Uncrowned Community Builders

A native of Parkshill, Alabama, Calvin Kimbrough relocated to Buffalo, New York as a young man. His parents were Isham and Minnie Robinson Kimbrough. While in his teens he worked as a photographer and writer for the Buffalo Criterion, the oldest exiting African American weekly newspaper in Buffalo. He was a graduate of Buffalo's Fosdick Masten High School. He later wrote for the college newspaper at Geneseo State College. He also attended Fredonia State College and the University at Buffalo where he earned a graduate degree in sociology.

Mr. Kimbrough served in the Army during the Korean War from 1952 to 1954. In addition to combat duty, he worked in the Army's Special Intelligence Section and wrote for a military publication. After he was discharged, he was hired for a managerial position with National Fuel.

At the dawn of the civil rights movement in the 1950s and 1960s, he helped established the Civic Betterment League in Buffalo with a group of like-minded friends. Eventually, these friends founded their own newspaper, the Challenger, in 1963. Mr. Kimbrough wrote, took photographs and did layout for the paper, while John Moore and Leonard Bethel, both contributed as graphic and sketch artists, respectively. A young Arthur O. Eve, who went on to become a deputy speaker of the New York State Assembly, was in charge of sales. They all maintained full-time jobs while putting out the paper.

Long fascinated by politics, Mr. Kimbrough was an unsuccessful Republican candidate to unseat former Rep. Henry J. Nowak, D-Buffalo, in the 37th Congressional District in 1976. Mr. Kimbrough was also active as a committee member for the Community Action Organization and the Model Cities Agency. He was an active at Ascension Episcopal Church, where he served as Sunday school superintendent.

He and his second wife, Gloria Fuller Kimbrough, were active with the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society and worked on a project called "Footsteps to Freedom." Together, they commissioned local swimmer Charlie "The Tuna" Chapman to swim across the Niagara River into Canada to honor the slaves who drowned in their attempts to cross into Canada to freedom. Mr. & Mrs. Kimbrough also were responsible for placing a "Commemoration Rock" at Michigan Avenue Baptist Church in Buffalo, NY. This location was a historical site by which slaves traveled through to get to safe houses. Numerous slaves passed through Buffalo, NY to get further North into Canada. Many slaves were freed 100 years prior in Canada. This location was also part of the Underground Railroad.

Mr. Kimbrough was the father of one daughter, Carolyn, two sons, Scott and Greg and two step-daughters, Simone Scott-Kaigler and Andrea Scot-Khisa.

Mr. Kimbrough is buried at Woodlawn Cemetery, Syracuse, New York.