Danville has lost another community icon. Nate ‘’Bobo’’ Smalls has died. He was one of the original ‘Three Kings of Peace’…a group of actually four men who worked to spread peace in Danville. Reverend R.J. Davis is another of the original founders of the group.
Davis now serves on the Danville City Council and reflected on Smalls after a committee meeting tonight (Tuesday)…
”Former Mayor Scott Eisenhauer visited him on, I think it was on Friday of this past week. And he told Bobo how he talked about him on the radio as he was doing the Danville Dans Friday night game with Fowler Connell,” said Reverend Davis. ”And he told Bobo as he visited him on that Saturday, and I happened to be at the hospital with Bobo when Mayor Eisenhauer came in and told him that story. And it was a great story, and Bobo was glad to hear that. Ah, we shall miss him,” added Davis.
Smalls played in the Negro League and was a legendary player for the Indianapolis Clowns. Reverend Davis says he…and many others…were always amazed about ‘Bobo’s’’ talent….
”They always talked about how Bobo would take five baseballs in one hand, and he would have five people stand away from him in different sections,” said Davis. ”And he would throw those five baseballs at one time and (into) individual persons hands — and I never understood how he did that,” added Davis.
[Smalls – on left — is with another member of the Three Kings of Peace, Rev. Frank McCullough.]
As a member of the Three Kings of Peace, Smalls volunteered thousands of hours in the local schools….
”We would help with the traffic, and we’d spend some time there at North Ridge (Middle School), and then we’d go to South View, and then we would come back at North Ridge for about an hour or so, and then we would go to the high school for all of the lunches,” said Davis. ”But the reason why I mention that is that all of the kids – whenever they once saw us, they always talked about Bobo. We weren’t jealous, but the kids just loved Bobo. That’s all there is to it.”
[Danville Alderman and founding member of the Three Kings of Peace, Reverend R. J. Davis.] Smalls died earlier in the day Tuesday. The committee that was meeting held a moment of silence in memory of Smalls.
