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Object Description
| Title | Interview with William McAdams |
| Interviewee | McAdams, William |
| Interviewer |
Ligas, Szymon Rivers, Kevon |
| Date | September 2012 |
| Duration | Approximately 1 hour and 23 minutes |
| Description | In this oral history interview, Willie discusses life growing up in the Quad Cities, as well as how his family originally came to the area. He mainly discusses his life as a teenager in Moline, Illinois during World War II recounting numerous events and people during those years that greatly shaped his life. He offers insight into what was taking place economically, socially, and educationally in the Quad Cities and how the area and his life changed because of the war. Being an African American, he addresses some of the racial issues that he faced during his life and how those tensions changed over time. He later delves into his life after the war, discussing his education at the University of Iowa and at Augustana College, where he pursued a bachelor’s degree in General Science. He also recounts his service in the Korean War and raising a family afterwards. A ubiquitous theme throughout the interview is Willie’s constant sense of pride in the public’s enthusiasm and willingness to aid in the war effort during World War II that he disappointingly did not see in future wars. |
| Historical Note | William McAdams was born 7 October 1928 in Moline, Illinois where he graduated from Moline Senior High School in 1947. He worked various jobs in Moline during his youth; first as a shoe shiner then a manual laborer at John Deere. He was a part-time student at the University of Iowa and at Augustana College, where he pursued a Bachelors in general science from 1947-1958. He later served in the army during the Korean War, where he was deployed in Germany to be part of an educational training unit. He married his wife Charlotte on 02 August 1962 and went on to have ten children. He would go on to work at International Harvester in East Moline, Illinois, working a variety of jobs until he was promoted to management in the early 1960’s. He continued to work at I.H. until he left in 1982 where he found another job at the Department of Corrections in Davenport, Iowa and stayed there until his retirement in 1993. |
| Interview Index | [0:00-0:15] Introduction [0:16-3:13] Willie McAdams’s life growing up in Moline, IL [3:14-5:48] How Willie’s family originally came to the Quad Cities [5:49-7:08] The black community in the Q.C. [7:09-10:42] Willie’s school life and football career [10:43-12:24] Willie’s parents and the different places he lived in around the Q.C. [12:25-15:29] Different public attitude towards World War II and respect for soldiers compared to future wars [15:30-17:32] The initial declaration of war and the effects of World War II on the Q.C. [17:33-18:40] The grim realities of war [18:41-20:20] Building projects done by the Civilian Conservation Core (CCC) during the 30’s and 40’s [20:21-23-19] President Roosevelt’s and public’s changing attitude on war and draftees in the Q.C. [23:20-25:18] Working at Wilsons in Moline and how owner lost son to the war [25:19-26:31] The end of the war and the soldiers that came home [26:32-27:00] Life after high-school [27:01-28:05] Benefits of the G.I. bill and the government’s treatment of veterans today [28:06-29:39] Economic boom and prosperity after World War II [29:40-34:49] Effects of rationing and contributing resources to the war effort [34:50-38:30] High-school experience during the war and people who died because of the war [38:31-39:50] Attitudes towards Russia [39:51-41:20] Quality of American education [41:21-44:51] Race relations between whites and blacks [44:52-46:06] How Brown vs. Topeka changed government policies on race relations [46:07-50:08] Discrimination in the Q.C. [50:09-52:10] How the war changed racial attitudes [52:11-54:25] Gender relations in Willie’s life experience [54:26-55:41] Discusses a bigoted teacher (No name given) [55:42-58:34] How the war changed the Q.C. [58:35-1:00:45] Willie’s life after the war [1:00:46-1:01:42] How the war shaped Willie’s mentality and worldview [1:01:43-1:05:01] Willie getting drafted into the Korean War (Sent to Germany as part of an educational training unit) [1:05:02-1:08:26] Willie’s education and family after the Korean War [1:08:27-1:10:25] Public attitudes towards later wars; how respect for soldiers dwindled over time [1:10:26-1:14:30] How the World War II benefitted his life [1:14:31-1:20:45] Willie’s first job as a shoe shiner, describing a picture of downtown Moline. [1:20:46-1:21:42] Talks about visiting Augustana in the near future [1:21:43-1:23:20] Willie discusses post war celebrations when shown a photograph of a patriotic parade in Moline in 1943 [1:23:21-1:23:45] Closing statements |
| Interview Notes | The setting for our interview was at the Rock Island Hy-Vee, approximately a mile away from campus, at 11:30 AM. We arrived thirty minutes early in order to go over protocol and strategies as we waited for Willie's arrival. We sat at the food court in a booth next to a window. We tested the equipment to see if it would pick up a lot of background noise, and, to our benefit, we did not experience much disrupting static. When Willie arrived, he sat in the booth across from both of us, and we talked casually for about five minutes before beginning the interview. We presented him with three pictures of Moline from back in the 1940's in order to jog his memory before the interview. He seemed very relaxed, yet engaged during the entire process. The interview went generally well without major problems. His voice was soft, but audible, and the area we were in was never too crowded to the point that we could not hear him. We only encountered a few moments where people sat in a booth next to ours which made it a bit difficult to hear Willie at times. Willie also accidently knocked over the microphone twice which was due to the rather awkward positioning of our recording equipment, but ultimately no other difficulties arose afterward. |
| Transcript Exists | Yes |
| Audio Exists | Yes |
| Subject | World War, 1939-1945 |
| Identifier | CD-0291/35 |
| Collection in Repository | Oral history interviews |
| Collection Number | MSS 291 |
| Project | World War II on the Quad Cities Homefront |
| Repository | Augustana College Special Collections, 639 38th Street, Rock Island, Illinois 61201 |
| Finding Aid Link | http://augustana.libraryhost.com/repositories/2/resources/210 |
| Preferred Citation | Interview with William McAdams, 2012, in MSS 291 Oral history interviews, Special Collections, Augustana College, Rock Island, Illinois. |
| Rights | Unpublished manuscripts are protected by copyright. Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from Augustana College Special Collections and the copyright holder. Contact specialcollections@augustana.edu or 309-794-7643 for more information. |
| Type |
Sound |
