Star Spangled Celebration.

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 23 (January 16, 1985 – December 4, 1985)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Supplementary material is bound in following the minutes of several meetings. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 23 1 100-105, Jan. 16, 1985- [Pages 106-107 are absent, but minutes 108-119 Mar. 12, 1985 appear complete.] Feb. 5, 1985: $20,000 is appropriated for lights and light poles for Tobey Park Baseball Field. Feb. 19, 1985: Fiscal Year 1986 Operating Budget and FY '86- FY '90 Capital Improvement Budgets are approved for submittal to the Division of Finance and Administration. [Item. Bound in is a copy of the CIP, amounting to $9,431,000.] 23 2 120-157 Mar. 20, 1985- Mar. 20, 1985: The Commission discusses fees July 17, 1985 levied on users of Tom Lee Park who sell beer, as well as charges to cover turf replacement, required "each year due to the wear and tear caused by the events." A federal grant of $34,467 will be sought from "ACTION" to operate the Retired Senior Volunteer Program at Lewis Center. May 15, 1985: [Item. Bound in are "Proposed Fee Increases Effective July 1, 1985."] 23 3 158-181 Aug. 21, 1985- Sept. 25, 1985: Richard Bauman proposes a Dec. 4, 1985 "Mark Twain Lodge and Marina on Mud Island." Nov. 20, 1985: The Commission approves “transfer of museum photo archival material [from the Pink Palace Museum] for storage at the Memphis Public Library & Information Center.” [This material now comprises the Pink Palace Photograph Collection in the Memphis and Shelby County Room, available as a digital archive.] Dec. 4, 1985: The Commission votes "to adopt the new policy for the future use of Tom Lee Park." [Item. Copy of the six-page policy is bound in.] 23 4 [Index] 1985 [Item. Index to Book 23, of 9 pages.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 23 (January 16, 1985 – December 4, 1985): Introduction and Excerpts

The Park Commissioners who were in office in late 1984 continue throughout 1985: Chairman John B. Maxwell, Jr., William Wolbrecht, Jr., Madge Harrison, Verties Sails, Jr., and Henry M. Turley, Jr. Usually in attendance are Executive Director Allie Prescott, Attorney David Williams, and Assistant Director Jimmy Ogle. City of Memphis Director of Public Services Jim Broughton attends a meeting in February, and Assistant Director of Public Services Ray Kinney is present at several meetings. Late in the year Jimmy Ogle is named General Manager of Mud Island, and Bob Brame takes his place as Assistant Director.

A list of concession contracts provides the names of Memphis’ current soccer fields: Willow, McFarland, Sea Isle, O'Brien, Oakhaven, Kennedy, Berclair, Wilson, Wooddale, Jackson, and May. A renewed effort to rename Ashburn Park to honor late Memphis journalist and historian Paul Coppock meets with success, as the park will in the future be known as Ashburn-Coppock Park; and the Kennedy Park Soccer Fields are renamed the Jack Gottshall Memorial Soccer Complex.

Mud Island facilities appear to be near completion. A “proposed recreation area” on Mud Island was discussed in 1969; a “Volunteer Bicentennial Park (Mud Island)” and a “Mississippi River Museum” were mentioned in 1974 (although their development appears to have taken second place to development of Libertyland); and Mud Island monorail construction began in 1980. As frequently noted in the minutes, artifacts for the museum have been collected since 1978. Now it seems the Park Commission will assume complete responsibility for Mud Island; a new General Manager is in place, with new hours of park operation and a new price structure.

Minutes for Feb. 15 include sheets detailing the Capital Improvement Budgets for Fiscal Years 1986 through 1990. The five-year totals for different projects are provided: Recreation $3,195,000 Maintenance $545,000 Parks $825,000 Zoo $1,550,000 Museums $1,263,000 Garden Center $660,000 Stadium $800,000 Fairgrounds $400,000 Golf $193,000 Total $9,431,000 as is a percentage breakdown of what is considered “new” (24.9%), as distinguished from renovation (46.4%), or expansion (28.6%).

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Excerpts from Minute Book 23:

Pages 100 and 102, Jan. 16, 1985: Libertyland's 1985 budget is approved; in 1984 Libertyland "was more successful than any other theme park in the area with the exception of Graceland." The new admission price this year will be $5.95, and an additional $3.95 ticket will allow visitors to ride all rides all day. A koala "is to be loaned to Memphis for display by the San Diego Zoo."

Pages 113-114, Feb. 19, 1985: The Commission votes "to rename Ashburn Park the Ashburn-Coppock Park in honor of the late Paul R. Coppock." It offers to the Church of God in Christ "approximately five feet of [Robert Church] park property to allow sidewalk land . . . the request from the church for the entire twenty-five feet would be disruptive to the planning for Church Park." The offer will be taken to Bishop J.O. Patterson.

Page 117, March 12, 1985: "Director Allie Prescott proudly announced that Commissioner Verties Sails, Head Basketball Coach at Shelby State Community College, would be taking his Regional Championship team to the National Junior College Tournament. All present joined in congratulating Coach Sails and his team."

Page 120, March 20, 1985: City Councilman Oscar Edmonds briefs Board members “on the status of the Mud Island issue. . . . [A new City Ordinance under consideration] does away with the Mud Island Board and turns the operation of the island over to the Memphis Park Commission Board. . . . There have also been suggestions that the amendment may state that a nominal fee be charged. He concluded by saying that there will be many discussions within the next three weeks regarding suggested revisions in the Mud Island operation including a management contract, budget, personnel, etc."

Pages 128 and 131-132, April 17, 1985: Ron Shannon of the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency presents a plaque to the Memphis Park Commission “for the fine work that the Memphis Zoo has done for the rehabilitation program and public education of the raptor. (A raptor is a bird of prey.)" The Commission will apply for “a federally funded grant of $81,644.15 from the US. Department of Education for transitional recreational and leisure service for the disabled citizens of Memphis." Jim Wallace from the National Ornamental Metal Museum asks "approval to build a new structure on the property at no cost to the Park Commission. The proposed building will house a blacksmith shop." His request is approved.

Pages 137, 139 and 141, May 15, 1985: Phil Converse, Executive Director of the Memphis Arts Council, requests "the approval of a sunset symphony to be held in either Mud Island or Tom Lee Park on August 31, 1985. The event will consist of a performance by the Memphis Symphony in conjunction with a laser light show." Approved. The Commission will seek funding "of up to $961,219.00 from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture for the operation of the 1985 Summer Lunch Program." A new fee structure for Goldsmith's Civic Garden Center is approved, as are proposed fee increases for use of Fairgrounds buildings, concessions, day camps, swimming lessons, etc. The latter is bound in following the minutes.

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Page 154, July 17, 1985: Mr. Davis Tillman representing Elkington & Keltner Development, Inc., proposes they relocate and renovate "the W.C. Handy house to the corner of Beale and Fourth, next to W.C.'s Café and Club Handy. Owners of the house have agreed to donate it . . . [He] proposed that the Memphis Park Commission assume responsibility of the outside maintenance of the structure . . ." He is instructed to submit a written proposal for consideration.

Pages 158-159, Aug. 21, 1985: Karl Schledwitz appears on behalf of the Evergreen Historic District Association "to discuss a proposed parking lot in Overton Park. . . . [H]e expressed concern regarding the impact that this parking lot would have on the neighboring residents. He stressed that the neighbors clearly understood the overall need for additional parking in the Zoo area, but questioned the location of the selected site." He requests that further progress be postponed until the neighbors can discuss this with the Park Commission. Executive Director Prescott explains that the site "was chosen for the following reasons: 1. It is on the fringe of the park allowing greater access; 2. It does not require sophisticated grading or drainage work, nor does it disturb any trees in the park." The postponement is granted.

Pages 168-169, Oct. 16, 1985: A grant of $34,467 has been received "for the operation of the RSVP Program at the Lewis Center." The Commission approves new hours of operation and a new price structure for Mud Island. The Memphis Riverfront Commission has recently been abolished by a City Council Ordinance. This could "allow the Memphis Park Commission to assume jurisdiction of the riverfront land which includes the cobblestones and John B. Edgar Point." Commissioners request more information, such as whether the Commission will "be provided additional funds to maintain the land."

Pages 174-175, Nov. 20, 1985: Mrs. Leona Vandergriff appears on behalf of the McFarland Senior Citizens Booster Club "to request a fully staffed senior citizen center for the Southeast Memphis Area, preferably at the Fox Meadows Center at 2960 Emerald Avenue. [She] presented statistics and maps to better explain the heavy accumulation of seniors in the Southeast Memphis area that would benefit . . ." Staff will review the matter and report back. Mr. Don Hayes, manager for Market Board Promotions, Inc., requests "permission to install a computerized video advertising display board at the Memphis Zoo and Mud Island." Action is postponed.

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 24 (January 15, 1986 – December 17, 1986)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Supplementary material is bound in following the minutes of a few meetings. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 23 5 182-219 Jan. 15, 1986- Jan. 15, 1986: Rules will be formulated "to (Folder 1 July 2, 1986 control the usage of McKellar Park in an effort of Book to eliminate undesirables and tremendous 24) vandalism in the park." The Commission approves the establishment of Mud Island Foundation, a “non-profit support group for Mud Island.” Feb. 18, 1986: Mr. Plato Touliatos "is donating a collection consisting of 18 varieties of Japanese maple trees as a memorial to his father, Mr. Dan G. Touliatos." [Item. Bound in are Libertyland’s operating schedule, and Libertyland and Mid-South Fair budgets.] May 21, 1986: Commission approves resolution "appropriating $20,000 to the Columbus Park Project and accepting a grant from the UNICO [an Italian-American service organization] . . . in the amount of $78,000." 23 6 230-237, Aug. 20, 1986- [Pages 220-229, 238-241 and 250-267 are (Folder 2 242-249, Dec. 17, 1986 absent, although minutes appear complete.] of Book 268-275 Aug. 20, 1986: The Commission accepts a grant 24) of "$57,225 from UNICO to re-landscape Columbus Park." Sept. 17, 1986: A change in policy is approved regulating “sales at the Botanic Gardens. The policy establishes a flat rental fee of $100 for any plant sale held at the Botanic Garden. Prior to this policy change, the rental fee was variable based on what group rented the facility." Dec. 17, 1986: [Item. Bound in are "Proposed Changes in the Bylaws of the Memphis Zoological Society" and biographical data about the members of the 1987 “MZS Board."] 23 7 (Folder 3 [Index] 1986 [Item. Index to Book 24, of 7 pages.] of Book 24)

191

Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 24 (January 15, 1986 – December 17, 1986): Introduction and Excerpts

Commissioners are Chairman John B. Maxwell, Jr., William Wolbrecht, Jr. (Acting Chairman in the absence of Maxwell), Madge Harrison, Verties Sails, Jr., and Henry M. Turley, Jr. Also usually present are Executive Director Allie Prescott, Assistant Director Bob Brame and Attorney David Williams. Carolyn Dobson appears as Commissioner at the September Board meeting, replacing 12-year veteran Madge Harrison.

The Commission renames the Willow Road Community Center in honor of the late former Supt. of Recreation, Marion Hale. The “new Marjorie Street facility in South Memphis” is to be operated by Senior Citizens’ Services, Inc., and there will be new “After-School Day Care programs at Idlewild and Delano Schools.” Although its construction date is not given, the Commission approves an Alzheimer's Day Care facility at Kennedy Park. Two hundred acres of Firestone Park will be sold to the Police Department for a new Police Academy.

Park Commission staff continue to apply for and obtain grants to help fulfill Commission goals. Supt. of Recreation Glen Campbell applies for a grant of $15,722 "from the Delta Area on Aging for the operation of fitness classes and van driver services at Lewis Center for Senior Citizens" (May 21). The Commission accepts two grants from the Italian-American service organization UNICO funding work at Columbus Park, one for $78,000 (June 18) and one for $57,225 (August 20). It accepts a grant "in the amount of $25,000 from the Area 2 Special Olympics" and another "in the amount of $100,000 from the Tennessee Department of Conservation for educational programming at the Memphis Zoo" (also August 20). In December it accepts a Special Projects Grant from the Tennessee Arts Commission for the Mississippi River Museum at Mud Island in the amount of $3,550 "to develop and produce a video-tape based on the Mississippi River Museum that will serve as a pre-visit teaching tool" (December 17).

A noteworthy project involving Mud Island is set in motion when the Commission approves an agreement with the Memphis Belle Memorial Association for moving the plane to an exhibit location near the Mississippi River Museum. A fund-raising drive to obtain the necessary half-million dollars collects more than that amount within four months, and the opening is scheduled for May 1987. Firms are hired to review the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Capital Improvements Master Plan, and to “provide a comprehensive plan for the future development of Overton Park.”

At the last meeting of the year a procedural change is adopted for voting on agenda items at future Commission meetings. "With Park Board approval, Chairman Maxwell announced that the Agenda items would be presented and then considered for approval collectively. The floor will be opened for discussion on an item if so requested from anyone in attendance." This had already been done without comment at the October meeting.

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Excerpts from Minute Book 24:

Page 182, Jan. 15, 1986: Mr. Gene Harrison, President of Memphis United for Youth, requests the elimination of all youth sports fees imposed in 1982; "the $35 fees were increased this year to $55 after an increase in payments to sports officials." Many youth teams cannot participate in athletics this year because they cannot raise money for the various fees. The Commission is sympathetic, Chairman Maxwell stating "that the Park Commission is in the business of trying to deliver leisure time activities to the public and it is completely contradictory when any citizen of the community is unable to take advantage of the facilities and programs because of a fee."

Pages 189 and 191, Feb. 18, 1986: Mr. Bill McAfee requests the Commission to "rename the facility now known as Willow Road Community Center in honor of the late Marion H. Hale." Mr. Hale worked for the Commission from 1925 until he retired in 1968 as Supt. of Recreation. "He received many awards from various civic groups and organizations throughout his career for his dedicated service to the community and its youth." Permission is given to "deaccession various objects from the Memphis Museums collection . . . [which] are either inappropriate, duplicates, or are in very poor physical condition."

Pages 194 and 198, March 19, 1986: Commissioner Harrison "expressed concern regarding the length of the Supplemental Agenda and the lack of time provided the Board members in which to review" these items. "Jimmy Ogle [General Manager of Mud Island] approached the Board with a brief presentation regarding the Memphis Belle. Mr. Ogle proposed relocating the aircraft from its present site to Mud Island where it would be housed in a movable-type structure. . . . [A] decision must be made within the next two weeks. The Air Force has designated April 15 as the deadline for which a plan must be established concerning the future of the Memphis Belle."

Page 200, April 2, 1986: The Commission approves “a proposal from the Memphis Police Department wherein the Memphis Park Commission would transfer 200 acres of Firestone Park over to the Police Department for construction of a new Police Academy. In exchange for this land loss, the Memphis Park Commission will receive $750,000 to be used to acquire alternative land for another park site." It also approves a contract with the firm of Hellmuth, Obata & Kassabaum, Inc. of Kansas City, Missouri, "for the review and updating of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium Capital Improvements Master Plan.” A team will "create an overall long range plan for the Overton Park area after analyzing past and present land uses, activity patterns, physical site conditions and proposed expansion plans and desires from the key interest groups in the area . . .”

Page 202, April 16, 1986: The Commission approves a plan to improve Raoul Wallenberg Shell. "[I]f in fact the Save Our Shell Committee can obtain authorization from the City Attorney's Office and meet all of the requirements from that office with respect to building codes, etc., the group will be allowed to do essentially a clean-up, paint-up, fix-up job on the Shell with their volunteer labor, materials, and donated workmanship from the community."

Pages 209-210 and 212, May 21, 1986: Assistant Director Bob Brame recommends "approval of the transfer to Memphis Museums, Inc. of all collections currently under City

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Deed of Gift contracts. [Museum Director] Doug Noble explained that this transfer of collections will consolidate the responsibility of collections to the Trustees and eliminate any confusion about ownership." The transfer is approved. Commissioner Turley suggests that the Commission needs "an analysis of the entire waterfront property involved in the transfer from the Memphis Riverfront Harbor Commission to the Memphis Park Commission. Director Prescott pointed out that although the responsibilities of the . . . Harbor Commission were transferred to the Memphis Park Commission, there exists nothing in writing which actually outlines the Park Commission's authority concerning this riverfront property. Chairman Maxwell suggested that Director Prescott ask Councilman Oscar Edmonds to initiate a resolution before City Council which would appropriately authorize" the Commission to deal with this property as well as “matters inherited from the Memphis Riverfront Harbor Commission.” Armory Building E, the Memphis Showboats (football team) Training Facility, is being renovated and will have separate MLGW metering from the other Armory facilities.

Pages 216-217, June 18, 1986: Several citizens request a modification to the 1986 Softball Rules. "The new rule prohibits non-player equipment (including wheelchairs, crutches and other similar items) within the play areas. . . . If the new rule remains in effect, field accessibility will be denied to those coaching from wheelchairs, etc." The Commission votes to "change the ruling back to its original state effective immediately." In Other Business, the Commission adopts “A Resolution for Bill Wolbrecht” wishing him “best regards and a speedy recovery."

Pages 230, 232 and 235-236, Aug. 20, 1986: Chairman Maxwell announces that “this is a special day for the Park Commission in that it recognizes the conclusion of twelve years of service as a member of the Park Commission Board for Madge Harrison." Maxwell also introduces Charlie Powell, "the newly selected Superintendent of Recreation." The Commission approves an amendment to the Memphis Chicks Lease Agreement, by which the City will pay for stadium utilities and the Chicks "will make $75,000 worth of capital improvements to the stadium." For further improvements to Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, the Commission approves "appropriating $37,095 for carpeting in the game officials room and locker rooms 1 and 2 . . . and for sideline turf materials . . . [and] $34,528 from the Stadium Improvement Fund for the construction and installation of 107 wood lockers. . . . There being no further business to come before the Board, the meeting was adjourned and a reception honoring Commissioner Madge Harrison followed."

Pages 242 and 244-245, Sept. 17, 1986: Chairman Maxwell introduces and welcomes “Carolyn Dobson, the Park Board's newest Commissioner who began her three-year term at this board Meeting." The Commission approves appropriating $306,651 "to the Museum Phase IV Project to fund construction and to credit the unencumbered appropriation in the same project." It also approves "a Resolution allocating and appropriating $450,000 to construct an Alzheimer's Day Care facility at Kennedy Park." The Commission holds an extensive discussion about placing a proposed Vietnam Memorial on the southern tip of Mud Island. Some of the concerns are: "1. Is Mud Island the best site for this memorial? 2. Will the public be offended by the admission fee necessary to gain access to the memorial? 3. How accessible will the memorial be to the handicapped? 4. What effect will scheduled activities around the site have on the memorial-visiting public? . . . This item will be addressed at the next Board meeting."

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Page 247, Oct. 15, 1986: The Commission approves spending $211,517 for construction of "the enclosure at the Ridgeway Tennis Center." It also approves "establishing After-School Day Care programs at Idlewild and Delano Schools. The estimated expenses are $67,000 and the estimated revenues are $76,000." It also approves "extended hours of operation at the Memphis Pink Palace Museum during the "Mummies of Ancient Egypt" exhibit."

Page 270, Nov. 19, 1986: "Tourist operations at the [Mud Island] facility will close January 1, 1987, and be reopened on March 7, 1987. During the island's closure, maintenance and planning for next year's events will be given priority." Executive Director Allie Prescott requests and gets “approval of a contract with Senior Citizens' Services, Inc. to operate the new Marjorie Street facility in South Memphis."

Page 272, Dec. 17, 1986: "With Park Board approval, Chairman Maxwell announced that the Agenda items would be presented and then considered for approval collectively. The floor will be opened for discussion on an item if so requested from anyone in attendance."

195

Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 25 (January 20, 1987 – December 14, 1989)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Supplementary material is bound in following the minutes of several meetings, or stapled to the pages of minutes. Minutes in this book and all later books are with few exceptions printed on one side of the page only. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 24 1 1-24 Jan. 20, 1987- Feb. 17, 1987: The landscaping at Columbus May 20, 1987 Park is to include "a concrete bench at the bus stop,” modification of the statue base and installation of the statue. "The contractor is waiting on delivery of statue." Mar. 18, 1987: The Commission approves an increase in the amusement ride admission charge for the Memphis Zoo Kiddie Rides from $0.40 to $0.45. The concessionaire, J. C. Levy, "requests this increase to compensate for the 45% increase in liability insurance." [Item. Following p. 18 is a petition by golfers protesting a proposal to "cut a new entrance to the [Overton] park by extending Cooper Street . . . across number seven fairway."] 24 2 25-55 July 1, 1987- July 1, 1987: Hours of operation and admission Dec. 16, 1987 prices are approved for the Mallory-Neely House; admission is $4.00 for adults. The Commission approves the funding request for $342,594 "for the Japanese Garden project at the Botanic Garden." July 15, 1987: The Commission approves the lease of land for the Sea Isle Senior Citizen Center from the Board of Education for 99 years at a rental of $1.00 annually. Oct. 21, 1987: The exhibition of the Giant Panda from Mexico city drew more than 240,000 people to the Zoo. The admission fee at the Pink Palace Museum will be $3.00 per adult starting Jan. 1, 1988. Dec. 16, 1987: Planetarium admission fees are increased for the first time in "about six years". 24 3 1-34 Jan. 21, 1988- Jan. 21, 1988: Three parcels of land owned by May 18, 1988 the Park Commission are declared surplus "and turned over to the City of Memphis Real

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Estate Department" for sale, exchange or other disposition. Feb. 17, 1988: The Commission approves a lease agreement "with Mid-South Indoor Horse Racing, Inc. for the use of several Fairgrounds buildings (two cattle barns, the Arena Building, and the adjacent parking lot and property.)" Apr. 20, 1988: The Commission is “looking into possibility of resurrecting the Golf Advisory Board." 24 4 35-53, May 31, 1988- June 15, 1988: The Commission approves a 55-64 Nov. 16, 1988 contract "for use of the Liberty Bowl Stadium on July 9, 1988, for production of the Van Halen's Monsters of Rock Tour and Concert. The City will receive somewhere between $80,000 and $100,000 in revenue from this event." Nov. 16, 1988: Commission approves a contract for $799,400 for architectural and engineering services "for the Pink Palace Museum Expansion and Renovation." [Note absence of a page numbered 54.] 24 5 65-104 Jan. 18, 1989- Jan. 18, 1989: The Commission approves an Aug. 16, 1989 agreement with Memphis City Schools "for a 20-year Lease of the Melrose Junior High School Gymnasium and Auditorium Facilities at a cost of $1.00 per year. [2 Items. Attached to p. 74 are letters from the Evergreen Historic District Assn. and from State Senator Steve Cohen about the Overton Park Plan.] Aug. 16, 1989: The Commission approves assignment of the lease "from the Memphis Chicks Baseball Club, Inc. to Nicklous Baseball Club, Inc. . . . Mr. Mike Nicklous has expressed intent to try to bring a AAA ball club to Memphis." [Item. Attached to p. 104 is a tribute to Coach Pepper Rodgers for his efforts to help secure an NFL franchise in Memphis.] 24 6 105-123 Sept. 8, 1989- [Note that two pages of minutes are numbered Dec. 14, 1989 116, i.e., the last page of the Oct. 16, 1989 minutes and the first page of the Dec. 14, 1989 minutes.] 24 7 [Indexes] 1987, 1988, [Item. Typed individual indexes to each of the 1989 3 years included in Book 25, totaling 13 pages.] 24 8 [Index] 1987 [Item. Preliminary handwritten index to 1987 minutes, totaling 23 pages. *] 24 9 [Index] 1988 [Item. Preliminary handwritten index to 1988 minutes, totaling 25 pages. *] * Preliminary hand-written indexes were prepared by Park Commission staff for the 1987 and for the 1988 minutes, and these were later transcribed and/or condensed into typewritten counterpart

197 indexes (which have been photocopied with said copies being placed in Box 28). However, it might be worthwhile for researchers to consult the original handwritten versions also, since occasional observed differences indicate they and the typed versions may not have been prepared by the same individual. The longer handwritten versions have not been photocopied.

