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Archives of New America and I'm, I'm interviewing a Mr. Adolph Ridgeway. Mr. Ridgeway was born September 13th, 1890. Uh, first of all, Mr. Ridgeway, um, where were you born? I was born in, uh, Well, a little town named K K E D R O N, Kedron,

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Arkansas. Kedron, Arkansas. Uh uh. When were you born again? When was I born? What do you mean? What was your birthday again? September 13, 1890. OK. What was your father's name? John Robert Ridgeway. Alright, and your mother's name? Betty Ridgeway. All right, um, how many brothers

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and sisters do you have? Well, I have, uh, only 2. You want to know how many have I had 11. 0, you've had 11. Can you remember their names? Yeah. Mrs. Cox, Ida Cox, what do you want Ridgeway, don't you? What was her name? Ida Ridgeway.

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Maddie Ridgeway, Sally Ridgeway. Jessie Ridgeway, Anne Ridgeway, Clarare Ridgeway. Mary Ridgeway, Betty Ridgeway, John Ridgeway, Adolph Ridgeway. That's it. All right. Uh, how many of them are still alive? 33. Where, where are they now? I have 2 sisters and then Rising, Arkansas. Where in, R I

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S O N N Rising, Arkansas. OK, where, where's your brother? He's dead. He's passed. All right, I thought you said there were 3 that were still alive. Well, it's myself. Oh, OK, 2 sisters and 1 brother. OK, uh. Uh, let me see. When did you leave

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Arkansas? Oh, I left Arkansas when I was a kid, mostly. 8, 1718 years old. What was your father's occupation? Well, he was a cardinal. He was a gardener. And your mother's occupation? Housewife. Housewife, um, what do you remember of your father? Well, I remember my father

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used to build houses and I would go out where he was building these houses. He built frame house, you know. And I'd go out where he built his house and then he was a minister. He was a preacher and on Saturdays why he would, uh, maybe

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come home. Even leave and go somewhere else. Get ready to preach at Sunday, you see, do you remember your grandfather? Yes, I remember my grandfather. What was his name? Uh, Solomon Richardson. And your grandmother, uh, Richardson. OK, that's on your, on which side of the family

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was that? All right, what about your father's side of the family? I can't. That's, uh, my father's. I only seen his, his mother. OK. And where was he from from Hatcher, Alabama. All right. And where was your mother from, your mother's people from. Uh, Louisiana, y'all

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I'll say Louisiana, I could have headed to Paris to the Louisiana, but in Louisiana. Do you remember having any, uh, uh, white people in your family at that point? A white aunt, uncle, um, grandparents, a lot of people I mean, yes, yes, uh, very like, very

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likely. Uh, did you go to school while you were in Arkansas? I did. I did. I went to about the 8th grade and then my father died and uh after my father died, I went to work to help my mother. What school did you go to?

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What Richardson School. Where was that? Richardson, R I C H O. R E S O N, Richardson School. I was on a man, that was on uh uh the land that my grandfather owned and that's why the name of Richardson School. And all the kids come

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right to that school, black and white kids. Uh, there wasn't any white very much in that neighborhood, so the white had a different school at Bryson, Arkansas. How did your father come by this land that he owned? The he bought it. He bought it. How did

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he buy it? Well, he, uh, bought it for $1 an acre. How was he able to come by land at $1 an acre? Well, at that time when he bought it, you know, I don't know his background is beyond my reflection, but when he bought it,

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that's what he bought it for, that $1 an acre. Then they wanted somebody to come in and go out there and take it over. All the men, well in that country where I was, where all those men, they had uh their own farms. It was completely

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owned by negroes, negroes, negroes, negroes, farm farm. They don't of course today they don't do it. They, uh, their fathers that own that, they're dead and they're gone. All the children just like you said, it might be. I am my, my, they're gone. I'm gone, of

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course, of course my two sisters are still there, but then my brother and my other sisters, we all sold our land and left came this way. When you were 6, why did you drop out of school when you were 6? Uh, a little bit better than

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6. I was, uh, I was uh. I just started school at 5. Yeah, 5 years old. I didn't drop out, but uh when I dropped out, see, I was 14 when I dropped out of school. What, what school did you did you drop out of Richardson

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school when you dropped out. Why did you drop out of school? I went to, oh, you know, help my mother. She had 9 children left and 2 sisters married, 3 sisters married. And I went to work help a lot with them. How did, uh, what, what,

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what kind of things did you do to make money? I would, uh, go out and I would cut corn. Uh, help, uh, farmers. I'd go out to these farms and I'd help these farmers to, uh, chop cotton, pick cotton. gin or everything. Mhm. Did you, uh,

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uh, did you like doing these occupations? Did I? Yes, yes, yes, yes you did. How much did you get paid an hour for picking cotton? No, you didn't get, you get paid by the, uh, by the 100 pounds. You get, uh, maybe 60 cents or 50

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cents 100, but I, I didn't, I didn't like that. I didn't pick the cotton because I didn't like to picking cotton because 100 pounds. Did you ever pick 100 pounds? I didn't pick 100 pounds, but it take me all day to pick 100. people could go

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out and pick 300 or 400. How many people were around picking cotton? Oh, many, many people, many people go out and pick cotton. Alright, you're 14 years old. That's, uh, uh, you, you've seen the turn of the century, right? Yes, I did. What can you remember

