Morgan Park Civic League

Outline of Morgan Park History - 1950-1960

Jun 16, 2003

1950-1960
Premier gas station on 111th near Rock Island railroad

Bates Elementary School on 109th and Throop

Drug store at south east corner at 111th and Throop

Benny's barbeque at 111th and Throop, east of Higgenbottom's laundromat

Bell's cleaners at 111th and Loomis

Shoop School addition built - 1953

Morgan Park native, Ira Merchinson, won a gold medal on the 1956 Summer Olympics.
Four-man 110 meter relay team (with Leamon King, Thane Baker, Bobby Morrow)

Drag racing on 111th between Racine and Bishop
The King of drag racing in the park was without a doubt Hamlet "Ham bone" Reddick with his coupe which had a milk crate in place of a seat as it was still in the construction stages. He also had one of the most horrific accidents with this car between Loomis and Bishop on 113th place where the he lost control and hit a parked car going at over 100 miles per hour and the impact was so great that the motor dislodged from the car and ended up about 150 feet down the road. He was injured but was able to almost walk from the scene. His outstanding athleticism probably was one reason he wasn't killed in that accident. He continued racing up and down 113th and was a regular at US 30 Dragway. His brother Albert was a good baseball player and received a tryout for a professional team and his younger brother Mel was also good and went to the University of Wisconsin to play football. Ham bone was born on 114th Place between Bishop and Lafin and attended MPHS. He was married when he died of cancer, had two children and lived on Loomis with his wife Olivia a few doors south of 113th place. (from Eugene Broyls)

We remember Barney Morgan as one of the young men who owned a Cushman Motor scooter, which was probably the fastest in the neighborhood.(from Eugene Broyls)

Dr. Donald Pedro MD, and Dr. Warren Staley, gyn/ob shared offices on 111th Street, east of Bishop.
Dr. Staley lived at 11358 S. Ada St. In 1960, he moved to an office at 83rd and King Drive. And Later, Dr. Pedro moved his office to the medical center at 112th and Halsted. (From Beverly Hale)


(Should also be included are famous people we knew, such as Gross, Crockett, Samuels, Rice, Rogers, Vaughn, Jackson, Knowles, Mildred Porter, the Watson's, Robinson, They provided especially dedicated service toward the community)