A new mural in downtown Anderson celebrates the bond between Anderson’s Johnny Wilson and Carl Erskine. Richard Sitler | The Herald Bulletin
ANDERSON — The city of Anderson was home to two “brothers,” Carl Erskine and Johnny Wilson, who become local legends through friendship and sports.
Those who conceived the large mural, on the back wall at 1325 Meridian St., depicting their friendship and athletic careers through the years thought the two should be immortalized.
“There was extra money (raised for a documentary about Erskine), so we decided we wanted to put up a mural in Anderson,” said Rob Loose, who was the driving force behind the mural and organized Thursday’s dedication ceremony.
“We went to Carl and we asked him if he would allow that. He said, ‘Only if Johnny is with me.’” Erskine, who died April 16, and Wilson, who died in 2019, were childhood best friends. Erskine was white and Wilson was Black. The two grew up in Anderson in the 1930s, played sports together and graduated from Anderson High School.
The two went on to help break both racial barriers and sports records, locally and nationally.
Wilson scored a recordbreaking 30 points to lead Anderson High School to the 1946 state championship, its most recent in basketball. He was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball as the best senior player in the state that year.
Erskine played Major League Baseball for the Brooklyn and Los Angeles Dodgers from 1948 to 1959. He pitched two no-hitters, won two World Series and set a record for strikeouts in a World Series game.
Erskine credited his friendly relationship with Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier, to his childhood experiences with Wilson.
Wilson played professional baseball, as well, in the Negro Leagues. He later played professional basketball for the Harlem Globetrotters.
After their athletic careers were over, both Erskine and Wilson moved to back to their hometown, where both were involved in community initiatives.
The families of both Wilson and Erskine gathered for Thursday’s dedication, including Erskine’s widow and high school sweetheart, Betty.
“It’s fantastic. I’m thrilled for him. I think he was deserving, him and Johnny,” she said, her eyes awash in tears. “It’s so lifelike, it really is. She (Pamela Bliss, the artist) did a great job.”
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