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about the turn of the century that might stand out? Well, the turn of the century, I traveled after I help my mother out. Well, I found out that uh uh the white race, I don't like to say it because I'm not against white people. But the

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white race wasn't as uh generous to Negroes as they are now. Then you faced a kind of disruption in, in your travels because if they didn't know you and you're a stranger, I'd say I'd go to a place and I was a stranger. They didn't know

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me they know I was a stranger. Well. What I was doing there. What, uh, how come we in here? I, you know, I've been helping to work well. I go many, many, many places, and some places they didn't allow. Uh, black kids in what type of

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place? Well, the sawmill, you say, big sawmill. It didn't line up. Did you ever work in the sawmill? Yes, I did. Do you remember the name of it? Sure, Raymond Smith Loman Company. Yeah, Long Beach, Long Long Branch Lo. How old were you when you were

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doing it? Oh, about 1617 then. What was your girlfriend's name? What was your girlfriend's name? Uh, Lucy Fuller. I want to borrow a bowl. I had one named, uh. Yeah, OK. What was your best friend's name? Boyd Lord Harris. OK. Uh, what about, what about uh.

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Uh, all right, this is the turn of the century. Uh, uh, you are how old would you say now? 16. Alright, where are you? Where are you living now? Well, I was living at Most of the time being I was living at uh Millville, Arkansas, Millville,

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Millville, Arkansas. Did you, did you go to Little Rock at all? Uh, yes, I went to Little Rock. I had a sister lived in Little Rock at that time. Go there and stay. I just go and visit her. When did you move from Arkansas to Kansas

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City? Oh. I didn't come directly to Kansas City. Where did you go? Went to Louisiana, went to Texas, went to. Oh Tennessee, Jackson, uh, Tennessee, Memphis, where did you stay the longest? Well, I stayed the longest that, uh, I had lived in Arkansas. I stayed at.

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I would leave and that I would go back there. Who was governor of the state then? Governor of the State Governor Owens. Governor Owens. OK, who was president? I can get me there. I don't know whether, whether. And. McKinley, OK, um, see, I'm getting that on

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the tape. I'm getting that knock on the tape, um, um. Alright, where did you stay longest other than in that town? Uh-huh. Uh, the longest I've stayed anywhere in Oklahoma, I believe I. Maybe about uh I didn't see anywhere. Uh, I just travel most of the

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time. Alright, how old were you when you I would, uh, when I left the state, when you came to, when you came to Kansas Kansas City, I was, uh, you say I might have been. About the 2027 28. You've been here since she was 28 years

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old, yeah, and I. What circumstances brought you to Kansas City? Oh, I don't know. I just, uh, I met a, me and a friend and, uh, he and I, and we worked together. What was his name? Caesar Morris. OK, go ahead, and he, he wanted to

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come over to Kansas City and We knew a couple of girls uh from down in the south, you know, was here. So we decided we'd come over here and see him, so we got over. You just got stuck. How'd you get stuck? How'd you get? How'd

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you get stuck? Did you find, well, well. Yeah, we found Did you find work? Yeah, I find work. What kind of work were you doing? Well, I. The, uh, railroad, the Santa Fe Railroad, the first job I had and the first time I went out to

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ask for a job, I went out to see the Santa Fe Railroad. Ask him for a job. I got it. What were you doing? I was working on a great house. Great house. How much would you make an hour? Make 42 cents an hour. How many

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hours do you work a day? 88 hours a day. Uh, remember who your who your foreman was. Gibson, I don't know what part of the other name, but that was my poem was Gibson, but his poem was named. Yes, yes, yes. I can't think that, uh,

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uh, where did you live? I live at, uh. Well, you might say 18th and Campbell Campbell. I lived so close to Campbell there, OK, uh, where were all the black people living at that time? They were living right in that section. From, uh, 15 to, 15th

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Street to Woodland, Woodland back there, uh, Benton Boulevard. Bend back. true stabbing Exactly, but they, most of the people live back on the avenues then back in on 5th Street back down. Um, um, what about Westport? Were there any black people living out in the Westport

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area? Westport, uh, I worked out in the Westport area that is, uh, was it Southern. It wasn't Southern, but the the lumber company out there. I used to be, uh, be, uh, follow up plumbers, you know, and I'd have to go out there and do plumbing

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work. Were there black people living out in that area? Black people, black people. Yeah, they were on the hill there. There were some black people living in Westport. Yeah. Do you remember their name? No, I didn't know none of their name. Now I, I forget. I

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forget their name. What did you do for entertainment now? Oh, what I didn't. Oh, I had done anything. We had good nightclubs here and there. What was the name of them and, uh, can you remember the name of them. Name one of them now, but we

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had good night uh one in 1815. 18th in Brooklyn But I Yeah What And then she went on the avenue in black and white, black and tan, I believe. And then the auditorium, whole auditorium have good dancers who, who, who are some of the musicians that

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played at the dance. sister and uh. God, uh, what was uh, what was his name? Cab Calloway and, well, you know, there's boys coming in, Cab Calloway and all. This boy just died here not long ago. OK. No, Parker, he was living here, you know, he

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played, he split up some places around Ellington. Your dad would they would all come here. All of them boys would come here. What were you doing? The breakout of World War One. Oh, I was, uh, I was, uh, going home. I was, uh, at home then

