Bernard Sims :::
Bernard Sims
Graduated in 1925
Inducted in 2006
Mr. Sims, a LaGrange resident for all of his life, exemplifies a life of perseverance,
service, leadership, and achievement in the community. Sims was born to the first African-American
family in LaGrange in 1903. He attended St. Francis grammar school and then Lyons Township High
School in 1921. At LT, he was an outstanding athlete; he ran hurdles in track, played football, and
was one of the pitchers in baseball. After graduating in 1925, his career started as a runner for
the Chicago Stock Exchange until 1929 when the market crashed. Determined not to fall into poverty
following the crash, Mr. Sims founded a carwash and housecleaning business that steadily grew and
provided jobs for local residents during the Depression. He later received a real estate license
and worked for years as a broker in town. He took a commanding role as a civil rights activist in
the area by taking leadership roles in many different areas and thus became known as “The Mayor.”
Sims was a member of the Knights of Columbus, Toastmasters, and served as president of the LaGrange
Chapter of the NAACP in the late 1960’s. When serving as president, he encouraged the chapter to
fight for a fair housing ordinance in LaGrange, which was passed in the early 1970’s. He
participated in a sit-in at the lunch counter of a LaGrange drugstore after blacks were denied
service. He also encouraged other LaGrange residents to expect equal treatment in businesses
throughout the village. Sims served as LaGrange’s first black Republican precinct captain. He also
volunteered at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church and the Southwest Suburban Center on Aging in
LaGrange. Sims passed away at the age of 97.
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