J. Chester Allen Sr. was a community leader and an early ground-breaker in the area of civil rights. He came to South Bend in 1929 after finishing his law degree at Boston College. In 1938, he became the first African-American from the South Bend area to be elected to the Indiana House of Representatives. Following his two terms there, he won election to the South Bend Common Council, then was appointed to the South Bend school board. He worked tirelessly to end segregation in all aspects of city life, including the 19-year effort to integrate the public Natatorium. (2010)