Adam Clayton Powell-Bimini-April , 1967

I just read Dale Anderson's review of "Keep The Faith, Baby" and found it most interesting and informative.


"...including several people who had seen and heard Powell when he was alive..."

When I was a college sophmore in 1967, a group of University of Kansas students from the campus student scuba diving club went down during Spring Break to Miami and then headed off to Bimini. I was nineteen at the time, and although I only knew a little bit about Rep. Powell then, because he was under attack in Congress, when the local people on Bimini proudly told me he was Bimini's most popular person, I recognized him standing in the tuna tower of his sportsfishing cruiser heading out early in the day.

We were on Bimini for 4 or 5 days and would go out with our captain to neighboring islands scuba diving and having fun, and then return. There was an exotic (for me at that time) bar and dance club near where we were docked, There was a gorgeous curvaceous Bimini beauty who dance nightly there, and she regaled me with her stories, sometimes sprinkled with mentions of Powell.

By the 2nd or 3rd day of our stay on Bimini, the word of a group of white students from Kansas visiting had filtered back to Rep. Powell, and he and a friend stopped by and kindly chatted with us and bought us all drinks. I still can remember his charming smile and affable nature, and thinking how lucky we were to have met him.

The night before we were scheduled to leave for Miami and then home, Powell and his colleague stopped by the bar again, and, after many drinks, offered to take the 2 lovely coed's, out big game fishing and pay for their expenses if they cared to stay another few days. Believe me, they were really tempted, especially the one Rep. Powell seemed to be flattering-a beautiful buxom 19 year-old prom queen, Sue White. She wanted to accept the offer, but the other girl was relucant. Somehow, the other scuba club members and the boat captain talked Ms. White into leaving the next day, and I remember seeing Rep. Powell head out on his cruiser before our departure, smiling and waving to us.

An encounter, short though it was, that I will always fondly remember.