| Object Description | Compact Disc |
| Language | eng |
| Digital Format | audio/mpeg |
| Publisher | Augustana College Special Collections |
| Collection | Oral History Interviews (Augustana College) |
| File Name | index.cpd |
| Transcript | Interview with William McAdams Szymon: This is Szymon Ligas and Kevon Rivers conducting an interview with Willie McAdams on behalf of Augustana College for the Oral History 369 history project. The date is September 24, 2012. Szymon: Hi Willie how are you doing? Willie: Fine so far this is the only commitment I have today. Some days I have a few of them. Szymon: Tell us a little bit about your experiences living on 15th street in Moline? Willie: Are you familiar with 15th street or 23rd avenue? Szymon: I think I drove by there a few times. Kevon: I am not familiar with 15th street. Willie: You haven’t? Kevon: No I am not familiar with that area. Willie: Well I grew up in that area years ago they called it Stewartville. That’s before my time it was known as Stewartville early history of Moline and a fella just wrote a book about it. His name was Kurt Rosemen. Maybe that name has popped up or maybe not that’s up to you. For me I went to school Garfield School in 1933 September and got sent back because I was too young. So I started in January of ‘34 they had mid-year then. I don’t know when it started but in other words I graduated in January. So my reunion class which I just had two weeks ago. Some of us graduated in January ‘47 and some June ‘47. They don’t do that anymore do they? Kevon: No Willie: That’s the way it was. Then I was about a block away from the school. So I had it made. In those days you went home for lunch. Some of the kids would walk way past 30th avenue and come back in the afternoon. Now I understand that everybody rides? Kevon: Pretty much. Szymon: Yea pretty much. Willie: My grandkids don’t believe in walking. Anyway, let’s see, across from the school well I was a block from the school my grandfather lived across the street and our church was across the street. Now my background I was born here but the family came from Missouri. My grandfather was born in 1872. He and his sister came up here in different times the early 1900s and the report back to Missouri was that people was making bread up here. Can you imagine back then he was making 7 dollars a week. Everybody was an agrarian society and my mother was born in Missouri. This is what you wanted right? Kevon: Yea Willie: My mother and brother and her brother came up here that would be Chester and both were born in Palmira. When their dad said we are moving to Moline, Mom was about well this is before World War I and she was born 1904. Anyway they came up here I keep looking that way but I forget I’m in Rock Island. Where she lived was, you been to Historical Society? Or you just talked about her you never even saw her? Kevon: No we haven’t Willie: O my gosh! I thought you did anyway they moved up into that area. Grandpa and his sister both had families in a little bitty house you had to see it to believe it. They stayed there a few years. Things got better and grandpa moved towards Riverside Cemetery do you know where that is? Kevon: No I am not sure Szymon: No Willie: Ok that’s around 27th street in that area. But they lived there, I got to say I am having a hard time hearing my ears are plugged up but that’s ok. There weren’t too many blacks in Moline at that time most of them went to Rock Island or Davenport. So I always been in a neighborhood where lots of times I’m the only black. My brother and sister it was always few just a few. I suppose other places regarded us as being snobbish. Szymon: Why is that? Willie: Well because of where we lived, see? Sounds funny but my wife had her reunion at High School of Rock Island and some of the classmates were from Washington Junior High School and there was an attitude between the two people. You know if you been in a nice neighborhood or a poor there’s that little animosity or jealousy. Even at the reunion a couple of weeks ago they still have it. It’s kind of funny but back to me. I got through Garfield and then in 1940 I was a patrol boy. Kevon: What was your school experiences like? I heard you were a good football player? Willie: I don’t want to talk about that. Kevon: I’m interested to know because I play football too at Augustana. Willie: Do you really? I don’t know how long you been there but my grandson played basketball there. Kevon: Really? Willie: Jay McAdams Kevon: How long ago did he go there? Willie: 2006 I believe. Kevon: That’s before my time I came in in ‘09. Willie: Yea I went to Augie for a couple classes but I’m strictly a Hawkeye. Well you were talking about football. I like football, I really liked the sport and in grade school my best buddy who was a white kid, he is dead now but we would always organize our little teams. We would play the rest of the neighborhood. I just had a love for that game. I played track and basketball but football was my game. I always said that I would always like to draw blood and break bones you know that stuff. Tennis was something else I could not play tennis. I took tennis twice up at Iowa and quit it both times. I wanted to hurt somebody. That made a name for me football. I just never liked to be thought of as a guy who played football you know years and years ago. So what? I will tell you an experience. I went to Gefmans in that same neighborhood 23rd ave. A woman came up to me haven’t seen me in years but we grew up on different ends of the same block. She had her son or her grandson with her and she tell him oh you should have seen Willie play football. The kid was about 6 years old and he looked at me and looked at the mother and he said why? He didn’t give a damn what I did. If you lived at that time it meant something but you know that’s all past. I remember a lot of great players myself when I was a kid they were in college and when I got to college. That’s my memory it changes through the years. There was a lot of great players out of Moline and Rock Island. That’s why I don’t like to make a big thing of it. It was great in its day but that day is over with. Who cares about what somebody did years and years ago. Szymon: What did your parents do for a living when you were a kid? Willie: I going to be smart with you for a minute now this is the early 1940s and the joke around I went to John Deere High School. Well my folks were in the metal and steel business. My mom ironed and my dad steeled. My dad died when I was going into 1st grade. He came up here to from another part of Missouri. They didn’t meet until they got up here and he died very young. A lot of people did in those days. After that we moved down still on 15th street about five blocks south on 30th ave. That’s where I grew up at. Do you know where Prospect Park is? Kevon: No Szymon: No Willie: You guys don’t get off campus do you? Szymon: They have a funny saying about us on campus saying that we live in the “Augie bubble”. That we don’t