198

Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 25 (January 20, 1987 – December 14, 1989): Introduction and Excerpts

Commissioners at the beginning of this period are Chairman John B. Maxwell, Jr., William Wolbrecht, Jr., Verties Sails, Jr., Henry M. Turley, Jr. and Carolyn Dobson. As a rule, present at meetings are Executive Director Allie Prescott, Assistant Director Bob Brame, and Attorney David Williams. Chairman Maxwell leaves the Commission in July 1987, replaced as Chairman by Bill Wolbrecht and as Commissioner by Reggie Barnes. Staff Attorney David Williams resigns at the end of 1987; his responsibilities will be taken over by an Assistant City Attorney. Turnover continues in 1988, when Commissioner Turley is replaced by Rob Baird in March, at the same time as Board Secretary Sharon Sivert is replaced by Liz Stockdale and Bob Brame is named Executive Director in place of Allie Prescott. In 1988, City Council members Florence Leffler, Jack Sammons, Barbara Sonnenburg or Mary Rose McCormick occasionally attend Board meetings. Commissioner Baird is elected Vice- Chairman of the Board in September 1989.

An announcement in 1988 by the Chairman assigns various park responsibilities to different Commissioners, a practice not recorded in the minutes for decades: "Commissioner Dobson is in charge of Tennis, Goldsmith Garden Center and Pink Palace; Commissioner Sails works with all the Community Centers throughout the City; Commissioner Barnes has Golf and Mud Island; Commissioner Baird has the Zoo, Handicapped and Senior Citizens.” Three new high-level appointments are announced; Larry Keenan will be Parks Programs Coordinator, Brenda Lockhart the new Superintendent of Athletics and Special Activities, and Bill Wilson the new Superintendent of Maintenance.

The community center inside the Harry C. Pierotti Recreation Complex will now be known as the Raleigh Community Center. The new Senior Citizens Center on Sea Isle Road is named after Governor Ned McWherter’s late mother, Lucille Smith McWherter. The Exercise Trail at Sea Isle Park is named in honor of former City Councilman Billy Hyman, while Bellevue Park is renamed in honor of the late County Commissioner Jesse Turner, and Halle Baseball Field in honor of Lloyd Sowell. The Livestock Barns at the Fairgrounds are named in honor of Walter G. Bryan. Childhood Development Centers at Bickford, Gaston, Mitchell and Riverview Community Centers will present Head Start Programs for children 3 to 6 years of age. Some of the Armory Buildings on the Fairgrounds will be leased by the Children’s Museum, a project favored by Mayor Dick Hackett. Several parcels of land are declared surplus and handed over to the City Real Estate Department for sale; one property at Shelby Drive and Tchulahoma Road is expected to bring as much as $94,000.

Admission fees to many Park Commission facilities are increased. Memphis Zoo Kiddie Rides go from 40 cents to 45 cents and the adult swimming pool fee from $1.10 to $1.25. Admission to the Zoo, the Pink Palace and Lichterman Center all rise to $3.00 for an adult, and adult admission to Mallory-Neely House becomes $4.00. The rental fee for buildings on

199 the Fairgrounds – the Youth Center, Pipkin Building, Shelby County Building or Arena – is $1,000 per day if the function is commercial in nature.

It is unclear exactly when the practice began, but at least by Sept. 1987, and once or twice each succeeding year for a number of years, the Commission approves an Employee Supplementation Grant from either or both the Memphis Zoological Society and/or the Memphis Botanic Garden Foundation, of amounts often in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. (Something similar, although not expressed in quite the same words, is mentioned in the minutes of July 18, 1984, in Minute Book 22.)

A new Memphis Botanic Garden Foundation Master Plan is approved with little opposition, unlike the reception given the new Overton Park Master Plan. In response to that plan, the Overton Park Forest Preserve Association is founded to protect the woods as well as its plants and wildlife, golfers protest threats to the historic Overton Park Golf Course, and expanded parking raises other concerns. The uses to which Williamson Park is being put also cause problems for the Commission, as they do for the Park’s neighbors, who complain of littering, vandalism, drug traffic, profanity, etc. as a result of basketball games, and who advocate ending this sport. The Concerned Citizens Association, however, labels this as an attempt to “systematically remove” African-Americans. A compromise calls for eliminating all team sports from this park, and constructing new basketball goals in Overton Park.

Typical agenda topics addressed in minutes of this era are: Minutes Approval, Announcements, Supplemental Agenda, and Employee Recognition or Supplementation; Approval of Contracts or Contract Awards, as well as Approval of Bids or Concession Contracts; Change Orders, Payments, Animal Purchases, and Acceptance of Grants and Grant Agreements; and Rental Policy/Rate Structure, Sale of Properties, and Other Business.

Excerpts from Minute Book 25:

Jan. 20, 1987: Bound in is the two-page "Special Event /Facility Rental Policy" for Museum facilities. For example, there is a "Fee of $2,500 for 300 people for rental of the Museum or Lichterman; maximum of 4 hours use; includes option of two planetarium shows or one Great Electricity Show. An additional fee of $5.00 per person will be charged for over 300 up to 600 people."

Page 8, Feb. 17, 1987: Mr. Russ Adsit, Chairman of the Master Plan Committee for the Memphis Botanic Garden Foundation, advocates creation of a business advisory council, which "would act in an advisory capacity to the Foundation and the Staff on matters . . . such as special events, educational opportunities, fund raising, programming and overall guidance of the Garden." Other parts of the Master Plan "would expand the existing Garden Center, refocus the entrance and parking area, expand some of the existing gardens, create a sensory garden, relocate the maintenance facilities, etc. The cost of the Master Plan was estimated at $20 million which would come from a combination of private money and city contributions."

Pages 15 and 18, April 15, 1987: Chairman Maxwell announces that “the items on the Regular and Supplemental Agendas would be presented and discussed, and then voted on

200 in one motion. The Board approved the suggestion.” The Overton Park Master Planning Team (landscape architect J. Ritchie Smith and project manager Harry Pratt of Allen & Hoshall, Inc.) has prepared three preliminary proposals, which "were recently presented at a public hearing at the Memphis College of Art (April 6, 1987) and concerned citizens were given ten days in which to make comments and suggestions." Bound in is a petition by over 50 golfers protesting a proposal to "cut a new entrance to the park by extending Cooper Street. This would cut across number seven fairway of the golf course."

Pages 22-23, May 20, 1987: Basketball goals "were recently removed from [Williamson] park by the Memphis Park Commission after numerous complaints from the surrounding community. The neighbors were concerned with the profanity, drinking, etc., which were created by activity at the basketball goals in the park." Mr. George W. Robinson, III representing the Concerned Citizens Association requests the replacement of the goals "as well as other improvements such as asphalt repairs, bathroom repairs, benches, etc." Mrs. Janis Foster of the Evergreen Historic District supports the removal "because the activity created excessive littering, vandalism, drug traffic, profanity, prostitution, etc." Neighbors "understood the importance of a public park and the need for more basketball courts in Memphis" but they also had a "right to privacy and enjoyment of their homes." The staff is asked to "look into the situation of basketball in general before the next Board meeting."

Page 29, July 1, 1987: Staff Attorney David Williams is asked "to join with the City Attorney in developing a working arrangement which would serve to define the duties and responsibilities of the Memphis Park Commission as they relate to the City Council and the City Administration." Departing Chairman Maxwell is thanked for his time and dedicated service to the Board, and he responds that "the opportunity to serve had been an honor and a pleasure."

Page 31, July 15, 1987: After a discussion of advertising in the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, the Commission prohibits permanent sign boards on the Stadium’s inside walls.

Pages 32-36, Aug. 19, 1987: Alfred Rice, Night Director, is honored "with a certificate from the Memphis Park Commission that expressed appreciation for his aid and assistance during a recent robbery attempt made on Mr. Charles Henry of the American Legion." He also receives a plaque from the American Legion and an Award of Merit from the City of Memphis. Executive Director Prescott reports on basketball and Williamson Park. He says that the park "is in the truest sense of the word a neighborhood park, not bounded by major streets. It is the feeling of the Park Commission that the basketball courts in the park are much too proximate to the backyards of the surrounding neighbors and the Staff recommends that the basketball goals not be restored to Williamson Park." George Robinson of Concerned Citizens Association charges that African Americans have been "systematically removed . . . from the park and this was a solid case of discrimination." Janis Foster of the Evergreen Historic Association responds that there was "never any intention of racial discrimination, that Williamson Park is a neighborhood park and all races should be able to use it for the purposes it is meant to be used for. She asked the Park Commission for assistance in ridding the park of disruptive and criminal elements prevalent in the park." Commissioner Sails feels that “if all adult team sports were in fact the problem, then the Park Commission should cut them all out." Staff will look further into the matter. To take advantage of “the opportunity of making long-term leases in the Overton entail

201 property,” Attorney David Williams is asked to research the legal situation regarding the riverfront promenade, "such as the location of the exact boundaries, the land affected, extension into the river, etc." Deductions will be made from rent payments from the Sunset Cafe to cover "installation of concrete ribbons providing access and egress to the restaurant from the cobblestones."

Pages 41-43, Sept. 16, 1987: Commissioner Sails presents a plaque "to Daryl Smith for outstanding effort and achievement . . . [Locally] Daryl won the 50-yard dash in the boys' nine to ten year old division . . . In the State meeting, Daryl won in record time and went on to represent Bickford Community Center, the Memphis Park Commission, the City of Memphis and the State of Tennessee in the National finals of the Hershey Youth Program in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Daryl broke the standing national record." Bob Brame recommends approval of a “grant with Memphis Museums, Inc. in the amount of $308,588 for employee supplementation.” A compromise recommended by Staff is acceptable to all parties to the Williamson Park matter and is approved by the Board. It involves closing Williamson Park from dusk to dawn, no parking on Williamson Street after dark, removal of basketball courts, eliminating adult/team sports, and installing new basketball goals in Overton Park. All this, because "Williamson Park is a unique place unlike any other park in the system in that it is bounded by residential backyards rather than streets of traffic."

Page 51, Dec. 16, 1987: The Save Our Shell organization reports that the Raoul Wallenberg Shell "held 59 concerts this year as opposed to only 15 for the previous year." Improvements have been made, but other repairs are still needed, such as correction of improper drainage, and unsafe aisles in need of asphalt patching.

Page 10, Feb. 17, 1988: Mr. Pepper Marcus informs the Board that he has organized the Overton Park Forest Preserve Association "to save the forest from unnecessary encroachments which he fears the proposed Overton Park Master Plan will create. The organization is dedicated to helping protect the rare virgin woods in the park as well as the plant and wildlife inhabitants. He asked that the Park Board conduct a detailed study and plan specifically geared to the forest before any measures are made which would destroy the natural balance."

Pages 13 and 16-17, March 16, 1988: New Commissioner Rob Baird is welcomed; he is “1st Vice President of Morgan Keegan and past MATA Chairman.” Craig Stein, new owner of the Memphis Chicks Baseball Club is introduced, and the lease agreement "for use of McCarver Stadium is changed from Mid-South Baseball, Inc. to Memphis Chicks Baseball Club, Inc.” "For the benefit of staff members present, Chairman Wolbrecht announced that Commissioner Dobson is in charge of Tennis, Goldsmith Garden Center and Pink Palace; Commissioner Sails works with all the Community Centers throughout the City; Commissioner Barnes has Golf and Mud Island; Commissioner Baird has the Zoo, Handicapped and Senior Citizens. Chairman Wolbrecht said the members could be called upon at anytime by the staff for assistance in these respective areas."

Pages 21-22 and 24-27, April 20, 1988: The Memphis Black Arts Alliance has asked for use of Tom Lee Park in September for a festival, but this is contrary to Board policy which calls "for use of Tom Lee for this kind of festival during May 1 through July 4. . . . Bob Brame said the policy . . . was [a result of] the number of requests from so many different people at

202 various times. Tom Lee Park was never intended to be an amphitheatre nor a festival location, but over a period of time, it began to develop that reputation. For a variety of reasons, including the fact this is a small, passive 8-acre tract of land on the Mississippi Riverfront, it is also the front door of the City. The Commission felt if it did not contain the timeframe during which these festival events could be held on the park, the park would never recover and would never be in the kind of condition it should be." The Overton Park Master Plan is presented and receives extensive discussion; the name of Associate Landscape Architect Melissa Thompson is added as one of the planners. One aspect is the "least roads alternative" which includes among other features, closing the east Zoo entrance on Poplar. The plan is approved.

Pages 38-40, June 15, 1988: Commissioner Wolbrecht states “he would like to see the Memphis Park Commission set a policy that there will be no digging or removal of any artifacts of any nature in any of its parks or ground over which it has jurisdiction without the express and written consent of the Commission. The Chairman said this is directed at no particular group . . ." The Chairman reports that "all negotiations have been completed concerning handicapped seating . . . [at the] Liberty Bowl Stadium [which] will be the most up-to-date stadium for the handicapped in the country, meeting all requirements."

Pages 42 and 44-46, July 20, 1988: Chairman Wolbrecht says he has written a letter complimenting the Memphis In May organization "for all the activities which took place, particularly Sunset Symphony and Mr. James Hyter." There is extensive discussion about "the State's position on archaeological excavations at DeSoto Park. . . . [C]onsiderable interest has been shown at this site with respect to its preservation and protection in the future." Research has shown that around 1200 A.D. a small village of farmers existed there, and it was used for Fort Pickering's ammunition bunkers during the Civil War. A map of the park was made by the Park Commission in 1910 which "is an invaluable source of information as it shows a great deal of development there . . . The State proposes to hand excavate some half dozen or so small test pits measuring approximately 3' x 6' . . . The digs will not be done in the mounds themselves." It might be possible to place the park on the National Register of Historic Places. The Commission approves a resolution charging Nick Fielder, Director of the Division of State Archaeology, "to use caution and sincerity in whatever action he takes based on State Law." The resolution also requests "that the Park Commission will be allowed to oversee the project to the best of its ability."

Pages 49 and 51, Aug. 17, 1988: The Commission presents Steve Gaither of The Commercial Appeal with a Certificate of Appreciation "for his contribution to the parks system through his efforts in journalism. Steve has covered the Park Commission for several years and has done an outstanding job. He has recently been reassigned . . ." The Commission approves a suggestion by a representative of Save Our Shell Committee that a fence be erected "to help control the flow of their patrons. . . . If access to the facility is controlled, the Committee feels there will be more contributions made."

Pages 69-71, Feb. 15, 1989: The Commission continues to discuss the Overton Park Master Plan. Executive Director Bob Brame says "Although there is no way to completely please everyone . . . the staff is pretty much in general agreement with the Evergreen Association and is ready to put the plan into action. The three areas of concern he has heard are with the number of parking spaces, use of West Park Road as primary access, and relocation of

203 the green on the ninth hole at Overton Park Golf Course." The Sons of Confederate Veterans are denied a request to camp overnight in Forrest Park in August 1989 "to commemorate the 125th anniversary of the Forrest Raid on Memphis." Other groups have not been permitted to camp overnight in the city's parks, and this would be setting a precedent.

Pages 75-76, March 15, 1989: There is further discussion of the perceived threat to the ninth green of the Overton Park Golf Course caused by the Overton Park Master Plan. Jake Fondren, one of those opposed to its relocation, "said he began caddying at Overton in 1921 and related some of the history behind the Course including names of many of the professionals who got their start there. Mr. Fondren stated this is one of the finest teaching courses in the country, adding that he would hate to see it changed in any way."

Pages 82 and 84, April 19, 1989: Bob Brame expresses grief at “the death of Lloyd Sowell who only recently retired from the Park Commission after 35 years of service." An agreement will be renewed "with Tom Smith to operate Exotic Animal (Camel) Rides at the Memphis Zoo."

Page 90, June 21, 1989: The Exercise Trail at Sea Isle Park is named "to honor former City Councilman Billy Hyman who was very instrumental in securing funding for the project."

Pages 91-92, July 19, 1989: The staff of the Park Commission feels "something should be done to honor those individuals from the private sector who do so much toward the betterment of City facilities. A Special Board Award has been created for that purpose.” With the privatization of Mud Island, the past Presidents of the Mud Island Foundation Board, John Thomason and Jeanne Arthur, are thus honored today. Bellevue Park is renamed in honor of the late County Commissioner Jesse Turner, and Halle Baseball Field in honor of Lloyd Sowell.

Pages 96-100, Aug. 16, 1989: The Commission approves holding Arts in the Parks Festival in Overton Park in October 1989. "This event was very successful in 1984 and the group had intended that it become an annual festival then. It has now been resurrected with its own Board of Directors, 501.C3 status, Charter and By-Laws and was formed for the purpose of producing this arts festival." Pat Kerr Tigrett appears before the Commission "to detail plans for the event she is chairing which will be held on September 15, 1989, celebrating The Great American Pyramid groundbreaking. . . . Ms. Tigrett said everyone has to keep in mind this is not a gala, but a street party.” The placement of two historical markers is approved at Jefferson Davis Park. "The first marker would commemorate the Sultana disaster which was a very tragic yet historical event at the end of the Civil War. . . . The second marker would pay tribute to "The Wedding of the Waters" which was a colorful event held in 1857 in celebration of completion of the railroad which placed Memphis on this transportation corridor." Attached to these minutes is a Resolution adopted by the Commission in tribute to Coach Pepper Rodgers for his efforts to help secure an NFL franchise in Memphis.

Pages 106-108, Sept. 20, 1989: The Board congratulates Commissioner Sails “on his recent appointment as Athletic Director for Shelby State Community College." Everything is shaping up well for the 1989 Pink Palace Crafts Fair, which “will consist of 182 juried craftsmen, 22 tent crafts, 18 handicrafts and 14 food vendors." The Park Commission and

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Memphis Museums Inc. will share revenues generated in the Science Theater at the Pink Palace “by Satellite Downlinking Equipment and related software. This equipment was used for the Jason Project and Neptune fly-by and will continue to be used for various exhibits at the Museum." The Commission approves a contract between Dinamation International Corp. in connection with Dinosaurs Alive Exhibit coming to the Pink Palace in 1990. "Doug Noble stated Dinamation will provide eleven (11) dinosaur replicas and seven (7) ancillary exhibitions . . . Pink Palace will retain the first $20,000 of admission revenues generated during the exhibit." Seven tennis centers have been given facelifts at a cost of $203,700: Frayser, Raleigh, Roark (Whitehaven), Bellevue, Leftwich, Wooddale and Ridgeway.

Page 113, Oct. 16, 1989: The Commission approves naming the Livestock Barns at the Fairgrounds in honor of the late Mr. Walter G. Bryan, former Livestock Superintendent of the Mid-South Fair.

Pages 116-118 and 121-122, Dec. 14, 1989: The Memphis Mental Health Institute requests the use of Park Commission lakes "on behalf of patients of the Intensive Rehabilitation Unit of that facility. One of the enjoyable activities they are able to provide their patients is outings to local City and County parks. Their letter states the staff has found that fishing is a valuable therapeutic activity for the patients and one enjoyed very much." There are strict limitations on fishing in the parks, and there is as well "the liability aspect . . . in the event of an accident." Nonetheless, the Commission votes "to allow patients of Memphis Mental Health Institute to fish in Ray Deaton Lake." In keeping with rental rates charged at similar Memphis facilities, the Commission approves "fee increases for buildings in the Fairgrounds Complex.” The commercial rate will be $1,500 per day to rent the Pipkin, Shelby County, Youth Center or Arena Building; $625 per day is the non-profit rate. MCI (Microwave Communications, Inc.) is negotiating "to purchase the property formerly owned by William B. Tanner located at Hollywood and Central for the purpose of constructing an MCI switching station."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 26 (January 17, 1990 – November 20, 1991)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. All of the limited amount of supplementary material is stapled to pages of the minutes. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 25 1 1-23 Jan. 17, 1990- Jan. 17, 1990: A golfing surcharge of 50 cents Mar. 21, 1990 per nine holes has raised about $210,000 this year; this fund currently stands at $1 million dollars “of which approximately $200,000 is about to be expended for golf course improvements.” Feb. 21, 1990: A fee of $2.00 will be charged at the Garden Center of the Memphis Botanic Garden; this "will provide a means for users to contribute to the Gardens they enjoy and will be a vehicle to allow tourists visiting there to help defray costs." 25 2 24-47 Apr. 18, 1990- May 16, 1990: Trailer hook-up fees in the July 18, 1990 Fairgrounds are increased from $7.50 to $12.00 daily. "Tom Lee Park is in bad shape following the Memphis in May Barbecue Contest. [Director] Bob Brame felt damages will probably be assessed to that organization." June 20, 1990: State funds in the amount of $65,000 will be accepted "for the sole purpose of constructing an Exercise Trail at Gaisman Park." 25 3 48-64 Aug. 15, 1990- Aug. 15, 1990: City Real Estate has inquired Oct. 24, 1990 about "acquiring some 5-acres at American Way Park for use as a Library. The westernmost portion of the 26-acre park is currently being used for ballfields and Bob Brame said the 5-acres proposed would certainly be suitable for such a facility." [Item. Attached to p. 57 is a letter from Mayor Hackett requesting the Commission to name a street in Overton Park for Morris Moss.] Oct. 24, 1990: The Commission discusses the possibility of "incorporating a portion of Ray Deaton Lake into the Botanic Garden as a part of the Master Plan."

