TO THE CHAPTER INVISIBLE
Rev. Solomon L. Drake 1930–2021 Los Angeles, CA Pastor, Retired MLB Player, U.S. Army
By Aaron Williams
degree in psychology and physical educa- tion. Drake made the major league roster of the 1956 Chicago Cubs, where the out- fielder played in 65 games, batting .256 with two home runs and 15 runs batted in for the eighth place Cubs led by future baseball Hall of Famers Ernie Banks and Monte Irvin. He returned to the minor leagues where he played for the Montreal Royals, the top farm club for the Brooklyn-Los Angeles Dodgers. During the 1957-1959 off-seasons, Drake played winter league in Cuba for the Tigres de Marianao. In 1957, he led the team to the Caribbean Series championship and was named the series Most Valuable Player. In 1958, Drake led the International League in several offensive categories, earning him a return to the major leagues, playing with the Los Angeles Dodgers and Phila- delphia Phillies in 1959. He retired from professional baseball following the 1961 season. His career statistics were 285 at-bats, .232 batting average, two home runs, and 41 runs batted in over 141 MLB games. Following his MLB career, Drake joined Prudential Insurance Company in 1963, becoming the insurance firm's first Afri- can American representative west of the Mississippi. Drake worked at Prudential until retiring in 1983. Drake joined with the GEMBC in 1964, accepted his call to preach in 1968 and was ordained by the late Rev. Alzo W. Lott, then-pastor of GEMBC, two years later. In 1975, he became the pastor of Santa Barbara Avenue Baptist Church and later organized Good Fellowship Bap-
tist Church. Also, he enrolled in Fuller Theological Seminary, where he earned an M.A degree in pastoral theology in 1977. In 1982, Drake was installed as pastor of Greater Ebenezer. The members of Good Fellowship Baptist Church voted to join with GEMBC merging the two churches into one congregation. Ten years later, the Southern California School of Ministry conferred upon him an honorary Doctor of Divinity degree to recognize his contri- butions to the evangelical community. During his nearly 34 years as GEMBC pastor, Drake led the membership to expand the edifice, purchase additional properties, open a pre-school, and estab- lish a state-of-the-art library. Also, the City of Los Angeles designated a portion of South Denker Avenue as 'Pastor Drake Square.' Drake held memberships in the Pacific District Baptist Association, California Missionary Baptist State Convention, Eight Council District Clergy, Los Angeles Department of Recreation and Parks Commission, Athletics for a Better America, and the Young Men's Christian Association. Brother Solomon L. Drake is survived by his wife of 53 years, Isabelle Frances Drake; sons, Ronald Drake and Gary Cunningham; daughter, Yvette Drake, M.D., grandson, Gary Drew Cunning- ham; great-granddaughter, Bonnie Drew Cunningham; sisters and brothers in-love (law) Verna Jean Brown, Wrenetta How- ard, Alola (Joseph) Stoot, Edwin (Edith) Dunlap, Edwina Dunlap and a host of nieces, nephews, GEMBC parishioners, and longtime friends.
P astor Emeritus of the Greater Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church (GEMBC) Solomon L. Drake (Beta Tau 1950) entered the Chapter Invisible on August 18, 2021, at age 90. Before entering the ministry, Drake played two seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) in the late 1950s. Rev. Solomon Drake and his late brother Samuel H. Drake (Beta Tau 1953) were the first African American siblings to play in the major leagues. Born on October 23, 1930, in Little Rock, AR, the oldest child to Solomon and Jessie Drake, Solomon Louis Drake was an excellent student and athlete who was a member of the National Honor Society while excelling in track, football, and baseball. Drake was an outstanding collegiate athlete, where he earned all- conference honors in football. Drake began his professional baseball career after graduating from Little Rock's Paul Laurance Dunbar High School in 1948. He played in North Dakota in the independent Mandak League. In 1951, he signed with the Chicago Cubs organization while attending Philander Smith College in Little Rock. Later in 1951, he joined the U.S. Army, where he served during the Korean War. After his honorable discharge from the Army in 1953, Drake re-entered Philander Smith College, where he graduated with a B.A.
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