go outside of campus. Willie: Well I guess I didn’t either at Iowa City and the buses were a nickel. Where were we ok we were talking about football? I got to John Deere Junior High School in 1941 yea January ‘41. The war started in December that same year so most of my High School years we were under that cloud you know WWII. Szymon: What was the mood of the Quad Cities when the United States entered the war? Willie: I’d say of course the Japs and the Germans were enemies and there were a lot of slogans. I don’t believe they still do this anymore but war stamps have you ever heard of that? Szymon: War Bonds? Willie: I think that stopped years later but it was much more patriotic I say than now because then you knew who your enemy was. Now you don’t know they might be your ally one day might be part of a terrorist group you just don’t know. Anyway I remember in 1945 guys were just coming out of service with their uniforms on they were highly respected. I was talking about that this morning with my brother -in- law he is a couple of years older. I remember they were just more patriotic much more respect for the veterans. In the Korean deal and after that there was a certain amount of shame when they came back. I was in the Korean deal but I went to Germany and France instead of Korea but I can tell you nobody came home in their uniforms. A lot of guys will tell you they had their uniforms when they got off the train and I don’t remember any coffins coming out the train with flags over them. This is the Second World War I don’t remember that later on with the other wars. It was just a difference because we knew what we were in the war for then. Even if it was because the Japs bomb Pearl Harbor or what the Germans did. Szymon: What was the effect of the war on your neighborhood? Willie: Not mine but some of the other neighborhoods. My cousins were and in Moline there were some people that were strictly old country. Some of them sent money to Europe. I never heard of that after that no one sending money to Vietnam. I remember that. Szymon: How did you hear the declaration? Willie: The War? Szymon: Yes Willie: Oh my God. In those days it was all radio and one of them was Captain Midnight. Well on that Sunday, December 7th the radio broke in with this program. Which was the actual bombing of Pearl Harbor but you know for a while I just thought it was an actual program and later on that day the news came out more and more that it was a war and Japan bombed Pearl Harbor. So the next day which would be Monday I was in John Deere then and that’s about all they talked about. The war was on then. Funny thing though in grade school I swear it was discussed that Japan might do something with the Philippines or something. Now this is in the 30s and I guess in some books they say Roosevelt was behind it. There were just a lot of guys that went in the service saying they were ready to fight. It is different from now and some many of them didn’t come back either that’s when the war really became a reality. It wasn’t a John Wayne movie, one of the guys I worked with said he went to Vietnam because he saw one of these John Wayne movies. A lot of the men were in the CCC the Civilian Conservation Corp. Have you heard of that? Szymon: No Kevon: No Willie: It was one of those deals with Roosevelt to put people to work. A lot of buildings were built by these guys in the CCC. They were young men and a lot of them went right into the service when the war started. They were making a little money; they would keep some and send the rest home to mom and dad. These were hard times the 30s. Uhhh I'm just trying to think of some buildings, well (Pause) bridge in Moline, the Bettendorf deal I think was made during that time. I won't say the CCC did it, but during that period, and some down in Rock Island you could, sometimes you'd see that style, architectural style, and you know it was done. Do they still have the two eagles on the Centennial Bridge, did you notice? OK Szymon: Yeah Willie: Do, they do? Szymon: yea because we run there sometimes for cross country Willie: What do they call art New-vo or somethin' like that, the style. Yeah, uh that was that was---oh that was the style during those times, and uhhh, the war, ya know that uh, then then we had Roosevelt's speech that same day and uh, and I'm tryin' to think of the words he said. Up to then, It was always a little, little uhh, comedy skits by some guys imitating Roosevelt “I HATE WAR, I HATE WAR” you know? But boy when the Japan did that it was different. And then uh, some of the teachers would disappear, the men. Uhh as I said some of the older students, the high schoolers, they were gone. Some forever. Quite a change and I remember, every once and a while, a kid would be called out of class, bad news you know? Big brother or sister missing in action. A best example is uhh, I was in I, I, I skip around but I guess that you guys will fix that up? Uhh, this is in 1945 I'd say. Might have been 4 or 5, but anyway, the old high school, we got the news that Dean, ya know, that was [Indecipherable] brother was missing, in the Pacific. ---And do ya know? His body was never recovered until this year? 60 somethin' years. Dean uhh, I talked to Dean about it at uhh, class reunion. He went out there you know when he grew up to look for his brother, the body, the plane went down you see? And he was [indescribable] and everything, they might have found pieces you know, proof that the plane went down somewhere. But then earlier this year I was, err I heard the tail end of the news and they said “well about eight of the missing force for 60 years has been recovered”. Right off the bat I told my wife, (hand bumps into microphone), I keep doin that. I told my wife “bet that was Dean, Dwight, Dwight was his brother. Now there are about eleven or maybe more uhh, stones uhh, gravestones over at the Arsenal, and they're (extends arms) about this far apart so you know there's no body in there between there, just, a memorial. And uhhh, his name was on there, every, every year I go to see my dad or anybody else. I would look and see it, and eh, it was just a heck of a feeling to know that after all these years this guy's brother was finally found. He was just 20 something years old. Another, story, yeah that same year, I worked at Wilson's in Rock Island. Wilson's is gone, but down there in the business district, the store's still there. Mr. Wilson, I worked one Sunday there, and he said “Well Beel”, Beel he called me, Bill, you know Beel he'd say. Russian Jew, lived in Chicago. He said “Ninnie is gone”, and boy that just shocked the hell out of me. Ninnie was his own son, he was married before, but uh his second wife, that was her only baby. He had just been home. He had just got out of high school, and he came from marine training camp, ohh I guess around October something ‘44. Everybody made over him, heheheh, had that deep tan, he lived in the south, a marine you know, tough as hell and all that