THE WORLD WAR II YEARS

My war years were about 1936 to 1946. I was in college in ’36 and two years of military training was required. ROTC (Reserve Officer Training Core.) The full four years was available for those who wanted to be reserve officers. A very small number took the 4-year course. There were 3 or 4 military officers on campus provided the full training.

The majority of the students didn’t take compulsory 2-year training seriously. At some time during the year, a higher ranked officer would come and test the trainees. The visiting officer was giving the class an oral test. The local officer would sit in the back of the visiting officer and give the answer with hand signals when possible. ha

I finished college in 1940 and was in graduate school at the Ohio State University and working for the local YMCA in Columbus. I had registered at my draft board in Cincinnati. My draft board had passed me up several times because my work was considered vital and important for the stabilization of the home front.

I was married in l942 and was still in school and working at the YMCA. I was offered a bigger and better position at the Pittsburgh YMCA. I told my draft board in Cincinnati, Ohio that I would give them my new address as soon as I got settled there.

I heard from them promptly – not in these exact words, but – “Don’t pack your boxes yet. Things are getting pretty hot over there and if it’s not too much trouble, report to your local recruiting office on the following date, March 3, 1944 or we’ll come and pick you up and it won’t be very pretty. I complied, of course.

There were one hundred guys from all walks of life reporting that day. We had to take most of our clothes off and form a long line for the physical exam.

There must have been a paper shortage because when each doctor finished with you, instead of writing his report on paper, he would mark his report on your body. Each doctor marked passed or failed in his given area. When the exam was complete, we were placed in various groups. Probably passed, failed, or need return for more thorough exam. The group I was in was smaller than the other two. I thought my group was the rejects. My co-workers and friends had given me a big send off party. What will I do if I am rejected?

They finally told us that we were accepted. We formed a long line and the sergeant yelled out, “Anyone who wishes to be in the marines, take one step forward. A few of my group stepped up, but the rest of us were sent to another line. We reported to another desk and were asked “Navy or Army?” As I got near the head of the line, I realized that each man was asked “army or Navy” and regardless of what the recruiter answered, the reply was “Navy it is.” That day every recruit was put in the Navy or marines, regardless of what his answer was. That was fine with me.

Navy was what I wanted. Being a certified swimming instructor, I might have slightly a better chance if the ship flipped over. ha ha

Hold your breath while I recall a few highlights of my experience in boot camp at Great Lakes Naval Training Center in Chicago, Illinois.

(to be continued)

LOCKPORT

The city of Lockport, New York placed Aaron A. Mossell (see previous blog) on their Walk of Fame as an outstanding businessman and civil rights leader and his philanthropic contributions to the needy.

His grandparents were slaves. He was raised in Baltimore, Maryland. As a young man and learned the brick-making business there. He bought a home, married, and had two children. The Civil War was going on. He had no formal education and with no education, segregation, and no future, he decided to move the family to Canada where he went to night school and got a basic education.

Soon he founded his own brick-making business. It was successful and his family also grew to five children. One daughter died in Haiti while assisting her minister brother who did missionary work for the AME (African Methodist Episcopal) church. The other daughter became a teacher in Florida. the three boys finished college.

Aaron's sons also did well. Dr. Nathan F. Mossell was the first black doctor to finish the University of Pennsylvania medical school. Aaron A. Mossell, Jr. was the first black man to finish the University of Pennsylvania Law School. He was very active as a lawyer during the race riots in Philadelphia and the civil rights movement. Later, he went to Wales and spent the rest of his life there. Aaron Sr.’s granddaughter, Sadie Tanner Mossell, along with her husband, Raymond Pace Alexander were nationally known attorneys for their fight to uphold the precepts and standards of the Mossells. You can Google Sadie Mossell and Aaron A. Mossell for an overview.

MOSSELL CHILDREN

I was a youngster in the l920s. Children spent most of their time out of doors. Indoors was for eating, sleeping and doing as few chores as possible. Radios were owned by one or two families in a city block and mainly were for adults – so when a new family arrived on the block, the kids wanted to know all about them. Their names, ages, number of boys, number of girls, etc. Very often I had this problem. I would say four boys and no girls. Their names were Frank, Mossell, Charles, and my name is Forrester, but they call me Billy. They would say that’s just three. You counted yourself twice. No, I wanted to say louder, Frank, Mossell, Charles, and me. They would say, “You said Frank, yourself, Charles and you?” Now even louder I said, “Frank, Mossell…” “You have a brother named ‘Myself’?” “No, MOSSELL!”

Mossell is an interesting name. My brother was given Nathan Frances Mossell Lee. My mother was a Mossell. Her great uncle Aaron A. Mossell, Sr. was the grandson of slaves and lived in Baltimore, Maryland. Born in 1824, he was married with three children at the time. He worked for a company that made bricks.

