Free Preview: Playmate of the Month October 1969 - Jean Bell
"I'm not very involved with politics or civil rights," says Jean Bell. "I just try to get along." For Miss October, though, getting along - these days, as a model - happens to include cracking a few long-standing racial barriers along the way. The first of her firsts came shortly after graduation from Houston's Phillis Wheatley high school when she became the first black clerk in a downtown men's-clothing store. "I never did find out why they changed their policy and decided to hire me - I think they just needed somebody right away, and I was there. I really enjoyed the job, because I love meeting and getting to know new people - especially men." While working there, Jean met an attorney who suggested that she try for a job as a secretary at a local steel company. "The only black help they had then were laborers," Jean explains. "But the union was pressuring them to integrate the office staff; and when I applied, they hired me. It was slightly strained at first, but people are more human than they sometimes seem. When they see you face to face every day, and see that you're just another person, most of them will respond warmly." During her stay there, Miss October filled much of her spare time in an amateur bowling league - and walked off with a trophy for a high game of 243. She made an even better showing, though, by acting on a whim: "One day I saw an ad for the Miss Houston contest in the paper. I'll try most anything once, so I called to apply. I didn't tell them o...
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