business. So, then uh, a few months later, Iwo Jima, he got killed on Iwo Jima. He was around 19 years old. And I only saw him that one time. [Indecipherable] in Rock Island, I don't know. He probably never heard of the name. That was uhh, his mother's side of the family. But, personally, you know somebody in my family that got killed, I can’t say that I knew anybody that was. And I only saw him that one time. [Indecipherable] in Rock Island, I don't know. He probably never heard of the name. That was uhh, his mother's side of the family. But, personally, you know somebody in my family that got killed, I cant say that I knew anybody that was but these was kids just a few years older than I was. That was quite a shock but they brought in body bags. But in the case of Dwight imagine 68 years. Szymon: You said that no doubt that the war changed the lives of a lot of people around you, did in change your life in any way? Willie: Not mine I don’t think. Let’s see High-School o yea I was in High-School when the war ended. We got the day off. That was in May of 45 I think. Let’s see little by little a couple of the veterans came back and a couple of them played football with me in high-school. Can you imagine that? They went in early or else they were just old to begin with see? Yea there was at least two of them in East Moline I think they had one guy to he was a bruiser. Rip my lip here. Until this day I remember him and he is still living. A couple of others and they came back they had been to a war already can you imagine that? So by January of 47 I was out of school. I had worked out for John Deere again. I was out in Iowa. I don’t know why I was so Big Ten minded. I could have went to Augie but football wasn’t the thing I wanted to do. I was tired of being reminded that I was a football player. I struggled up there. One thing that I do remember, I was just telling somebody recently. You can always tell the veterans because veterans have a big bag or an arm full of books, notebooks, papers, pencils. That was that G.I. bill and that was a great thing. A lot of these guys bored as a devil when they went in the service. They got a good starting life after that, good jobs, professional background, and they never would have made it otherwise but in these later years I don’t think the government has done much for them. My kid did 28 years in the National Guard and he decided to just get out of it because the way they were treating him. They would cut down on your insurance everything send you over there for something you don’t believe in. Szymon: Economically America transferred from the Great Depression to this kind of boom economy, did you witness people becoming more prosperous? Willie: Yea in ‘45 ok the war ended in ‘45 still I yea it ended that summer and up until then I was still doing six days a week in John Deere. I was just a kid though. I made I think I made 37 or 45 dollars a week. That was good money. Szymon: What did you do at John Deere? Willie: They call it route about or something. Just general labor all I did was work in the bomb. Have you ever been in the bomb? It was dirty sweaty and hot but we were kids so we only was going to be there for the summer. Anyway the six days when the war ended I went back right after high school and made about the same amount of money in five days. Still seemed like good money. Not now though that’s not even minimal wages but it was then. Szymon: Did rationing effect you at all because the government rationed a lot? Willie: Not really because there was only my mother we never had a car. My uncle lived with us for a while because my mother raised him. She loosed her mother when she was in highschool. She was sixteen years old. She had a baby brother and sister. Anyway a lot of times we lived together. We always had a garden. You ever hear of Victory Garden? Szymon: Yes Kevon: No Willie: Well write it down if you don’t. They don’t have Victory Gardens anymore. Everybody did it. My grandpa had been a farmer so we raised all our vegetables and we had chickens. Chickens every damn Sunday, I had more ways to kill a chicken. (Laughter) Caught them off see them run around with their heads cut off. It was fun then but it was horrible. Mom even preserved the chickens put them in a jar and keep the meat. No we were never hungry. A lot of that stuff was right from the garden. Chickens you don’t raise chickens in town anymore. It might have been other animals but we had chickens. So I wasn’t hurting. Stamps and food stamps they raised the sugar and everybody had butter but pretty soon what there was no more butter. It looked like grey lard and we would buy that. Now my kids they have to have butter you know. I had a teacher in Iowa who said that he was from the Detroit area and I think where the kids came from was Poland somewhere. They said they would spread lard on their bread but we don’t do that here. Toothpaste yea have you ever seen toothpaste in a mental tube? Well it was mental then. Well you would roll that up and save that for in the morning. Coat hangers we use to go around collecting coat hangers. I use to be with the boy scouts for a while and there are still thousands of needles left over from the patrol days. We use to use the needles to put in our old spears look like kettle 9 tables. Spears we would throw those things little spears like arrows. There was so many needles around we sold those two or donated to the war effort. Tan cans take the top and the bottom of smash the bottom. We were very conscience about that. Now my kids will throw out a big bottle of plastic. I say don’t do that flatten it out recycle it. They don’t have time to recycle but we were very conscience of it then. We would save everything and the lard the grease we would save that too that went to explosives. You may recall. Szymon: What was school like before the war? Was uhh, you were talking about earlier about umm, a lot of, or a quite a few kids having to leave high-school to join the war. Could you talk about more about what school was like during the war in general? Willie: Seems to me, of course we had day light savings. Seems to me that it was even an hour earlier. I haven't, I haven't found anything about it yet in the old newspaper but it was even one hour earlier than daylight savings. Uhhh, so, that was for the benefit of the farmers so they could have more plowing time. But, Go'd to school and it'd be dark. This was at John Deere (Elementary School), I’m thinking in the dark. ------ Ohhh yeah (laughs), I, I had this in a little paper I wrote for the reunion (High School Reunion). I was ashamed of uhh, homemade bread. My mother made homemade bread. But that was just about all we had during the war. And I went to John Deere that first day and my little, red lunch bucket. Kids around me. I was eating my bread like this so nobody would see me. This was the first day, and uhh, I noticed the other guys “Oh my mama made this” you know, homemade bread? [Indecipherable] So that broke my