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and, uh, I was, uh, I was, uh, let's see, I think I must have been about 20 then. At 21 and I wanted to go to the army, but while I was there, the, uh, I went down to. Draft, be drafted. Uh, I went to work

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for the government. And this fellow, white fellow that I was working for in the story. Uh, he asked me did I want to go to the army. I said, sure, I wanna go to the army. I wanna go to France, and he, he said, well, I

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said, you don't have to go. I was making these big timbers for shipment to, to El Paso, Texas, uh, to build ships. Yeah, I didn't work, so that's the reason why you didn't go. That's the reason I didn't why I didn't go. I kept, I kept

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trying to, to go, but I never could get to go because this, you know, he had. Ask for me, doctor. Were there very many black people you saw go? Yes, yes. A good minute fact, uh, I can't call the name now. I mean, what were they

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doing? What are they doing? Well, most of them, uh, was doing labor, labor battalion. Did they have shooting. We had very few of them, you know. Now my buddy, and he was a marksman. Men mark He, he went around in the German that was, uh, up

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in the tree playing our own cat they call on him. Uh Um, who was president? Athletic. What do you think about President Wilson? Oh, he was good. He was good, you know, in those days, but, you know. I'm a Democrat. I always have been a Democrat

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and lots of people, but I'm a Democrat. I was born and raised. They were all Democrat. Well, what, what age were you when you professed to be a Democrat? Well, I learned it from a kid. There wasn't nobody else around. There was no. The, I eat

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a bro. Nothing else. Well, what happened, um, uh, the recession? How did that affect you? Uh. Well, you know, a youngster, you don't get no mind and you think it hasn't come anyway. Anyway, OK, sir, if it's a, you don't, you don't tell them what you,

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what you are. In that part of the country, you don't care what you are. You just go, go down there and vote, vote, vote for this man. This man is up here and you vote for him. He's a, he's a Democrat and that's all we knew.

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So did you have any trouble voting? I didn't vote. Uh uh. Did your father vote? My father did. Do you have any problem voting. Does he have any problems? Mhm. Uh, what happened The, the, the depression, it didn't bother you at all. Depression. Well, now, I'll

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tell you, I have, uh, now you don't remember that. You didn't read about the depression. See, I was in my young days and there was a depression. I didn't know what a depression was. There was uh There was a depression in those days. Yeah, 1919. Well,

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anyhow, there was a little short depression, and that's my first depression, and I was working, I was working in a, in, well, I guess anywhere I could get work, but anyhow, I would get paid off, not in money, I would get paid off in script. And

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then I'd have to take her. It's something just a piece of paper, but this company. would borrow money from the government. The government would get them this script, and they would pay you in this script, and then you could go on to a bank or go

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to a store somewhere and get that cash. Mhm. Uh, but, but during prohibition how what happened Well, I haven't been ready. I came here just a little while before prohibition, but I just, just a little bit, just about a week or so, a couple of weeks,

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and probation didn't hurt me at all. The only thing that hurt me was I just didn't have. Run the go to go run like I did. Well, how old were you first got a car? Uh, my first car. Well, I didn't buy a car until I

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was, uh. Oh, I was 30 years old. What kind of car was Brook, uh, died, died what year? Yeah, 40, 40, 40, 40. 38 1938 was a brand new. No, no, you uh, you know, you'd be getting pick up a brand, a good one then. What

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do you think of Roosevelt Roosevelt. Uh, I don't know who's been here lately, but I think he's one of the finest presidents. You do? Why do you think that? Well, He's a good, he's a good Democrat. Yeah, he made it, he made it so that, uh,

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things he'd like to hear it now. Did you ever see, you know, before, yes, I, I haven't seen him. Yes, you have seen him right here in, uh. It must have been 1929. The next president camera. Uh, you know, when he made it this way. Banks

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were busting, stores was going out and everything, railroads were going out, and he made a move. And stopped them all and then put, put, uh, this insurance on the banks and everything. Yeah, put in they pull them in banks. That there wouldn't be no more broken

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banks if it was the money you had in there was insured. Yeah, which, which of the presidents was your favorite president? Well, I think, uh, Roosevelt was my favorite man, and I'll go down next to John Kennedy. John Kennedy, um, um. What do you think of

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uh Truman Truman. I, I like Truman all right enough, but, uh, I tell you, he was had kind of a wide idea. so much farther back. He wasn't so much further back. He talked it all right now, but he wasn't so much farther. OK, uh, uh,

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where were you when, when Truman was, where were you staying when Truman was president? What was I saying? Where were you staying? Where were you living in Kansas City? Oh, I don't know. I think maybe I might have been living on, uh, on, uh, 10th Street,

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10th and. Camp, um, what do you think of Eisenhower? I had I, I like Eisenhower right now, but Uh, there's many things he could have did. All the black race, for instance. Why, uh, he He put a few men in the Money in the White House,

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just a very few, and a very few of the counties and, uh, and the states, they didn't have it. He didn't, he didn't make no laws for them to go to get in there at all. Very few people did. Treated just as they should have been

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treated, you know. What, what did you think of President Johnson? President Johnson tried to be. Yeah, he tried to be, but jobs Uh, I don't think it was very well. Why would you say that? Well, he, he wasn't. High and low as uh as I think