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25 4 65-86 Nov. 28, 1990- Nov. 28, 1990: The Commission approves a Feb. 20, 1991 supplement to the Botanic Garden Master Plan dealing with "how Ray Deaton Lake will be incorporated" into the plan, as well as where the maintenance area is to be located and whether a soccer field can be retained. [Item. Attached to p. 70 is a resolution thanking Mayor Hackett for bringing the Ole Miss- Tennessee football game to Memphis.] Jan. 16, 1991: The Commission approves conveyance of "a portion of Douglass Park to the Shelby County Head Start Program" which will use a portion of the abandoned Douglass School site. Feb. 20, 1991: [Attached is a resolution thanking Frederick W. Smith for his efforts to bring an NFL team to Memphis.] 25 5 87-110 Mar. 20, 1991- Mar. 20, 1991: Old Hollywood Community June 19, 1991 Center is declared surplus property, but a small portion will be retained for use as a playground by Hollywood Elementary School. May 15, 1991: The three largest sums mentioned in connection with construction payments this month are $6,641,694.09 still owed on renovation of the Pink Palace (current payment is for 12% of this amount), $1,052,229 still owed for Liberty Bowl Stadium Suites (current payment is 14% of this), and $955,686.76 still owed for the Raleigh Senior Citizens Center (current payment is 21% of this). 25 6 111-137 Aug. 26, 1991- Sept. 18, 1991: Councilwoman Barbara Nov. 20, 1991 Sonnenburg suggests "the creation of boards at neighborhood levels to help oversee smaller facilities such as community parks and community centers." These do not receive as much attention as the larger ones. Nov. 20, 1991: A contract with Shelby County Community Services will be amended "to lease additional space at Mitchell Road Community Center to expand the Head Start Program there." 25 7 [Indexes] 1990, 1991 [Item. Indexes to Book 26 totaling 7 pages; each of the two years is independently indexed.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 26 (January 17, 1990 – November 20, 1991): Introduction and Excerpts

As these Minutes begin, long-time Chairman John B. Maxwell, Jr. has retired and been replaced as Chairman by long-time Vice-Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. Other Commissioners are Verties Sails, Jr., Carolyn Dobson and Rob Baird, with Reggie Barnes as new Vice- Chairman. As usual, also present at most meetings are Director Bob Brame and Deputy Director Charles Lucas (replaced in September 1990 by Marie Dockter). George Jones replaces Commissioner Reggie Barnes in October 1990, and the following month Rob Baird takes Barnes’s place as Vice-Chairman. If any members of the City Council attend Commission meetings they do not appear to be mentioned, aside from a visit by Councilwoman Barbara Sonnenburg in September 1991.

Agenda topics by the Board continue to be simplified, as on April 18, 1990, when Contract Awards (company, project, amount), Change Orders (company, project, C.O. amount, and contract amount), and Payments (company, project, amount, and % completed) are all voted on as a single package. Useful information is added in March 1990 to the “payments” columns; the first column (now labeled “Company/Contract Amount”) gives not only the company’s name but also the total amount of the contract, and the final column (now labeled “%Comp[lete]/Balance Due”) also notes the amount still owed on the project.

In this period the Commission encounters some objections to its already-approved Botanic Garden Master Plan and its nascent Martin Luther King/Riverside Park Master Plan. Residents of the Glenview Park area complain that certain “city-wide” events scheduled there have outgrown their “small neighborhood park.” No objections are noted in the minutes to naming a road in Overton Park in honor of Morrie A. Moss, while this benefactor still lives. The Commission extends leases of the Children’s Museum of Memphis and the National Ornamental Metal Museum for 25 years each, and the lease of Theatre Memphis for 50 years. There are plans for a new community center for the “western part of Raleigh,” for a “new Midtown Super Senior Center,” for a Lakeview Gardens Senior Center, and for an exercise trail at Gaisman Park, with renovations planned for Orange Mound, Hamilton, Dave Wells, and Mitchell Community Centers. Players’ complaints lead to improvements being scheduled for a long list of tennis courts: McKellar, University, Gaisman, Audubon, Glenview, Southside, Riverside, Ridgeway, Whitehaven, Bellevue, Raleigh, and John Rogers. Some unused or disused parcels or facilities continue to be surplused, notably at this time the old Hollywood Community Center, soon to be replaced by a new one. The World Police and Fire Games will take place in Memphis in June 1991. Small wells are dug in Marquette Park to monitor possible gasoline leakage from a nearby filling station, to help allay public concern about this issue. The Commission receives word that the Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association has recognized the Skinner Center with its Four Star Award.

The Commission is again (or still) beset by financial problems. Proposals solicited for privatizing golf turn out not to be acceptable, but this has provoked the rumor that tennis too will be privatized, a rumor which is denied. Fees or rentals are increased: the lease for the Fairgrounds Armory Buildings; adult softball fees, and fees for golf, swimming lessons,

208 softball, football, field permits, and meals at Senior Centers; trailer hook-ups at the Fairgrounds; riverfront rentals; and day camp fees for children. Brenda Lockhart, the Superintendent of Athletics and Special Activities, points out that the Commission needs agreements concerning certain sports that would make the users of park facilities responsible for insurance and payment of utilities, which the Commission can no longer afford. Commissioner Baird would like to have a “signage policy” for the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium that would “make this a revenue potential for the Park Commission.” Meanwhile the Commission staff applies for numerous grants and obtains a million-dollar grant from the State of Tennessee for the Zoo; in fact, "the Memphis Park Commission received 20-25% of the total funds allotted by the State this year."

Excerpts from Minute Book 26:

Pages 1-3 and 6, Jan. 17, 1990: Nancy Watts, Janet Guinn and Vera Cummings are recognized "for their outstanding efforts during last month's Park for Toys Program" which served more than 700 needy children. The Commission approves a request by the family of James H. Malone, 35th Mayor of the City of Memphis, "that a marker be erected in Court Square in his honor." Two proposals have been received concerning "Golf Privatization" but the Director says the staff feels "it is not in the best interest of the Commission to accept either proposal" and the Commission concurs. The lease agreement between the Commission and the Children's Museum of Memphis is to commence Jan. 1, 1990 and remain in effect for 25 years. "The Lease is for Armory Buildings A, B & C." Adult softball fees are to increase from $300 to $350. “It is expected that an additional $53,000 will be generated by this increase.”

Pages 10-12, Feb. 21, 1990: Golf fees are increased, as are fees for swimming lessons, fall softball, flag football, field permits, and meals at senior centers (from $1.25 to $2.00 for members). A "Medieval Psychic Fair" is approved for Audubon Park; "The Fair will be composed of 30 readers and 50 vendors many of which will be located under a tent with the readers. Representatives of the Ornamental Metal Museum will participate. There will also be French food and health food available . . ."

Page 18, March 21, 1990: A compromise may be in the works about flying model airplanes in May Park Sports Complex. The planes in question "are wire-controlled and not the remote-controlled planes which created so much noise for the neighborhood" and which have been banned by the City Council.

Page 24, April 18, 1990: Bob Brame reports that he had heard from persons who "had heard some misinformation that the Board was considering a [privatization] proposal today officially regarding tennis which was not the case then nor today."

Pages 32-34, May 16, 1990: Residents around Glenview Park have written to the Commission urgently requesting "that the Memphis Park Commission will refuse to issue permits for the use of Glenview Park for any city-wide picnic, barbeque cookout, or other celebration that has been widely advertised by radio or other media" and asking that it maintain the park "as a small neighborhood park." Charles Lucas said that the WDIA Barbeque Contest "has obviously outgrown the small neighborhood facility" and that "the overflow of cars into the neighborhood is horrendous." It is suggested that Riverside Park

209 would accommodate such an event; "the Barbeque Contest would easily work there." The Commission approves applying "for a Community Development Block Grant for the Park Commission's After School Program" in the amount of $75,000.

Pages 35 and 39-41, June 20, 1990: Bob Brame asks "that everyone take a moment to think about Lawrence Hicks, the employee who recently was killed in an accident while on duty. Larry Hicks was someone the average Memphian would never know, but he was an excellent, dedicated Park Commission employee who will be sorely missed." A contract is awarded for $1,123,000 for construction of a new Hollywood Community Center. The staff will negotiate a contract for the use of Overton Park for the Annual Black Family Reunion in September 1990. "This is the first year Memphis has been considered for this event and both Mayors Hackett and Morris have been very supportive of the effort. . . . It is a family- oriented function and no alcohol is served." A $1,000,000 recreation grant from the State will virtually all be used at the Zoo; "the Memphis Park Commission received 20-25% of the total funds allotted by the State this year."

Pages 43 and 45, July 18, 1990: The Frayser Recreation Association requests renewal of an exclusive contract for using Firestone Park for football; "FRA built the field and put lights up on the property, along with other equipment purchased through the sale of bonds by the Association. . . . Bob Brame stated that FRA has a very good program. The Park Commission is simply trying to conform its relationship to that of other Associations. It is trying to be consistent in this area" in not giving anyone exclusive use of Park Commission facilities. A decision on this matter will be delayed. Brenda Lockhart requests approval of "a site agreement for non sanctioned sports which would provide guidelines for the user. . . . [T]he Park Commission is becoming more and more accountable in the area of liability. The Park Commission has always provided utilities which it can no longer afford to do. This agreement would make the user responsible for insurance, payment of utilities and possibly lining the fields with grid white."

Pages 48 and 50, Aug. 15, 1990: The Commission will extend the Frayser Recreation Association's contract for use of Firestone Field for one year, with the understanding that it will make the field available one day each week during the season. The Association’s representative said "the only problem he could foresee is if the other groups wanted to use their equipment, but he felt something could be worked out in that regard." The Commission will apply for a grant in the amount of $90,000 from the Tennessee Department of Human Services "to program and supplement salaries for Head Trauma Victims,” to be used at the Skinner Center.

Pages 53 and 57, Sept. 27, 1990: Bob Brame welcomes Marie Dockter "who has held the position of Deputy Director for some 3 1/2 weeks." The Director describes a Forest Exhibit, planned for Overton Park as an extension of the Zoo, which has met with some controversy. He says there will be “minimal intrusion into the forest. . . . One primary path in the exhibit will allow a train to carry people through. That path will wind around to avoid existing trees."

Pages 58-61 and 63, Oct. 24, 1990: Mayor Hackett asks "that the Park Board, as a citizen board, join him in recommending that the very first road ever in Overton Park to [be] named, be named Morrie A. Moss Lane in honor of this outstanding gentleman" who has

210 done so much for this community. The Commission approves "An agreement [which] currently exists between the City of Memphis and the World Police and Fire Games Committee" that will bring the games to Memphis in June 1991. "Some 22-25 countries will be represented in Memphis with approximately $38 million being realized in revenues." Contracts are awarded for renovations at Orange Mound, Hamilton, Dave Wells and Mitchell Community Centers. A payment is made for architectural and engineering services for a Lakeview Gardens Senior Citizens Center. The Commission approves installing several 2-inch wells at Pep Marquette Park "which will monitor gas tanks belonging to the Unocal Oil Station located at the corner of Park and Mt. Moriah. Larry Keenan stated there has been a great deal of public concern recently regarding seepage from underground gas tanks."

Pages 65-66, Nov. 28, 1990: Mr. Fred Jones requests permission "to stage the first Annual Memphis Blues Festival in Tom Lee Park on Friday, August 30, 1991. This festival will be held in conjunction with the Southern Heritage Classic which was a tremendous success last year." Bob Brame says he has been advised that the turf grass in the park "is still growing at that point and would recover." The Board has had a policy since 1986 of prohibiting use of the park after July 4, but now that it is being enlarged, it is inevitable that groups will want to use the park after that date. "Staff recommendation may be that one event per month be allowed, but the Park Commission would be remiss if it did not do what it could to help bring a major festival to the city." The Commission approves the event “for calendar year 1991 only at this point in time.”

Pages 71-72, Jan. 16, 1991: Representatives of the Memphis Queen Line and Waterways Marine claim that "proposed increases in the existing rate structure along the Riverfront" are too drastic. "Memphis Queen Line is not opposed to an increase but . . . It should be done in increments and over a longer period of time." Both tenants also point out that they perform considerable upkeep to the riverfront and waterway.

Pages 79 and 82-83, Feb. 20, 1991: Chairman Wolbrecht congratulates Commissioner Sails "in his capacity as basketball coach at Shelby State for his very successful 21-4 record this year." Trish Ardovino, Director of Skinner Handicapped Center, thanks Mr. Richard Mercer of the Super Store which donated some $10,000 worth of weight equipment; "It is now in place and is certainly a welcome addition to the facility." She also cites Handicap Services, Inc. as "an extraordinary support group" which "has funded the Center for some 30 years and have collectively donated $1 million to the facility and its programs." Larry Welch and Pete Glenn are present representing this group, and accept a plaque. Day Camp fees are increased from $20 to $25 per child "for the entire 70-week program. This involves 25 Day Camp Sites where each child receives a free lunch each day. . . . No child will be turned away if they are unable to pay the fee." The Commission approves Riverfront rental rate increases; Class I rate is $4 per linear foot per month, Class II rate is $3 per linear foot per month, and Class III is $2 per linear foot per month. "This is for a period of one year and the current tenants have been placed on notice that the Board will be considering working toward a percentage in the future. Financial statements have been requested toward that end."

Pages 88-90 and 95, March 20, 1991: The Commission approves a lease "between the City of Memphis and the National Ornamental Metal Museum for a period of 25 years at the rate

211 of $1.00 per year." The request comes from the Museum "to provide them some comfort factor and to avoid having to come before the Board every five years." The Pink Palace Crafts Fair will be held this year at the usual location in Audubon Park, but in 1992 and later "the event will be relocated to the east side of the lake. Doug Noble stated the Crafts Fair has emerged from a very tiny event on the lawn of the Museum to one of the larger multi-day events. At the new location, and with adequate parking, the Friends [of the Museum] believe it has the potential of growing into a mega event." The Commission approves a property swap of 10 acres at Willingham Park for 10 acres owned by Belz Enterprises adjacent to the North Police Precinct. This will facilitate construction of a new community center planned for the western part of Raleigh to be built next to the North Precinct. The FY'92 Capital Improvement Budget among other items calls for relocation of the greenhouses in Overton Park and construction of a "new Midtown Super Senior Citizens Center" at that location. The Commission approves extending the Theatre Memphis lease, which expires in 2019, for an additional 50 years to the year 2069, "to reassure some of their donors that Theatre Memphis will be there for a long period of time."

Pages 96-97 and 103, May 15, 1991: Opinion is divided over whether the John Rogers Tennis Center should be closed. "Chairman Wolbrecht stated even the pro and assistant pro agreed the center should be closed. He added that the primary revenue at John Rogers came from the Baptist Hospital nurses and med students prior to Baptist building its own courts. Revenue at the facility last year was less than $6,000 which is less than the tennis pro's salary." Two lease agreements are approved for the Riverfront, one for a floating restaurant and the other for an excursion service. The signage policy at the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium may be decided "by the staff and Board on a case by case basis. . . . [Commissioner Baird] would like to tie it into a way to make this a revenue potential for the Park Commission.”

Pages 104 and 108, June 19, 1991: Board approves applying for a grant from the H.W. Durham Foundation for $15,500 "for Senior Citizens Special Events." A payment of $47,866.70 is made, equaling 1% of the $5,393,410 to be spent for construction of Zoo Cat Country.

Pages 111-113 and 117-119, Aug. 26, 1991: For now the John Rogers Tennis Center is closed at night and opened "for free play during the day." The Commission "would like to be able to maintain John Rogers but there is no support from the participants." In the annual Arts in the Park Festival, "110 dealers will participate in the artists' market this year versus 70 in the last.” Several individuals object to certain features of the Botanic Garden Master Plan, for example a temporary fence around part of the park, and loss of a pier at the lake.

Pages 120-124, Sept. 18, 1991: Mrs. Lee O'Brien is thanked "for her exemplary role in heading up Rendezvous at the Zoo." She says the goal was to make it "the best party ever." The Commission approves the pricing structure and schedule "for the upcoming Etruscan Exhibition at Pink Palace Museum." It is "part of the Wonders Series and must be priced accordingly because of the cost associated with it." Through a grant from the Durham Foundation, "the Botanic Garden Center was able to acquire two 10-passenger trams powered by gas to transport visitors around the gardens. Visitors may ride the entire loop

212 or get on and off as often as they desire." The Center would like to "recover some revenue to pay for maintenance and repairs to the trams" and asks to charge $1.00 for adults to ride it. The John Rogers Tennis Center is discussed again; "The University of Tennessee and both Baptist and Methodist Hospitals urge the reopening by next Spring." Chairman Wolbrecht said that the outpouring of support "certainly has the Board's attention and the issue of reopening John Rogers will definitely be considered." The King-Riverside Master Plan is presented and discussed. It will be taken "back to the neighborhood" for their opinion. Attached is a sheet ("Epilogue") listing the main points of the Martin Luther King- Riverside Park Master Plan.

Pages 128-130, Nov. 20, 1991: The Tennessee Recreation and Parks Association has recognized the Skinner Center "by presenting the facility with its Four Star Award." A contract with Shelby County Community Services will be amended "to lease additional space at Mitchell Road Community Center to expand the Head Start Program there." The Commission approves a number of improvements at tennis courts, such as resurfacing, drain corrections, changes to lighting, etc.: McKellar, University, Gaisman, Audubon, Glenview, Southside, Riverside, Ridgeway, Whitehaven, Bellevue, Raleigh, and John Rogers. "In many cases, Brenda Lockhart said the courts were just built and nothing has been done to maintain them due to lack of funds."

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 27 (January 22, 1992 – December 17, 1993)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Most of the limited amount of supplementary material is stapled to pages of the minutes, although one set of 14 pages of fee increases etc. is loose. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 25 8 138-144, Jan. 22, 1992- Jan. 22, 1992: Membership rates for the (Folder 1 8-16 Feb. 19, 1992 Memphis Zoological Society are increased; for of Book example the rate for individuals goes from $20 27) to $25. Membership has risen from 6,000 last year to over 8,000. A payment to Mayer Construction Co. for the Zoo's Cat Country shows that nearly one-third of the work has been done. [Note that pp. 1-7 are absent.] Feb. 19, 1992: The Pink Palace Museum will be allowed to charge $3 for parking because of extra expenses incurred for the upcoming Etruscan Exhibit. [Item. Following p. 16 are 14 pages dealing with Park Commission fee increases, fee structure and facility rental policy.] 25 9 17-35 Mar. 18, 1992- Apr. 29, 1992: The Alcoholic Beverage Policy is (Folder 2 July 15, 1992 revisited and some changes are approved. A of Book State grant of $250,000 will be sought "for trail 27) development in Martin Luther King/Riverside Park." July 15, 1992: A grant has been received from the State Dept. of Mental Health for $16,480, "to administer a transitional therapeutic recreation program." The Commission approves a five-year contract with Frank's Friendly Flea Market for Fairgrounds facility rentals, "a wonderful revenue opportunity." 25 10 36-56 Aug. 19, 1992- Oct. 21, 1992: The Commission approves "a (Folder 3 Nov. 18, 1992 $1.00 parking charge for selected events of Book within the Fairgrounds Complex. Staff will 27) concentrate on vendors who use all three of the buildings as well as on multiple vendors using buildings at the same time if traffic is sufficient."

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25 11 57-80 Jan. 27, 1993- Jan. 27, 1993: Riverfront rental contracts are (Folder 4 Feb. 24, 1993 approved with American Commercial Marine, of Book Cleopatra Yacht Charters, Inc., Gloria M., Inc., 27) Memphis Queen Lines, Inc., and Waterways Marine of Memphis. The Commission approves 12 ballfield concession contracts expected to yield total fees of $18,115. [Item. Attached to p. 70 is a copy of a Commission resolution announcing its intention to comply with the Americans With Disabilities Act.] 25 12 81-110 Mar. 11, 1993- Mar. 11, 1993: Councilwoman Barbara (Folder 5 June 23, 1993 Sonnenburg distributes “copies of a Resolution of Book adopted by City Council in February, 1989, 27) which urged the Park Commission to place greater emphasis on existing facilities and rehabilitation projects when making its 1990 Capital Improvement budget proposal. Chairman Malmo stated there is a real problem in that the Park Commission can't maintain what it has now." Apr. 30, 1993: Councilwoman Janet Hooks, Chair of the Parks Committee, is welcomed, as is Ann Ball, the new General Manager of Mud Island. "In an effort to control traffic into the Zoo" and at the request of the neighbors, the Commission approves closing Parkview Street in Overton Park permanently from Galloway Avenue. 25 13 111-138 July 14, 1993- July 14, 1993: The Commission approves the (Folder 6 Dec. 17, 1993 sale of 30 acres of McKellar Park to the of Book Memphis & Shelby County Airport Authority 27) for $134,000, and approves members of the following Senior Center Support Groups for fiscal year 1994: McWherter, Lewis, Frayser/Raleigh, Orange Mound, and Peabody. Dec. 17, 1993: Jim Browne, an employee at Memphis Botanic Garden who headed the Park Commission's United Way Campaign this year, stated that its employees had contributed $15,509, "which is a 29% increase over last year with 2 out of every 3 employees making donations." [Item. Attached is a four-page letter from City Attorney Monice Moore Hagler and Assistant City Attorney Lonnie B. Thompson delivering their opinion about religious use of Memphis parks.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 27 (January 22, 1992 – December 17, 1993): Introduction and Excerpts

Members of the Commission at the beginning of this period are Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Vice-Chairman Rob Baird and Commissioners Carolyn Dobson, George Jones and Verties Sails. One year later, after 15 years of service, Wolbrecht is replaced as Chairman by new (or rather returning) Commissioner John R. Malmo, with new Commissioners Peggy Seessel and Fred L. Davis replacing Dobson and Sails. Director Bob Brame and the current Deputy Director (first Marie Dockter, then David Bowman, and finally Charles Lucas) attend most meetings, as does Park Commission Attorney and former Chairman John B. Maxwell, Jr. as of April 1993. The City’s Chief Administrative officer David Hansen is present in August 1993, as are several City Council members from time to time as 1993 comes to an end: Janet Hooks, Florence Leffler and Mary Rose McCormick.

For a better grasp of the Park Commission’s management and obligations at this time of change (Memphis’ first elected African-American Mayor, Willie W. Herenton, has just taken office) it is worth quoting extensively from an Information Session held February 17, 1992 “for staff to update the Board regarding various areas of the operation. . . . In the 1992 budget, there are 426 full-time employees and currently 44 vacancies. . . . Thirty-three of the positions were lost through attrition. Over the past few years, the Park Commission has greatly expanded its operation but it has been necessary to cut back on personnel at the same time. . . . For the purposes of clarification, the following items were identified as those requiring Board approval: Policy items; budget requests; Resolutions requesting appropriations by Council; contracts in excess of $10,000; revenue contracts over $2,000; grant applications and park usage agreements. . . . [L]akes in parks will likely be an issue for debate in the future . . . There is definitely a liability concern involved. . . . The [Botanic Garden] Master Plan approved by the board last year was reviewed. The question now remains whether the plan will be acceptable to the new Administration. . . . With regard to [swimming] pools . . . they are no longer actively utilized. Average attendance is 60-65 people per day per pool which is extremely low. . . . Athletics/Special Activities hopes to open the Frayser/Raleigh Senior Center March 2. . . . [S]taff has been meeting with [ballfield] concessionaires recently. The Commission receives 15% of gross sales from these groups which has totalled only $12,000 per year. This figure should be much more. . . . Plans for the new Midtown Super Senior Center are currently on hold pending directions from the new Administration. . . . There will be a substantial decrease in the number of flowers seen in the medians this year due to budget cuts."

