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Maxine Sullivan (May 13, 1911 – April 7, 1987)

The customers sat in hard back chairs. Listening to the swing. Of the barbershop door. Daddy cut hair. Maxine Sullivan of Twelfth Street swept up the floor. Everyone read The Free Press. The Hindenburg exploded in flames.In the Sahara Desert it rained. Little Maxine danced around the room in her new pink dress.

January. And the Red Sox acquired 19-year-old Ted Williams. Slush in the streets. April seemed so far away. But little Maxine would sing. And all the customers. Would listen. Amongst all the noise. Tyrants in Europe. The boss at work. Maxine had spring in her voice.

One weekend. Maxine took a bus. And did not return. Loch Lomond. An odd song. For a little black girl. To build a career upon. Little Maxine was “Going Places” in the twentieth century. With Louis Armstrong. When he…