October 1969 Playmate turned Bunny Jean Bell brightens up the tarmac beside Hugh Hefner’s private DC-9 jet. Before her stint working at the Los Angeles Playboy Club, the Texas-raised model broke barriers back home. Right out of high school, she became the first African American employee at a men’s clothing store, as well as in the secretarial department of a steel company; Bell was also the first black participant in the Miss Houston contest. She continued boldly breaking new ground with the January 1970 PLAYBOY when she became the first African American model to grace the magazine’s cover. Check out her full story at [Playboy Magazine](https://www.playboy.com/magazine).
More Playboy Heritage
More From Playboy
Heritage
Jo Collins Won’t Back Down The epitome of grit and gumption, Playboy’s 1965 Playmate of the Year gives us a glimpse into her life before and after her unprecedented journey to the Vietnam front lines—and how she still pulls on her heels to slay every day
Heritage
Behind the Cover: January 1989 A look inside the sleek, thoughtful oeuvre of Ernest Trova, the self-taught sculptor behind PLAYBOY’s 35th anniversary cover
