Overview of the Collection
Texas/Dallas History & Archives, Dallas Public Library
1515 Young StDallas, TX 75201
Peck, Bobby
Bobby Peck Scrapbook
1927-1950
One cubic feet
MA07-13
The records are in English.
Biographical Note
Hazel Mae Peck was born in Galveston around 1909. She moved with her family to Dallas as a young girl and graduated from North Dallas High School in 1927. Hazel went by her nickname, Bobby. In 1928, she won the "Miss Dallas" title but lost in the "Miss United States" competition in Galveston.
Bobby Peck spent most of her life in the entertainment business. She joined Ringling Brothers and Barnum & Bailey Circus in 1933 as an acrobat and she worked for them for a year before returning to Dallas. In December 1935, she opened Club Midnight located on 3507 Oak Lawn at Lemmon Avenue. Peck later purchased Club Samovar at 2007 Elm and on March 6, 1936 reopened it as Club Midnight. Both Clubs were very successful, but her operations attracted the attention of law enforcement, which resulted in several charges against her in 1936, for the sale of liquor by the drink. Juries would repeatedly refuse to not convict Peck. Neither club appears in the 1937 city directory (perhaps due to legal troubles).
Peck later went back to performing with groups like the Hagenbeck-Wallace Show and Russel Brothers Show. She returned to Ringling Brothers in 1948 and married William McGough, a circus treasurer. She was married for 47 years. In 1950 she retired to Sachse, Texas and passed away April 27, 1997.
Scope and Contents
The Bobby Peck Collection contains materials relating to the career and life of Ms. Peck. The collection consists of clippings, a scrapbook, ephemera and photographs. Most of the collection is nightclub material dated 1935-1936 for Midnight Frolics and Club Midnight.
Photographs purchased from Jim Doster with the manuscript materials are located in the PA97-7 Collection. Loose news clippings from the front of the scrapbook were separated and placed in folders organized by date.
Separated Material
Bobby Peck photographs located in PA97-7 Jim Doster Collection.
Uncle Jake Sporting News March 7, 1936
Index Terms
This record series is indexed under the following controlled access subject terms.
Persons:
Peck, Bobby (Hazel Mae Peck)
Organizations:
Club Midnight
Midnight Frolics
Family Names:
Peck
Places:
Dallas (TX)
Subjects:
Nightclubs
Titles:
Bobby Peck Scrapbook
Preferred Citation
MA07-13 Bobby Peck Scrapbook, Texas/Dallas History & Archives Division, Dallas Public Library
Acquisition Information
Purchased from Jim Doster in 2007.
Processing Information
Bryan McKinney and Jane Soutner
Detailed Description of the Collection
Miscellaneous
1
1
North Dallas High School Commencement, Class of Twenty-seven.
January 1928
1
2
Western Union Telegraphs.
1936
1
3
Club Midnight Materials. 3 items.
Business card. Club Midnight "Unique Entertainment Never a Cover Charge" Bobby Peck MGR.
Business card. Club Midnight "Complete Turf Information"
Flyer. Club Midnight "Open All Day, All Cocktails During Cocktail Hour" Bobby Peck MGR.
1
4
Midnight Frolics. 6 items
Business card. "Dallas' Most Intimate Nite Club" Bobby Peck, MGR.
Flyer. Bobby Peck's Midnight Frolics
Business card. "Where Good Fellows Meet" Bobby Peck's Midnight Frolics
Flyer. Announcement! Bobby Peck's Midnight Frolics
Flyer. Midnight Frolics, $1.00 per person
Menu. Midnight Frolics
1
5
Dallas Symphony Orchestra, Inc. Materials. 4 items
1949-1951
1
6
Miscellaneous Items. Programs, tickets, brochures, pamphlets
Scrapbook
1936
1
7
Undated newspaper clippings removed from scrapbook
1
8
Newspaper clippings removed from scrapbook
January 1936
1
9
Newspaper clippings removed from scrapbook
February 1936
1
10
Newspaper clippings removed from scrapbook
March 1936
1
11
Newspaper clippings removed from scrapbook
April 1936
1
12
Newspaper clippings removed from scrapbook
November 1936
1
Scrapbook, one volume
1936
Photographs
PA97-7/1111 to PA97-7/1114 Lake Dallas, Bobby Peck snapshots
June 1930
PA97-7/1114 and PA97-7/1115 Kidd Springs, Bobby Peck
Summer 1927
PA97-7/1116 to PA97-7/1119 Hagenbeck-Wallace Circus at the State Fair of Texas, Bobby Peck snapshots
October 1929
PA97-7/1120 and PA97-7/1121 Bobby Peck as Miss Dallas
1928
PA97-7/1122 and PA97-7/1123 Bobby Peck and Walter Hendl at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
October 3, 1949
Ephemera
Midnight Frolics Sign announcing Husk O'Hare
April 12