The Little Jewell Rascals

The Little Jewell Rascals – (seated) James G “Snook” Jewell, (standing) Richard E Jewell

and (baby Robert L”Bob” Jewell

Growing up we loved watching video’s of Our Gang also known as “the Little Rascals” which were originally written in 1922 by Hal Roach and associated Hollywood Studios, about a group of poor children and their adventures.  Can’t you just imagine our Little Jewell Rascals behaving in the “relatively natural ways” as the series was noted for?  Some of the main characters were: Alfalfa, Spanky, Buckwheat, Darla, and Froggy.  These African American children held main character rolls: Matthew “Stymie” Beard (who replaced Allen “Farina” Hoskins) and Billie “Buckwheat” Thomas (who replaced Stymie).  * Information from Wikipedia® a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.

So much for the nostalgia, you’re really here to read about those cute little boys shown above. I believe the picture was taken about 1933 in Indianapolis, Indiana.  While I really didn’t know the Little Jewell’s above at this stage of their life, I’m sure they were as adventurous and devious as the famous group.  I met them just before I married my “Knight in Shining Armor” 53 years ago.  The older two were just hard working family men who loved their weekend retreats with the “boys”.  The baby shown above became a household name as the first African American to win the highest high school basketball player award (the Arthur R Tressler Award) in the state of Indiana; in 1951.  If you don’t already know, basketball is and has been for many years  very, very big in Indiana.  Bob became a scholarship player in college and used that as the avenue for becoming a chemist at the Eli Lilly Pharmaceutical Company here in Indianapolis, IN.

Below is a composite taken from pictures in their funeral programs.

(top left) James Garland Jewell, b 10/2/1925 d 6/18/1990. Married Mary McGee 4/16/1949;

(top right) Richard Eugene Jewell, b 2/5/1931 d 9/8/2003 married Geraldine Pauline Williams 12/4/1948;

Robert Lee Jewell b 9/19/1933 d 8/12/1992 married Angela Annette Gulliford 6/29/1963