Monday, October 5, 1998
Legend Bradley passes away
OBITUARY: Former UCLA student athlete, building namesake, mayor,
council member dies at age of 80
By Lawrence Ferchaw
Daily Bruin Staff
In the late 1930s, Tom Bradley walked on the UCLA campus as a
student and an athlete. Just last May, he stood by the chancellor
to dedicate a building in his name after serving as a police
officer, city council member and mayor of Los Angeles.
Bradley died of a heart attack last Tuesday; he was 80 years
old. He is survived by his wife Ethel and daughters Lorraine and
Phyllis.
As the first African American to lead the city, Bradley served
as mayor for 20 years – a period which saw changes not only in the
city’s size and skyline but also the city’s stature in the
world.
The son of Texas sharecroppers, Bradley came to California with
his family in 1924. He attended UCLA on a track and field
scholarship and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity.
Bradley joined the LAPD after graduating from UCLA in 1940. Just
a year later he married Ethel Arnold.
Bradley joined a police force with very few positions for
African Americans and could not even ride in the same patrol car
with a white officer.
"For any minority, it was a biased department," said Talmage
Cobs, a retired police officer who worked with Bradley in the
1950s.
"It was segregated, limited, but it was still a great
opportunity for minorities if you had the courage to stay," he
continued.
When Bradley left the department in 1961, he had reached the
rank of lieutenant, the highest rank held by an African American at
that time.
Working as an officer by day, Bradley took classes at night at
Southwestern Law School, where he earned his law degree in 1956. He
started a law practice upon leaving the LAPD.
Just two years later, Bradley was elected to the city council,
the first African American to win a seat. He served three terms on
the council.
Bradley first ran for mayor in 1969 but lost to incumbent Sam
Yorty in a racially charged election. Just four years later, he
defeated Yorty to become one of the first African Americans to lead
a large city.
"For my generation it was an inspiration and a reminder of the
nature of society," said Larry Gower, director of the Office for
International Students and Scholars. "If you had enough toughness
and intelligence, you could move forward."
Bradley’s election would mark a turning point in Los Angeles, as
his programs changed the city into an internationally recognized
trade center.
When asked about Bradley, many Angelenos first remember his
inclusiveness. The City Hall Bradley walked into in 1973 was
dominated by whites. Many of Bradley’s appointments changed that,
and by the time he left office in 1993, the ethnic makeup of
officials in the city had changed to match the general
population.
"He did a lot for not only blacks but whites and Hispanics
also," said Willie Hood, a resident of Bellflower who came to the
Los Angeles Convention Center Sunday for the public viewing of
Bradley’s body.
At one of the highest points of his political career, Bradley
came within 60,000 votes of the governorship in 1982, losing out to
Republican George Deukmejian. He ran again in 1986, losing this
time by a greater margin.
At the same time that he increased diversity in the city, he
made Los Angeles a city recognized internationally for
entertainment and trade, most notably through the 1984 Olympic
Games.
Sen. Dianne Feinstein remembered the Olympics as Bradley’s
greatest achievement.
"When we think of Carl Lewis winning his four gold medals, or
Mary Lou Retton vaulting her way into the country’s heart, we have
Mayor Bradley to thank," Feinstein said in a statement.
The games brought $3.3 billion to the local economy and created
68,000 jobs. UCLA served as a venue for some of the events and
housed the Olympic Village where the athletes stayed.
Bradley also enabled Los Angeles to serve as a trade center by
funding the growth of the city, including the airport, sea ports
and downtown skyline.
"I will remember him for loving Los Angeles and for making Los
Angeles a world-class city," Mayor Richard Riordan said in a
statement.
Bradley’s final years in office were marred by the 1992 riots
which came in response to the acquittal of four police officers
accused of beating Rodney King.
He left office in 1993 after 20 years as the city’s leader – 20
years which many remember with fondness.
"He would have ‘no business days’ and open the office to the
public so visitors could come in," said Cobs, who described Bradley
as a mentor and always available for him to talk to.
In 1996, Bradley had a heart attack and then a stroke. He spent
much of his last two years out of the public spotlight.
Cobs was one of many who lined up outside the convention center
to pay respects to the mayor. Some were too young to remember much
of what the mayor did.
"From what I hear and know, he was a special man," said Chiquita
Duplessis, 13.
Bradley will be remembered at UCLA for many years with the
building named in his honor.
Bradley Hall houses the international student center as well as
the archives from the mayor’s years in office.
Gower, who runs the center, remembered working with Bradley over
two years putting the center together.
"His passing stopped me for a moment,"Gower said.
Chancellor Albert Carnesale was one of many officials to release
a statement on the mayor’s passing.
"Bradley’s devotion to UCLA continued throughout his life, and
he never tired of crediting the university for providing him with
‘a first class education that opened new worlds for me,’" Carnesale
said.
Before the UCLA football game Saturday, spectators observed a
moment of silence for Bradley.
Carnesale, former Chancellor Charles Young and Vice Chancellor
of Student Affairs Winston Doby are expected to attend the memorial
service for Bradley today at the First A.M.E. Church.
Young, Gov. Pete Wilson and Vice President Al Gore are to be
among the speakers.Daily Bruin file photo
Former Mayor Tom Bradley, left, and
Chancellor Carnesale at the dedication
of the Tom Bradley Center last May.
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© 1998 ASUCLA Communications Board