User:Rkmelton/Bronson lloyd gentry sr.

Bronson (Butch) Lloyd Gentry Sr. Detroit, Michigan (East Side)--Rkmelton (talk) 16:49, 16 January 2010 (UTC)

Making the City of Detroit a Better Place to Live
== Michigan’s Most Accomplished African-American Horse Shoe Pitcher ==

GENTRY BRONSON (BUTCH) March 9, 2003 Age 78, of Detroit, Michigan, March 3, 2003. Beloved husband of Lois M. for 55 years. Loving father of Bronson Gentry Jr., Dr. Robbie (Gentry) Melton, Dexter Gentry and Gary Gentry. Dear brother of Eudora Gentry, Josephine Huyghe, Helen Gentry. Devoted community advocate for the Jefferson-Chalmers community.

The City of Detroit acknowledged Bronson's volunteer work by naming a park in his honor: "Peter Maheras - Bronson Gentry Historical Memorial Playfield." Services held at Eastlake Baptist Church, Monday, March 10, 11:30 a.m. (10:30 a.m. family hour). His last request: Memorial Contributions to Bronson Gentry Park Memorial Fund for playground equipment. Contact Michael Tenbusch (313) 833-1600.

Progressive Heroes: Bronson Gentry: "He shall not be moved!" 1 By Ann Mullen

Bronson Gentry has made preserving an eastside-Detroit park his lifelong mission.

"It hasn’t been easy."

The battle began 40 years ago when Gentry asked the city to build a recreation facility on a 53-acre grassy field, then called Peter Maheras Park.

"I just got tired of the kids having nothing to do, harassed by the police all the time," says the 74-year-old retired janitor who raised four kids with his wife Lois in the predominantly black neighborhood.

Though the Detroit City Council promised Gentry $450,000 for a new recreation building in 1959, the money went instead to a northeast park in an all-white neighborhood. Not until 1964, when Gentry threatened to take busloads of black children to play at the white-neighborhood park, did the city agree to fork over $550,000 for a new recreation facility and swimming pool.

But the struggle did not end there. Again and again, developers attempted to make plans for the prime property bordering the Detroit River, but the fierce guardian was always successful in staving them off.

In 1997, it seemed that Gentry might lose to another developer who convinced the city to go along with a proposal to build expensive homes on the river. The plan was to divide the park in half, with the playfield at one end and homes on the other. The developer promised the community access to the water, but most were skeptical, including Gentry.

"You know they won’t let my poor people go through their (yards) to get to the river," he says.

Gentry learned of the plan when he was hospitalized for a leg amputation following infection from a knee replacement.

"I got out of that hospital and went to work," he says.

When the developer told the City Council at a public hearing that the community didn’t care about the park, Gentry and others turned over petitions with 3,500 signatures from those opposed to the project. He also brought stacks of letters and articles documenting the work he’d done the last four decades to show his devotion to the park. The council not only voted down the developers’ plans, they passed a resolution to rename the park Peter Maheras-Bronson Gentry Memorial Play Field.

"Seeing the kids enjoying themselves and letting them know that I won’t be moved without a fight" makes his work for the park worthwhile, says Gentry.

Bold textPeter Maheras-Bronson Gentry Park

On the Detroit River at the foot of Connor north of the MacArthur Bridge Detroit’s waterfront, extending from the MacArthur Bridge that links the mainland to Belle Isle in the North to the city’s border with River Rouge in the south, was lined with factories, wharfs and rail lines by the end of the Nineteenth Century. The shore line extending north from the MacArthur Bridge to the city’s boundary with Grosse Pointe Park was not so extensively used for industry, although Detroit Edison built one large plant in this area. As Detroit boomed in the early decades of the Twentieth Century, some impressive apartment buildings were constructed along the riverfront just north of the bridge to Belle Isle.

By the 1920s, an increasing number of Detroit residents entered the ranks of the millionaires, thanks to the booming vehicle industry. An ideal place for some of them to build their mansions was in the northeastern corner of the city where canals could be built so that everyone could have a slip for their large vessel. A building boom started in the 1920s with the construction of the Lawrence Fisher home with its indoor docking facility for the 260-foot ship and the Gar Wood mansions. A great deal of planning was done to create what might have been the most prosperous urban neighborhood in any American city but, in October 1929, the Depression halted this development.

