Charles McAfee knew something was up when family members started showing up from out of town last month. A few days later, the Wichita City Council renamed the pool at McAdams Park for the award-winning architect, who designed it in 1969.
McAfee said the park and Dunbar School were the only places where black children could practice sports when he was growing up. Recounting the story of a black youth who drowned because he couldn’t swim, McAfee said, “That pool has been more important to me than you’ll ever know.”
The pool is under renovation and expected to reopen in 2021.
City Councilman Brandon Johnson also presented McAfee with an official Wichita city coin. Johnson said the coins signify “excellence and contribution to our city, and in a few cases like yours, our country and our world. We don’t give out many of these.”