In a seemingly precedent-setting variant of their usual procedure for honoring worthy individuals, the Park Commission “dedicates” three park facilities to living former Board members. Geeter Park on Horn Lake Road is mentioned for what may be the first time. Grant applications written by Commission staff continue to provide assistance to numerous facilities and programs, notably (in this period) the Skinner Handicap Center, and the $1 million-plus Summer Food Service Program run in cooperation with Memphis City Schools, which expands in 1993 from 129 schools to 139. Employee supplementation grants, referred to earlier in the minutes of Book 25, continue to be accepted by the Board. Area 2

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Special Olympics is a new contributor to the Skinner Handicap Center. The Commission receives an award from the Shelby County Council on Aging for the Senior Zoo Day it staged in 1991, and the Skinner Handicap Center is presented with the National Therapeutic Recreation Society’s Organization and Institution Citation, “an extreme honor for Skinner’s staff and the Park Commission.” In another nod to the Skinner Center, its Pool Director, Osie Lewis, Jr., is awarded a silver and two gold medals in the 100 meter and in the 200 and 400 meter races respectively, in the Tennessee Sportsfest held in Memphis.

Funding shortages provoke Chairman Malmo into declaring, in connection with new budget proposals, that the Commission “can’t maintain what it has now,” and regarding further loss of fees from Mud Island, that it “has just been asked to cut another $400,000 from its budget.” Mud Island requires several large subsidies to function, and there is concern that Peabody Senior Citizens Center will have to close. Attempts are made to cut shortfalls by raising Zoo and Museum admission fees; even the Kiddie Rides at the Zoo are raised from 50 to 60 cents, “of which the Commission receives 20% after taxes.”

Some major topics the Board deals with during this period are: an emphasis (sparked by Chairman Malmo) on searching out minority vendors; the hiring of a Park Commission attorney responsible to the Board, rather than reliance on counsel by the City Attorney’s office; discussions of the Martin Luther King – Riverside Park Master Plan, and yet again, of the Overton Park Master Plan; unacceptable behavior by older youths or adults at basketball courts in Marquette Park and Texas Courts Park, similar to behavior at Williamson Park in 1987; use of parks by religious groups; discussion of the privatization of the Zoo; and the sales of Rogers Tennis Center to the Veterans Administration and McKellar Park to the airport. There is no further mention of invocations at the beginnings of meetings (a practice begun in 1971) after one by John Malmo on Feb. 17, 1993. From the physical appearance of the print on the page, it is possible that the minutes of March 11, 1993 may be the first to be printed on a laser writer, as likewise are later minutes.

Excerpts from Minute Book 27:

Pages 10-13, Feb. 19, 1992: "The Memphis Park Commission has been very heavily involved in senior programming for many years. Recently, the Memphis and Shelby County Council on Aging honored the Division with an award for Senior Zoo Day staged last year. Bob Brame recognized Brenda Lockhart and Bob Fouche for their outstanding efforts in this area and presented them with a plaque from the Council on Aging." The Memphis Italian Festival requests the use of Marquette Park in May; the festival has outgrown its original location at Holy Rosary Church. The Memphis Zoological Society "has approximately $800,000 invested in the upcoming Dinamation Exhibit. . . . Bottomline, Bob Brame stated it is a big money maker for the Commission." “Over a number of years, the Board has adopted fee and rental schedules in a piecemeal fashion. Those fees and rental schedules have now all been compiled in one document.” The Commission approves most of the fee/rental schedules, and it approves seeking a grant of $50,000 from the Development Disabilities Planning Council "to initiate a new program at Skinner Handicap Center that would serve to assist individuals with physical or mental disabilities such as stroke victims, spinal cord injuries and psychiatric treatment . . .”

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Pages 17-18, March 18, 1992: The City has attempted for months "to secure the old Cotton Carnival building on Main Street" from MLG&W in order to commit it to the Federal Government "in connection with the downtown trolley,” but MLG&W will only trade this property for a 4-acre parcel that the Commission owns at the corner of Tchulahoma and Holmes Road valued at $15,000 per acre. However, MLG&W "has not indicated how they plan to use the site. . . . The Chairman stated he is not willing for the Park Commission to give the land to Light, Gas and Water for them to turn around and sell it." Jim Blackard of the City Real Estate Department "asked that the Board consider what is best for the entire City."

Pages 22-23 and 26, April 29, 1992: Ballfield concessions are approved for the following locations: Gagliano, Tobey, American Way Complex, Rodney Baber, Firestone, Whitney, Willow Road Complex, Kennedy Complex, Gaisman, and Will Carruthers. Parking on greenspace is approved for the Good Earth Festival to be held at Memphis Botanic Garden in May. "Bob Brame stated that, historically, greenspace has not been used for overflow parking . . . [and that] he remains subjectively opposed to it. However . . . the Garden Center is a part of the Park Commission and these monies will go back into their funds." A Tennessee Department of Human Services grant of $1,500,000 will be applied for to fund the Summer Food Service Program.

Pages 32-33, July 15, 1992: Osie Lewis, an employee of the Skinner Handicapped Center, is recognized for competing "in Tennessee Sportsfest held in Memphis where he was awarded the silver medal in the 40-44 age bracket for the 100 meter race and the gold medal in both the 200 and 400 meters." He is further complimented "for the magnificent job he is doing at Skinner Center as its Pool Director. . . . Chairman Wolbrecht stated Skinner offers more than any other facility of its kind in the country . . ." A grant has been received from the State Dept. of Mental Health in the amount of $16,480, "to administer a transitional therapeutic recreation program."

Page 42, Aug. 19, 1992: The Commission approves an agreement with Memphis Festivals, Inc. to hold Arts in the Park in Overton Park in October, a week later than usual; "Apparently once every 10 years or so, the Mid-South Fair runs over into the first weekend in October which is the case this year. Arts in the Park was moved to the second weekend because of the Park Commission's involvement in set up with the Fair and the crews could not handle two events the same weekend."

Pages 43-44, Aug. 24, 1992: The Commission approves in principle a lease agreement with Professional Sports and Entertainment of Tennessee, Ltd. for use of Tim McCarver Stadium. The staff looks forward "to approval by Council of the $2.8 million in the CIP for improvements and repairs."

Pages 46 and 48-49, Oct. 21, 1992: "Skinner Center was presented this year with the National Therapeutic Recreation Society's Organization and Institution Citation. This award is presented to one facility each year and is an extreme honor for Skinner's staff and the Park Commission." The Mud Island budget anticipates "expenses of $581,603 and revenue of $332,525" so the Commission approves a resolution asking the City Council to transfer the difference ($249,078) "to the Memphis Park Commission budget for operation of Mud Island." Commissioners are reminded that the “matter of banning umbrellas and flags or

218 banners on large poles/sticks” at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium has been discussed in the past with no official action being taken. The staff recommends that such a ban be instituted. The stadium is “virtually the only facility in the southeast which still allows umbrellas, so Memphis would be following the lead of other stadiums.” An easement is approved for AT&T “to drill optic fiber cable at Martyr’s Park where it will continue underneath the river and come out on the Arkansas side. The cable will be encased in 12” diameter steel and will literally be one of the few east to west communication cables in the nation.”

Pages 53-54, Nov. 18, 1992: Deputy Director Marie Dockter "has accepted a position as Manager of the Memphis Sexual Assault Resource Center and will be moving within a fairly short timeframe." Where there is no demand for night baseball, the lights will be removed. Sale of beer is approved at the 1992 Liberty Bowl Football Classic Game; "However, since students will be attending the game, it will be closely monitored." Attached is a 2-page memo listing 67 ballfields and whether they do or do not require lights at night.

Pages 57, 60-62, 64 and 66, Jan. 27, 1993: Former Chairman Bill Wolbrecht expresses how much "he has enjoyed working with the Park Commission over the past fifteen and a half years." He receives a standing ovation. Clara Wright retires after 31 1/2 years with the Park Commission, in Administration, at the Garden Center, and with the Zoo. It is estimated that it will cost around $250,000 to fix the Liberty Bowl field's drainage system, and $380,000 to replace the turf afterward. The Park Commission "has seven Senior Citizens Centers. Of that number, Commission staff operates five with the others being operated by Goodwill Homes and Senior Citizens Services, Inc. The staff has attempted to organize individual support groups at the centers to help with the programming expenses." The Commission discusses the Southern Heritage Classic Football Game with Fred Jones of Summitt Management Corp.; and it adopts "a Resolution of intent to comply with" the Americans with Disabilities Act. Chairman Malmo states that “when he was on the board originally, the Board had its own attorney held on retainer." He would like to see the Board return to this practice, of which the City Attorney approves.

Pages 77-78, Feb. 17, 1993: "Chairman Malmo said he would like the Park Commission to have an aggressive policy of finding minority vendors." These might well "be sub- contractors rather than general contractors. He suggested Purchasing could send notices to these companies to at least make them aware of contracts that are being bid. The Chairman asked staff to check into any and all possibilities . . ."

Page 79, Feb. 24, 1993: At a special called meeting, "Chairman Malmo said it has been brought to his attention that the City Charter states that the Park Commission shall employ a Park Commission attorney . . . Malmo stated he will begin immediately to secure someone who would be willing to accept this position."

Pages 82, 84 and 86-88, March 11, 1993: Last year the Park Commission collected over 27,000 food items for the Operation Feed drive, and this year the Board "will do what it can to locate some prizes" to offer incentives and reward employees. "Chairman Malmo stated the list [of minority vendors] distributed to the Board earlier is clearly not complete by any stretch of the imagination . . . He asked that staff begin making purchases under $250 with as many minority vendors as possible. . . . As a part of future Executive Sessions prior to Board meetings, staff was asked to provide a current list of projects that will be bid within

219 the next thirty days." The Dr. Martin Luther King/Riverside Park Master Plan is discussed. Changes have been made to address objections made at a public meeting; "The primary issue was the lake which was drained some time ago. Everyone wanted it back. . . . Bob Fouche said the condition of the park does not need to be down played. The larger parts of the park are being lost to erosion." Chairman Malmo feels that "not enough advantage is being taken of the land there. It is not creating any income stream for the Park Commission and the Chairman said he thinks there should be an 18-hole [golf] course in the park." With respect to the park’s name, "The Chairman said any reference to Riverside should be dropped from the name.”

Pages 90-91, 93-95 and 97, April 30, 1993: John B. Maxwell, Jr. is appointed "to serve as Counsel to the Board of the Memphis Park Commission. . . . In that Mr. Maxwell also formerly served as Chairman of the Park Board, his expertise in both areas will be extremely valuable." Four park facilities are dedicated to one of its former Directors and to three former Commissioners: the Park Commission's Administrative Office as the Hal S. Lewis Administrative Complex; the Ridgeway Tennis Center as the William F. Wolbrecht Tennis Complex; the gymnasium in the Orange Mound Community Center as the Verties Sails Gymnasium; and the trail in Audubon Park as the Carolyn Dobson Recreation Trail. Charles E. Askew of the Wolf River Conservancy discusses the opportunity that now exists to acquire parcels along the river, which are in the floodplain and not usable for anything else. “Habitat preservation is a large part of what the Conservancy wants to accomplish." Chairman Malmo said, "The problem though is not ownership and acquisition but that the Park Commission owns more than it can maintain right now from a budget standpoint." The Commission staff will, however, work with the City Real Estate Department. "It is something that may not get done for 20 years, but it should be planned for . . ." An agreement is approved for Delta Ducks Land and Water Sightseeing Tours, Inc. to access Mud Island "to launch amphibious vehicles for daily tours" four or five times a day. An agreement with the Board of Education is approved "in connection with the 1993 Summer Food Program. There are 139 sites this year instead of 129 last year. Breakfast, lunch and a snack are served each day." Bob Brame wants to make the Board aware that “the City of Memphis, effective May 1, has banned smoking inside all City buildings."

Pages 98-100 and 102, May 19, 1993: The Commission passes a resolution recognizing Jimmy Ogle, who "has a long and rich history of service to the Memphis Park Commission and the citizens of Memphis,” whose "leadership and vision will forever be part of the legacy of Mud Island,” and who "will always bleed [Park Commission] green." Pink Palace admission prices are discounted to "employees of major corporations and major governmental employees, such as the City of Memphis" on a trial basis. The Commission votes to prohibit the use of Medal of Honor Lake and other park lakes "for the purpose of racing model power boats”; one nearby resident "stated that noise from these boats is a nuisance as well as being absolutely obnoxious."

Pages 105-106 and 108, June 23, 1993: News reports indicate the Veterans Administration may be interested in acquiring the John Rogers Tennis Center property; staff will obtain an appraisal and "look into the question of eminent domain as it relates to this property." The Center for Southern Folklore would like to use Mud Island for the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival in July, but the contract as written will cost the City about $16,000 in admissions. Chairman Malmo pointed out that the Commission "has just been asked to cut

220 another $400,000 from its budget" and he could not see how it could suffer this additional income loss. Staff will "go back and work on the financial aspect of the event." A new traffic pattern is approved for King/Riverside Park, which "has historically experienced traffic pattern problems due to the numbers of people who use the facility." The new pattern involves all traffic going in one direction.

Pages 111-113, July 14, 1993: Charles Lucas, new Deputy Director of the Park Commission, is introduced to the Board. There is further discussion of the Overton Park Master Plan, featuring Ritchie Smith, "an architect who has been involved with the plan from the beginning. Mr. Smith said the master plan was an attempt to deal with traffic in the park and to bring the three major facilities in Overton together, those facilities being the Zoo, Brooks Museum and College of Art. Each of these entities was ready to put money into their facilities, but they were not communicating with one another. This plan represents a consensus of those three organizations and some 60 plus meetings were held with the neighborhoods involved." Several projects have been completed since the plan was approved: parking for Brooks, an ADA compliant entrance to the Museum, relocation of the playground, restoration of Rainbow Lake, construction of a 1.4 mile jogging path, and placing of directional signs. The City Council however did not appropriate funds for Phase III, but it seems now to be in favor of it. Chairman Malmo suggested that instead of calling one feature of the plan the "Orientation Pavilion,” visitors to the park would better understand the term "Information Center.” The Commission accepts "an Area 2 Special Olympics Grant in the amount of $25,000 for employee supplementation at Skinner Handicap Center."

Pages 117-123, Aug. 18, 1993: The BP Oil Company is given permission to drill a monitoring well at Booth Park; "Currently, monitoring wells are located at four or five other park sites." The Memphis Botanic Garden will "host a Birthday Party Celebration: "40 Years of Flowers" on October 24, 1993. After approving an agreement with WLOK Radio Station to stage the Stone Soul Picnic in Tom Lee Park, "The Chairman asked that WLOK and other groups utilizing park properties be put on notice that, because of budget restrictions in the City and additional costs involved in staging these events, staff has been asked to prepare recommended charges for groups using these facilities in the future." He asks staff to put together a policy and pricing schedule for the use of parkland, and “that a flat fee for the facility be proposed, not just a percentage of the food/beverage and novelties." Architect Mel Kersey and the Commission review the most recent design of the Martin Luther King/Riverside Park Master Plan. "The updated design includes the golf course which wasn't originally addressed. Proposed reworking and redesign of the Marina area is addressed as is simplification of the road system." Other updates include expanding the golf course to 18 holes; the Jack Nicklaus Design Company would like to design the course. The Commission discusses a proposal for private management of the Memphis Zoo by the Memphis Zoological Society; such a plan "has been discussed off and on" for at least ten years. Among issues brought up by the resulting draft agreement are: whether the City or MZS should be responsible for major maintenance costs; who would own any trademarks; who would pay for utilities; and how should current and future employees of the City be protected. Ron James of AFSCME Local #1733 said the union does not support the plan. "Mr. James said MZS would not be willing to take a dilapidated Zoo; they want to take a jewel away from the City because the Zoo is a prime example of what the City of Memphis can do well."

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Pages 125-127, Oct. 20, 1993: The Commission addresses a question about basketball in Marquette Park. Goals will be lowered to 7 or 8 feet for younger players, and it is hoped the older players will relocate their game to another site. An area resident showed the Board "the trash and debris in the park caused by basketball play there." An undeveloped parcel of land on Horn Lake Road adjacent to Geeter Park is accepted by the Commission. Commissioner Seessel and the staff and members of Peabody Senior Citizens Center are working on a plan that may keep the center open and "represent a $70,000 savings to the Park Commission." Mrs. Gladys Adams of the Church of God in Memphis applies to use Handy Park for a religious purpose, which a City Council ordinance forbids. "She has learned it is illegal for any city to deny use of a public park for religious purposes," and her group "wants to distribute literature to people on the street on Saturday evenings . . . and perform a street ministry to those people." She adds that the Commission "is headed for a lawsuit if this request is denied." Her request is denied. The Federal Government, which has eminent domain over the John Rogers Tennis Complex property, has "initiated an appraisal which came in at $705,000. Currently, there is only $140,000 in the land acquisition account" and this money would be necessary "if the park Commission has to acquire other property in recently annexed areas of the city." The Commission votes to sell.

Page 130-133, Nov. 17, 1993: Residents and neighbors near Texas Courts Park have complaints about basketball courts there, a situation similar to the one at Marquette Park. "Charles Powell said a great deal of illegal activity is going [on] including shootings there and the residents are very, very concerned." The Commission votes to lower the goals at Texas Courts Park to 8 feet as was done at Marquette Park, where smaller children are now using the courts. A second group asks to use a City park for religious purposes – Reverend Garry Martin whose event is titled “March for Jesus.” "Chairman Malmo said this matter has been discussed with the Board Attorney and the City Legal Office and there is some question about the legality of the existing City Ordinance." The Commission will not take action before a ruling is received from the City Attorney, although "Chairman Malmo stated it is fairly safe to assume that the groups here today as well as others will be allowed use of the parks for religious purposes in the future."

Pages 135-138, Dec. 17, 1993: Jerry Dover is introduced as the new Superintendent of Athletics/Special Activities. New higher membership dues and new hours of operation will be implemented at Peabody Senior Citizens Center; "these recommendations are all cost saving measures proposed by the [Center’s] Steering Committee." A new contract with J.C. Levy for operation of his Kiddie Rides at the Memphis Zoo raises the fee from 50 cents to 60 cents, of which the Commission receives 20% after taxes. A ruling has been received from the City Attorney about religious activities in Memphis parks. "Religious activity is permitted on park property anytime said park is open to the public. . . . Such activity cannot impose on the rights/freedoms of others. For example, a prayer service in and of itself is permissible if not being "forced" on others in the park who are not participating. . . . Use of park property for religious services on a random basis alone would not require the permission of the Commission." Attached is a four-page letter from City Attorney Monice Moore Hagler and Assistant City Attorney Lonnie B. Thompson delivering their opinion about religious use of Memphis parks.

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 28 (January 26, 1994 – November 20, 1996)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. All the limited amount of supplementary material in this book is stapled to pages of the minutes. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined for Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 26 1 139-148, Jan. 26, 1994- Jan. 26, 1994: A farewell party will be held for 11-22 Apr. 20, 1994 George Wise, Director of the Botanic Gardens; they “are far better than they were when George came.” [Note that pp. 1-10 are absent.] Apr. 20, 1994: Summer Day Camp fees will increase from $30 to $45, but the expansion of the program from 30 to 45 days means the cost per child will remain at 95 cents per day. [Item. Attached is a "Group Sales Proposal" addressed to Charles Wilson of the Zoo.] 26 2 23-40 May 18, 1994- May 18, 1994: The City Council feels that Aug. 24, 1994 $30,000 should be found in Parks budget to keep operating Peabody Senior Citizens Center. June 15, 1994: The Peabody Center says it needs $50,000 to operate the center next year, while staff believes it would be best for the Peabody and Lewis Centers to merge. [Item. Attached to p. 37 is a “Pricing Structure for Memphis Museum System for 1994-95.”] 26 3 41-61 Sept. 30, 1994- Nov. 30, 1994: At a special called meeting, the Dec. 15, 1994 Commission approves "an agreement with the Memphis Zoological Society for management of the Memphis Zoo and Aquarium." 26 4 62-83 Jan. 13, 1995- Feb. 22, 1995: The Commission decides not to May 17, 1995 develop a Jack Nicklaus Golden Bear Golf Facility at May Park because such a lease with a private concern is "not in the spirit which existed when the Park was developed." Apr. 19, 1995: In the recent Operation Feed drive, the contribution by Parks "represented 40% of the total City Government efforts." [Note two pages are numbered 72, i.e. the first and second pages of the March 15, 1995 meeting.] 26 5 84-103 June 28, 1995- June 28, 1995: The Memphis Friendship Train Sept. 27, 1995 will continue to provide live music in Handy 223

Park on Sundays thanks to support by the Commission. Tom Lee Park will host the Star Spangled Celebration on July 3, following which "there will be two months for the park to recover before any other events are held there." Sept. 27, 1995: Doug Noble states "private sector contributions to the Museum have increased from $39,000 in 1980 to a current figure of $3.5 million." McKellar Park is declared surplus property. 26 6 104-120 Oct. 18, 1995- Dec. 4, 1995: The Board discusses the Dec. 20, 1995 Lichterman Nature Center Master Plan. It is hoped “the new Nature Center will open in the Spring of 1998 at a cost of $6,512,500. The fundraising program for the project is as follows: $1,400,000 Insurance from the City of Memphis due to fire at the facility; $2,000,000 CIP Budget Request; and $3,112,500 from Memphis Museum System fundraising and from private and other government sources." [Item. Attached to p. 115 is material relating to MATA’s proposed new trolley route through a Park Commission property.] 26 7 121-148 Jan. 17, 1996- Feb. 27, 1996: Concession agreements are Apr. 30, 1996 approved for the following ballfields: American Way Complex, Gagliano/Tobey, Gaisman Ball Field, Kennedy Softball Complex, May Park Sports Complex, Rodney Baber Complex, Tobey Softball Complex, Whitney Ball Field (T-Ball), Will Carruthers Complex, and Willow Road Softball Complex. Mar. 15, 1996: New fees are approved at the seven golf courses: Audubon, Crockett, Fox Meadows, Galloway, Overton, Pine Hill, and Riverside. 26 8 149-177 May 28, 1996- July 30, 1996: Wolf River Conservancy has Nov. 20, 1996 been offered 185 acres "located in the floodplain of the Wolf River near Covington Pike." Larry Keenan says the land "is valuable from a conservation standpoint. However, the Park Commission is not inclined to accept such properties due to the upkeep involved." Aug. 29, 1996: A property swap with Memphis City Schools is proposed that will facilitate construction of the planned new Dave Wells Community Center.

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 28 (January 26, 1994 – November 20, 1996): Introduction and Excerpts

The members of the Commission throughout this period are Chairman John R. Malmo, Vice- Chairman Rob Baird, Fred Davis, George Jones and Peggy Seessel. Director Bob Brame attends most meetings until he is replaced in July 1996 by Wayne Boyer. Attorney John Maxwell, Jr. also usually attends. City Council member Barbara Sonnenburg is present at the meeting of January 26, 1994, and Council member Mary Rose McCormick at the meeting of Sept. 30, 1994.