Expensive, exclusive neighborhoods are enhanced by parks that capitalize upon the area’s assets, especially if that is a waterfront. Apparently, the city of Detroit took 52 acres of prime real estate at the foot of Connor and designated it Algonquin Park in 1928. Needless the say, the city had no money to build parks during the Depression decade, but the federal government provided Works Project Administration funds to create a park at this location. Land was added to the park in 1943 and again in 1957. To honor the memory of a local resident who was among the first Detroit residents to give his life for his country in World War II, the name was changed to Peter Maharas Park in the 1940s.

Apparently the city made few investments in the park after World War II. At this time, suburban development had great appeal, so no one dusted off plans from the 1920s to build mansions in this area. And, similar to many other neighborhoods in Detroit, racial change occurred as whites moved from the east side to the suburbs and were replaced by blacks. Blacks, in Detroit, were adamant about demanding greater black control of the city’s government since they believed the city’s white officials often overlooked black neighborhoods when resources were allocated.

By this time, a local black resident—Bronson Gentry who was a janitor by profession—began to look out for the interests of this neighborhood, with a particular focus upon recreational activities for children. Residents of the neighborhood convinced Detroit’s Common Council to appropriate $450,000 for a new recreational building and swimming pool in Peter Maheras Park. They did so, but thereafter changed their plans and used the appropriation to build a recreational facility in a white neighborhood, presumably in hopes of curtailing the mass migration of whites to the suburbs. Michigan’s 1870 Civil Rights law prohibits racial discrimination in public facilities. Knowing that, Bronson Gentry announced plans to bus large numbers of black children from this neighborhood to the new recreational facilities that the city built for white children. That was enough for Common Council. He and the other community activists didn’t have to rent buses. The city appropriated $550,000 for recreational facilities in the park.

Along with most other parts of the city, this area of Detroit lost population, and the city’s ability to maintain parks declined as the tax base plummeted. Bronson Gentry continued his efforts to improve the park, but faced numerous challenges. By the 1990s, economic improvements were occurring and some developers recognized that property in northeast Detroit along the riverfront might be ideal for the construction of large homes with docks for yachts. In 1997, developers approach Detroit’s Common Council with a plan that called for using most of Peter Maheras Park for expensive new homes. Bronson Gentry once again led efforts to preserve the park. Eventually, Common Council changed the land use designation for Maheras Park and for four other nearby waterfront parks so that they could not be used for building homes.

This decision came at a time when Detroit officials began to redevelop the riverfront from the Renaissance Center to the border with Grosse Pointe Park. Much has been accomplished but much remains to be done. And developers found land near Maheras Park for building some of the most expensive homes constructed in the city since the 1920s. Between 1998 and 2002, 1.2 million dollars were obtained from a variety of governmental and private sources to refurbish this park. Comerica Bank, K-Mart and General Motors contributed funds to improving this park and others nearby. Major league baseball’s new program to encourage their sport in the inner cities also led to a contribution, presumably for ball fields. At the dedication of the remodeled park, Bronson Gentry’s name was added to its title.

Mr. Gentry was the key figure in preserving and improving this attractive park. However, he is well known in some circles for other achievements. He is Michigan’s most accomplished African-American horse shoe pitcher. He began winning local titles as early as 1952, and from 1967 to 1974 more or less dominated horse shoe pitching in this state. In 1997, he was enshrined in the Wolverine State Horseshoe Pitching Association’s Hall of Fame. He died in 2003 one year after the park he so strongly supported was named for him.

Gentry Park lives on

Dexter Gentry can remember the days when his father spent hours cleaning up Maheras/Gentry Park. Now Gentry, whose children play baseball in the park, plans to carry out what his father dedicated his life to. "My dad fought hard for the betterment of people, but he lived his life for the children of the world," said Gentry.

