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://playboycomstg.playboy.com/magazine).
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