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it should have and and you know. What a, um, uh, backing up. Did you ever see Jack Johnson? Yes, I've seen him twice, I think, in Kansas State. Did you see his fight? No, no, he retired as the fight came. He was promoted. How did, how

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did you, how did you see? Uh, I happened to be down at 18th and. I think and, uh, Tracy, and there was a club down there and he was just releasing the pentan at the end that morning and his chauffeur went up there and got him

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a big uh. I don't know what, I don't goddamn what kind of car he had a big car and brought it back, but he was, what was he doing? What was he doing in Leavenworth? Um, he's doing that, for what? Well, you know, he fought a

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fight. And uh And then after he fought this fight, they, they in uh Rio de Janeiro, Rio Janeiro, and he lost. And when he lost, why then he went to Spain. And stayed in Spain. Oh, several years, 10 years I guess, maybe, and then when he

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came back they arrested him and put him in jail. How long was he there? In jail, I think he had about 7 or 8 years, uh, uh, 7 or 8 years, but it, uh, I don't know just exactly whether it's a trumped up charge or not.

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You'd have to get there, go back in your cars and find out, but you know they didn't like him because he had a white woman. And it trumped up. What, what, what, what was, uh, the attitude of black people having white, uh, being married to whites,

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uh, let's say when you was, uh, 20? Oh, no, don't meet them on the street. That's what they do. So what, what church did you, did you ever go to church here? Yeah. What church did you go to? Well, I first belonged to. uh Well And

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there was a little church, uh, United, uh, Church on 8 between 18th and 19th on Charlotte. I went there and then after that church, Reverend Patton was pastor there and after that church, then he moved way out south and I was still living down there. Then

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I went to go to the uh. Yeah, the, uh Reverend, uh. We could do more than that, uh. What church do you belong to now? I belong to Saint Stephen. Reverend Reverend Williams. How long have you been there? I've been there. I had 336, 37. So

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you've seen how many pastors, who was the pastor when you start? pastor there. There's only 2 pastors. I have that on there. Now, only 3 pastors have been there, of course, I knew the other pastor. Reverend Hurst, I knew him and his sons, but, uh, I

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wasn't there. I visited the church when Reverend Hurst was passed, and then when Reverend Hurst died, Reverend Williams came there. By then I went to that church, but I was in another church, uh, at the time. Who, who were you baptized? Reverend Hur. Who were you

00:28:16.180 - 00:28:37.140

baptized? I was baptized before I came here. Where I was baptized at Millville Hokansas. Who baptized you? Governor Collins. Governor Collins. OK. Uh, did you ever No, I never did. That's, that's what I told you. I, I never, when I wanted to go there. Yeah you

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said you didn't serve in World War One, When World War II broke out, he was here. What were you doing? I was uh working for the. See, I was working, who was I working for then? I don't know who I was. I worked for the Kansas

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City Board of Trade. I think I've been in with the Kansas City Board of Trade about 7 or 8 years, and I worked for them. And, uh, as soon as the war came, then I went to the war. In fact, I, I found out I couldn't

00:29:14.000 - 00:29:29.540

go to the army, and so I went to the war plan, worked in the war plan. I worked the war plan all through the war. war plan, wear it out here is that here in Kansas? Mhm, yeah, they built that flag here. Where, where is it

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now in California. Uh, what did you do with North American Aviation? Well, I. I was uh Pepper on the plane. Uh, they would build the plane and then they would pull these planes out and they put them in the 2 department and I was in that

00:29:53.739 - 00:30:29.709

2 department, 62 department, and they were quite. playing, uh, was, uh. was most Uh, mechanic and He always thought a lot of. He always get lots of food. Have big guns and everything. Not all the people, all the people, they, they, the color, they dances and

00:30:29.709 - 00:30:51.630

so on like that, that, yeah, sure, sure. I mean, what did he do for black people? Well, he had them too. Are they are? Well, there were plenty of black people that, position on the Pendergast they got a good position on the courthouse, city hall. What

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other do you remember did something for black people? Well, I think all the mayors of Kansas City has done pretty well because in the last years, you know, these last years changes since the war. Why they began to Do better Yeah All right, again, where were

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you, uh, the day of the bombing of Pearl Harbor? Uh. I'm here or right, but I don't know what this is exactly what I'm doing. How did it affect you? How did it affect me? Well, I thought I'd want to go and help in the war.

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Did you really? Really did. I always wanted to go. Did your friends go? Yes, they did. Who were they? My son went. 00 yeah, that's right. OK. Uh, all right. How are you married? Uh-huh. Yes. All right. Uh, how many times have you been married? 33

00:31:51.800 - 00:32:19.900

times. Who was your first wife? Dorothy Sims. OK. And where did you meet her? Denver, Colorado. All right. And when were you married? 19 T 1 1931. Do you have any children? One. What was his name? Rudolph. Rudolph what? Ridgeway. Middle name? Do you have a

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middle name? Did he have a middle name? Yeah. What was his middle name? No, he didn't have no middle name. OK. Where is he now? He's dead. He's dead. How old was he when he passed? How old was he? What, what happened? He got killed in

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that car accident, car accident here in Kansas City. Yeah. OK. Uh, where, where is Ms. Bridgeway now? Is she, she's gone. She passed, did she pass here in Kansas City? Yeah. OK. Um, uh, what church were you belonging to then? I belonged to Saint Stephen. Saint

