“See you in a few at the diner,” Charles said, walking towards his Porsche. When Charles pulled up to the diner and started to get out, Ralph popped the sunroof open. Charles told him not to play any more music and Ralph reluctantly agreed. Ralph started talking to the boys as they pulled up a few minutes later on their bikes. The boys wanted to hear some soul music. Since Charles was already inside the diner, Ralph thought maybe a few bars of James Brown would entertain the boys. After the first line of “I Feel Good” started blaring, Charles looked out the window and shook his head at Ralph.
Ralph quickly shut off James Brown and the boys walked toward the diner. Once inside, Charles ordered pop for everyone. As they waited for the drinks, all the boys were looking at Charles.
“So, why do you want to buy the gym – I mean turn it into a community center?” Wayne asked.
Maxine placed the bottles of pop in the center of their table and Charles waited a few minutes before he responded. “Well, I have a few reasons why it would be good. It could help out a lot of people.”
After taking a big gulf of his grape soda, Dorrial asked, “How?”
“I’m a tax attorney and some of my clients are looking for a tax break. I also think this neighborhood could use a safe place where kids could hang out. The third thing is I love basketball.” Charles was turning the cool bottle in his hand. He knew kids like these boys would really enjoy playing in a decent gym. He was thinking of all that practice, all those layups, and still not making the team.
Charles turned the conversation away from himself. The boys told him they mostly played ball and went to school.
“So, how’s school going, then?” Charles asked.
“Not so good” seemed to be the general consensus.
Charles said maybe Ralph could help get their grades up.
“Ralph?” asked Wayne skeptically.
“Yes,” answered Charles. “Ralph’s pretty smart. He can help you. He knows just about everything on any subject.”
The boys liked the idea of Ralph being a tutor. Charles asked how he could get in touch with them. As he wrote their names on a napkin, Dorrial also gave his phone number. The boys said they had to leave because it was getting close to their dinnertime. Charles said he would see them later. Before he left Charles ordered a piece of key lime pie with a dollop of fresh whipped cream.
As soon as Maxine brought his pie, Officers Lauritsen and Murphy walked into the diner. Charles nodded at them and asked if he could buy them a cup of coffee and pie. They sat down at the booth with Charles and asked what was new. He replied he was hoping to purchase the old gym and turn it into a community center. They smiled and said it would be great to see activity again in the old building. Charles returned a smile and said he was glad they didn’t think it was a crazy idea.
Maxine brought a pot of coffee and two more slices of pie. Charles told the officers he was meeting regularly at the diner with Samuel Jacobsen, the contractor. Murphy said he knew Jacobsen and believed the contractor had a good reputation for doing quality work.
Lauritsen again reminded Charles to be careful in the neighborhood. Charles said he had Ralph to do that and that was the perfect opening for Murphy to grill Charles about Ralph. After about 40 minutes, Lauritsen interjected, “You know, my father played in that gym as a kid.”
Nodding, Charles said, “The gym is full of history.” Those names etched on the shower stalls flashed in his mind – Wee Willie Smith, Charles “Tarzan” Cooper, Clarence “Fats” Jenkins.
Lauritsen continued, “I thought the city was going to condemn the building since it had deteriorated so much, and that seemed a shame. My father said that in the early 40s professional teams played there.”
Charles wondered which teams, but Lauritsen had no idea. This was a question for Ralph. A puzzle. Who were “Tarzan” and “Fats” and the others? Charles felt his face redden as he remembered the officers approaching him at the gym with the jersey stuffed up his shirt.
“Well, I’ll see it when I believe it,” said Lauritsen, who obviously was the more skeptical of the two. “By the way, your new friends are in trouble for stealing a car.”
Charles’ thoughts were now on the boys and that pickup game of basketball.
“I just played ball with them,” Charles said, “and they didn’t mention anything about that.”
“Why would they?” answered Murphy.
“I’ll see what I can find out the next time I see them,” promised Charles.
Murphy shook his head and said they had a call they had to check out and would probably see Charles later. Charles asked Maxine for the pie and coffee tab. When he got into his car, Charles requested Ralph to play some 60s tunes. Ralph suggested the Beach Boys and immediately “California Girls” was reverberating throughout the Porsche. After Charles finished singing along with “I wish they all could be California girls,” Ralph told his boss he needed to call Julie and Samuel Jacobsen.
Ralph’s Research: The Rens
There were plenty of uses for Ralph. He was savvy and plucky, obviously smart, and could quickly complete any given task. Since Charles liked history and basketball, it was fortunate that Ralph was programmed with those interests.
“Ralph, I’ve got some names for you to look up,” said Charles, thinking about the names on the shower stall. “Let’s see, there’s Wee Willie Smith, Bill Yancey, Eyre ‘Bruiser’ Saitch, Clarence ‘Fats’ Jenkins, and Charles ‘Tarzan’ Cooper.” Charles didn’t have a great memory, except when it came to basketball.
“OK, boss, will do,” said Ralph, whose motor was already running on overload trying to crank out information on the names.
In a few minutes, Ralph printed a sheet. “You’re talking about two early basketball teams,” said Ralph, clearly proud of himself and the work he presented. “Boss, these are players for the early Celtics and a team called the Rens. I’ve organized it for you. Just take a look.”
The Rens (A Paper Researched and Written by Ralph)
The year was 1930 and there was a new kid on the block. The kid was an all-black team called the Rens. The Rens’ basketball team was the idea of Robert (Bob) Douglas, a West Indies immigrant who coached an amateur basketball team in New York called the Spartan Braves.
Douglas was trying to find a home for his team when he met William Roche, the owner of the Renaissance Casino and a Caribbean immigrant.
Located between 137th and 138th Streets in New York City, the casino was a two-story red, brick building and a hotspot for dancing and listening to music. Roche suggested that the team use the second floor ballroom for its home court and practice center in exchange for giving the casino publicity.
This was a common arrangement – basketball teams frequently played in dancing halls or bars. It may seem peculiar now that teams would play in such slippery, awkward places, but that was just how it was in the early days of basketball. Douglas decided to call his team the Renaissance.
The Renaissance Casino was in its zenith from 1915 to the 1960s. The first floor of the casino housed an event center for regular meetings of Harlem social clubs, charities, and unions. Notable social clubs using the facility included The Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, Harlem Dukes, and The Dominican Benevolent Society.
The ballroom on the second floor was home for the orchestra led by bandleader Verno Andrade. His orchestra members included world-famous Louis Armstrong, Louis Metcalf, Happy Caldwell, Al Morgan, and Zetty Singleton. There were other jazz bands and orchestras that had short engagements at this elegant entertainment venue. Some of the more famous bands were Fletcher Henderson, Louis Armstrong, and