ORANGE COUNTY ALMANAC : Respect at Last
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When Neff Cox, one of Brea’s best-known early businessmen, died in 1941, the whole town turned out to pay respects at his funeral. The longtime shoeshine-stand owner never lived in Brea, though.
An unwritten but strictly enforced code against ethnic minorities required that Cox, an African American, leave town each day by nightfall.
Sources: “Brea: Celebrating 75 Years”; resident Louise Bleninger
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