00:32:49.430 - 00:33:11.949

Stephen's Inn. Is that where she was buried. I can't call it right now. Out on the out about right out here on uh 24th and uh and uh Vine. What is that? That's where she belong to Methodist Church. She's a Methodist. All right, um, do you

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remember her mother's name? Uh, no, I can't tell you her mother's name. Her father's name? John. John what? John Sims. John Sims. All right, um, what was her occupation? Oh, she was, uh. Most of the time though she was uh working day work most of the

00:33:35.689 - 00:33:57.160

time but then she did have employment in these these uh factories and walk there. She worked a long time at uh Bennett. Plant way out 105th and uh Sa somewhere a long way out there. How did she get out there? She had riders, you know, all

00:33:57.160 - 00:34:13.919

these big plants built out there, DeSoto, all them war plants, they had riders. DeSoto. What's DeSoto? What Deoda, that's back up here in the, on the, on the other side of old lake now. Yeah, those were big for us. Uh, they make missiles and so on

00:34:13.919 - 00:34:34.939

like that, missile power. What, uh, what were the circumstances of her death? How, how did she die? My wife, uh, she had an operation 2 months. What hospital did you have? St. Mark's. St. Margaret's, Kan. OK. All right, um, your second wife? Well, well, we stayed

00:34:34.939 - 00:35:03.850

together. Um, and 18.5 years. We were married 18.5 years. Uh, how old were you when you married your second wife? As close as you can get. I guess maybe uh. 545, I think 4546 something like that. What was her name? Dorothy Dorothy Dorothy. Uh, uh, I

00:35:03.850 - 00:35:32.489

was in. Uh Horton. OK, um, what was her mother's name? was part Lucy, Lucy, what, huh? Lucy. OK, what was your mother's name, Lucy. What was her father's name? Ben. OK. And where were they from? Chautau Chautaupa, Kansas. Uh, do you have any children by that

00:35:32.489 - 00:35:56.629

marriage? No, no, no children. No children. All right. Um, did she pass or when did she pass? Uh, 68, 1968, 1968. All right, since then you've remarried again, right? And what's your wife's name now? Or uh. I have to think about the name. Her name was

00:35:56.629 - 00:36:18.850

Lee. Or Roberts. She's gonna be mad at you. Or Roberts, and she's from Kansas City. No, no, she's from Texas. From where? Texas. Where in Texas? Marshall, Texas. Marshall, Texas. OK, um, but she's still, she's alive now, right? Yes. Do you have any, do you have

00:36:18.850 - 00:36:35.540

any children? No stepchildren? She had uh one boy, so you just have the one child that that died in the car accident, and uh I had a grandchild can't say his name. What's his name? That was, that was his boy's daughter. Her name is Judith, Judith.

00:36:37.320 - 00:36:52.610

What's her last name? Sam is not. OK. Do they have children? Does she have children? No, no, no, no children. She's married. Um, you know, looking back over your life, uh, can you tell me maybe one or two things that you can remember that stands out

00:36:52.610 - 00:37:18.320

the most in your life that you could, like, like, uh, events that you saw? Events. Well, I'll tell you the truth. Um, The, one of the greatest and the worst. Events that stood out that I didn't like. was that uh there was a man, and he

00:37:18.320 - 00:37:38.050

was an older man. I was a youngster. But uh this man. at a dance. And He was a nice looking man. He was a man, a grown man. I guess he was in his 30s or 40s, and he was going with this colored girl. And uh

00:37:38.050 - 00:37:56.209

he wasn't married to it and this dance and then they. Why it came to that dance that night. And uh they, you know, they began to snatch this girl because he was dancing and he's a nice looking fellow. And he, he killed one of the girl.

00:37:57.429 - 00:38:12.969

Mhm. A white fella? Yeah. And that was Saturday night and the next Sunday morning he left the damn car. I thought and went home one time. I, I didn't really know when that happened. And the next Sunday morning, the news came that they found him hanging

00:38:12.969 - 00:38:34.899

on the trussle, you know, railroad truss hanging on the truss. That was one of the worst events that I ever thought. I, I, I didn't like that. What year was that? That was back in, uh, about, uh, about. 28, 29, 27 or 28. What did the

00:38:34.899 - 00:38:56.969

police do about it? Well, there was nothing done about it. That was all. That was the end. Now what's the best thing you've ever seen? Well, one of the best things that I thought that I had seen. I believe that I was uh I think it

00:38:56.969 - 00:39:18.129

was here in Kansas City or in Oklahoma City. The families came in in a hard time. They didn't have nothing to eat. They was riding freight train. And they're going from place to place. There, there was a real depression. I mean, it was depression. And the

00:39:18.129 - 00:39:37.340

family. Didn't have anything to eat or any place to stay, and the people, the black people didn't have anything much to give them. So the white people taking it up, to take care of these families and send them back to Alabama or Mississippi, 11 of the

00:39:37.340 - 00:39:54.889

places where they were because there was no work and nowhere to go. And they're just drifting, drifting, looking for. And I thought that was one of the best things, events in my life that I've seen, yeah, for them to take it up themselves and make the

00:39:54.889 - 00:40:08.209

money and send them back to Mississippi. I believe it was in Mississippi. What did you think about the airplane? Airplane, I think the airplane was fine. I worked on the airplane. I mean, what did you think about it when it first was invented? Well, I thought

00:40:08.209 - 00:40:22.479

it was a great invention. Did you think that they had actually invented an airplane? Yes. What did you think when you heard about a man walking on the moon? Oh, I look for it. Somebody said, oh, you won't do it. I said, I believe you will.