A number of new facilities are named and several are renamed in these minutes. Named for living individuals are Tim McCarver Stadium and the Lucile Ewing Children’s Theatre, each a part of the Fairgrounds Complex; and the name of the new Magnolia Community Center will honor both the 89-year-old former teacher at Magnolia Elementary School, Ms. Harry Mae Simons, and the school’s late coach Cecil Boyd. At the City Council’s request, the swimming pool at Sexton Community Center is named in honor of Charles Morris. The Youth Building on the Fairgrounds is renamed to honor the late Charles Brakefield, President-Elect of the Mid-South Fair when he died; the gym in the Skinner Handicapped Center is dedicated in memory of Lawrence A. Welch, member of the Center’s Board of Directors; Whitehaven Lane Park is renamed to honor the late David Carnes (for the second time – see minutes of June 7, 1979); and the new Community Center being built at Willingham Park is named in honor of the late Rita Mae Kerns Cunningham. Three facilities in O'Brien Park are dedicated: a football field in memory of James Williams and a pavilion in memory of Marquita Benton, both children “killed by a motorist” at Cherokee Elementary; and a baseball field in honor of Coach Gary Bolton "for his heroic efforts to save the lives of the above-named children while risking his own." (At this time, July 23, 1994, the Board defines the difference between “dedicating” and “naming” a park facility.) After some eighty years DeSoto Park is renamed Chickasaw Heritage Park, and King/Riverside Park is renamed Martin Luther King, Jr. Park. A “design for Butler Park” is mentioned, referring to a location “at the foot of Butler Street.”

A topic that continues to vex the Commission is the question of how to handle unacceptable behavior on basketball courts in neighborhood parks; problems have now arisen at Rozelle-Annesdale, Turner, Alberson, O’Brien, and Gaisman Parks, and at Marion Hale Community Center, and have returned at Marquette Park. The Commission works on the Cordova Park Master Plan and the Lichterman Nature Center Master Plan, and yet again addresses the Overton Park Master Plan, this time concerning a “Super Senior Center” proposed for the corner of Poplar Avenue and East Parkway. Reference is made to two new Zoo exhibits (Animals of the Night and Cat House Café) as well as to two exhibits that are almost finished (Primate Canyon and Children’s Village), and to the Island Drive Riverbluff Walkway project. The Commission declares it must set limits on the use of Tom Lee Park in order to preserve it, and develops a set of guidelines. The exposure of the Memphis Belle on Mud Island is damaging the plane and may result in its removal to the Air Force Museum. The Commission contracts with the Memphis Zoological Society to manage the zoo and aquarium, and arranges with a firm to operate the Fairgrounds Flea Market and with a

225 lawn service to mow and trim Memphis’ medians. A lawsuit filed by Mrs. Gladys Adams concerning use of Handy Park forces the Commission to come up with a new policy “that will clearly regulate the use of the park.” As a result of Consumer Product Safety Commission findings, the Commission must address the problem of lead paint in children’s playground equipment.

Fees continue to rise, at the Lichterman Nature Center, Mud Island, the Zoo, the Pink Palace Museum and the entire Museum system, for the Summer Day Camp program, and on the golf greens, although the latter are quickly rescinded due to golfers’ complaints. The Peabody Senior Center is threatened with closure (yet again), and the Commission decides not to purchase the Whitehaven Country Club for a golf course. It backs away from offers of land along the Nonconnah Greenbelt, as well as floodplain land that would be part of the Wolf River Conservancy, because it would have problems paying for upkeep. At a meeting in February 1996 it is noted that the Board’s FY ’97 operating Budget "is basically driven by the revenue forecast. . . . Personnel represents between 80% and 90% of the total budget request." And again, in March 1996, "the Park Commission has been asked to pare back its FY '97 to the FY '96 level or the FY '96 forecast, whichever is lower. Vice Chairman Baird said this is a huge request." Overall, "what the Commission needs in order to maintain its programs" is "a 7% increase over last year." On the brighter side, private sector contributions to the Museum system amount to a current value of $3.5 million, and grants continue to be sought and presumably received, especially those from the State of Tennessee for “about” $2,000,000 for Summer Food Programs in 1994, ’95 and ’96. The State is also the source of two grants to the Skinner Center of $98,000 each.

Commission approval of animal purchases for the Zoo has been required since its very early years, but the meeting of Dec. 15, 1994 appears to be the last time this practice is recorded in the minutes.

Excerpts from Minute Book 28:

Pages 142-143, Jan. 26, 1994: The Commission has received requests to lower basketball goals at Rozelle-Annesdale, Turner and Alberson Parks. Commissioner Davis says that when the goals were originally put in at neighborhood parks, there was "a much higher level of respect for the people who lived there. . . . It may turn out that some of these amenities may have to be moved because of bad conduct."

Page 145, Feb. 23, 1994: "During the recent ice storm, all departments of City government worked under the direction of the Emergency Management Agency. Bob Brame complimented both Charles Powell and Sonny Dixon, as well as other staff members, who worked so diligently" during this crisis. A lot of trees are down on park property "with Galloway Golf Course and Overton Park probably being the worst hit. . . . As of February 16th, costs related to the clean-up amounted to approximately $45,000, most of which is overtime labor." The City hopes "to recoup most of the cost under the City's insurance policy."

Page 12, March 16, 1994: The baseball stadium on the Fairgrounds Complex is named Tim McCarver Stadium (although it has been called by that name for 15 years). The Commission

226 approves the "use of Handy Park for a Gospel Concert and Launching of the Cross Ministry" by Mrs. Gladys Adams of the Church of God at Memphis.

Pages 16-19 and 21-22, April 20, 1994: The Commission approves a 5-year agreement with the Memphis Belle Memorial Association for retail sales on Mud Island. "The money is primarily used to renovate the airplane." Regarding the flea market in the Fairgrounds, Chairman Malmo remarks that the Board is obligated "to take a look at anything that could benefit the parks and the City" because it is necessary "for the Park Commission to raise such a major portion of its budget." The Commission will apply "for a Summer Food Service Program Grant in the amount of $2,000,000." In a renewed discussion about basketball goals in parks, the minutes state that "While the Board and staff had hoped lowering the goals at certain locations would help solve problems, it has not. The problem is back at Marquette. Everyone hopes to have a permanent solution before too very long. Chairman Malmo said that permanent solution may be that basketball is an inappropriate activity for particular neighborhoods." Mrs. Adams returns, complaining that a squatter band amplifies its music so loudly that it drowns out her group in Handy Park. Chairman Malmo and John Maxwell explain that they cannot give her group exclusive use of the park for free, that they cannot exclude other groups at the same time from using the park. If another group interferes with their use of the park, that is a matter for law enforcement to handle.

Page 24, May 18, 1994: "In addressing the five requests regarding basketball courts which are before the Board, Bob Brame said the following action will be taken. Upon completion of the complex at Halle, the goals at Emerald and O'Brien will be removed. The request at Rozelle-Annesdale will be held at this point in time, and the goals at Turner Park will be relocated to another area of the park. Night play at Alberson should cease with the removal of the light, so that request will be deferred. In response to Commissioner Baird, Bob Brame said staff will look into placing port-a-johns at the three complexes.”

Pages 26-28, June 15, 1994: A public/private partnership is proposed between the Park Commission and the Jack Nicklaus organization and others to establish a Golden Bear Golf Center at May Park, "with no outlay money by the Park Commission. The center will include a driving range, practice greens, a teaching studio, miniature golf, a clubhouse and batting ranges." Staff has been instructed "to proceed with the development of a lease agreement for Beale Street Management, Inc. to take over management, operation and maintenance of Handy Park on Beale Street."

Pages 30-33 and 36, July 23, 1994: Several individuals who currently operate golf "driving ranges and teaching facilities around the City" protest the proposed lease agreement for a Golden Bear Golf Course, saying that leasing property to Golden Bear "at anything less than fair market value . . . would be subsidizing private enterprise," and that the city is already adequately served. The Peabody Senior Citizens Center is given $30,000 by the City with which to operate, but the Commission staff's recommendation that it be closed and thus "not have the Park Commission's stamp on it anymore" is approved. Three facilities in O'Brien Park are dedicated: a football field in memory of James Williams and a pavilion in memory of Marquita Benton, both children killed by a motorist at Cherokee Elementary; and a baseball field in honor of Coach Gary Bolton "for his heroic efforts to save the lives of the above-named children while risking his own." "Commissioner Davis said he wanted to reiterate the fact that these facilities are being dedicated to these individuals and not

227 named for anyone. He stated he did not want [anyone] to leave the meeting with the wrong impression. Chairman Malmo said this Board cannot start a policy of officially naming every facility within every park for someone else. The Park Commission operates 176 parks and could potentially end up with a couple of thousand names, and it would be a nightmare to deal with. Commissioner Seessel said what is important [is] that the names of the children and the coach will stick in the minds of the kids who use O'Brien Park." In connection with leasing park properties, Chairman Malmo said “the Commission needs to be very careful in leasing Tom Lee Park. . . . There is no question when this park is finished that it is going to be the singularly most visited facility by people from out of town. . . . Commissioner Davis said . . . Tom Lee Park has the capacity to contribute substantially to the economics here in Memphis." Attached are 5 pages about "Pricing Structure for Memphis Museum System for 1994-1995" that was on the agenda this day.

Page 38, Aug. 24, 1994: The Commission approves "a request by supporters of Memphis Children's Theatre to rename that facility the "Lucile Ewing Children's Theatre" in honor of her years of dedication and commitment to its creation and continuation."

Pages 47-50, Nov. 4, 1994: The Commission has received a request "that DeSoto Park be renamed to Chickasaw Heritage Park. In researching the property, it was found to have been acquired in 1913 and was known as Jackson Mounds Park." It was named DeSoto Park because the explorer was believed to have crossed the Mississippi River somewhere nearby. Ms. Judy Creek has made the new request "because of the relationship of the Chickasaw Indians who were forced from that land and moved to Oklahoma reservations. . . . [and because] This would give them respect and make them feel they were back home again. . . . There will be a Chickasaw Homecoming this weekend and she has been working with all the surrounding area tribes on this project which will include a reverse Trail of Tears." Two groups have now expressed interest in maintaining and operating Handy Park; the first was Beale Street Management, Inc., now joined by The Beale Street Development Corporation. Ricky Peete, President of Beale Street Merchants Association, discusses the difference between "the entities on Beale Street." In regard to her application for use of Handy Park, Gladys Adams expresses "anger at the discrimination and buckpassing she believes her group has endured for one year and one month." Summitt Management Corp.'s Southern Heritage Classic Football Games are approved to use Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium annually from 1995 through 2001. "Chairman Malmo said Fred Jones [of Summitt] is more than a taxpayer. He is a very good customer of the Commission . . ."

Pages 57-58 and 60, Dec. 15, 1994: DeSoto Park is renamed Chickasaw Heritage Park. Lou White Eagle, on behalf of the group present at the meeting, expresses sincere thanks for this consideration of the Indian Nation. The Commission is also presented with an artist's rendering titled "Freedom Flight.” The Board is now uncertain "as to the advisability of turning [Handy] park over to any other management group." Zoo animals approved for purchase are: A Slow Loris (Monkey), $150, from Lake Superior Zoological Gardens; a Hooded Parrot, $500, from the Los Angeles Zoo; 4 Mangrove Snakes and 30 Red-eyed tree frogs for a total of $680 ($10 packing fee) from Tom Crutchfield’s Reptile Enterprises; a Blue Duiker (Antelope), $100, from San Antonio Zoological Gardens; a Crested Wood Partridge and a Luzon Bleeding Heart Dove for a total of $275, from the St. Louis Zoo.

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Page 57, Dec. 15, 1994: Bob Brame expresses gratitude for the "some 44 years" service and friendship the Park Commission has enjoyed with "Mr. J.C. Levy who, among many other things, has operated Kiddie Rides at the Fairgrounds Amusement Park and the Memphis Zoo." He presented Mr. Levy "with a plaque which further communicated those thoughts and good wishes as Mr. Levy heads into retirement."

Page 62, Jan. 13, 1995: The Commission approves a resolution allowing Canadian Football League - Memphis "to go forward with alterations at the Liberty Bowl Stadium"; the Commission will receive $1.00 per ticket up to $30,000. Zoo admission price increases from $5 to $6 for adults are justified, considering “the opening of the new Animals of the Night Exhibit and Cat House Cafe as of January 1, 1995," and the opening of Primate Canyon and the new Children's Village within a few months.

Pages 65-69 Feb. 22, 1995: Representatives of Save Our Shell, Inc. request help from the Commission, which asks that it be given "a reasonable cost estimate for getting the facility back into functioning condition." It may take something like $200,000. The Commission declares surplus a "portion of property located at the edge of Audubon Park." Its estimated value is $75,000 to $90,000. During a discussion about renewing ballfield concessions, "Commissioner Baird said he understands the Park Commission pays the utilities at these facilities and asked if Sonny Dixon could determine how much it would cost to meter these locations before next season."

Pages 75-76, April 4, 1995: The Commission approves an agreement with Coleman- Simmons Promotions to operate the Fairgrounds Flea Market. "The economic package proposed by Coleman-Simmons far exceeds that of the past operator. Commission will receive 40% of the first $50,000 of booth rental and 45% on any amount $50,000 or over with a minimum of $16,000. The former operator paid only $13,500 per month. In addition, Coleman-Simmons picks up security, utilities and maintenance. The Park Commission keeps all commissions to which it is entitled from the sale of food and beverage."

Pages 80-81, May 17, 1995: The Park Commission represents only 6% of total City employees, yet they earned First Place citywide in the recent Operation Feed drive. The Recreation Department alone generated a little more than half of the total contribution. The three community centers that contributed most were Hollywood, Gaisman, and Lester. The Commission discusses removing the basketball goals at Gaisman Park "due to the same reasons goals have been taken down at other locations." The staff at Marion Hale Community Center is also "experiencing the same difficulty now with the outside courts."

Pages 86 and 90-92, June 28, 1995: It has been suggested that Magnolia Community Center be renamed the "Harry Mae Simons/Cecil Boyd" Community Center. Ms. Simons taught at the Magnolia Elementary School on that original site and is now 89 years old; Mr. Boyd, deceased, was one of the first basketball coaches at that school and "not only touched many pro athletes in terms of his athletic ability but also with his goodness." (This renaming is approved at the July 26, 1995 meeting.) The Commission discusses the "Super Senior Citizens Center" proposed for the corner of Poplar and East Parkway. “It will be approximately 40,000 square feet . . . There would be a 214 car parking lot . . . $3.8 million is available in the Capital Improvements Program for this project . . . Some opposition to the location of the center has been expressed . . . Bob Fouche stated this new center is a high

229 priority item when you consider Lewis Senior Center which is worn out. . . . Commissioner Baird said this project four years ago just happened suddenly and no real thought was given to the location by the Board at that time." Ritchie Smith, architect of the Overton Park Master Plan, "said this project is planned in the wrong location" and that "the park is literally bursting at the seams." The Commission goes on record as opposing this site for the center. All swimming pools are in operation this summer with staffing level currently at 70%.

Pages 98-99, Aug. 30, 1995: The Commission approves "the Food Service Agreement with Memphis City Schools for the After School Day Care program. Suzanne Fouche stated this program, which has been in existence for 9 years, is now in operation at 17 schools and is only for the children at their respective school. The standard rate per child is $70.00 for four hours and $60.00 for three hours depending upon the time the school day ends. . . . The number of children cared for each day is 1,100 and the program serves kindergarten through ninth grade students. The program is funded totally by the revenue it generates. However, children who cannot afford it are still accommodated." Chairman Malmo suggests "this is something the Mayor should be approached about to see if arrangements can be made to increase the size of the staff for this program."

Pages 101-103, Sept. 27, 1995: The status of the Memphis Belle is discussed with representatives of the Memphis Belle Memorial Association. "Currently, there are serious problems at Mud Island caused by birds, bugs, vandalism and a lack of maintenance." Either the pavilion holding the Belle must be enclosed, or the aircraft should be moved to DeWitt Spain Airport. The Chairman states "it is unlikely that the Park Commission would be able to spend the funds to enclose the pavilion," and that it appears the Association has changed its mind over the years "as to what they would like to see happen." Speaking for the Association, Harry Friedman says "it was the best they could do at the time, because the Air Force Museum planned to reclaim the Belle if the Association could not keep it under cover. Their dream all along has been to eventually put the plane in a central point with other aircraft in a climate controlled area." The Sons of Confederate Veterans have proposed to make various improvements to Confederate Park, one of which is "to install the flat granite grave markers for 100 Civil War veterans who died in POW camps."

Pages 105-108, Oct. 18, 1995: William Rolen representing the Sons of Confederate Veterans appears with their proposal for renovations and improvements to Confederate Park. These include planting "a battlefield tree" around Arbor Day, placing 200 granite grave markers to serve as "memorials to 200 Confederate soldiers from Memphis and Shelby County who died in POW camps," and replacement of “the existing cannons” and of the flagpole cut down in 1967. It is suggested that instead, the organization might adopt a project to repair the retaining wall facing the river, which "is deteriorating rapidly and is, in fact, a danger to visitors who stand at it. . . . Mr. Rolen stated his greatest concern is that there is a considerable engineering aspect with regard to restoring the wall . . . The expense of such a project would be astronomical." Malone Park which consists of 1.67 acres at Main and Greenlaw is declared surplus, but with the caveat that if it is sold, "the buyer must develop it within a period of 5 years" or it must be sold back to the City.

Pages 112, Dec. 4, 1995: Memphis Area Transit Authority requests "an easement on Park Commission property at Main and Auction for the proposed new trolley route."

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Commissioner Baird suggests the drawing supplied with this request be made part of the minutes "so all parties involved are in agreement with the route the trolley will take. Said Exhibit is attached hereto."

Pages 122-123 and 125-126, Feb. 27, 1996: Ten requests have already been received for use of Tom Lee Park; Commissioner Davis suggests setting "an outside limit on the number of closings allowed per year. The Commission will get pressure from doing that, but people can be inconvenienced only so often by blocking what has become a major thoroughfare [Riverside Drive]." In a related matter, the City Internal Auditor has sent the Commission "some strong recommendations" with regard to contracts with organizations for use of city parks. Several problems have arisen as a result of Gladys Smith et al. vs. City of Memphis et al., the litigation about the use of Handy Park; it appears that "the Commission is going to have to write a new policy for Handy Park that will clearly regulate the use of the park . . . one that is absolutely fair to every citizen."

Page 132, March 7, 1996: Staff recommends increases in golf fees and Mud Island admission prices. Larry Smith states that "without this increase the Island will operate next year at a deficit of about $900,000."

Pages 135-137 and 139-141, March 15, 1996: Further discussion of the 1997 budget; staff has been "asked to go back and try again to get to $17 million which is the adopted FY '96 level." Guidelines are adopted for use of Tom Lee Park. For example, requests can only be considered for groups that are "current with the Commission (financial or otherwise)”; “only events with a minimum of 10,000 participants should be considered eligible to utilize the park"; at least one week intervals between park usage will be necessary; and a $3,000 per day usage fee will be charged for events that charge admission. "It has been five years since golf greens fees were increased and some seven or eight years since senior fees have risen." A new rate structure is therefore approved.

Pages 142-144, April 30, 1996: A group of golfers complains about the new golf fees. They are "hopeful that some revisions will be made today." Staff explains "the pricing is different at certain courses to encourage people to go to the lower priced facility to increase play at those locations." Chairman Malmo states "the Commission has been asked to raise approximately $9 million [of an operating budget of $17 million] . . . That money has to come from fees." The proposed golf fees are not arbitrary; "fees have been increased in several areas such as park use permits, beer sales and concessions, lease agreements, and at Mud Island. The entire fee structure is currently being examined." Commissioner Seessel believes "The Board is trying to do the best job it can with the information it receives. What this committee [of golfers] has said today will not be ignored."

Pages 149 and 151-152, May 28, 1996: The Board and staff "have agreed to reductions in the golf fee structure adopted in February.” The Commission approves "an agreement with the State of Tennessee Division of Rehabilitation Services for continued grant funding of the "Heads Up" Program for one year at Skinner Center in the amount of $98,000." City Council has "approved $850,000 more in the FY '97 CIP than requested and the Operating Budget was approved as submitted."

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Pages 156-157, July 30, 1996: The Board approves increased Zoo admission rates; adults will be charged $7, a $1 increase. No changes are proposed in the membership rate of $49. The last price increase was two years ago. "Past history indicates that attendance begins to decline after a major exhibit opening. Primate Canyon, Animals of the Night and Once Upon a Farm are all now well over a year old." Board members are given "the first draft of a proposed park use permit which will replace the Agreement process used in the past. Bob Fouche . . . stated it is in the early stages and staff would like comments and suggestions from the Board."

Pages 164-165, Aug. 29, 1996: "On motion by Commissioner Jones, seconded by Commissioner Baird, King/Riverside Park was officially renamed "Martin Luther King, Jr. Park.”" The Commission approves a Memphis Museums Inc. Employee Supplementation Grant of $1,287,700.

Pages 170-173, Oct. 30, 1996: The Board approves "receipt of reimbursement for After School Snacks from the State Department of Human Services in the approximate amount of $40,000. The program is titled "Child and Adult Care. . . . Suzanne Fouche stated this program began in the 1985/1986 fiscal year at 3 sites, serving 300 children. Today, it is in place at 31 sites throughout the City. During the month of September, 1,678 children participated in after school, with 365 in the morning program. . . . John Avis, Principal of Colonial Middle School, said he opted for the Park Commission's program last year because there are so many children who are dismissed at 2:15 p.m. each day and have nowhere to go." He praised the activities offered and the staff who supervise them. The snack program is actually administered by Memphis City Schools. Chairman Malmo believes "This is one of the most important and cost efficient programs offered by the Park Commission and no one wants to ever see it held back." In a sampling of playground equipment at 30 park systems, the Consumer Products Safety Commission has found two sites locally where lead paint problems exist, and Commission staff "has gone through the entire park listing and has identified about 64 sites where old playground equipment is probably located." A testing company will "check the equipment and offer a recommendation on how to abate it." In response to questions by Chairman Malmo, Wayne Boyer says "The Federal Government is just advising the Park Commission that . . . there is lead paint, it is dangerous and that the Commission needs to do something to get rid of it.”

Pages 174-175, Nov. 20, 1996: Mrs. Gladys Adams’ law suit concerns the City Ordinance "in force at the time the suit was filed [that] required permission from the Park Commission for use of the facility." A judge has issued an injunction declaring “the Ordinance in violation of the First Amendment with regard to political and religious activities." The City Attorney is now "trying to draft either another ordinance or policy establishing rules and regulations governing individuals or groups who engage in those type activities.”

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Inventory of Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 29 (January 29, 1997 – March 23, 2000)

In general, bracketed items or page numbers indicate material, either interleaved or bound-in, which has separate page numbering from the minutes, or is bound out of sequence, or has no page numbers printed or written on it. It may or may not be dated or datable. Very little supplementary material accompanies the minutes in this book. Certain bracketed material labeled as an [Item.] is as defined Minute Book 1.

