Leola Bettis, community patron dubbed ‘Martin Luther King of the projects,’ dies at 100
Editor’s note: This feature is part of a new weekly focus from The Star meant to highlight and remember the lives of Black Kansas Citians who have died.
On a sweltering July day in 1969, in an act of civil disobedience, Leola Bettis walked roughly 200 of her neighbors from the Juniper Gardens public housing project out into the middle of the street.
For years, residents had feared for the safety of their children after dozens had been struck by speeding motorists while crossing 3rd Street at Richmond Avenue in northeast Kansas City, Kansas. Promises to install a stoplight and additional signs had been made but not met. The parents, unwilling to plead any longer, stood arm-in-arm and blocked traffic themselves until an agreement was reached.
Soon after their protest, a four-way stop was put in. The streetlight followed. And that blinking-red signal still hovers over 3rd Street today, a small reminder of Leola Bettis’s triumphs as she sought to improve the lives of those around her.
Bettis died Jan. 30 of natural causes in her daughter’s home in California. She is remembered as a kindhearted woman and a strong advocate for the Black community in Kansas City, Kansas. She was 100.
“She was constantly trying to do things for the community and for the children, to make things safe,” said Roderick Bettis, the younger of Bettis’s two sons. “That was her mission. That was her goal.”
“So much so, that she was termed the Martin Luther King of the projects,” he added with a laugh.
Born in 1920 in Yazoo City, Mississippi, Bettis spent her early childhood on land that was once a plantation, living under the care of her great-grandmother, a former slave. Bettis always swore she was “not going to pick cotton” in her lifetime, her children recalled. So, as a young woman, she packed up her things and headed to New Orleans to pursue her dream of becoming a jazz singer.
Her music career never quite took off — her family joked that Bettis did not possess the world’s greatest singing voice. But it was in New Orleans where Bettis met Patrick L. Bettis Sr., the man who would become her husband and the father of their seven children. They married Dec. 28, 1942.
Two days after the wedding, Patrick Bettis Sr. received a draft letter from Uncle Sam calling upon him to join the U.S. Army. He spent roughly three years fighting overseas in World War II. Leola Bettis, who only received a formal education until the 3rd grade, sharpened her reading and writing skills through their love letters while they were apart.
After the war, the Bettises began their life together in Mobile, Alabama, where their first two children were born. They moved to Kansas City, Kansas, in 1952, seeking new opportunities and to reconnect with family members. Patrick Bettis Sr. earned a job working for the railroad as a waiter in the dining car, occasionally meeting movie stars and often bringing home big sacks filled with the coins he received in tips.
In 1963, the Bettis family moved into the newly constructed Juniper Gardens, the first major low-income housing development in the area, where they hoped to save up enough money to one day buy a home of their own. Before long, Leola Bettis planted roots there and established herself as a well-respected member of the Juniper community.
Bettis eventually became the president of the area’s tenants’ association. Her contributions were many, including helping to expand recreational activities for neighborhood children. She also worked as an assistant pre-school teacher through a special program started by the University of Kansas. And she worked with another program aimed toward keeping the neighborhood free of litter.
Because of her influence in Juniper Gardens, Bettis was approached by the Kansas City Kansas Police Department to act as a liaison between the community and police officers, her son Roderick Bettis said. But she declined that offer, citing her lack of a formal education.
In the early 1970s, after years of saving up, the Bettises moved into a home in the West Heights neighborhood, her children said, becoming one of the first Black families in the 1800 block of Oakland Avenue.
The house quickly became a frequent after-school meetup spot. It was the site of many hangouts and memories, friends and family recalled, and often hosted band practices in the basement – especially for her son’s funk and soul-inspired group, “Threatening Weather.” And the couch was always ready for a friend who needed a place to spend the night.
“She was open like that,” said Charles Bey, a longtime family friend and retired music teacher who grew up in Juniper Gardens. “Their home was like a second home. She was like a second mom to all the young people in the community.”
She remained that way throughout her life. In the 1970s, Bettis started a small nursery in the home, looking after and educating a handful of young children at a time. She supported the paths of her own children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great grandchildren, always occupying a chair at a musical performance or theater event. And she frequently helped those in need, donating clothes, food, shelter and whatever else she could spare.
While Bettis never made her way into stardom as a singer, she loved to cut a rug well into her years. In late August, during a family gathering celebrating Bettis’s 100th birthday at her granddaughter’s house, Bettis danced her way through the night in her Sunday best, grooving to the beat of “Love and Happiness” by Al Green.
That day she offered one last special message to the people she cared for the most.
“I want to thank my family, my friends, my church family,” Bettis said in a video recorded that day. “I want to thank them for what they did for me on my birthday. … And may God bless everyone.”
Bettis is survived by her seven children, Patrick Bettis Jr., Patricia Brandon, Roderick Bettis Sr., Benay Bettis, Carolyn Smith, Benita Davidson and Phyllis Moore; 19 grandchildren; 34 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
Other Remembrances
Ruby Inez Weaver
Ruby Inez Weaver, remembered as a devoted and hardworking mother, died Jan. 27. She was 94.
Born in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1926, Weaver earned her early education here, graduating from Lincoln High School. She later attended Lincoln University, a historically Black college, in Jefferson City.
In the mid-1950s, Weaver began working with the United States Postal Service, where she spent nearly 30 years. During her career, she was once crowned the Queen of the Postal Alliance.
In her personal life, Weaver was a fierce competitor who enjoyed beating friends in games of canasta, pinochle and bid whist. She was also a loyal fan of the Kansas City Chiefs, spending many Sundays in Arrowhead Stadium or watching the games on television. And she was known to throw first-class Super Bowl parties in her home.
Weaver is survived by her children, DeAnne Larry, C’Elaine Weaver, Arthur Weaver, Patricia Weaver-Clark, Tracy Sawyer and Bennie Ford; 11 grandchildren; 12 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
Tommie Teague Jr.
Tommie Teague Jr., a retired fireman with the Kansas City, Kansas, Fire Department, died Jan. 14. He was 84.
Teague was born in Muskogee County, Oklahoma in 1936, and moved to Kansas City, Kansas, when he was still a child. After finishing high school, Teague served in the U.S. Navy for four years.
In 1964, Teague joined the KCK Fire Department and spent more than 30 years working there, retiring as a fire inspector with the department’s fire prevention unit. He also worked in the support services field with Brotherhood Bank for 16 years following his career with the department.
Teague was remembered as a quiet and thoughtful man by friends. He was also a devoted and longtime member of the Mount Zion Baptist Church congregation.
Teague is survived by his stepchildren, Anita Hamby, Walter McConnell, Mary Patricia Ray; five grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; and four great-great-grandchildren.
Janice King
Janice B. King, remembered as a devoted mother, retired senior services manager and an exceptional cook, died Jan. 28. She was 77.
King was born in St. Louis in 1943, earning her education there and graduating from Vashon High School in 1963. St. Louis is also where she met her husband, Andrew King, with whom she shared four children. The family moved to Kansas City after Andrew King received a career promotion.
King worked in Central High School as a librarian. She later began a career with Mid-America Council as a receptionist, and eventually became the organization’s community services manager, overseeing a network of roughly 30 senior care facilities until she retired.
King also loved to cook and enjoy the fruits of that labor, often preparing delicious dishes for holiday get-togethers and summer barbeques.
King is survived by her children, Robert King, Andrew King Jr., Andrea King and Keith King; seven grandchildren; and two great-grandchildren.
This story was originally published February 14, 2021 at 5:00 AM.