00:40:22.570 - 00:40:43.350

I said, airplane flies. I believe. You believed it? Yes. What did you think of the Hindenburg Hindenburg? Well, they, uh, it blew up. What was it? What was the, what was your impression? What was my impression? My impression was that, uh, I believe it was uh.

00:40:44.219 - 00:41:10.040

Uh, It it wasn't just just itself blew up. I think that it was some instigation. They didn't want it uh in the United States. They didn't want it in the United States because they had asked the Germans had asked for helium or, uh, gas to supply

00:41:10.040 - 00:41:28.020

them so they could have this ship, but the American people never would. Say they would give them uh the healing gas for the first gas they invited a graft over here. And What did you think? What did you, what, what did, what did you think of

00:41:28.020 - 00:41:54.439

Jesse Owens? Jesse Owens wanted to find. I, I try to get back Ron, Ron. Uh-huh. Like You like Jesse W. What did you think of, um, let me see. Um, Who was the greatest boxer you ever saw? Well, the greatest boxer that I saw was the

00:41:54.439 - 00:42:10.939

brown bone. Better than Jack Johnson? Well, I never did to see his fights, you know, his fights wasn't on television. Jack fights weren't on television. They was on, just on the radio or you could just get the word, so I didn't get a chance to see

00:42:10.939 - 00:42:25.620

him. Did you ever think that black people would live past 27th Street? Uh, really, I didn't. I didn't. I, I, I thought they would. Yeah, I thought they would. I, I, I know when the first one moved across 2-seventh Street, I was here in Kansas City

00:42:25.620 - 00:42:47.580

then the first moved across there. 27, 50% out there they moved. In the house I'll phone me next week. Yeah, next Saturday night I I phone this look. but I didn't think. Grow as fast because, uh, you know, the white people then they didn't want them

00:42:47.580 - 00:43:01.830

any further than that they set a deadline, but every time they set a deadline they'd go over that deadline and they began to push, push, push back further. Uh, let me ask you this, when was the first time you voted in an election? When the first

00:43:01.830 - 00:43:28.409

time I voted, I believe the first time I voted was in uh. In 192 2848 for who I don't know just exactly who I was voting for then. I really don't know, but I, I think it was uh Uh, Republican, uh, Democrat mayor, did you vote

00:43:28.409 - 00:43:48.969

for, uh, uh, did you vote for Roosevelt? Yes, vote for Roosevelt. How about Taft? Taft, I didn't vote for Ta. Hardy. I voted. Eisenhower. Eisenhower voted for Eisenhower. Truman, Truman, I vote. Yeah, I voted for Trump. What do you think of Adelaide Stevenson? Adlai Stevenson, uh,

00:43:49.139 - 00:44:13.989

Adlai Stevenson was a good man, I thought, always. He was, uh. He's a good political leader in that state in Illinois, but, uh, I don't think he had the capability of just uh uh foreign aid. What do you think of Henry Ford? Henry The automobile. Uh-huh.

00:44:14.290 - 00:44:36.949

Well, I think he did a wonderful job, yeah. Well, they did a wonderful job because I. Uh Uh, uh, they're responsible for the automobiles of today, because he made a car that, uh, wasn't so high, wasn't so expensive, didn't burn so much gas. The other Buick

00:44:36.949 - 00:44:52.620

Cadillac, and the others made high priced car. He made it possible for the little man, yeah, and then, then on top of that, he made it impossible for the little man to get a job in the factory. Did you ever work in a factory? No, I

00:44:52.620 - 00:45:12.929

didn't. Did you ever, uh, work as a uh uh in the building industry at all? But Uh-huh. Oh, it's off and on. What buildings did you see that you maybe worked on? The building that I see today, I didn't work on any of these buildings, no,

00:45:13.399 - 00:45:31.459

I just worked with small buildings, small contractors. I worked mostly in work. Back, back going back to when you were 30 years old, you know, we'll say 25, what kind of clothes were they wearing? What kind of clothes? Well, I'm wearing the same thing I'm wearing

00:45:31.459 - 00:46:01.159

now, but I'm 25 years. Do a bottom, straight front and uh and uh box backho box backhoe. What kind of dance were you doing? that. Foxtrot. Uh, uh. I'm breaking your neck. Charleston, and could you do it? Yeah, oh yeah. Uh, uh, what do you think

00:46:01.159 - 00:46:20.189

of Benny Goodman, Benny Goodman. He was a nice guy, nice guy. Did you ever see him? You ever hear him play? Mhm, uh, what do you think of, uh, of, uh. Billie Holiday. I didn't, uh, I, I've heard him once or twice, heard him. I think

00:46:20.189 - 00:46:36.209

he's nice. He did, he did have nice music, who, but, but who was your favorite musician? Who was my Duke Ellings. Duke Ellington was. And you did get to see me. Um, um, yeah, you see, they, they always used to come here, Kansas City, and then

