Fifteen years after the Carter Center opened its doors, it continued to thrive with a massive enrollment total: 465 families, and 611 youth between the ages of 4 and 18.
Peoria
A digital companion to the biography Becoming Richard Pryor
Carver Center Reports 2,558 Enrolled
Date: 09/29/59
Citation:
"Carver Center Reports 2,558 Enrolled." Peoria Journal-Star, Sept. 29, 1959
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1. Young Richard, the Fly in the Buttermilk
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Richard’s School Record
–1945-1955–Richard struggled to find his way through Peoria's schools
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Richard on a Sixth-Grade Field Trip
–3/1/1954–The great comedian-to-be in Springfield, next to a statue of the Great Emancipator
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Walter Fink
–6/1/1958–The ninth-grade science teacher whom Richard rubbed the wrong way
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Deal With Teacher Gave Pryor First Audience
–12/26/82–Sixth-grade teacher Mrs. Yingst offered a stage of sorts to the young Richard
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Classmate Recalls Pryor’s School Days
–5/10/1985–Margaret Kelch witnessed Richard's struggles at school
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2. Richard's World Under Attack
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Eight Arrested Here in Narcotics Raid
–4/8/1953–Richard's Uncle Dickie was netted in Peoria's first major drug sting in years
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8 Jailed Here in Narcotic Raid
–4/9/53–Uncle Dickie was arrested with heroin and marijuana, and under suspicion of turning women to prostitution
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Bell Captured in St. Louis on Dope Charges
–4/10/1953–Jimmy Bell, a band leader at the Famous Door, fled to St. Louis when his partner was caught in drug bust
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Bris Collins’ Tap Raided, Closed; Baseball Pool Czar Fined $1,000
–5/23/1953–“Cleaning up Peoria” meant more raids on Bris Collins' place
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State to Clear 14 Buildings Here
–7/9/1953–Richard Pryor's childhood home was demolished to make way for the Murray Baker Bridge
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Joe Eagle Indicted on Lie Charges
–7/2/1954–Joe Eagle, a fellow N. Washington St. brothel owner, was charged with perjury and tax evasion
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Harold’s Club Liquor License Revoked
–7/21/1961–Peoria's Mayor threatened the livelihood of Harold's Club by taking away its liquor license
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Day v. Illinois Liquor Commission
–1/24/1963–Mayor Day did everything in his power to shut down Harold Parker's club
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3. Peoria, Clean as a Whistle?
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Which Side Are You On?
–1951-1952–Peoria's reformers imagined they were pitted against bossism and corruption
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Eleven “All-America” Cities of 1953
–2/1954–Reformed Peoria, an "All-America" City
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All-America Cities
–2/9/1954–“Good Government” comes to Peoria
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Peoria Mayor Vows to Push Fight On Vice
–5/22/1954–Peoria's new reform-oriented mayor was undaunted by the bombing of his home
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Is it True What They Say About Peoria?
–mid-1950s–Whisper Magazine punctured Peoria's reputation as an All-American city
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Now They’re Proud of Peoria
–8/55–Feminist pioneer Betty Friedan praised World War II veterans for turning around Peoria.
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The Town That Reformed
–10/1/1955–Reform meant a new, professionalized city management, but did not go uncontested
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4. The Riddle of Black Peoria
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The Carver Center’s 10th Anniversary
–1954–Celebrating ten successful years, the Carver Center released a report on its progress.
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A Gallery of the Carver Center’s First 10 Years
–1954–Modern dance and checkers, jazz and basketball — all were on tap at the Carver Center
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Carver Center Steps Toward Expansion
–08/21/56–Pryor's time onstage at Carver was the era of its greatest expansion
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The Story Of The Negro In Peoria — Chapter 1
–04/05/1957–Sparked by the postwar surge in Peoria's black population, the Journal Star surveyed the state of black Peoria
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Housing Effort By Tenants Succeeds, Fails
–04/16/1957–A case study in white resistance to desegregated housing in Peoria
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270 Sign Up For Carter Program
–09/20/1957–The 1957 Center curriculum ranged from baton-twirling and canasta to scenery building and choir
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Carter Center Given ‘Once Over’ By Student
–10/20/1957–Reportage on the Carver Center, from the point of view of a suburban high schooler
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Human Relations Report Cites Negro Gains Here
–01/26/1959–Despite recent accomplishments, overcrowding in the “black belt” of Peoria remained a problem
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Carver Center Reports 2,558 Enrolled
–09/29/59–A quarter of Peoria's black population were enrolled in Carver Center activities in 1959
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Story Of A Failure…Why Didn’t Our Negroes Answer?
–11/9/1960 –Why did so few blacks in Peoria respond to a newspaperman's basic question?
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Teacher Gives Wisdom, Challenge To Negroes
–11/10/1960–A Peorian teacher emphasized education in the fight for desegregation
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How Much of Racial Inequity Can Negroes Overcome?
–11/11/1960–Who was to blame for low black social mobility — Peoria or blacks themselves?
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The Enchanted Cage
–11/27/1962–Carver Center teens, including later Black Panther Mark Clark, rehearsed a scene from “The Enchanted Cage”
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