uh, [Idecipherable] right then and there. I'd come on out with Ma's sandwiches made out of homemade bread. She made a lot of homemade bread, a lot of bread. Szymon: Did your teachers ever talk about the war? Willie: Some, because, my art teacher. I think she lost her brother (snaps fingers) Boom, just like that. Couple teachers, couple teachers did. I had an older one in high-school. He was in the First World War, they used to pick on him. They say he was shell shocked. So the kids every year would make the shade go up real quick you know? But I think he caught on to it after a while you know? But little things like that. But I suppose the war didn't really affect your household. It was different. Like Dean's and I remember a girl named Joanne, lost her brother. Across the street was Aunt Skeet. You know they were just all scattered. This was before your time, but my buddy Corey had uhh, and insurance business right on the corner (across) from Hardees. Since that time they've called it Fireworks. I don't know if you've ever seen it? Probably not. 23rd Avenue, 16th street. Anyway every year he would put out a list of guys that got killed in the Second World War. In our neighborhood, you see? And uhh, just about every single one of them I knew. Of course they were them big kids [Indecipherable] Garfield but I might've been first grade and they were sixth grade. So I remember them. It's so long ago now wasn't it? ------ Szymon: The curriculum did the basic curriculum change at all due to the war. You know, was history class different a little bit now or... Willie: I don't think so. At that time, yeah, at that time was, oh uh Russia. Russia was the big thing then you know? Were they allies or our enemy we didn't know which. Uhh, one of the teachers, we always had women teachers, but if a woman was married she could only be a substitute teacher. But in this case I'm gonna guess her name was Stack. I might be wrong, she could be a sub. But she said her husband, I think he was from Hungary or some place, he said “Don't trust the Russians”. I can remember that. Now this was in the late 40's the war was just over. You know, but why not trust the Hungarians you know? It didn't mean anything but uh, of course the older people they knew better. Yeah I remember that, real well. But uhh, times change---what was your question again? Szymon: Oh, uhh if Willie: Oh curriculum? Szymon: Yeah Willie: You know, you know I don't think so. I don't think so. I'm just sayin’ I'm on the subject. But [Indecipherable] some G.I.'s overseas once. Keep them in the service. A lot of them are old timers from the Second World War, and in order to stay in they had to have a GED level, 8th grade or something. So one day during a break a kid asked me, he said “Mac, were you in the Civil War?” (Laughs) So what kind of a curriculum was that? They didn't have, they, what we call a school house, and they didn't have much schooling. But, I don't think it mattered too much here. I can't think of any change. Algebra was just as hard. I liked Latin, I took Latin—history. English, I liked the English. Sports were the same. No, I don't think it was much difference. You just had a lot of older, mature students that you know I met at Iowa (University of Iowa). Kevon: As an African American, did that have any effect on your war time experience? Willie: When I was there? We just had memories. Kevon: Like What? Willie: I went to Fort Sill. That was the army, the way they treated you. I was a pre-med student. “What would you like to do” you see? So I would go to Chicago first. Well uhh, I had a premed background, I would like this and that. So Boom, they sent me down to Fort Sill artillery (Laughs). So Fort Sill, they said “Well Mac”, this was an officer, a Second World War camp, they said “how come you guys eh, don't want to go to OCS. I could have gone to OCS, because uhh... Kevon: What's OCS? Willie: Officer Cadet School. See, I'm jumping ahead, I'm in, and this was in the 50 now. Talking about, well, discrimination we were talking about. I said all I wanna do is get out (Laughs) and do my little two years. So anyway, let's see. Yeah, let's see in ‘50...’54 I went down to Missouri, I was just out of the service. Took my mother back, wife, and one kid. Now we were on Highway 24, and we stopped to get a sandwich. And the girl said “I can give you a sandwich, but you'll have to eat it in the back”. Now this was my first real taste of (discrimination), I'm aware of it back home, you know, segregation and discrimination. But this was ‘54 you know? (Laughs) I remember that. There's somethin’ else I've been wanting to say, but I can't think of it now uhh, yeah well I was at Fort Sill. In July, we had a little three day furlough they were all told to gather around herein formation. And they said “well you fellas who wanna go to Fort Worth, we're all gonna take this bus. But when we get off the bus, the black guys are going over here and the whites will go over here”. So, the guys from Chicago basically didn't like that but not much you can do about that. You can bitch all you want, but it's what the man said, so. So, we got to Fort Worth, and I said “It's a movie”. A couple buddies. I said “I never did see that movie. I would like to see it. I think it was “Big Red” or somebody. You know, a war time movie. And uhh, went up to the ticket booth there, and a girl jumped back “We got no room! We got no room!” scared to death! Looking around, so the manager came up, and he said “sorry boy” ‘cause you know, “no room for you here”. That was my taste at Fort Worth. Now this was in the, this was in the 50's, but all of a sudden it changed. Anyway, let me tell you somethin’ else. In ‘54 is when I got out, and the day I got out of the service was the day the announced at the Supreme Court, the Brown vs. Topeka. That very same day. Because I already had a taste at Iowa. And a lot of those guys (African Americans) are coming from the South. They couldn't go to college down there in the South you know? Unless it was a black college. So that was a change. And then later on Arkansas and all these other places. Little by little cut down on the discrimination. But I was in a segregated outfit when I was in the service. Some of those guys, were just as white. You wouldn't know that they (were black), but I guess on their record it said Negro you know? My family is all mixed up too, but jeez, some of these guys could've have past just as easily (for white). It's changed, I wouldn't say a whole lot for the better, but it's changed. Kevon: Was there any segregation of discrimination (specifically) in the Quad Cities that you realized? Willie: Yeah (Laughs) yes, the Moline Pool. Oh golly, that started earlier than that. In the late 30's I'd go to Long View (Elementary School). Long View had, not that swimming pool they got, they had another little swimming pool up above, on top of the hill there. Not the one you're familiar with. Me and my future brother-in-law were in the pool, and this