00:46:36.209 - 00:46:51.750

it started to come, all those players. What, what did you think of Richard Nixon? Uh, there's something about Nixon that I didn't like as a president. I don't know what it was. What about as vice president? Vice president, I don't think he done such a swell

00:46:51.750 - 00:47:10.379

job as a vice president. He just They just set around over the country and he, he went to Russia once and he and, uh, Khhrushchev got into it over there in the, uh, in the Polosseum and show, you know, the American show and everything. He was

00:47:10.520 - 00:47:26.560

telling about the kitchen or something. I don't know about. I said all that, what do you think about the, uh, Watergate. Watergate, well, that's the family that the lead up, because he was, he was just vice president then, and then he would go to Russia. Well,

00:47:27.389 - 00:47:42.709

ever since then, he, he, when he got to be president, he got to be dictator. He felt like he was a dictator. Do you believe there were any other presidents that, that, that could have been dictators? Do I believe the president? No, they were, I don't

00:47:42.709 - 00:47:58.800

think they'd ever allowed him in this country to kill him. I don't think they're allowed in this country and it's asked me. Do you remember anything they don't want a president in this country to have too much power. say go, say come, say not do this,

00:47:58.919 - 00:48:14.110

say do this, but uh Nixon is very lucky that he didn't get assassinated. What do you think about, uh, one more, uh, the Taft Party Act. Do you remember anything about that? Uh, I didn't read up too much on that. I don't really, I, I really,

00:48:14.399 - 00:48:36.219

I really, but I didn't. Um, let me see. After, um, well, you said that you, you didn't know anything or you didn't, you didn't recall anything about the tow party, yeah, I read, I read about it, but I didn't keep it in mind. Yeah, that's the

00:48:36.219 - 00:49:01.270

only thing I read about it. What what what what what are some of the types of jobs that you've had? Oh, I've had lots of jobs. I don't know what kind of jobs I have had railroad. Uh, lumber mills, cotton mills. And In Kansas City, what

00:49:01.270 - 00:49:20.179

have you done? 000, well, I have a first job I had when I came to Kansas City. I worked for the railroad, the Santa Fe Railroad, the Santa Fe Railroad. Uh, uh, uh, what was your last time. Well, the last job that I worked at was

00:49:20.179 - 00:49:40.760

uh. Well, let's see. Oh, Catchro Company, they're not in business anymore. I worked for them 16.5 years. What did you do with them? Well, I was a kind of window dressing, you know, but they dressing in the winter. Oh yeah. Wait, what did you do before

00:49:40.760 - 00:50:00.610

then? What did I do a lot of work for North American Aviation before then. Here he is in Kansas City. How did you lose your business? I noticed in an automobile factory. Lost two fingers in automobile. What happened? I was running the press. Have you ever

00:50:00.610 - 00:50:23.979

worked in a factory, you know what these presses is in. The, the bumpers used to be that they had, they had the, the three little cups. And they fasten them on, see that bumpers just they fasten that bumper right onto the uh frame, you know. Yeah,

00:50:24.560 - 00:50:39.919

but I was making them cups. It's, that's what I press. You press them, you have a, have an automatic press, and all you do is sit there and you have your stuff. You see the guy in front of you your stuff is cut in the len.

00:50:40.679 - 00:51:00.169

Well then you put it right up here and it slides right on through, you see. And when it gets here, well I had a little piece of iron which is made for that and knock it off, you see, knock it off and uh. Too much pressure.

00:51:00.969 - 00:51:22.830

And, and the, the, uh. The press Repeat it. Mhm. Just caught them two things, bam, bam, caught them two things. Uh, what, what did you do after that? What, what did I do then? Well, I just got, I had a pair of gloves. I'm talking, where

00:51:22.830 - 00:51:41.830

did you go after you left that job? What I, what did I do after then? I don't know. I went to work outside for people. Uh, did you have any calls to, uh, to bump shows with, uh, let's say, Doctor Brown? In, in, in the usual

00:51:41.830 - 00:52:02.820

in Kansas City, Doctor GT Bryant. Bryant Bryant, Bryant, I don't believe so. I don't believe that. I don't believe what about Lawrence Blankenship. Mm, no, no, no, I didn't, I really didn't know a lot about Chip until he. You know, when they're business. Who were some

00:52:02.820 - 00:52:51.520

of the prominent blacks, uh. Miller, Doctor Miller, Doctor. DW Brown, Doctor, uh, Come on. Well, who else? Doctor Dean Miller, Doctor. Her Doctor, the paper where you got that paper right. Mhm. Oh yeah. Well, what were some of the, some of the political, let's say, people,

00:52:51.760 - 00:53:10.870

blacks that were, were in the political mood. Well, in the political world was uh Yeah, I can't do, I can't, I can't describe them. No, I didn't about forgot them. I got out of that a long time ago. Now when I first came here, I kind

00:53:10.870 - 00:53:34.729

of worked for. With my precinct captain. Who was that? I forget his name now, but anyhow, after that, why I got, he, he, he got killed. What about Leon in north in, uh, northeast, northeast side on the west side. How did he end up on the

00:53:34.729 - 00:53:49.790

hill there then a long time ago. How to get killed, uh, you know how political deals work, you know. What was it? You can't remember what his name was. No, I can't remember the boy's name. He was a youngster. He was a youngster. He's a real

