During the mid to late 1950’s eight brothers from the small East Texas farming town of Bivins, Texas decided to make Kansas City, Missouri their new home. The attraction of course for the brothers along with three (3) out of four (4) more sibling sisters was that work was plentiful for African American’s and work was something that they knew a lot about being farmer’s kids, and to get paid for the work made the decision that much easier.
In Kansas City during this period road construction was on the rise, and the Tyson Brothers were specifically drawn to the industry because of the much higher rate of pay per hour ($1.25) than most jobs that were relegated to African American’s at the time. Not being shy of hard work the Tyson Brothers managed to transform what they learned back on that East Texas farm to the roadwork industry here in Kansas City.
Most of all work in the industry at the time was still being performed by hand and every muscle in the bodies of these men were put to the test, and they excelled at it. Demo, setup and placement of concrete and paving materials with just the strength of their bodies from sunrise to long after sunset just to provide for their families and the families of the hundreds if not thousands of men and women they’ve trained and employed in over six decades of service to this city is a testament to labor of love these men have done on our behalf.
Looking back over the last six decades of the Tyson Brothers history, we do so with pride, pride in their accomplishments, pride in their paving the way for a second, third and now fourth generation of Tyson’s as well as other Kansas City residents who’ve they’ve trained and employed. I’m especially proud to have been born with a Silver-Shovel in my hand rather than a silver-spoon.
Forest Tyson, Jr.
Leon C. Tyson (1922-1996) not pictured, Lewis C. Tyson (1927-2004), Dallart R. Tyson (1933-2006), Walter T. Tyson (1936- ), William J. Tyson (1937- 2018), Douglas M. Tyson (1941-2015), Gene E. Tyson (1943- ), Forest E. Tyson, Sr. (1944- )
As you see the streetscape of our great city and the surrounding area grow and change, let us also reflect that it would not have been accomplished without the labor from this extraordinary group of men, the Tyson Brothers.