woman, white woman, told her kid “C'mon so and so let's get out. Let them have the pool” you know? I caught on even at that age, you know, let us take over. And then uhh, a couple years later when the Moline Pool opened up, that was a big deal. You couldn't get in there, but that changed. After a legal fight, you know? So, we used to go down there pretty often. And the Y. The Y was the worst. We were given a special night, once a month, just blacks. They'd go to the Y. And at the time I found it very insulting because we had uhh, no swimming trunks, bare ass in that water see. I thought that was more of an insult, but I understand that the Y did that. You know, no trunks. I don't know, but that's what I heard. But that's changed. In the stores, only a couple places you could eat. You never heard of Hasty Tasty? It's on 16th street. Nice restaurant, but we weren't allowed in it until many many years later. Maid Rite, the only one that I can think of. I never did like the Maid Rite. Well you had one down the hill by Augie. I used to go down there with my friends. Yeah, I didn't like the Maid Rite bread itself, all crumbly. My wife liked it. She liked Maid Rite. But, anyway you couldn't always try your clothes on in the store. Just like other places, the South. That's all changed. But it surprises me when you tell it to younger people. Like my kids. They couldn't believe it. There have been changes. When my mother first went to high school, that would be about 1917, ‘18 in Missouri. All segregated schools. She said she would take her lunch and go to the girl’s restroom, and she didn't know that you could eat with the white kids. So then one of her cousins, who lived here, they all live together at one time, she told her “C'mon Helen, let's go, we can eat there you know?” But Ma didn't know. I never had any trouble because there were just a few of us very few. Rock Island probably didn't, more blacks. Kevon: Did the war help change attitudes about race relations here (Quad Cities)? Willie: It did for some people. Some people experienced the world you know, instead of this little area around here all their lives. Realized there were all kinds of people; different beliefs. (For) Some it (WW2) made quite broad minded. For others, it did just the opposite (Laughs). Have you heard of uhh, Pig Out? You heard of Pig Out? Maybe you haven't. Well these were clubs over in France. Pig Out was a place where a lot of clubs, Mu-lane Rouge was another one. I came over with a guy named Ponio from Chicago, we went over together, but we didn't hook up again until we got back on the boat. Because he went to Germany and I went to France you see? And uh, “What did you do in France?” All he did was get drunk (Laughs). So he had a golden opportunity to see the world or learn something besides Chicago (Laughs). He missed out on that. So it did, it broadened some people. Made others more prejudiced. Seen all kinds. --- You guys, you got so much time or what? Szymon: Oh, we still have plenty of time, if you're still willing to... Willie: Are you bleeping out my profanity is that it? (Laughs) Kevon: Oh, no no just checking the time, that's all. Willie: You can hear me, right? Kevon: Yeah Willie: I can barely hear myself. I don't know, I have trouble with my ears. Wife said go see a doctor. I've had enough doctors. You know, the knees and all that business. Kevon: What about gender? How was gender, how did that play a factor during war times in the Quad Cities? Willie: Well (Laughs) for me it didn’t. I was a little kid, very very innocent. I didn't know, I didn't know where babies came until uh, (Laughs) I don't know how old I was. Except one night when my uncle lived with us, I could hear something goin on in there, and up to then I didn't know. Because we would talk about it. I guess I was still in grade school early John Deere you know? We were a hollering where babies come from. All of a sudden I got real knowledgeable, I knew (now) you know? (Laughs) I was pretty shy around the girls. Liked the girls, but pretty shy. My mother did all the teaching you know, and I have to laugh now when I think about my mother trying to teach the facts of life. She couldn't do it. She could not do it. Because she was very religious. It affected me. I got over it in time, but it was kind of funny. I never really learned how to dance. Those were the days------Ended up with ten kids though (Laughs) I caught up (Laughs). Kevon: (Laughs) You caught up really fast Mac!, Is that where the name came from? Willie: What? Kevon: Mac? Willie: Oh, no, McAdams. It depends on uhh, well in the area it was always Willie, but in the service it was Mac, and different places. Sometimes at Iowa it was Mac, depending on where you are. I just couldn't stand being called Bill all the time. Only a few people can call me Bill and I won't complain about it, but did not like Bill. Well, one reason. We're back to high school now. There was one teacher that I didn't really cared for, and he was the cause of it. He was an old, bigoted so and so, and uhh, they named the swimming pool after him in Moline, and if you find out the name of the swimming pool, you'll know who I'm talking about. But I said if I ever got into the pool I'd piss in it. Did not like him. Yeah, the only teacher I had no respect for or even, the only person I ever snubbed deliberately. Years later he came down the street in Moline downtown. Saw me, and I just turn away, didn’t want anything to do with him. He had a history of that attitude you know, long before me. Blacks didn't have much of a chance with him. Oh there were a few teachers, but, I don't know. I never had so much trouble, I guess maybe because there were just so few of us. ----Maybe that's it. Kevon: Remembering the Quad Cities before the war and after the war, did you see any change? Willie: Out of those places? Oh yeah. It's funny though. It's funny, even in high-school going off to sports and that or anywhere where you could go and you wanna eat somewhere, the first question that would come to your mind. Will they serve us? That changed. I talked to a guy from Indiana who was on a track team there. This was in the college days, and his name was Robert Mitchel. The actor you see? And he said his coach was, can't think of his name now, but a well-known track coach in Indiana. He said they'd face the same problem, you know, where to serve. He said his coach stopped one time on the bus. He said “Just a minute, and he went in there (a restaurant) and he came back out, and Mitchel said he (coach) put his hands on Mitchel’s shoulder and somebody else he said “OK they got enough room for us, and they were very very subtle. [Indecipherable] Of course a lot of people didn’t pick up on that. Now that was the difference between that coach and the one I had see? The one I had would have announced to everybody “Well Willie can't stay with us”. That's when I went to Aurora. Stood outside on the street looking at the river. Until football time, couldn't be with the