Together with Edwina Gilliam, the widow of Dodger great Jim Gilliam, and the Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation, L.A. City Council President Herb J. Wesson, Jr. unveiled updates to the recreation center named in honor of the 1953 National League Rookie of the Year.
Among the upgrades, new artwork of Jim Gilliam was hung to welcome park goers and preserve the legacy of the legendary Dodger. As a third baseman and coach in the Negro League and Major League Baseball, Gilliam spent his career with the Brooklyn and then Los Angeles Dodgers. As the Dodgers’ leadoff hitter for most of the 1950s, he scored over 100 runs in each of his first four seasons. Upon retirement, he became one of the first African-American coaches in the major leagues. The Gilliams lived in View Park for more than 20 years.
