Elkhart in Elkhart County, Indiana — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Charles Gordone

Charles Gardone Marker (side 1) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Dave Zollinger, July 6, 2010

1. Charles Gardone Marker (side 1)

Inscription.
Born in Ohio, 1925, Gordone grew up in Elkhart and graduated from Elkhart High School in 1944. In the 1950s, he moved to New York City where he worked as an actor, director, and playwright. During the 1960s, he acted in the award-winning off-Broadway play, The Blacks, and worked to ensure more opportunities for blacks in the entertainment industry.
(Continued on other side)

(Continued from other side)
In 1970, Gordone won national acclaim as the first African American to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama for No Place to Be Somebody, also the first off-Broadway play to win the award. In the 1980s, Gordone advocated integrating minority actors into the casts of classic dramas. In 1987, he joined the Texas A&M University faculty. He died in 1995.

Erected 2009 by Indiana Historical Bureau, Elkhart County Historical Society, NAACP of Elkhart County, Goshen College English Department, Elkhart Historical and Cultural Preservation Commission, Shirley Gordon Jackson, and Susan Kouyomjian Gordone. (Marker Number 20.2009.1.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Arts, Letters, Music. In addition, it is included in the Indiana Historical Bureau Markers series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1925.

Location.

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41° 41.071′ N, 85° 58.416′ W. Marker is in Elkhart, Indiana, in Elkhart County. Marker is at the intersection of South 2nd Street and West High Street, on the right when traveling north on South 2nd Street. Marker is located adjacent to the Elkhart Public Library, just south of the intersection. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 300 South 2nd Street, Elkhart IN 46516, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Elkhart High School (within shouting distance of this marker); Elkhart Carnegie Public Library (within shouting distance of this marker); Elkhart County Revolutionary Soldiers Memorial (within shouting distance of this marker); E. Hill Turnock (within shouting distance of this marker); Dr. Franklin L. Miles (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Power of Water in Elkhart (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bucklen Opera House (approx. 0.2 miles away); Elkhart's Early Industrial Power (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Elkhart.

More about this marker. The E. Hill Turnock Historical Marker is visible from this marker.

Also see . . .
1. Charles Gardone. Wikipedia entry (Submitted on July 13, 2010, by Dave Zollinger of Goshen, Indiana.)

2. Charles Gordone State Historical Marker. Indiana Historical Bureau website entry (Submitted on February 6, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.)

Charles Gardone Marker (side 2) image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Dave Zollinger, July 6, 2010

2. Charles Gardone Marker (side 2)

The marker, as seen looking south on South Second Street image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Dave Zollinger, July 6, 2010

3. The marker, as seen looking south on South Second Street

Elkhart Public Library image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Dave Zollinger, July 6, 2010

4. Elkhart Public Library

The historical marker is located in front of the library, to the right.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 12, 2021. It was originally submitted on July 6, 2010, by Dave Zollinger of Goshen, Indiana. This page has been viewed 1,131 times since then and 25 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on July 6, 2010, by Dave Zollinger of Goshen, Indiana. • Christopher Busta-Peck was the editor who published this page.