Mourners slowly but steadily filed into the Genesis Center on Friday to pay their final respects to Richard Gordon Hatcher, Gary’s first black mayor.

Hatcher, 86, died Dec. 13. He was mayor for 20 years after winning the seat in 1967 in the midst of the civil rights movement. Hatcher, along with Carl Stokes, who was elected mayor in Cleveland the same day, is considered to be the first African American mayor elected to a major U.S. city.

Gov. Eric Holcomb on Friday ordered flags in Lake County be flown at half-staff Saturday from sunrise to sunset to mark Hatcher’s death.

State Rep. Ragen Hatcher, D-Gary, the eldest of Richard Hatcher’s three daughters, said to she and her sisters, Renee and Rachelle, the former mayor was “just dad.”

“He was such a typical dad … We never really knew how international he was,” Ragen Hatcher said. “As we grew older, we were able to understand the things he’s done.”

Hatcher is widely credited with paving the way for fellow African Americans seeking a life in public office.

“Dad took a chance in 1967 to run for mayor in a city that was predominantly white,” Ragen Hatcher said. Until Richard Hatcher was elected mayor, blacks were not allowed to live outside of Gary’s Midtown neighborhood.

Hatcher, a civil rights activist and attorney, survived an election where the Democratic Party structure fought his run: was at the forefront of a national conversation to empower African-American politicians; and sought to improve the lives of Gary residents, but was ultimately saddled with blame for his city’s decline.

“His run and win encouraged so many others,” she said. By the time he left office in 1987 after 20 years there were more than 400 black mayors across the U.S.

“I hope for everything else, that is what he is remembered for,” Ragen Hatcher said.

His administration is credited with the construction of the Genesis Center, as well as the Adam Benjamin Transportation Center. The arena in the Genesis Center where he is lying in state bears his name, Richard Gordon Hatcher Arena, in large black letters.

Gary Mayor Karen Freeman-Wilson said the buildings stand as reminders to Richard Hatcher’s legacy.

“It really does underscore how much he got done,” Freeman-Wilson said.

Kenneth Jenkins of Gary was among those paying their respects to the late mayor. He said Hatcher hired him to work for the city in 1987. He spent 35 years with Gary, he said.

“He was a very kind, dignified, professional man,” Jenkins said. “He had a vision and gave a bunch of blacks and minorities an opportunity when opportunities were not being offered,” Jenkins said.

“His legacy to me, I would say, is that all people matter. He made everybody important. He was inclusive,” Jenkins said. He was a man of great integrity. He broke barriers.”

Roy Wright of Gary said he did not know Hatcher personally, but wanted to come and pay his respects.

“He was a good strong man. Very intelligent. Very smart,” Wright said.

While he may not have always agreed with Hatcher’s political positions, after hearing him speak at his church during his first reelection bid, the words he spoke stuck with Wright. He describe the former mayor as a man of integrity.

“He was a real man. His principles meant more than anything,” Wright said.

Audrey Byrd of Highland, formerly of Gary, said her family knew the Hatchers very well. She said Hatcher would have lunch at the family’s restaurant, The Pub, on Broadway in Gary.

“He loved the fried chicken,” Byrd recalled. He also loved children, she said. She recalled when her daughter was about 6, she would manage to find Hatcher at the group events they attended and tug on his coattails for attention.

“He would always stop and take time to speak with her,” she said.

“He was an inspiration to all our young people of all races and all beliefs,” Byrd said. Young people in the community and the church looked up to him, she continued.

“He did what he could. You have to give him credit for what he accomplished,” she said.

Richard Gordon Hatcher is survived by his wife, Ruthellyn and this three daughters, Ragen, Renee and Rachelle.

A service is planned at 1 p.m. Saturday at the Genesis Center, 1 Genesis Center Plaza, Gary.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.