Joe Louis “The Champ” Golf Course in Riverdale was the site of an historic exhibition golf game back in August of 1963. The exhibition pitted former heavyweight boxing legend Joe Louis (after whom the course is named) and trailblazing African American tennis star Althea Gibson against high school state champions Renee Powell and Ted Beattie. Powell would go on to be one of the only black players on the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) tour, and Beattie became president and CEO of Chicago’s John G. Shedd Aquarium. The exhibition was one of several dedicated to breaking down racial barriers at the time.
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- Party for the Preserves Events on September 23 Mark Big Day for Public Lands
- President Preckwinkle Cuts Ribbon on New and Improved Crabtree Nature Center
- Little Bees Have a Big Impact on Ecosystems
- Referendum Seeds Begin to Bloom
- Seventy-Five HACC Youth Graduate from Summer Jobs Program in the Forest Preserves of Cook County