Publication Date
11-17-2015
Abstract
Archie Waters (1918 – 2001), journalist, author, and chess expert, moved to El Paso in 1980. After relocating to El Paso, Waters worked as a publicist in the public affairs office at William Beaumont Army Medical Center and then as a clerk-typist for El Paso Police Department headquarters. He also wrote several short articles for the El Paso Herald-Post during the 1980s, and later wrote a regular column for the El Paso Times. An enthusiastic chess player, Waters became the first African-American to be admitted to the prestigious Marshall Chess Club in New York. Waters co-wrote two books on Spanish pool checkers during the late 1940s and wrote columns on chess during the 1960s that were published in several New York community newspapers. During the late 1950s Waters became a mentor to chess prodigy Bobby Fischer in New York. The Archie Waters papers date 1939 – 2001, bulk 1970 – 2000. Types of records include correspondence, clippings, publications and other printed material, notes, story proofs, and photographs. Arranged in seven series (Biographical information, Photographs, Articles by Archie Waters, Story proofs, Topical files, Chess materials, and Publications by others), these papers document Waters’ personal life, career as a journalist, community and political activism in El Paso, and interest and expertise in chess.