rest of the kids. -----Just a difference in coaches. [Indecipherable] Place in uhh, Galesburg and Kewanee American Beauty Cafe I think they called it. We'd always stop there because we knew we wouldn't have any problems. At the reunion, they were still laughing about it, cause all they had was tea and toast (Laughs) I don't remember eating anything else. Go down there. Play football or something. Tea and toast. Couldn't eat anywhere here (Quad Cities) everywhere you know? But the younger kids, you know, your generation on up, take it for granted. “What you couldn't eat there?” (Laughs) I said “No you couldn't”. Kevon: Did your life change in anyway during the war or after the war? Willie: Did it change? Kevon: Yeah Willie: Well, I suppose it did. I don't know. Never thought of that. Money-wise I mean, I made more money (Laughs) more kids that kind of life. I don't think I can give the answer you're looking for... Kevon: Just give me what you got that's alright (Laughs). Willie: Well, outside of being able to, not having that feeling of walking into anywhere and, you know, being treated like you were human. I really appreciated that, just about everywhere. Especially the younger ones. You know, they don't-- they come up and give you your menu, you know. They don't make a big deal about it but uhh, they did in Des Moines. We went up there to see my granddaughter at the Drake Relays, about ten years ago I guess. They fooled around with us for so long. We saw people come and go, Perkins, family Restaurant, that great big flag, huge flag. Just fooled around and fooled around. That was the only obvious insult I that had in all these years. And we didn't do anything about it because we were trying to get to the Relays to see her run (Laughs). If I went back I would look for that same little deal. No I don’t have that feeling anymore apprehension I guess you call rather I would be waited on or not. I just assume that I am in most places. Kevon: Did it change your view on the world like during the war or just being able to get waited upon. Did that change your view of the world? Willie: You mean make me bitter, cynical, all that business? Kevon: [Indecipherable] Willie: I am not bitter I just accepted the way of life. You know? Yea because I haven’t had any blatant insults in a long long time really. I believe in treating people the way you would want to be treated. Kevon: What did you do after the war? Willie: Which one now Second World War? I was still in high-school saved my bucks every summer and went on up to Iowa and it took me a long time. I was stubborn for one thing. I really didn’t have any guidance about what I wanted to do. The first two years wasn’t so bad. Hungry as hell (laughter) I swear I was starving. I had more bored jobs I tell you. No scholarship, I didn’t take one. I didn’t want to feel obligated to anybody either or answer to anybody. Then the third year I dropped out for a while. Then the Korean War started and the draft board asked me what are you going to do this fall? Are you going back to school? O yea I’m going back. I worked at Wilson Packing House in Cedar Rapids. The guy that had the job in front of me quit he couldn’t stand it. Bits of animals and blood and everything. Can you imagine taking a pitch fork up a cows utter big bag you know. You got to push hard in order to get the times of the fork in that meat. He couldn’t do it. What I did was gather all the stuff the hooks all that stuff you don’t eat normally, they would grind it up and make federalizer out of it. That kid couldn’t do that he wasn’t hungry enough. (Laughter) So I did that and went on back to school and they gave a test for performance. I wasn’t going to volunteer for the service. That’s all I heard years earlier was don’t volunteer don’t volunteer. I didn’t but after a year or two I just got tired so many guys were leaving the campus because of the draft. So finally I came on back home and went to Augie and got drafted there. I was ready to go you know. The guy called me selected service and said are you going to school and I said yes. He said are you going full time see if you went full time you had it made and I wasn’t about to lie. I said no part time he picked up that phone right in front of me and said you’re right you will be in May 27th 1952. I didn’t care at least I didn’t volunteer. (Laughter) It was nice the things that I did but the war didn’t make much sense in the first place. You know I lost a granddaughter over there she went twice. That was when girls could go in the service see. Yea she died she went to duty there twice came back home and had a rotten husband. He was an army brat but he was home and he killed her. Yea that was a heartbreaker she was only a kid. Her class high-school was 2000 something. Her brother Jay had just come back from his first year of basketball. She was already gone and after that I did my little time in the service got married while I was there. Came back home and I was determined to at least get my bachelor degree and I did I went back to Augie for a while. I transferred all my courses up to Iowa and I went out in summer class of ‘57 ‘58. I can’t remember I missed a day’s work I didn’t even want to do that but mom said I want to see you graduate. (Laughter) So I went up there with a bunch of strangers and graduated. One of those strangers she and I were freshman together and she was getting her PhD (Laughter) and I was getting my bachelors. I remember there was a nurse somewhere up there I would know her when I saw her. She was a nun I said nurse but she got her bachelor in 1920 something, so that made me feel good. (Laughter) I came back home I was going to go to Iowa and do grad work I was a I couldn’t I just wasn’t interested but I always liked biology. When I was going to see somebody I made an appointment to get a masters in physiology, I loved that. I took that at Augustana I really loved that. Anyway that was the same week I got the flu and I was knocked out just delirious. By that time my third let’s see 1,2,3 my third baby was coming. Four years between the first and the second and the third was coming and I said that was it. I just couldn’t deal with it see so the next 14 years I stayed in Rock Island. I never did like Rock Island. Kevon: I know earlier you was talking about some of the patriotism that they showed during the war that you don’t see now in other wars, I would like it if you could elaborate more on that compared to the future wars you experienced? Willie: After International Harvest went down I had 28 years out there then I got a job in corrections in Iowa and one the fellas said he was a guy coming out of prison ready to go back in the civilian life or we were saving their souls so they wouldn’t have to go to prison see. Some of them were determined to do wrong and they did. They killed and some of them got the death chair. Anyway this guy was a veteran and he told me when he came back from Vietnam they spit on him. As he was talking you could see