00:53:49.790 - 00:54:06.709

nice guy, and I worked with him a lot, you know. Well, what about Candace and how? What about Leon Jordan? No, I didn't work. I knew Leon all right enough. What kind of person is he? He's a fine guy. Yeah, he's a fine guy. Yeah, I

00:54:06.709 - 00:54:38.260

know him. I know his uh uh brother. Uh, I was uh I was, uh, shipped out of here once to Mansfield, Louisiana. Yeah, by his brother. He lived in Kansas City, Kansas on 4th Street. Leon, Jerry, brother. Well, what about McKinley Neal McKinley Neal, uh, young

00:54:38.260 - 00:55:01.250

McKinley, uh. I worked with him too. I worked with him again and and uh North American Aviation. Yeah, you know, no, I'm speaking of the McKinley Neal that owns the drug store. Owned a drug store that was state representative. 00, Neil? No, no, I've met him,

00:55:01.290 - 00:55:19.689

but I didn't know him personally. No. What did you hear? Steven? I met Steven and I met what what's this other lawyer over there? Lawyer. I used to go to Chicago all the time and I used to go up to his, uh, Cousin, I believe she

00:55:19.689 - 00:55:33.290

was his cousin. I used to go up to her house all the time. She'd always ask me when I come up, when had I seen him. Oh, I can't call his name now, you know, it's been so long since I've mucked around. What about Reverend Holmes?

00:55:33.570 - 00:55:48.080

Reverend Holmes, I was always around Reverend Holmes. Did you ever go to his church? Oh yeah. What type of a speaker was he? Speaker is good, good. He's a good speaker. What what type of individual did you see? What type of a person did he seemed

00:55:48.080 - 00:56:06.729

to be? Well, he seemed to be a real square. Do you see where he did anything for black people in? Yeah, he always tried to. He, he wasn't in politics. He was a preacher. But anytime that, uh, any people and that the community out there from,

00:56:06.790 - 00:56:25.659

uh, 18th and Vine back by if they get in trouble, get in jail or anything like that, Reverend Hol go down and he could bring them right now. He was always good about it. Who, what are some more, some more pastor's names, well, that were prominent.

00:56:26.399 - 00:56:51.270

Well, uh, Uh, let's see, now, they didn't so many of the pastors, you know, the Reverend Patton I, he had a little church down on, uh, Charlotte, 18th and Charlotte. Well, he was pretty nice for his people, you see. And then Reverend uh. First, The man

00:56:51.270 - 00:57:06.310

that organized this church that I belong to, uh, he always stood up for his people. But just to go out for the people in the community, Reverend Holmes was about the best. And then I used to be a, a preacher. I used to go to his

00:57:06.310 - 00:57:21.550

church over in Kansas City, Kansas on 3rd Street, Reverend Mc Neely. Uh, I don't guess you worked there. He's been gone a long time. What kind of reverend was he? What kind of a preacher was he? Well, he was nice. He was nice Baptist, Protestant, Baptist,

00:57:21.629 - 00:57:37.300

Baptist. Did you, did you ever see Satchel Paige play? Yeah, sure, sure, I've seen him play right out here for for with who? With the monarchs, with the monarchs. Who, who, who, tell me about the monarchs. Well, the Monarchs was a good team back in that.

00:57:37.340 - 00:58:09.060

It's all color, no white, and they had, uh, they were in the, uh, The American Association. And they had 9 teams, I believe. And uh Chicago and Alabama and Memphis and Well, anyhow, They were, they were a good team, but they did, they just played among

00:58:09.520 - 00:58:32.040

their own 9 teams, and they had good players too in those days, yeah. Who else some, some, uh, what can you, can you remember the player's name? Well, yes, I, I, uh, Duncan's, Frank Duncans, he was a catcher and, uh, was he good? He's the best

00:58:32.040 - 00:58:53.389

and And let's see It's to the boy over in Kansas City, Kansas. What is his name? He's died, he died last year and, uh, uh, Rupa. Uh, second baseman, he was, uh, he got, he left here and went to. I'm trying to think of that boy's

00:58:53.389 - 00:59:10.550

name now, but he left here. They packed the stairs pretty good, huh? Do they pack the stairs pretty good? Yes, yeah, yeah. Their biggest game would be when Rube Forster would come here from Chicago. He'd bring his team here and Rube. But never want, uh, his

00:59:10.550 - 00:59:29.139

team to lose, you know, but he couldn't beat the monarchs, couldn't beat, couldn't beat them. Yeah. Well, there's some of the, some of the, some of the players are still around here now. Did you ever play them? Never played. No, I didn't play. I just played,

00:59:29.169 - 00:59:44.419

uh, I just played, uh. You know, just ball in the field or in the park or anywhere. What park did everybody go to? What park did they play in? They played in uh, I mean, what, what, what part did all the people go to to have

00:59:44.419 - 01:00:00.810

a good time? Well, in that day, well they went either went to Smoke Park or went out here for sale. Oh, blacks were allowed to smoke Park. Yeah, they go out there. They always did go out there. The whole barbecue pits and everything, the whole park

01:00:01.270 - 01:00:16.939

or just or just Watermelon Hill. Well, that's so far as it was, they could go anywhere in the park, you know. Yeah, they can go anywhere. What, what side of town was, uh, uh, uh, black side of town?