Box Folder Pages Dates Examples of Contents 26 9 178-199 Jan. 29, 1997- Jan. 29, 1997: The Board discusses contract (Folder 1 Apr. 16, 1997 terms for use of the Liberty Bowl Memorial of Book Stadium. "Each time the facility is opened for a 29) typical event, cost to the Park Commission is about $30,000 which is the basis for the minimum rental now charged. . . . The Liberty Bowl has been a $115,000 to $116,000 a year customer over the past two years and a $100,000 plus contributor annually since it has been here." Mar. 19, 1997: Contract terms for use of the stadium have been worked out; among other items, for collegiate games "A flat rate of $30,000 per game will be charged to the lessee with the Commission receiving revenue from parking, food concession and beer sales." 26 10 200-225 May 22, 1997- [Item. Following p. 208 is a letter from the (Folder 2 Dec. 17, 1997 North Memphis Civic Club on behalf of the of Book Bickford Park Community requesting that the 29) new swimming pool "be named as a memorial to Mr. Melvin E. Carter, a recently deceased former employee and Director of Bickford Park for most of the time since its opening."] July 31, 1997: [Note that the p. 209 headnote is mistakenly dated August 28.] In a discussion of the Pro Football Agreement, Chairman Malmo states that “many meetings have been held with the [Tennessee] Oilers. The scenario now is that the Park Commission is the Lessor and that it has a lease owned by FS Leasing. FS Leasing has sublet that to the Memphis & Shelby County Sports Authority and the Sports Authority has sublet to the Oilers." 26 11 226-250 Jan. 27, 1998- Mar. 12, 1998: Skybox rental rates are (Folder 3 Apr. 20, 1998 increased, to $2,000 for a small skybox and of Book $3,000 for a large one. Apr. 20, 1998: The 29) proposed 1999 Operating Budget has the same

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dollar limits as last year. "Chairman Malmo stated that the ranger program is a good addition, and the community centers are a wonderful initiative. However, he was disappointed in the denial of the urban forestry program." 26 12 251-275 May 21, 1998- Aug. 19, 1998: The Commission approves (Folder 4 Dec. 17, 1998 installation of a plaque in Tom Lee Park of Book honoring singer James Hyter. [Item. Bound in 29) is a fax from Fred Jones requesting approval of Southern Heritage Classic football game dates through 2007.] Nov. 19, 1998: Chairman Malmo assigns Commissioner George Jones to sit on the Memphis In May Board, as the Commission's "eyes and ears.” 26 13 276-300 Jan. 28, 1999- Mar. 31, 1999: The Midland Food Services (Folder 5 May 20, 1999 contract with the Fairgrounds is canceled. of Book "Midland currently owes Mud Island River 29) Park $110,000, and the Zoo $93,000.” During a discussion of the Request for Proposals policy of the City of Memphis, Commissioners state they would like to see an increase in "the level of minority vendor participation." 26 14 301-318, June 24, 1999- June 24, 1999: Increases in admission and (Folder 6 322-331 Mar. 23, 2000 rental rates for the Memphis Botanic Garden of Book are approved; "there has been no admission 29) increase since April 1, 1990, and no rental increase since 1992." For adults the old rate was $2 and the new rate will be $4. Aug. 30, 1999: Doug Noble, Director of the Museum System, recommends approval of the Memphis Museums, Inc. grant "which provides funds to the Park Commission to employ additional employees within the museum system"; in FY 2000 it will reimburse the Park Commission $1,379,364. Sept. 23, 1999: The groundbreaking for the new E.R. "Bert" Ferguson Park and Community Center in Cordova was held on Sept. 22, 1999. [Note that pages 319 to 321 are absent.]

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Memphis Park Commission Minute Book 29 (January 29, 1997 – March 23, 2000): Introduction and Excerpts

The members of the Commission, all continuing from 1993, are Chairman John R. Malmo, Vice-Chairman Rob Baird, George Jones, Peggy Seessel and Fred Davis. Director Wayne Boyer attends regularly, as does Attorney John B. Maxwell, Jr. until his resignation at the end of 1999. Long-time Board Secretary Liz Stockdale is replaced in September 1997, and Commissioners Malmo and Baird resign in June and December 1999, respectively. Following Baird’s resignation, Fred Davis signs the minutes as Chairman for the final three meetings of the Commission. Several deputy directors and administrators attend meetings for much of this period: Deputy Director Terrence Woods; Deputy Directors Marilyn Boyd Drew of Recreation Services and Art Strong of Park Operations; and Administrators Larry Keenan of Planning & Development, Larry Smith of Finance & Administration, Bill Wilson of Stadiums & Fairgrounds, and Fletcher Couch of Golf & Tennis. City Councilman Jerome Rubin is mentioned as being present April 22 and Sept. 23, 1999.

A recurring theme at Board meetings is the requirement that activities and venues for which the Commission is responsible must be made to pay for themselves, and in keeping with this policy, admission fees, rentals and special event fees are increased. The Commission would like to sell McKellar Park to the Airport Authority, but complications hold up the sale. The fate of Malone Park, which had earlier been declared surplus, will now be subject to the Master Plan for Parks. Grants continue to be a lucrative source of funds for Commission activities: Memphis Museums, Inc. grants nearly $1.4 million toward Museum salaries; the Commission obtains a $325,000 ISTEA grant (Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act) for maintenance of highway medians, etc.; private industry funds the JPTA Summer Youth Program (Job Training Partnership Act) in the amount of $177,000; and the Commission will seek a $98,000 grant for the Skinner Center and a grant of about $2 million from the Tennessee State Department of Human Services for the Summer Food Program.

The Commission approves numerous namings and renamings in its last three years. Hastings Cove Park (seemingly not mentioned earlier) is named in honor of Mary Elizabeth Malone, the entrance drive to Pine Hill Golf Course is named Loren Roberts Lane for this Memphis golfer, Doughboy Plaza at the entrance to Overton Park is renamed Veterans Plaza, Cordova Park (also seemingly not mentioned earlier, at least under this name) is renamed E.R. “Bert” Ferguson Park and Community Center, Mud Island is changed to Mud Island River Park, and Galloway Golf Course Clubhouse is named John R. Malmo Clubhouse. Butler Park is approved as a part of South Bluffs planned development, East High Athletic Complex is a new facility, a plaque honoring singer James Hyter is approved for Tom Lee Park, and an additional memorial is proposed for the park’s namesake, one bearing Mr. Lee’s likeness. The approval to locate a Cancer Survivor’s Park at Confederate Park is almost immediately rescinded, and a new community center is proposed for Medal of Honor Park.

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The naming of Hastings Cove Park in honor of Mary Elizabeth Malone on June 26, 1997 causes the Board to revisit the “naming issue.” Chairman Malmo states that “it had been past practice of the Board to adhere to several precedents for changing the name of something that had been geographically named rather than for a person. . . . In researching the history of Hastings Cove Park, there is no importance or relevance to that name other than it is in this particular development . . . and it was named for the neighborhood.”

During its last two years the Board is heavily involved in controversial lease negotiations with the MAPCO, Inc. –Williams Co. refinery at the southern end of Martin Luther King Park, and with John Elkington’s Performa Entertainment Real Estate Inc. about establishing an amphitheatre in Handy Park. A Master Plan for Parks is developed and approved, and a Golf Master Plan is in the works. Early warnings are heard of the eventual removal of the Memphis Belle, not just from Mud Island River Park but from the very city whose name it bore.

Excerpts from Minute Book 29:

Pages 180 and 182, Jan. 29, 1997: During a discussion of contract terms for use of the Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, "Commissioner Davis said he knows what an effort it was to resurrect the Bowl. The Commission now needs to determine a way for that life to continue to flow. He added he has seen Fred Jones create something from nothing and bring a multi-million dollar benefit to the City of Memphis." Architects will develop a comprehensive Master Plan for Parks that will be carried out in five phases. “Wayne Boyer said this may be one of the most important things the Park Commission has ever undertaken. Whatever is done with this plan will set the future of this system for the next 40 to 50 years."

Pages 186-187, Feb 19, 1997: Complaints have been received from several organizations, including Memphis in May, that fees “the Board adopted last year for the use of Tom Lee and other special use parks . . . would create a substantial burden for them." It appears that several variables were not taken into account in the original fee schedule; Chairman Malmo said "The Commission has no intention of raising fees to the extent it did and a new fee schedule will be shortly forthcoming." Baseball and Spring Softball team entry fees are increased, the former from $500 to $625 and the latter from $360 to $410. This is the first increase since 1984.

Pages 189-190 and 191, March 19, 1997: The Airport Authority urgently needs part of McKellar Park "for the purpose of installing navigation control devices." The park has been declared surplus, but the City Council has not yet approved sale of the park, even though "The Authority has agreed to purchase the land based on an appraised price somewhere around $3 million." New rates are approved for use of Tom Lee Park. "The new structure is based on two factors: 1) profit motive of the user group; and, 2) intent of the user group to charge an admission to public lands.” The following schedule is approved: For-profit with fee, $3,000/day; For-profit without fee, and Non-profit with fee, $2,000/day, Non-profit without fee, $1,000/day.

Pages 196-197, April 16, 1997: The Commission approves drilling a monitoring well in Chickasaw Heritage Park, but because "prehistoric Indian mounds are there and no one

236 knows exactly what is under the ground," the Commission will require the company doing the work to get approval of the Dept. of the Interior and the State Archaeologist's Office. The Commission approves "a plan for the East High Athletic Complex." Wayne Boyer says that "With the new library in the same vicinity, this is going to be a highly visible area."

Page 203, May 22, 1997: Zodiac Park, "which is almost in Mississippi," is declared surplus property. "If given the assignment to locate the worst possible site for a park, Larry Keenan stated it would be this piece of property." The 63 acres are located at Tchulahoma Road south of Holmes.

Pages 205-207, June 26, 1997: After the Commission grants an easement to MLG&W at Audubon Park "to install a [gas] distributor regulator . . . Chairman Malmo stated the Park Commission should not give away anything to another Division of City government. He asked Wayne Boyer to look into doing a study of MLG&W facilities on park property to help in determining what they should be charged for this easement." Because re-naming of park properties "has come up as such an increasingly active area, [Malmo] asked Wayne Boyer to find someone he could assign the task of going back through the Park Commission Minutes and archives to research and list all facilities which have been given names. As a part of that assignment, the individuals should be identified along with the reason the facility was named in their honor. A master file cataloguing all this information needs to [be] maintained for future reference." In response to requests that several facilities be renamed, "Chairman Malmo said it is appropriate that he summarize the fact that the opinion of the Board is unanimous in that the Commission is not anxious to honor somebody by taking away an honor given to someone else. It would be a really bad precedent."

Pages 210-211, July 31, 1997: Mid-South Fair officials would like to construct a large storage building near the Arena; Chairman Malmo points out that some parking will thereby be lost, and "Secondly, there have been previous discussions, partly because of McCarver Stadium being vacated in the near future, about an entire reassessment of the Fairgrounds property."

Pages 219-222, Nov. 21, 1997: The question of selling Malone Park is on hold pending completion of the Memphis Park Commission Master Plan. A draft of this plan "as provided by Ritchie Smith Associates" is reviewed by the Commission; after it is approved, "the Master Plan Document will be used to guide the growth and development of the Memphis Park Commission." The sections, reviewed in considerable detail, are: Public Golf Courses; Public Soccer Fields; Swimming Pools; Public Tennis Courts; and Public Walking Trails.

Pages 223-224, Dec. 17, 1997: John Elkington of Performa Entertainment Real Estate, Inc., proposes to develop a 3,000 seat amphitheatre in Handy Park; he would like "to negotiate with the Park Commission and to come back in January with a detailed proposal outlining responsibilities. Mr. Elkington is asking to lease the facility (Handy Park), take over maintenance of the park, and take full control of the park for the lease period. . . . Estimates are between $800,000 and $1 million dollars."

Pages 232-233 and 235, Feb. 19, 1998: The Commission approves the new ballfield concessions procedures "which included Request For Proposals (RFP) and the Concession

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Operation Agreement. The new process will provide an opportunity for more applicants to submit offers to operate the nine ballfield concession stands. . . . [And] for the Park Commission to receive 15% of all gross sales . . . [and] provide for more accountability." The Commission approves an agreement with MAPCO Petroleum "to lease and use approximately two acres of Martin Luther King park property adjacent to their plant." It will be used for parking 40 to 50 cars; the lease is for $3,000 per month. The Capital Improvement Program Budget is discussed, and two particular concerns come up. One is the $3.2 million Galloway golf course and clubhouse renovation plan, and the other issue is the funding of the Zoo project. Director Boyer suggests taking "$2.5 million slated for the Mid-Town Senior Center, move it to the Zoo project, and use the remainder for the Orange Mound Senior Center project."

Pages 238, 241 and 243, March 12, 1998: The minutes feature an extended discussion of relative merits of two proposals for a Liberty Bowl scoreboard, by StadiaNet and Ad Art, and the three types of technologies (CRT, LED, and wedge-based) that might be used. The Commission votes to establish a policy "that would deny installation of cellular towers in all City-owned parks." Jim Dugan, a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, proposes "to build a memorial wall in the Overton Park Plaza in honor of veterans killed in past wars. He proposes renaming the plaza "Veterans Plaza.""

Pages 248-249, April 20, 1998: StadiaNet is chosen as the scoreboard for the Liberty Bowl. The north end of the stadium will have a new 18 ft. by 24 ft. Sony TV screen, the south end scoreboard will be refurbished, 30 TV monitors will be installed near the concession areas, etc. "The total package for the StadiaNet proposal is approximately $2.5 million." After some discussion, the Commission approves "in concept" the proposed design of a 3,000- seat amphitheater in Handy Park by Performa Entertainment; the design will include "six 20' x 20' pavilions for mixed use (bands, speakers, families, etc.)."

Pages 253-254, May 21, 1998: The Commission discusses the Memphis Belle’s problems at some length. Its location in the Mud Island pavilion results in damage by weather, birds and vandalism, hence the threatened removal to Millington by the Memphis Belle Memorial Association. "Commissioner Davis stated if the Memphis Belle Memorial Association wants the Memphis Belle so bad, they can take it. Chairman Malmo responded there are a lot of people who feel the Memphis Belle belongs in Memphis, not in Millington." The Chairman is authorized "to explore options for the Memphis Belle."

Pages 255-256, July 16, 1998: The Doughboy Plaza is officially renamed "Veterans Plaza.” MAPCO/Williams proposes "to lease a parcel of property (seven acres) on the south side of Martin Luther King Park. They wish to construct a fourteen million dollar administrative support service center that will include a four story office building, three story parking garage and a one story maintenance facility." For this they will pay a one-time fee of $150,000 and an annual lease payment of $125,000. Jim Blackard of the City Real Estate Department says this rate is "below the average commercial annual lease rate in the area." Staff recommends approval "as there is an opportunity to generate income that can be returned to the park. The proposed annual payment is greater than the current" park maintenance budget.

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Pages 260-261, Aug. 19, 1998: John Elkington of Performa Real Estate requests a lease agreement for the Handy Park project. Chairman Malmo says "he was not aware of any discussion regarding a lease . . . he stated the Board needs more time to read the packet before voting on this issue." Director Boyer responds that terms of the lease have been discussed at previous Board meetings, although there has been no final agreement on the terms. The Board secretary is instructed to give Board members "anything pertaining to the lease" and when the Board has looked it over, "they will be willing to provide a letter of intent before a lease is written. Director Boyer stated he, the committee and Mr. Elkington have basically done what the Chairman has requested."

Pages 263-265 and 266-267, Oct. 22, 1998: The plans for MAPCO to lease part of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Park have had to be postponed. There have been protests from nearby community groups; there may be a rezoning or jurisdictional dispute with City Council; it is not clear where the money paid by MAPCO would go (to Martin Luther King Park or into a general fund); and there is language in the contract that the Board has not reviewed. John Elkington of Performa Real Estate, Ricky Peete with the Beale Street Merchant's Association, and Commission staff are in agreement on "the latest drawings and plans of the proposed amphitheater in Handy Park." The contract will be reviewed by the Board Attorney. The Commission approves acquisition of land "approximately the size of Marquette Park" for about $46,000, at Wilson and Hornsby. The StadiaNet agreement for "a new Sony Jumbotron" is approved.

Page 270, Nov. 19, 1998: "Lissa Thompson, with Ritchie Smith Associates, presented the Board with the final [Parks] master plan draft to review. . . . She recommended two sections for the Board to review specifically: Section Two - Goals and Objectives and Section Six - Facility Needs and Recommendations.”

Pages 273-274, Dec. 17, 1998: Cordova Park is renamed E.R. "Bert" Ferguson Park and Community Center. Larry Keenan asks for "approval of a $325,000 ISTEA federal grant, which covers maintenance for the parkway systems (North, East and South Parkways). It will also include maintenance for the medians, planting of trees and paving. . . . The federal government's percentage of the grant is 80%." The name of Mud Island is changed to "Mud Island River Park." The Commission rescinds approval for the purchase of property at Wilson and Hornsby. "Neighbors in the area stated they do not want a park in this area, so no park will be located at that site." Director Boyer wonders how the Commission should deal with constituents who do not want a park in their area today, when "ten years later the neighborhood might want a park located there."

Page 276-277 and 278, Jan. 28, 1999: Discussion of the lease agreement between the Commission and Performa for a Handy Park amphitheatre is in its final stage. The question of profit has come up. “Commissioner Davis stated this project is similar to the Mud Island project, which did not make any money, however that didn't matter because Mud Island was not originally conceived to be a financial success, but built as a catalyst for economic development of the downtown area." "Director Boyer and Park staff recently met with the Finance Division and presented Park's CIP program for FY 2000-FY 2004. $47 million dollars was requested for the Park Commission, which was eventually pared to $20 million dollars."

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Pages 282-283 and 284, Feb. 25, 1999: A new golf fee structure is approved, with a number of speakers from the audience dissenting; "their main concerns included: a) accountability, b) maintenance, c) setting up a system that will enable players to keep accurate handicaps, d) better marketing especially for inner-city kids, and e) the Park Commission working with other programs within the city especially with minority golf pros." The Board approves the Park Commission Facilities Master Plan Report; it is now ready for the Administration, the City Council Parks Committee, and the entire City Council.

Pages 286-287 and 288-289, March 31, 1999: The Commission discusses the lease with Memphis In May for use of Tom Lee Park. Chairman Malmo asks "if the festival could be held on consecutive weekends in the year 2000, and have three weekends instead of four . . . [He] would like to see the festival shorten its days (from 40 to 26-30 days, which was the original number of days the festival was held). . . . The Park Commission cannot continue to subsidize Memphis in May any longer. Commissioner Seessel further stated because of the damage to the park during the festival, a deposit or bond is needed and that costs cannot be absorbed by the Park Commission." It is decided to accept an $80,000 flat fee, and to include a deposit or bond in the amount of $25,000, contingent upon further discussions with the Memphis In May Board. A retired disabled veteran spoke from the floor "regarding the policy on the rates for disabled and retired golfers; "He feels insulted that the disabled retired combat veterans are not included in these [golfing] guidelines." In a discussion of a new lease agreement with Cargill, Inc., it is noted that "The City Administration has requested no long term lease agreements for all projects on the riverfront."

Pages 292-293, 294-295 and 296, April 22, 1999: "Art Strong, Deputy Director of Park Operations . . . recommended discontinuing the policy of providing reduced rates for persons with disabilities. . . . Commissioner Seessel . . . stated she cannot make an exception for such a minute group of people. . . . Director Wayne Boyer stated he was not aware of any City that had a fee reduction for disabled persons." A motion "to rescind/deny fee reductions for disabled golfers" passed unanimously. The Bloch Foundation will provide $1,000,000 for capital improvements and a $100,000 endowment for a Cancer Survivor's Park. It will be located at Confederate Park, "which will be renamed Cancer Survivor's Park, as required by the Bloch Foundation. The site was chosen because of high visibility and is in need of renovation." The Commission discusses an additional memorial for Tom Lee in Tom Lee Park. Councilman Rubin, City Council Parks Committee Chairman, suggests building a new statue, perhaps one "that would also contain a graphic depiction of Mr. Lee, which the relatives of Mr. Lee are requesting.” Chairman Malmo announces his resignation from the Park Board effective June 30, 1999.

Pages 299-300, May 20, 1999: Several organizations criticize the decision to lease land in Martin Luther King Park. "Chairman Malmo said the Park Commission does not have someone other than Williams/MAPCO who will pay more than $4 million to maintain the park for the next 30 years." Following the April meeting at which "the Board voted to redesign and rename Confederate Park as Cancer Survivor's Park . . . due to opposition to renaming of the park, the Park Board rescinded the approval.” From the floor comes the suggestion that Audubon Park is a suitable location for a Cancer Survivor's Park.

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Pages 307-308, June 24, 1999: A motion by Commissioner Seessel to "name the Galloway Golf Course Clubhouse the John R. Malmo Clubhouse" is unanimously approved. The Commission approves an increase in Zoo admission fee (from $8 to $8.50 for adults); Chairman Malmo points out "that if the trend in high costs continue at the current rate, the zoo is dangerously close to prices that will begin to have an impact on attendance. . . [and] that the 7,000 attendance figure is no more than 10%-15% of what the attendance was twelve to fifteen years ago. . . . Roger Knox [President and CEO of the Memphis Zoo] disagreed with the . . . [figures] quoted by Mr. Malmo, saying there was actually a 30% increase in attendance since 1975."

Pages 312 and 313, Aug. 30, 1999: The Handy Park project is reviewed; several elements have changed, including the matter of permanent seating, the facade, and location of the statue. "Commissioner Seessel stated the Board is adamantly opposed to fixed seats in a park area." The Liberty Bowl Stadium's new scoreboard is close to being up and working.

Pages 315-316 and 317, Sept. 23, 1999: Director Boyer presents a "General Characteristics" pamphlet to Board members; it includes a listing of all Park Commission facilities. Director of the Museum System Doug Noble recommends naming the visitor center at Lichterman Nature Center in memory of the late William A. Loewenberg, who "participated with Ira Lichterman in deeding a significant portion of the land currently known as Lichterman Nature Center to the City of Memphis and the Park Commission." Noble says "the actual total cost of the Lichterman Nature Center project will be $7.4 million." Bill Wilson, Manager of the Stadium and Fairgrounds, reports on revenues; "The first three games' sales totaled $200,334, an $11,000 increase over the entire last year." He states "he has gotten rave reviews on the Jumbotron."

Pages 322 and 324, Dec. 21, 1999: “Director Boyer presented Larry Smith with a 10-year service pin.” Attorney John Maxwell retires "from his law practice and from the Park Board." He is given a clock "In Recognition of Distinguished Service" to the City of Memphis. Vice-Chairman Rob Baird resigns from the Board and is given a clock "For exemplary service and dedication to the Citizens of Memphis from March 16, 1988 through December 31, 1999."

Pages 326 and 327, Feb. 9, 2000: Mud Island River Park has ten special events planned for the 2000 season. Jimmy Ogle of Performa reports that one of the few matters now holding up the Handy Park project is "potty parity"; local building code calls for five restrooms for men and ten for women, and the design has only five for each. The State Attorney General has been asked for a ruling.

