York Center Cooperative-Residents
/A Neighbor Just Like You…
Fred Rogers and Francois Clemmons, c. 1969.
In the television show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Fred Rogers asked a Black actor, Francois Clemmons, to sit down with him on a hot day and they both shared a small plastic pool to bathe their feet. Besides that act which was considered to be radical in America where even public swimming pools were segregated, the two men shared the same towel to dry their feet. This moment made history, where Fred Rogers took a stand against racial inequality. The theme song to Fred Rogers’ show included these lines:
“I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you”
Newspaper, Chicago Tribune, March 13, 1966.
Our last post introduced the York Center Cooperative, a neighborhood in unincorporated Lombard that was created regardless of race, religion, or politics. Twenty years before Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was aired, the people there created and lived in the cooperative envisioned a diverse community. Let’s meet some of the early neighbors at York Center Cooperative.
Jean Wehrheim and her husband, John, moved to the cooperative in late 1950, and then into their own home by March 1951. Jean Wehrheim, a graduate of the University of Illinois School of Architecture, and her husband, John Wehrheim, designed their own home in the cooperative. They were part of the review committee at the cooperative, looking over designs submitted by their neighbors, and they also built several of the homes in the neighborhood.
Jean specialized in passive solar design and her home along with the ones nearby are created to be sustainable, utilizing the site to take advantage of free natural energy to heat or cool the home. The Research Center at Chicago History Museum is the repository for Jean Wehrheim’s architectural drawings and other professional work. Jean credited Mrs. Richard Roberts, a neighbor at the cooperative as her drafting assistant and she taught a basic home design course at Willowbrook High School in the 1960s.
Claude Walton, Legacy.com.
Another noted resident of the York Center Cooperative was Claude Walton. He was named Senior of the Year by the Village of Lombard in 2013 when he was 100 years old. Claude and his wife, Darwin, moved to the York Center Cooperative in 1955 where they raised their family. He was born in Marshall, Texas in 1913 and was a talented musician. Claude supported himself in college at the University of Colorado by playing music.
He was also a gifted athlete, specializing in the discus throw which earned him All-American honors. After serving with the American Red Cross during World War II, Claude went on to have a long career with the Chicago Park District. He was the first Black administrator in the employee activities department of the Chicago Park District and mentored young people from the Chicago area, including Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White. After retiring from the Chicago Park District, Claude served on the York Center Park Commission.
Selwyn Wilson, WWII, Chicago Sun Times.
Selwyn Wilson, one of the first World War 2 Tuskegee Airmen, moved into the York Center Cooperative in 1952. He had survived the crash of his bomber, Bright Eyes, during a training mission. Selwyn had suffered devastating injuries; his leg was amputated, he was burned over 75% of his body, and he had damage to his eardrums that led to equilibrium problems. Doctors were pessimistic about Selwyn’s ability to return to a normal life.
He soon proved them wrong, learning to walk again, marrying, and raising children. Selwyn recalled his experiences being one of the first Black families to live in the cooperative, discussing how a cross was burned on his lawn and his initial application for a mortgage was rejected because the cooperative was an integrated neighborhood. He refused to give up, teaching his family and friends about his indomitable spirit and a determination to raise his kids in a good environment. Selwyn used the GI Bill to earn an accounting degree from DePaul University, passing his love of learning down to his children.
Click to Enlarge Newspaper Advertisement, June 26, 1976, Chicago Tribune.
These are just some of the people who helped shape Lombards diverse history. The Co-Op wasn’t always understood by others in the greater area and sometimes, there were problems with people acting on their fears and prejudices to create problems with the Co-Op. But the York Center Cooperative persevered, following their vision they created a neighborhood that to this day is still is a warm, welcoming part of our community. As Fred Rogers once said,
"Some days, doing the best we can do may still fall short of what we would like to be able to do, but life isn't perfect on any front, and doing what we can with what we have is the most we should expect of ourselves or anyone else."
Written by Jean Crockett, Lombard Historical Society Archivist.