"He didn't see Black or White, he saw kids. Most were poor kids, with broken homes, broken toys and broken dreams." Bronson Gentry, who the park is named after, used to do a lot of the repairs at the park which is located at on the Detroit River at Conner. He would also solicit help from the community and the City of Detroit He even defeated a plan to build apartments on a portion of the park. ...

[House Resolution No. 677.] No. 75 STATE OF MICHIGAN JOURNAL OF THE House of Representatives 91st Legislature REGULAR SESSION OF 2002 House Chamber, Lansing, Thursday, December 12, 2002. 10:00 a.m.

A resolution honoring Bronson L. Gentry in acknowledgment of his outstanding years making the city of Detroit a better place to live.

Whereas, It is with deep appreciation for the hard work, dedication, and professionalism that Bronson L. Gentry has put forth on behalf of the people of the city of Detroit that we offer this expression of our thanks and best wishes for his good works. As the people of the city of Detroit recognize the loyalty and devotion to public service of this conscientious individual, we add our sentiments of gratitude for a job well done; and

Whereas, Bronson L. Gentry was born in Detroit on February 21, 1925. His experiences in the Boy Scouts began in 1937 and it inspired him in his lifelong interest in community service. His mother, Eudora Gentry and sisters, Eudora, Josie and Helen, also instilled in him the desire to help others; and

Whereas, Bronson L. Gentry founded Boy Scout Troop 187 and, as its scoutmaster, undertook a campaign to stem vandalism which was costing Detroit over 500,000 dollars in 1966 and 1967. During 1968, one of his troop's main projects was to prepare an exhibit on vandalism for the Detroit Area Scout-O-Rama. This was accompanied by 2,000 copies of a book called "Vandalism to City Property." As President of the Jefferson-Chalmers Community Council, he organized a citizens vigilance committee to watch buses troubled by children. His strong efforts eliminated petty trouble and averted incidents of major proportions. Mr. Gentry sponsored a program on crime and vandalism for local merchants and churches which photographed children in the act of committing acts of vandalism. His actions greatly reduced the crime and vandalism rate among juveniles in the area;

Whereas; One of Mr. Gentry's many pet projects was petitioning City Hall for the improvement of Maheras Field, a recreational facility that had deteriorated to the extent that it was no longer safe for children. His tireless work inspired the city of Detroit to rename the facility the Peter Maheras-Bronson Gentry Historical Playfield in his honor. Mr. Gentry also helped bring about the construction of G.W. Stark Elementary School, which four of his grandchildren have attended; and

Whereas, For his scouting skills, Mr. Gentry has received the National Lane Bryant Volunteer Award in the United States of America and the "Silver Beaver" in the Boy Scouts of America. Mr. Gentry has been celebrated by Presidents and has received more awards than can be detailed but include Certificates of Appreciation from the Detroit Police Department and the Detroit Health Department, the Borg-Warner Citizenship Award, the WGPR Community Leadership Award, and a Testimonial Resolution from the Detroit City Council; and

Whereas, Mr. Gentry has been married to the love of his life, Lois Gentry, for over 53 wonderful years. Bronson L. Gentry's life exemplifies the motto he holds dear, "A man with God is an unstoppable man." This spirit has been deeply appreciated, both by citizens and organizations in the city of Detroit that have benefited directly from Bronson L. Gentry's work as well as other public servants who have witnessed this fine example; and

Whereas, There can be little doubt that the record of Bronson L. Gentry in his responsibilities and great deeds over the past years will continue to reap rewards for the people of the city of Detroit. We offer our thanks on these personal milestones in an exceptional life; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the House of Representatives, That the members of this legislative body honor Bronson L. Gentry in acknowledgment of his outstanding years making the city of Detroit a better place to live; and be it further

Resolved, That a copy of this resolution be transmitted to Bronson L. Gentry as a token of our esteem.

Pending the reference of the resolution to a committee,

Rep. Patterson moved that Rule 77 be suspended and the resolution be considered at this time.

The motion prevailed, 3/5 of the members present voting therefor.

The question being on the adoption of the resolution,

The resolution was adopted.