Pages 330 and 331, March 23, 2000: The Commission approves a No Smoking policy for the seating areas in Liberty Bowl Stadium and approves acquiring land for Bethel LaBelle Community Center. "The Board put off voting on the approval of the [E.H. Crump] Park Easement for Fiber Optic Cable [under the Mississippi River] until Larry Keenan provides them with more information."

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Inventory of Cassettes Recording Various Meetings of the Memphis Park Commission, 1988-1994 and 1997, in Box 27

Box Folder Dates of Park Commission Meetings Recorded on Microcassettes or (in Folder 8 Only) Compact Cassettes 27 1 1988: May 31, June 15, July 20 No. 1, July 20 No. 2, Aug. 17, Sept. 14, Oct. 19, Nov. 16. 1989: Jan. 18. 27 2 1989: Feb. 15, Mar. 15, Apr. 19, June 21 [No. 1], [June 21 No. 2] (cassette is misdated as “6/20/89”), July 19, Aug. 16, Sept. 8, Sept. 20. 27 3 1989: Oct. 16, Dec. 14. 1990: Jan. 17, Feb. 21, Mar. 21, Apr. 18, May 16 (day and year are not clearly labeled), June 20, July 18. 27 4 1990: Aug. 15, Sept. 27, Oct. 24, Nov. 28. 1991: Jan. 16, Feb. 20, Mar. 20, May 15, June 19. 27 5 1991: Aug. 26 No. 1, Aug. 26 No. 2, Sept. 18, Nov. 20. 1992: Jan. 22, Feb. 17 (along with the date there is also “1” in a circle, implying that additional cassettes are missing), Feb. 19, Mar. 18, Apr. 29 No. 1. 27 6 1992: Apr. 29 [No. 2?], May 27, July 15, Aug. 19, Nov. 18. 1993: Jan. 27 No. 1, Jan. 27 No. 2, Feb. 17, Apr. 30 [No. 3?]. 27 7 1993: May 19 (cassette is labeled only “5/93”), June 23, Oct. 20. 1997: Jan. 29 No. 1, Jan. 29 No. 2. 27 8 Compact Cassettes: 1993: Aug. 18 No. 1, Aug. 18 No. 2. Compact Cassettes: 1994: Sept. 30, Nov. 4. 27 9 Unidentified cassettes that have been numbered but not dated: Cassettes (arbitrarily numbered 1 through 8 for inventory purposes), variously labeled by Park Commission staff. See Notes below for brief descriptions of the individual cassettes.

The following seven meetings also took place during 1992 and 1993, but if any recordings were made, the cassettes are now missing (unless they are among the unidentified cassettes in Folder 9 above): 1992: Aug. 24, Oct. 21. 1993: Feb. 24, Mar. 11, July 14, Nov. 17, Dec. 17. It should be noted that the available cassette from Apr. 30, 1993 (Folder 6 above) appears to be labeled “3”, suggesting that two others are missing.

Notes on the unidentified cassettes in Folder 9:

1. No label or marking of any kind on this cassette. The side currently cued up begins with a consideration of an Item 2 which seems to be a contract; Beale Street is mentioned. Later there is talk of “getting our own attorney back,” which Commissioner John Malmo favored; he wished the Commission to have its own attorney and not rely on a City attorney. [He refers to this on p. 66 of Book 27, Jan. 27, 1993.]

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2. Labeled with “#1”. On the labeled side, the tape begins with a discussion of signs, the Nature Center, and a marina. Both sides of the tape are filled.

3. Labeled with “1” in a circle, between the reels. The labeled side begins with mention of a Riverwalk, a Bluff Promenade, making space to accommodate a golf course, etc. This seems to be a presentation by a Mr. Hanson or Hansen; “Peggy” [Commissioner Seessel, whose term of service was 1992-2000] is asked if she has any questions; King Memorial is mentioned.

4. Labeled with “#2”. Both sides are used. The labeled side begins with mention of an Item 16 that seems to deal with a Beale Street Merchants Association contract for use of Handy Park from April 1-Sept. 30. The unlabeled side begins with a discussion about who is to own or be responsible for a piece of land – the Shelby Co. Conservation Board, the Tennessee Highway Dept., City, County? – all seem to have an interest. Possibly this is about a trail; there is mention of a conservancy.

5. Labeled with “2” in a circle. The labeled side begins with a discussion of what seems to be a contract. Much or all of the unlabeled side is also full.

6. Labeled with “2” in a circle. The labeled side begins with talk about a community adopting a swimming pool. The beginning of the unlabeled side features talk about the Commission not having a forestry division.

7. Labeled with “3” in a circle. The labeled side opens with discussion of funds and mention of “Dr. Noble”, the museum director.

8. Labeled with “3” in a circle. The labeled side commences with a discussion of the meaning of the word “privatization” or “privatizing” in reference to the Zoo Society; “privatizing” does not imply “profiting.” This is at the very end of the meeting; the other side of the tape is empty.

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Photocopies of Indexes to the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books, Available for Reference Purposes in Box 28:

Box Index to: Dates Original Location or Condition Book 1 Sept. 13, 1900- No index; either one was never prepared, or it has Dec. 13, 1910 been lost. Book 2 Feb. 14, 1911- No index; either one was never prepared, or it has Jan. 12, 1916 been lost. Book 3 Feb. 8, 1916- No index; either one was never prepared, or it has Mar. 4, 1924 been lost. 28 Book 4 May 6, 1924- Copy of Index originally bound at the end of Book 4, Sept. 16, 1930 consisting of pp. 361-373; 13 pages. 28 Book 5 Oct. 14, 1930- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, Dec. 21, 1937 separate from its minute book; 7 pages. 28 Book 6 Jan. 6, 1938- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, Dec. 2, 1948 separate from its minute book; 13 pages. 28 Book 7 Jan. 6, 1949- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, July 12, 1954 separate from its minute book; 22 pages. 28 Book 8 July 29, 1954- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, Aug. 1, 1958 separate from its minute book; 24 pages. 28 Book 9 Sept. 4, 1958- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, Jan. 4, 1962 separate from its minute book; 28 pages. 28 Book 10 Feb. 1, 1962- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, May 6, 1965 separate from its minute book; 40 pages. 28 Book 11 June 3, 1965- Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, May 2, 1968 separate from its minute book; 29 pages. 28 Book 12 May 2, 1968 Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, (cont’d.)- separate from its minute book; 40 pages. May 7, 1970 Book 13 May 7, 1970 No index; either one was never prepared, or it has (cont’d.)- been lost. Nov. 2, 1972 28 Book 14 Nov. 2, 1972 Copy of Index originally stapled into paper covers, (cont’d.)- separate from its minute book; 23 pages. Nov. 7, 1974 28 Book 15 Nov. 7, 1974 Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate (cont’d.)- from its minute book; 16 pages. Aug. 13, 1976 28 Book 16 Sept. 2, 1976- Copy of Index originally from a 3-ring binder, Jan. 4, 1979 separate from its minute in; 29 pages 28 Book 17 Jan. 18, 1979- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 6, 1979 from its minute book; 42 pages. Book 18 Jan. 3, 1980- No index; either one was never prepared, or it has Dec. 4, 1980 been lost.

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28 Book 19 Jan. 8, 1981- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 3, 1981 from its minute book; 10 pages. 28 Book 20 Jan. 7, 1982- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 2, 1982 from its minute book; 11 pages. 28 Book 21 Jan. 26, 1983- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 21, 1983 from its minute book; 12 pages. 28 Book 22 Jan. 18, 1984- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 19, 1984 from its minute book; 11 pages. 28 Book 23 Jan. 16, 1985- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 4, 1985 from its minute book; 9 pages. 28 Book 24 Jan. 15, 1986- Copy of Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate Dec. 17, 1986 from its minute book; 7 pages. 28 Book 25 Jan. 20, 1987- 1. Copy of 1987 Index originally in a 3-ring binder, Dec. 14, 1989 separate from its minute book; 7 pages. 2. Copy of 1988 Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate from its minute book; 3 pages. 3. Copy of 1989 Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate from its minute book; 3 pages. 28 Book 26 Jan. 17, 1990- 1. Copy of 1990 Index originally in a 3-ring binder, Nov. 20, 1991 separate from its minute book; 4 pages. 2. Copy of 1991 Index originally in a 3-ring binder, separate from its minute book; 3 pages. 28 Book 27 Jan. 22, 1992- No index by Park Commission staff. However, a Dec. 17, 1993 preliminary index to the 1992 portion of Minute Book 27 has been prepared by the processor of this collection. A copy of this preliminary index is included here solely for the convenience of future researchers. Book 28 Jan. 26, 1994- No index; either one was never prepared, or it has Nov. 20, 1996 been lost. Book 29 Jan. 29, 1997- No index; either one was never prepared, or it has Mar. 23, 2000 been lost.

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Figure 1. Watermark on a Sheet of Memphis Park Commission Office Bond Paper Used in 1983 for the Last Page of the Index to Minute Book 21 .

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Appendix 1.

Park Commissioners, Superintendents, Secretaries, Attorneys, and Other Personnel

Contents:

1. Members of the Park Commission for the Period Covered by Each Minute Book 2. Names and Terms of Park Commissioners in Order of Appointment 3. Names and Terms of General Superintendents, Executive Directors, or Directors 4. Names and Terms of Park Commission Secretaries 5. Names and Terms of Park Commission Attorneys 6. Lists of Park Commission Personnel in the Minutes, 1919-1959

1. Members of the Park Commission for the Period Covered by Each Minute Book:

Minute Book 1 (Sept. 1900-Dec. 1910) Judge Louis B. McFarland, Chairman 1900-1902 Robert W. Galloway, Chairman 1902-1904, 1906-1910 John R. Godwin, Chairman 1904-1906

John T. Willingham replaced McFarland (who “declined reelection”) in Oct. 1906. Dr. Benjamin F. Turner replaced Godwin whose term expired in 1908.

Minute Book 2 (Feb. 1911-Jan. 1916) Robert W. Galloway, Chairman Dr. Benjamin F. Turner John T. Willingham

Abe Goodman replaced Turner in Nov. 1914.

Minute Book 3 (Feb. 1916-Mar. 1924) Robert W. Galloway, Chairman 1916- May 1917 John T. Willingham, Chairman succeeding Galloway Abe Goodman, elected Vice-Chairman in May 1917

Albert L. Parker replaced the late Robert W. Galloway (who served 17+ years) in Feb. 1918. Frank N. Fisher replaced Goodman in Feb. 1921.

Minute Book 4 (May 1924-Sept. 1930) John T. Willingham, had turns as Chairman and as Vice-Chairman Albert L. Parker, had turns as Vice-Chairman and as Chairman Frank N. Fisher, had turns as Vice-Chairman and as Chairman

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Minute Book 5 (Oct. 1930-Dec. 1937) Frank N. Fisher, Chairman 1930-1933 John T. Willingham, Vice-Chairman Albert L. Parker, signs as Chairman in early 1935.

John Joseph Brennan replaced the late John Willingham (who died ca. Jan. 1933; served 26+ years) in Feb. 1933 and acted as Vice-Chairman; signs as Chairman beginning Apr. 2, 1935. Lisle R. Hawley replaced the late Frank Fisher (who died ca. Mar. 1933; served 12+ years) in May 1933 and signs as Chairman succeeding Fisher. Richard B. Barton replaced Hawley (resigned) in Jan. 1935. Gladden H. Spigener replaced Parker (resigned; served 17+ years) in Mar. 1935.

Minute Book 6 (Jan. 1938-Dec. 1948) John Joseph Brennan, Chairman Richard B. Barton, Vice-Chairman Gladden H. Spigener, had a turn as Vice-Chairman.

John B. Vesey replaced Brennan (resigned) as Commissioner and Chairman in Sept. 1940. Abe Plough replaced Barton (resigned) in July 1944, had a turn as Vice-Chairman. Raymond Firestone replaced Spigener (resigned) in Feb. 1946.

In 1946/47 (?), a new act of the Tennessee Legislature authorized five instead of three Commissioners: Sam M. Nickey, Jr. was added to the expanded Commission in Apr. 1947; Henry C. Pierotti was added to the expanded Commission in Apr. 1947.

Minute Book 7 (Jan. 1949-July 1954) John B. Vesey, Chairman Abe Plough, Vice-Chairman Raymond Firestone Sam M. Nickey, Jr. Henry C. Pierotti, Vice-Chairman after departure of Plough in June 1949

Bert Bates replaced Firestone (resigned) in Mar. 1949. Edward C. “Chip” Barwick replaced Plough (resigned) in June 1949. Rodney Baber replaced Bates (resigned) in June 1949. Henry Loeb, III replaced Baber (resigned) in Apr. 1951.

Minute Book 8 (Aug. 1954-Aug. 1958) John B. Vesey, Chairman Harry C. Pierotti, Vice-Chairman until resignation of Vesey in Jan. 1956, thereafter Chairman Sam M. Nickey, Jr. Edward C. “Chip” Barwick, mentioned as Vice-Chairman in Apr. 1958 Henry Loeb, III

Leo Bearman replaced Nickey in July 1955. John R. Gorman replaced Nickey and Loeb in July 1955. Walker J. Wellford, Jr. replaced Vesey (resigned; served 15 years) in Jan. 1956. 248

Minute Book 9 (Sept. 1958-Jan. 1962) Harry C. Pierotti, Chairman Edward C. Barwick, Vice-Chairman Leo Bearman John R. Gorman Walker L. Wellford, Jr.

Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey) Eason replaced Bearman (resigned) in Dec. 1960, the first woman to serve.

Minute Book 10 (Feb. 1962-May 1965) Harry C. Pierotti, Chairman Edward C. Barwick, Vice-Chairman John R. Gorman Walker L. Wellford, Jr. Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey) Eason

Minute Book 11 (June 1965-May 2, 1968) Harry C. Pierotti, Chairman (elected Probate Judge in 1966) Edward C. Barwick, Vice-Chairman John R. Gorman Walker L. Wellford, Jr. Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey) Eason

Minute Book 12 (May 2 {cont’d.}, 1968-May 7, 1970) Judge Harry C. Pierotti , Chairman until his resignation Jan. 1970 John R. Gorman, Vice-Chairman until he resigned in 1969 (replaced by John D. Martin) and was replaced as Vice-Chairman by Harold J. Whalum, Jr. Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey) Eason Walker L. Wellford, Jr. Edward C. Barwick

Harold J. Whalum, Jr. replaced Barwick (resigned after 18 years of service) on June 13, 1968, the first African-American to serve; he replaced Gorman as Vice-Chairman in Feb. 1970. John E. Leake, Jr. replaced Wellford on Oct. 3, 1968. Mrs. David B. (Bonnylin “Bonny” W.) Martin replaced Eason on Feb. 2, 1969. John D. Martin, Jr. replaced Gorman on Aug. 7, 1969. Frank B. Miles replaced Pierotti (resigned after nearly 23 years of service) as Commissioner and Chairman on Jan. 8, 1970.

Minute Book 13 (May 7 {cont’d.}, 1970-Nov. 2, 1972) John D. Martin, Jr., Chairman Harold J. Whalum, Jr., Vice-Chairman Mrs. David B. (“Bonny” W.) Martin John E. Leake, Jr. Frank B. Miles

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E.R. [Elbert R.] “Bert” Ferguson replaced John Martin as Chairman on Sept. 2, 1971. John R. Malmo replaced Frank B. Miles on Nov. 2, 1972.

Minute Book 14 (Nov. 2 {cont’d.}, 1972-Nov. 7, 1974) E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Chairman Mrs. David B. (“Bonny” W.) Martin, Vice-Chairman John E. Leake, Jr. Harold J. Whalum, Jr. John R. Malmo

Madge Harrison replaced Bonny Martin on July 11, 1974.

Minute Book 15 (Nov. 7 {cont’d.}, 1974- Aug. 13, 1976 E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Chairman Harold J. Whalum, Jr., Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison John R. Malmo John E. Leake, Jr.

Minute Book 16 (Sept. 2, 1976-Jan. 4, 1979) E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Chairman Harold J. Whalum, Jr., Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison, became Vice-Chairman upon departure of Whalum in Oct. 1977 John R. Malmo John E. Leake, Jr.

Pete Mitchell replaced Whalum on Oct. 6, 1977. William “Bill” Wolbrecht, Jr. replaced Leake on Oct. 6, 1977. Thomas “Tommy” Harkins replaced Malmo on Mar. 14, 1978.

Minute Book 17 (Jan. 18, 1979-Dec. 6, 1979) E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Chairman Madge Harrison, Vice-Chairman Tommy Harkins Pete Mitchell Bill Wolbrecht, Jr.

Minute Book 18 (Jan. 3, 1980-Dec. 4, 1980) E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Chairman Madge Harrison, Vice-Chairman Pete Mitchell Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. John B. Maxwell, Jr. replaced Tommy Harkins on Jan. 3, 1980

Herbert Hilliard replaced Mitchell on Feb. 7, 1980.

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Minute Book 19 (Jan. 8, 1981-Dec. 3, 1981) E.R. “Bert” Ferguson, Chairman, left Commission and replaced as Chairman by John Maxwell July 1981 Madge Harrison, Vice-Chairman, replaced as Vice-Chairman by Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. in July 1981 Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., elected Vice-Chairman on July 2, 1981 John B. Maxwell, Jr. Herbert Hilliard

E.R. Ferguson left the Commission as of July 2, 1981, replaced as Chairman by John Maxwell. John Elkington joined the Commission on Sept. 3, 1981.

Minute Book 20 (Jan. 7, 1982-Dec. 2, 1982) John B. Maxwell, Jr., Chairman (no Vice-Chairman is mentioned) Bill Wolbrecht, Jr. Madge Harrison Herbert Hilliard John Elkington

Minute Book 21 (Jan. 6, 1983-Dec. 21, 1983) John B. Maxwell, Jr., Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison Herbert Hilliard John Elkington

Verties Sails, Jr. replaced Hilliard as of Nov. 16, 1983.

Minute Book 22 (Jan. 18, 1984-Dec. 19, 1984) John B. Maxwell, Jr., Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison Verties Sails, Jr. John Elkington

Henry M. Turley, Jr. replaced Elkington on Oct. 17, 1984.

Minute Book 23 (Jan. 16, 1985-Dec. 4, 1985) John B. Maxwell, Jr., Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., Vice-Chairman Madge Harrison Verties Sails, Jr. Henry M. Turley, Jr.

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Minute Book 24 (Jan. 15, 1986-Dec. 17, 1986) John B. Maxwell, Jr., Chairman Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., “Acting Chairman” in the absence of Maxwell Madge Harrison Verties Sails, Jr. Henry M. Turley, Jr.

Carolyn Dobson replaced Harrison on Sept. 17, 1986.

Minute Book 25 (Jan. 20, 1987-Dec. 14, 1989) John B. Maxwell, Jr., Chairman, left Commission July 1987, replaced as Chairman by William Wolbrecht, Jr. Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., assumed Chairmanship on July 1, 1987 Verties Sails, Jr. Henry M. Turley, Jr. Carolyn Dobson

John B. Maxwell, Jr. left the Commission on July 1, 1987, replaced as Chairman by William Wolbrecht, Jr. Reggie Barnes joined the Commission as of July 15, 1987, replacing Maxwell. Henry M. Turley Jr. left the Commission sometime between Aug. 19, 1987 and Mar. 16, 1988. Robert A. “Rob” Baird joined the Commission, replacing Turley, as of Mar. 16, 1988.

Minute Book 26 (Jan. 17, 1990-Nov. 20, 1991) Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., Chairman Reggie Barnes, Vice-Chairman, replaced as Vice-Chairman by Rob Baird as of Nov. 1990 Verties Sails, Jr. Carolyn Dobson Rob Baird, replaced Barnes as Vice-Chairman as of Nov. 1991

George Jones replaced Barnes as of Oct. 1990.

Minute Book 27 (Jan. 22, 1992-Dec. 17, 1993) Bill Wolbrecht, Jr., Chairman, replaced as Commissioner and Chairman Jan. 1993 by returning former Commissioner John R. Malmo Rob Baird, Vice-Chairman Verties Sails Carolyn Dobson George Jones

John R. Malmo replaced Wolbrecht as Commissioner and Chairman as of Jan. 1993. Peggy Seessel replaced Dobson (or Sails) as of Jan. 1993. Fred L. Davis replaced Sails (or Dobson) as of Jan. 1993.

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Minute Book 28 (Jan. 26, 1994-Nov. 20, 1996) John R. Malmo, Chairman Rob Baird, Vice-Chairman George Jones Peggy Seessel Fred L. Davis

Minute Book 29 (Jan. 29, 1997-Mar. 23, 2000) John R. Malmo, Chairman (resigned June 1999) Rob Baird, Vice-Chairman (resigned Dec. 1999) George Jones Peggy Seessel Fred L. Davis (signed the Minutes as Chairman from Dec. 1999 to Mar. 2000).

