2019-March
30
Saturdays Walk-About was in the semi dreary, windy and chilly (37F) afternoon.
Of course, I was fortified by having made my ritualistic stop at Wolfs Dive shop before I started off. I have been slacking in getting there earlier and there was just enough left over for a full bag (on the cool side) and the last Browne for which I was thankful to partake 😊
Todays walk centered around checking out a few local land marks and parks beginning with checking out the BoBo Brazil Community Center building (former Naval Reserve Training Armory).
As a side note the Benton Harbor Naval Reserve Armory was built in 1926 at a cost of $80,000 and closed as an Armory in 1978. The Armory had been used as a POW Center in World War II. A couple of hundred POW’s stayed in each of the encampments in Berrien County and in the Naval Reserve Armory. Most of the prisoners were captured in North Africa. The area being rich in orchards, the prisoners were used to harvest fruit, being driven daily from the encampments to the farms.
The Armory sat vacant until the late 90’s when it was bought by the city of Benton Harbor, renovated and used as a community center. It was renamed the Bobo Brazil Community Center in honor of the professional wrestler, BoBo Brazil who died Jan. 22, 1998 and closed in 2009 due to budget concerns. Various attempts have been made to renovate it since then.
Who is BoBo Brazil?
He was a Pro Wrestler. Born Houston Harris in Little Rock, Arkansas, he grew up in East St. Louis, Illinois. He made his ring debut in 1951. Originally, he was dubbed either BuBu Brasil or “Boo Boo” Brazil, but a printing mistake on an advertisement led to a life as Bobo Brazil.
In the early days of his career, segregation limited his engagements as promoters would only match him against other black wrestlers. Brazil, however, became such a popular figure, fans clamored for more of him, and led to a breakdown of the color barrier in the sport, and Brazil’s role in history as “the Jackie Robinson of professional wrestling.” Further, he became the first black wrestler to win the NWA world heavyweight title on October 18, 1962.
He broke down another wall in 1970 when he teamed with El Mongol to defeat Mr. Ito and The Great Ota in the first racially-mixed match in Atlanta. He achieved further success holding many regional NWA championships in the Detroit, Toronto, Florida, San Francisco and Mid-Atlantic regions throughout his career. Peers claimed he had the hardest head in the sport, finishing off rivals with a rapid series of head butts he called the “Coco Butt.”
He opened Bobo’s Grill, a local landmark, in his home town of Benton Harbor, Michigan in the 1970s. In 1994, he was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame. At age 73, after suffering a series of strokes, he was hospitalized on January 14 and died a week later.
My walk about continued with checking out Kiwanis Park, Riverfront Fisherman’s Park, Carronde Park and Benton Township Park both of which still have their gates locked so you cannot drive in, but nothing stops you from just walking in. Did note that the boat launch docks are not out yet and the low land is very swampy.
With the parks all locked I took a side trip or two along some paths in the woods along the river and around the bluffs. Hope you enjoy the pictures of todays travels.