the tears and he was just shacking up. They screamed baby killers and all that business. Didn’t see that the Second World War, guys came back from the Second War were heroes. You couldn’t do enough for them just that difference and I heard that more than once. They would come back and hide their uniforms they didn’t want to be caught with their uniform on in their hometown. You see a lot of difference a lot of difference. I wonder what that will look like 50 years from now in books. It was a terrible waste a terrible waste. Kevon: Looking back on your experiences do you think that WWII was a good war? Willie: What’s a good war? I would have to any answer I could give you can put up an argument. All I can say is yes. I got a better job, a better education; yea I got a whole lot of benefits that I would have not got. I am thinking about the G.I. Bill on that see but it makes me very cynical when these guys space on radio or TV they talk to somebody o I was in the Gulf War we want to thank you for your contributions to our country. I hear that so much. Maybe you haven’t paid any attention to it but as so you went over there to fight him and he is showing his gratitude. I never heard that so much Second World War. It’s just a bunch of crap if you ask me. There was a lot of preaching about we are all brothers Second World War no matter race, creed, color we are all in it together and then a few years later in 1948 the military was desegregated. After then it wasn’t my outfit was one of the last that was desegregated. I will tell you a funny story. I had my teeth pulled in the sixties at Saint Anthony’s over by 30 street you know your neighborhood. Anyway I had them pulled and o no it wasn’t the teeth it was my hands I took a mattress out of the house that was on fire. My brother in law went to sleep and the mattress burned and I pulled it out because I had kids there. Both hands was bandaged and there was nothing I could do. This old woman was going to come in and service. She said its ok I had a son in the service and she said her son serviced in Verdon, France. Just so happen that was my outfit and I knew that was bullshit and I wanted to tell her so bad that my outfit was segregated, (Laughter) I wouldn’t do it though. I got more humor now but see she was just trying to do her job. She thought she was doing the right thing but she wasn’t so I didn’t get my ass worst that day. Kevon: Do you want to elaborate on these pictures? I don’t think we got what you said about the pictures of record? Willie: O those pictures well that’s 5th ave 16th street and that’s Moline ok that church is still there first Lutheran church ok I know where we are let me see. I can’t read is this the 1940s that might have been a Hickey Brother there I’m guessing Joseph and Clock yea that building still there that’s a bank. One of my first jobs was right around the corner from that bank I shined shoes. You know I was still in school and 10 cent an hour plus tips. I 13 or 14 and I only did that for so long yea that’s a church over there I remember that. That’s were a lot of the Moreno’s now. Do you know where that is in Moline? Ok there the buildings here. He was Greek nothing wrong with the Greeks his wife was nice but I don’t think he said ten words to me all the time I was there. That’s how he was and yea she was real nice I liked her. I worked for another family of Greeks in Iowa City. See how I bounced around its your own fault see. (Laughter) This one was Jim Loans he treated his health like dirt and he didn’t know his wife was fooling around with the head waiter. I worked there for a couple of semesters or a couple years. Anyway the old man finally caught on to what was going on and he tracked them and he chased the head waiter who ran into the city attorney’s house. They were all arrested and brought to the police station but Jim at the mean time he slipped that knife into the head waiter body. He was dead meat by the time he got to the police station. So Jim had to go on trial and everything but anyway Viola was a good lady. He got off eventually and Andy is buried out here in Riverside. He was a terrible guy to work with. Anyway yea there was a shoe shine place behind here too a lot of blacks hangs out at. I can’t remember but these buildings are still there but across the street that’s gone they tore these down that’s where that big office building is. There is a lot of landscaping in front of it. Across the street you can just barely see well I told you across the street some of those buildings are still there. It used to be a drug store there. I use to work there drinking establishments let’s just say that. The younger crowd you probably been over there but these a lot of these are gone. A friend of the family about my age was hired on Saturday stiff that flour get the herds of the flour.(Laughter) They made donuts and I’m pretty sure that’s Hickey Brothers but they are gone. I can’t see much further down that way I worked in a couple of places over here as a kid you know and that shoe shine place. Peter’s Bakery I worked with a guy that shelved coal. Peter’s Bakery while I knew it when it was up on the hill. O Mooscans that’s what that is Mooscans. Yea I see that you can buy something and layaway and pay every week. The dime stores are over here but maybe I can see my car over there. My first car was a ‘37 Dodge. I got that in 1950. Yea where did you get these in the historical? Szymon: Special Collections in Augustana. Willie: They have one? Szymon: Yea they have a bulk of collections like the history of Moline and a lot of pictures from around the 40s era. Willie: That’s in the library? Szymon: Yes Willie: I wonder if I can go there. Kevon: Its open 1-5 Szymon: Yea 1-5 on Monday-Thursday Willie: I haven’t been there in a long long time. I liked Augie my teacher in physics what’s his name Peters. I can’t think of it he was an old guy. He remembered when Theodore Roosevelt was there. Way back he was at the library building. Szymon: I think this was a parade from 1943. Willie: Well it was wartime no new cars yet. Let’s see where it is. It looks like spec tar I think Rock Island. I can’t think of this. I would guess that is Regalia where they made the flags. Szymon: Were there a lot of parades and things like that during the war. Willie: I would say so I tell you when the war ended I lived on 30th ave. I could hear those people downtown celebrating. That’s quite a distance see way over the hill down south but you can hear them some happy, happy people. I’m guessing I’m curious now I will have to drive by and see but that reminds me of Regalia where they made the flags. I would like to go over there sometime. What do you got anything else you want to say? Szymon: I think that might actually be it. I really would like to thank you for your time here. Kevon: Thanks a lot. Willie: My pleasures now just don’t ask me was I in the Civil War (Laughter) that was funny. |
Description
| Title | CD-0291.35 |
| File Name | CD-0291.35.mp3 |
