Dempsey Travis Remembered For Legacy of Generosity
Real estate mogul dies at 89
Updated 1:18 PM CST, Tue, Jul 28, 2009
Civil rights leader, real estate mogul, and abundantly productive author of Chicago history Dempsey Travis died Thursday. He was 89.
The fruitful and storied life of Travis included bringing Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. to Chicago in 1960, becoming a Chicago real estate power broker and writing more than twenty books during his "retirement."
Reverend Jesse Jackson, Sr. described his life as "a huge force to help redeem Chicago and our nation."
"He was a Renaissance man, an accomplished musician, a real estate magnate," Reverend Jackson said. "He embraced Dr. King, he was a strong ally of mayor Washington, and he became a chronicler of Chicago events."
Humility and generosity were recurring themes in Travis' life as he defied color barriers.
In the first half of the 20th Century, Chicago was not known as a bastion of integrated urban life as the city's real estate market had a reputation of employing practices that promoted a segregated city. Before being banned in 1948, racially restrictive covenants banned sellers from renting or selling their properties to people of certain racial or ethnic backgrounds. A similar practice, Redlining, forced many of the city's African-American population into areas that became known by urban sociologists as Chicago's Black Belt.
Despite that, Travis built his real estate company, Travis Realty Corp., and used his success to help other business owners in the African-American community, according to business owner and longtime associate Johnny M Brown.
The two met in 1970 when Brown was trying to find insurance for the seven tire outlets he owned.
"It was a high-risk business and I couldn't get anything insured." Brown set up a meeting with Travis, who was able to secure an insurance policy for Brown, a crucial component that allowed him to keep his business operational.
"He believed in integration, he believed Blacks should not be held back," Brown said. "He applied that policy to his business and he treated his customers that way. That’s one of the reasons he went out of his way to help me."
Travis and Brown's business relationship turned into friendship over the years and Travis eventually became the godfather of Brown's twin sons.
George O'Hare, another longtime friend, credits Travis for influencing him to embrace the civil rights movement and help others in the community.
"He lived a wonderful life in helping himself and others because of his success," O'Hare said. "I am very appreciative of his life. It's telling about the greatness of America. That at time when it was impossible to be successful, he did it."
First Published: Jul 3, 2009 9:26 AM CST
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