Malinda Steele and her daughter Autumn holding up priceless family album photos.
Back in December, I received an email from my childhood next door neighbor Malinda Steele that read, “Bob, I just watched your youtube basketball highlights . . . did you know that my uncle was one of the original Harlem Globetrotters?” Huh?!!!
Malinda and I grew up together on 120 West 97th St. in Manhattan. My family lived in #13I, her and her moms lived in #13J. She quite possibly was the first friend I ever had, dating back to 1970 when we were four years of age. We both appeared in the intro of an early Sesame Street TV episode, both had parents who loved the piano, but almost 40 years later I’m finding out both of our families shared a love for basketball? I was intrigued and invited her to stop by my crib while she was in town with her daughter Autumn visiting her moms for holidays.
“My uncle Bob Dowery ran with the Globetrotter for years,” Malinda shared with me while paging through a decades-old photo album, “and my grandfather ‘Horse’ Steele was a teammate of ‘Pop’ Gates!” For those who don’t know, Pop Gates is in the Hall of Fame as a member of the original Harlem Rens, and a teammate to John “Boy Wonder” Isaacs who just passed away last week. If you look at the team photo Autumn is holding above, you can faintly see Pop and Horse chilling together. I was buggin!
I immediately called up my homeboy Butch Purcell, a Harlem and Rucker Park historian who knows the area’s basketball lore like very few. “Horse was THE MAN uptown!” he shared with me. “When film companies wanted to shoot North of 110th St., they had to get his blessing. He was all about the community.” I also reached out to Claude Johnson of www.blackfivesblog.com, the person I’d most trust with old school archives of that era’s ballplayers. Malinda secured her uncle’s and grandfather’s photo albums after they passed away, and now wants them to be in a safe place for others to see. I can attest to the magic of the images. I was supremely blown away by it all.
And I loved discovering that all of it was right next to my door growing up, yet I didn’t even know.
So you’re probably wondering if Autumn, the next generation, is planning on being the family’s next b-ball star, right? “I want to be a DJ!” she shared with me. I gave her a quick lesson on needle dropping, which she picked up fast on. A week later she emailed me to say, “Cal Tjader is my favorite Latin Jazz artist.” Tjader, a legendary vibraphonist, was also my father’s favorite, as he played the same instrument.
History keeps intertwining and repeating itself.
February 4th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
White Shadow says:
Wow that’s crazy- one of the games most historic players had roots right next door to you!!! Crazy!!!
February 4th, 2009 at 12:48 pm
Caro says:
Bob, why do I wanna cry each time I read your incredible stories?! :p Maybe because I’m a girl, but still, your stories are incredible!
February 5th, 2009 at 10:22 am
Claude says:
Thank you Bob, for the shout out.
We are creating a coalition of families and descendants of the pioneers of the Black Fives Era, just like Malinda, who have approached us with their historical materials, asking what to do. We’ve got a lot of important archival material by now. Enough to approach, as a collective, any major private historical institution — and get the attention and respect that’s needed for something as important to our cultural and sports history as this is.
The “white-glove” treatment of the historical materials is essential, so they can be properly preserved and also carefully available for researchers, historians, and academics. We’ve begun conversations with two major institutions. The goal would be to keep things as close to home as possible, if possible.
Meanwhile, the personal connections are important too. It’s exciting because I can now introduce folks that hadn’t met, to each other, and say, “Your grandfathers played against one another!” (I’m on a quest right now to see if James Posey is related to Cumberland Posey, and stuff like that.)
Along those lines, another goal of ours is to have an annual Black Fives Era Family Reunion, for all family and descendants and friends of those early pioneers. Nothin’ but braggin’, BBQ, breakin’ it down, and basketball, basketball, basketball!
Thank you!
With peace and blessings,
Claude
February 6th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
Bobbito Garcia a.k.a. Kool Bob Love says:
yo, let me know when that bbq is, claude! i’m there with my shorts, and an appetite! haha
May 24th, 2009 at 2:44 pm
James H. Lister, Jr. says:
A former employee named Mike Mack of Salisbury, Maryland use to work at the “Star Democrat” newspaper in Easton, Maryland. This is where I am employed. I told Mike Mack that I have performed basketball trick shooting shows at Harlem Globetrotters’ games. My show/entertainer name is Jim “Trick Shot” Lister. Mike Mack told me that his grandfather’s brother Robert Dowery played for the Harlem Globetrotters in the early 1950’s. Mike told me that his grandfather’s family was originally from Kentucky.