2. Names and Terms of Park Commissioners in Chronological Order of Appointment:

McFarland, Louis Burchett (1900-1906) Galloway, Robert W. (1900-1918) 17+ years Godwin, John R. (1900-1908) Willingham, John T. (1906-1933) 26+ years (a record) Turner, Benjamin F. (1908-1914) Goodman, Abe (1914-1921) Parker, Albert L. (1918-1935) 17+ years Fisher, Frank N. (1921-1933) 12+ years Brennan, John Joseph (1933-1940) Hawley, Lisle R. (1933-1935) Barton, Richard B. (1935-1944) Spigener, Gladden H. (1935-1946) 11 years Vesey, John B. (1940-1955) 15+ years Plough, Abe (1944-1949) Firestone, Raymond (1946-1949) Nickey, Sam M., Jr. (1947-1955) Pierotti, Henry C. (1947-1970) 22+ years Bates, Bert (1949) Barwick, Edward C. “Chip” (1949-1968) 18+ years Baber, Rodney (1949-1951) Loeb, Henry, III (1951-1955) Bearman, Leo (1955-1960) Gorman, John R. (1955-1969) 14+ years Wellford, Walker J., Jr. (1956-1968) 12+ years Eason, Mrs. W. Jeter (Lois Nickey Eason) (1960-1969) Whalum, Harold J., Jr. (1968-1977) Leake, John E., Jr. (1968-1977) Martin, Mrs. David B. (Bonnylin “Bonny” W. Martin) (1969-1974) Martin, John D., Jr. (1969-1971) Miles, Frank B. (1970-1972) Ferguson, E.R. [Elbert R.] “Bert” (1971-1981) 10 years

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Malmo, John R. (1972-1978) Harrison, Mrs. Madge (1974-1986) 12 years Mitchell, Pete (1977-1980) Wolbrecht, William “Bill”, Jr. (1977-1993) 15+ years Harkins, Thomas “Tommy” (1978-1979) Maxwell, John B., Jr. (1980-1987) Hilliard, Herbert “Herb” (1980-1983) Elkington, John (1981-1984) Sails, Verties, Jr. (1983-1993) 10 years Turley, Henry M., Jr. (1984-1988?) Dobson, Carolyn (1986-1993) Barnes, Reggie (1987-1991) Baird, Robert A. “Rob” (1988-1999) 11 years Jones, George (1990-2000) Malmo, John R. (1993-1999, his second period of service on the Commission) Seessel, Peggy (1993-2000) Davis, Fred L. (1993-2000)

3. Names and Terms of General Superintendents, Executive Directors, or Directors:

Marvin A. Kirby (1902-1903) Frank G. Knight (1903-1907) Philip W. Thomas (1907-1911) Charles W. Davis (1911-1930) 19 years Dave Renfrow (1930-1944) 14 years H.S. “Hal” Lewis (1945-1973) 28 years (a record) James E. Hadaway (1973-1976) M.N. “Nat” Baxter (1976-1978) Gordon John Sprague (1978-1982) Gerald McKinney (1982-1984) Allie J. Prescott, III (1984-1988) Bob Brame (1988-1996) Wayne Boyer (1996-2000, continued as Director in new City of Memphis Division of Park Services)

4. Names and Terms of Park Commission Secretaries:

A. [Armistead] G. Booth (1900-1905) Wm. [William] LaCroix (1905) Tom V. Vigus (1905-1909) L. [Louis] M. DeSaussure (1909-1923) 14 years Robert O’Brien (1923-1924) W. [William] T. Walker (1924-1933) Dante Joseph “Dan” Gallina (1933-1940) W. [William] H. Metcalf (1941-1944) Richard C. Berry (1944-1948) Norris L. Crenshaw (1948-1957) R. [Robert] R. Schuyler (1957-1983) 25 years (a record)

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William M. Hjort (1983-1984) Sharon Sivert (1984-1987) Liz Stockdale (1987-1997) Terre Johnson (1997-1999) Willester Darling (1999-2000)

5. Names and Terms of Park Commission Attorneys:

At least twice in the first decade and a half of the Park Commission’s existence, it appears that the City Attorney may have acted on the Commission’s behalf. During some periods it is not clear whether the Park Commission contracted with a specific attorney to handle its legal affairs on a continuing basis. Names of some attorneys referred to in the minutes are listed below, and their titles are given if they are addressed as Attorneys acting on behalf of the Park Commission. From about 1919 until 1988 it appears there was continuity of this position, with one attorney serving for about 30 years.

W.B. Henderson (?-?), City Attorney. Henderson was Memphis’s City Attorney in the early years of the Park Commission, and was asked by the Commission (Mar. 9, 1904) “whether it is his duty to attend to the legal business of the Park Commission.” He replies (Apr. 6, 1904) “that he believes it to be the duty of the City Attorney to represent the Park Commission in a legal capacity.”

Percy Finlay (1905?-1913; sometimes misspelled Finley in the minutes), “Parks Attorney.” Finlay is referred to several times in Books 1 and 2 as “the Parks Attorney” or “Attorney for the Commission.” His name and title (“the Parks Attorney”) are seen as early as Feb. 7, 1906, although a mention of “Park Attorney” on Apr. 11, 1905 may also refer to him. He died in Sept. 1913.

James H. Malone (1913-1915?). The Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of 1913-1915 states that Judge (and former Mayor) James H. Malone was “unanimously elected to succeed” Percy Finlay as the Commission’s Counsel. The minutes of Mar. 15, 1915 indicate that Malone carried the “Astor Park” matter to a successful conclusion on behalf of the Park Commission, although Attorney Percy Finlay handled this case earlier. Malone and Finlay are both mentioned in minutes of June 11, 1912 in a discussion of the Southern Railway Yards, another legal question before the Commission.

Charles M. Bryan (1915?-1916?), City Attorney. It is unclear whether Bryan, then Memphis’s City Attorney, acted for the Park Commission occasionally during this period. He is mentioned several times in the minutes, i.e. on May 29, 1915: “The Secretary was directed to ascertain from City Attorney Bryan if he personally would handle cases and legal matters of the Park Commission and if not, to designate a definite one of his assistants so that there will be no confusion in the handling of the legal business of the Park Commission.”

Unknown (1916?-1919?).

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William D. Kyser (1919?-1930), “Park Attorney.” Kyser was also the United States District Attorney during most of this period. He may be first mentioned in minutes of Oct. 10, 1919, in connection with the “Court Square fruit stands” matter.

J. [James] Seddon Allen (1930-1959), “Park Commission Attorney.” Allen represented the Commission for a record 29 years.

Thomas R. Prewitt, Sr. (1959-1984), “Park Commission Attorney,” “Legal Counsel.”

David Williams (1984-1988), “Park Board Attorney,” “Staff Attorney.”

For the next five years an Assistant City Attorney appears to have held this assignment.

John B. Maxwell, Jr. (1993-1999), “Counsel to the Board.” Maxwell had previously served as Park Commissioner from 1980-1987.

6. Lists of Park Commission Personnel Found in the Minutes, 1919-1959:

Book 3: Page 117, Feb. 4, 1919: 13 names of supervisory staff, policemen and clerks, with their monthly salaries. Pages 337-338, May 15, 1923: 17 names of staff (superintendents, secretaries, policemen, etc.) with their monthly salaries.

Book 5: First four bound-in sheets at front of book, dated Jan. 1, 1931: ca. 199 names of park employees, with their departments, positions filled, and salaries (monthly, daily, or hourly). Bound between pp. 24-25, ca. Oct. 1930: 31 names in an organization chart of office or department heads, with their titles. Bound between pp. 90-91, dated Mar. 6, 1933: ca. 173 names of employees arranged by department, with their name, race (column heading “Color” in the table), occupation in that department, and present and revised pay rate, monthly, daily or hourly. Staff of the Recreation Department is inserted separately. Except for Recreation, in most cases only initials of first names are given. Pages 205-206, July 2, 1935: 23 names total; 5 members of Supt. Lewis’s office staff etc., and 18 members of the Recreation Dept., all of whom receive salary increases. Page 277, Nov. 5, 1936: 3 names of office workers and their salaries, and 20 names of day laborers and their wages.

Book 6: Pages 63-64, Apr. 18, 1939: ca. 85 names of persons receiving monthly salaries and daily wages. Page 201, May 5, 1942: 8 names of policemen with their monthly salaries. Pages 226-227, Dec. 22, 1942: 29 names of employees and their monthly salaries.

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Page 247, July 1, 1943: 10 names total; 3 in the Recreation Dept. and 7 park policemen, with their monthly salaries.

Book 7: Pages 2-3, Jan. 6, 1949: ca. 65 names of employees with monthly salaries and their raises; also there will be “5c/hr increase on all labor.” Pages 112-113, June 8, 1950: 22 names, 9 of them with monthly salaries and others with hourly wages. Pages 160-165, ca. Jan. 1, 1951: ca. 227 names of employees, with position or job, department, and current and proposed salaries (monthly, daily, or hourly). Bound between pp. 266-267, dated Nov. 1, 1951, 13 sheets, 11 of them containing: ca. 245 names with their departments, positions and monthly salaries, or daily or hourly wages. These are in a set of sheets numbered 1 and 2 (names of Superintendents, Managers, Supervisors, Foremen, and the like), and a following set numbered 1 through 11 (Keepers, Drivers, Laborers, and the like); however, page 2 has been torn out, and there is no page 9.

Book 8: Oct. 7, 1954: Salary adjustments for 20 named Zoo employees. Jan. 2, 1958: Salary increases for 17 named employees. Apr. 25, 1958: 14 names of park policemen.

Book 9: Dec. 4, 1958: Merit pay increases for 49 named employees. July 2, 1959: Merit pay increases for 32 named employees.

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Appendix 2.

Some Primary and Secondary Sources in the Memphis and Shelby County Room for the History of the Memphis Park Commission

Contents:

1. Some Relevant Publications by the Memphis Park Commission or the City of Memphis 2. Early Park Maps 3. Contributions to the History of the Memphis Park Commission, Park System, or Individual Parks 4. Relevant Bartholomew Reports 5. Other Manuscript Collections of Significance

1. Some Relevant Publications by the Memphis Park Commission or the City of Memphis:

Memphis (Tenn.). Board of Commissioners, Annual Reports of the City of Memphis for the Year Ending December 31, 1899 (Memphis, TN: n.p., 1900), call number 352 M52 1899. See pp. 7-8 for Mayor Williams’ call for a park commission. (Note that the library catalog gives the title of this work as Reports only.)

Memphis (Tenn.). Board of Commissioners, Annual Reports of the City of Memphis for the Year Ending December 31, 1900 (Memphis, TN: S.C. Toof & Co., 1901), call number 352 M52 1900. See pp. 8-9 for a comment about the new park system and pp. 275-287 for “Annual Report of Park Commissioners for year 1908.” (Note that the library catalog gives the title of this work as Reports only.)

Memphis (Tenn.). Board of Park Commissioners, Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of Memphis, Tennessee, Fiscal Year Ending June 30, 1908 (Memphis, TN: n.p., n.d.), call number 363.680976 M533r 1907-1908. Contains numerous photos and drawings of early parks. (Note that the library catalog gives the title of this work as Report only.)

Memphis (Tenn.). Board of Park Commissioners, Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of Memphis, Tennessee, July 1, 1908, to November 1, 1910 (Memphis, TN: S.C. Toof & Co., 1911), call number 363.680976 M533r 1908-10. (Note that the library catalog gives the title of this work as Report only.) See pp. 25-29 for financial receipts and disbursements and pp. 47-52 for “Park Equipment Inventory” including a nearly two-page catalog of animals in the Zoo. Also see pp. 58-59 for the 1899 state statute covering city parks and pp. 64-65 for the 1900 city ordinance authorizing the park commission. (The references therein to “Hughey’s Digest” are to Memphis (Tenn.), A Digest of the Laws, Ordinances and Contracts of the City of Memphis . . . up to and Including June 30th, 1909 (compiled by H. Douglas Hughey) (Memphis, TN: S.C. Toof & Co., 1909), call number 352 M53 1909.)

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Memphis (Tenn.). Board of Park Commissioners, Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of Memphis, Tennessee, January 1, 1911 to January 1, 1913 (Memphis, TN: E.H. Clarke & Bro., 1913), call number 363.680976 M533r 1911-1913. (Note that the library catalog gives the title of this work as Report only.)

Memphis (Tenn.). Board of Park Commissioners, Report of the Board of Park Commissioners of Memphis, Tennessee, January 1, 1913, to January 1, 1915 (Memphis, TN: S.C. Toof & Co., n.d.), call number 363.680976 M533r 1913-1915. (Note that the library catalog gives the title of this work as Report only.)

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Formal Opening of the John Gaston Community House . . . January [1935] (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Commission, 1935), call number 790.068768 F732.

Memphis (Tenn.). Municipal Reference Library, Six Years of Progress in Memphis Parks and Recreation, 1930-1936 (Memphis, TN: Municipal Reference Library, City of Memphis, 1937), call number 363.680976 S625.

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Souvenir View Book, Memphis Zoological Garden (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Commission, c. 1937), call number 590.74 M53. Contains many photos of the 1937 Zoo.

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Memphis Park Commission 1958 Annual Report ([Memphis, TN?]: n.p., [1958?]), call number 363.680976 M533an 1958. This is unpaginated, but early in the book is a list of “Memphis Park Commission Properties” and acreages, highway neutral strips and playgrounds as of 1958; later, about mid-way through, is an organizational chart of Commission departments.

[Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission], Memphis Memorial Stadium. Dedicated . . . 1965 (Memphis, TN: [Early Maxwell Associates, Inc.], 1965), call number 796.406 M53. An informative dedication booklet.

Shelby County (Tenn.). Conservation Board [in Cooperation With the Memphis Park Commission], Playground Report / Shelby County Conservation [Board] . . . (Memphis, TN: The Board, 1972 [actually dated 1968 on its title page]), call number 363.680976 S544p. A snapshot of Memphis and Shelby County parks and recreational facilities as of 1968, and the plans for corresponding facilities in 1990.

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Progress Report (Memphis, TN: n.p., 1971), call number 352.730976 M533p. Contains numerous photos of facilities and personnel of the different Commission divisions in 1971.

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Annual Report (Memphis, TN: City of Memphis, 1972- 1974?), call number 333.780976 M533an2 1972-73. Both this and the corresponding 1973-74 Annual Report are on microfiche.

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Overton Park Zoo and Aquarium (Memphis, Tenn.), Annual Report (Memphis, TN: [Overton Park Zoo and Aquarium, several years]), call number 590.744768 O96an 1974-75. There are several Zoo annual reports in this group; the one for 1974-75 features the 1901 photo of Natch the bear on the cover.

Memphis (Tenn.). Division of Finance and Administration, Annual Financial Report of the City of Memphis, Tennessee for the Fiscal Year ended June 30, 1981 (Memphis, TN: n.p, 1981), call number 336.76819 M533an 1980-81. See pp. 16-24 for report, “The City’s Best ‘Friends’; Memphis Park System Spans 162-Years of Continued Growth.”

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, City of Memphis Parkland as of January, 1984 (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Commission, 1984), call number 333.783025 C581 1984.

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Master Plan for Improvements to King-Riverside Park . . . Prepared by Mel Kersey Associates, Inc. (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Commission, 1991), call number 712.509768 M423.

Memphis (Tenn.). Park Commission, Memphis Park Commission Facilities Master Plan (Memphis, TN: Ritchie Smith Associates et al., 1999), call number 363.680976 M533a2. See especially Appendixes A (“Tables of MPC Properties by Planning District”), B (“Lists of MPC Facilities by Type”) and G, “Memphis Park Commission Historic Sites (Landscapes).”

2. Early Park Maps:

George E. Kessler, General Plan of Overton Park (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Dept., 1902[?]), map collection, call number Md02k Overton.

George E. Kessler, General Plan of Riverside Park (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Dept., 1902[?]), map collection, call number Md02k Riverside.

George E. Kessler, Forrest Park (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Dept., 1902[?]), map collection, call number Md02k Forrest.

George E. Kessler, Gaston Park (Memphis, TN: Memphis Park Dept., 1902), map collection, call number Md02k Gaston. This map has a copy of Bickford Park on the reverse side.

[No author], Memphis: [Map] Showing the Public Parks ([Memphis, TN?]; n.p., 1903[?]), map collection, call number Md03pp. Hand-drawn ink original showing location of seven city parks and the parkway. The penciled notation “1903 Scimitar” could indicate that it was originally published in the Memphis Scimitar newspaper (predecessor of the Memphis Press Scimitar).

3. Contributions to the History of the Memphis Park Commission, Park System, or Individual Parks:

Olmsted Brothers, Letters of Olmsted Brothers, Landscape Architects, and Memphis Park Commissioner ([Memphis, TN?]: n.p., n.d.), call number 719.32 O51L. Communications

260 between the Commission and Olmsted Brothers in 1899-1901 about planning Memphis parks.

Mamie Long Williams Gates, Memphis Park System ([Memphis, TN?]: n.p., 1920), call number 711 G25. A brief survey of some important milestones in the development of the Memphis park system.

Louis B. McFarland, Early History of Memphis Park System (Memphis, TN: Memphis Historical Society, n.d.], call number 711 M22. Judge and former Park Commissioner Louis Burchett McFarland brings together several of his addresses and letters dealing with the early years of the Commission.

James A. Matthews and Company, Memphis Park Commission, Memphis, Tennessee, June 30, 1973 (Memphis, TN: n.p., 1973), call number 352.730976 M439m. An audit of the Commission for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1973.

Hal S. Lewis, A Brief History Of The Memphis Park Commission (Memphis, TN: n.p., 1996), call number 363.680976 L674b. This 47-page work contains much more information about many more parks than its “Contents” page suggests.

James F. Williamson, Jr., Nomination of Overton Park to the National Register of Historic Places (Memphis, TN: [Memphis Landmarks Commission?], 1978), call number 917.6819 W731n.

Patricia L. Hair, General History of Overton Park ([Memphis, TN]; Patricia Hair, 1978), call number 333.780976 H153g. A brief report supplemented with some early photos.

Florence Leffler, Overton Park, a Century of Change (Memphis, TN: WKNO, c. 2001), call number 333.780976 O96. A videocassette produced by the William Bearden Co., Inc.

William Bearden, Overton Park (Charleston, SC: Aradia [sic for Arcadia], c. 2004), call number 333.780976 B368o. Contains numerous historic photographs.

A number of Memphis parks or facilities once under the purview of the Park Commission are listed on the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places, and their nomination forms (like the one above for Overton Park) are informative. Along with Overton Park Historic District, others on the National Register are Chickasaw Heritage Park, Court Square Historic District, Forrest Park Historic District, Gaston Park Historic District, Lee and Fontaine Houses of the James Lee Memorial, Magevney House, Memphis Landing, Memphis Parkway System, Memphis Pink Palace Museum, U.S. Marine Hospital Executive Building and Laundry-Kitchen, and Victorian Village District.

See also a series of articles by Perre Magness published in the Commercial Appeal: “Parks always a source of pride,” Commercial Appeal, March 8, 2001; “Uses changed on public squares,” Commercial Appeal, March 15, 2001; “Parks became ‘a civic miracle’,” Commercial Appeal, March 22, 2001; “Parks took off in last century,” Commercial Appeal, March 29, 2001; and “City fathers left legacy of park space,” Commercial Appeal, July 16, 1992. These and many other relevant newspaper clippings and other items will be found in the folders

261 labeled “Memphis Park Commission” and “Memphis Parks” in the Memphis Information Files in the Memphis and Shelby County Room; most of this material is dated post-World War II. An especially significant item is a 19-page list of City of Memphis parks, Shelby County parks and Board of Education and school parks from circa May 1970 giving park locations and amenities, concessions, sporting venues and buildings, and for most, their acreage and year established. See also the numerous books by Paul R. Coppock on Memphis history.

4. Relevant Bartholomew Reports:

Harland Bartholomew, A Comprehensive City Plan, Memphis, Tennessee [1924] ([Memphis, TN?]: n.p., 1924), call number 917.689 B287c. Has an extensive discussion of “Recreational Facilities in Memphis” on pp. 93-115.

Harland Bartholomew, A Report Upon the Comprehensive City Plan, Memphis, Tennessee [1940] (St. Louis, MO: Harland Bartholomew and Associates, 1940), call number 917.689 B287rc. See Chapter 8, pp. 241-304, for a discussion of “Public Recreation Facilities.”

Harland Bartholomew & Associates, A Report Upon Schools, Parks and Recreation; a Part of the Memphis Comprehensive Plan (St. Louis, MO: n.p., 1955), call number 917.689 B29s. A report on the Memphis park system as of 1955. See pp. 71-72 for “Existing and Proposed Large Parks” and pp. 78-88 for “Existing Neighborhood Parks.” Considerable information is summarized in Table 1 facing p. 13 in the copy of this work with bar code ending -6397-8; the table is absent from the other copy.

Harland Bartholomew & Associates, A Report Upon Schools and Parks, Shelby County, Tennessee (St. Louis, MO: Bartholomew, 1956), call number 307.121609 R425s v.2. Dated inside as January 1957. This report proposes a school system and a park system for Memphis.

5. Other Manuscript Collections of Significance:

One of the most important of these is the Memphis Park Properties Collection; see the finding aid by Joan Cannon, Memphis Park Properties [Index]; A Compilation of Collections (Memphis, TN: Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center, 2011), call number 711 C226m. Material in this collection involves the history of a number of parks or other facilities: Astor, Beauregard, Bellevue, Church, Davis, De Soto, Douglass, Fairgrounds, Orange Mound, Overton, the Parkways, the Pink Palace, Riverside, South Side, University Circle, Washington, and Williamson. Other collections in the Memphis and Shelby County Room that this finding aid suggests consulting are: Brennan- Thomas Collection, Thomas T. Hill Shelby Farms Collection, Harry H. Litty Family Collection, Ruth F. Lowenberg Shelby Farms Collection, Page/Lenox Collection, and Susanne Conlan Scruggs Collection.

Highly significant is the Memphis Park Commission Collection; see the finding aid by Laura M. Cunningham, Memphis Park Commission Collection [Index] (Memphis, TN: Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center, 2013). The 15 boxes in this collection include discussion of, or reports on, past or current work by staff or others

262 in the Memphis Park Commission’s offices, divisions, parks, and other venues, or plans for future work, in addition to large numbers of contemporaneous (and now historic) photographs and newspaper clippings. A considerable amount of this material is somewhat selective, both as to topic and to time frame. The contents of Box 1 are quite wide-ranging, but although Box 2 contains extensive correspondence, it is primarily confined to the late 1970s and 1980. Contents of Box 3 relate mostly to Orpheum Theater development and to maintenance of the downtown Main Street Mall, in the early 1980s and late 1970s respectively. Box 4 deals with activities and venues on the Mid-South Fairgrounds and with the Pink Palace Museum, again primarily during the 1970s, while Box 5 consists entirely of Mud Island matters from the 1970s and early 1980s. Boxes 6 through 10 contain photographs of persons, places and park activities, and Boxes 11 through 15 hold primarily scrapbooks of newspaper clippings and other material.

Items in Box 1 Folder 19 of the Park Commission Collection exemplify how its content complements that of the Park Commission Minute Books. Near the end of the folder are two pages of a report describing “Highlights of Year’s Work – 1940,” five pages of a report dated Oct. 1, 1940 listing all venues maintained by the Park Commission (parks, playgrounds, median strips, etc.), and six pages of the “History and Growth of Memphis Park System” containing the names, features, acreages and years obtained, of all properties owned by the Commission at that time, including parks, school playgrounds, community centers, swimming pools, etc. A comparable item from nearly 40 years later is found in Box 2 Folder 2, an item titled “Memphis Park Commission Properties June 7, 1978.” None of these items is present or even alluded to in the Memphis Park Commission Minute Books for those years.

Other finding aids that may be consulted are: Bette B. Tilly, Citizens to Preserve Overton Park Collection [Index] (Memphis, TN: Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center, 2009), call number 307.3362 T579c; and Heinro van Zyl, The Memphis Open Air Theater (Memphis, TN: Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center, 1990), call number 792.097681 Z99m. Considerable work on Memphis parks was funded by the Federal government during the Depression years and the mayoral terms of Watkins Overton; it may therefore be useful to consult the finding aid by Wayne Dowdy, The Papers of Memphis Mayor Watkins Overton (Memphis, TN: Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center, 1997), call number 016.976819 O96d. It may also be helpful to look at finding aids for the collections of papers of other Memphis mayoral administrations.

Extensive collections of photographs of parks and related facilities will be found in digital form accessible at the Memphis and Shelby County Room’s website Dig Memphis, http://www.memphislibrary.org/digmemphis, especially “Memphis Parks,” “Postcards From Memphis,” “Memphis Streetscapes,” the Pink Palace Photograph Collection and probably others. Numerous other early photos c. 1912-1914 are listed in the finding aid to the Joe Bennett Collection: Laura M. Cunningham, Joe Bennett Collection [Index] (Memphis, TN: Memphis and Shelby County Room, Memphis Public Library & Information Center, 2012), call number 784.4876819 C973jb.

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