Note: One’s family background does not make the individual. What we ourselves do is what makes us who we are. That being said – what Aaron Albert Mossell, Sr., born in 1824, the grandson of slaves with his wife Eliza accomplished is really noteworthy. Read what each of their five children accomplished. This is a great American story. Please go to Google and write Aaron Albert Mossell, Sr.”

MY FRIEND PAUL

He had a brilliant scientific and philosophical mind.

A friend in need is a friend indeed.

Paul Brown, a great friend? Yes, but much more. He had a brilliant scientific and philosophical mind. Paul read the Bible cover to cover twice before making up his mind about religion. I drew on him for his sharp mind. He used me to help him in social situations. We were at opposite ends of the spectrum. He was an only child with few, if any, playmates. I had three older brothers and a neighborhood full of playmates.

We were going home from school one day. As we approached a filling station on the corner, I told Paul to ask the guy inside for a key to the restrooms which was in the back of the building. When Paul didn’t come out right away, I went in and he was standing there looking at the girl behind the desk with his mouth open and nothing coming out. It was unusual in the 1930s finding a female in a filling station, but there she was. I was there for the rescue. ha

A pretty little girl invited Paul over on Friday evening. I had to go with him. I did all the talking. Later, I said, “It’s getting a little late. We had better get going.” I said, “Good night, Paul.” He said, “Yeah.” I guessed we’d be going – good night. She said, “Good night.” When we were out, Paul said, “You think she likes me?” I said, “You’d have to ask her, Paul.”

About this time, Paul was writing arrangements for a small musical group we had, although he never studied music, like harmony or arranging, or music in any form.

Paul and I had a great time our senior year in high school. I gave up some of my sports in order to keep up with Paul and graduate. I loved all forms of music, including classical, but struggled with the fundamentals of reading music, writing, and playing it. Paul was a natural whiz in all forms. I tried to help him socially, but he was of little help to me. It is difficult for an average guy to pick up scientific and technical knowledge from another just by association. Paul and I had fun laughing at each other, playing a few gigs together, and having a little change in our pockets. Remember, this was right in the middle of the Great Depression.

After graduation, Paul went to the University of Cincinnati, Ohio – I attended Wilberforce University in Wilberforce, Ohio.

Our sophomore year in college is another story, as you will find.

RE: PEACOCK, BATS AND THE MOSQUITOES

We were to collect the money agreed to by our manager and give it to the band the next night in Dayton, Ohio. We were paid a weekly rate. We never knew the outcome.

GERTRUDE STEIN

A world-renowned poet born in Pennsylvania in 1874, educated at Radcliffe College and Johns Hopkins University and lived in Paris for thirty years – and I can only think of her as writing “a rose is a rose is a rose.” Writing those words, she was making a profound statement. I doubt that she thought 100 years later that people would be debating its meaning and the logic.

She says “things are what they are…a statement of the law of identity.” Simply using the name of a thing. Shakespeare says, “a rose by any other name would smell just as sweet.” Gertrude Stein said, or implied, that a rose by any other name would be a rose by any other name and might smell just as sweet. A rose is not a rose by any other name – a rose is a rose is a rose. She also said that “a rose” already invokes the image and the emotion associated with it – so I am thoroughly convinced now that Santa will bring me a nice gift this year but if Santa comes under another name, it could be a nice gift or it might be an ugly bright green necktie that I wouldn’t wear in the next 150 years.

Santa is Santa is Santa.

I will sleep well Christmas eve.

Thank you, Santa

Grandpa

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose

A Rose is a Rose is a Rose
Gertrude Stein

What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.
William Shakespeare

Gertrude is saying: “Bill, there is no other name. A rose is a rose is a rose. Period.

Now, back to the 20th century!!

The names of the big powerbrokers around the world are just what they sound like – POWER. To really know them, you would really have to know their nick-names -- sorry, I’m not privy to that either, but here are a few nicknames of people I encountered in my younger days, K through graduate school.

1) Buzzle But – Professor in college
2) undercover – he was short and wide
3) Gravel mouth, an athlete who talked fast and sounded like he had marbles in his mouth
4) Rodent – nice guy with a small head
5) Rip – nice guy, but was often in trouble talking (at that time a person ripped when he got out of line at a bad time.)
6) Playboy – (No explanation necessary
7) But Low, a great football player who had very short legs
8) Muffle Duff – a leader of our jazz band who was always tumbling for no reason at all
9) Peanuts – loved ‘em
10) Slick – he was slick, period
11) Giant – he was small and anything but giant-like
12) Pickle – loved them
these were all good people, some became very successful, but had nick-names that were not the usual run of the mill. Oh, one more. I played bass with the Wilberforce Collegians for about two years. We traveled for three months in the summer. This particular summer, we started in Kokomo, Indiana. We all agreed that we blew that town almost off the map.

Of the l4 or l5 players, I was the only one who was a physical education major, and perhaps, had a little better build and was a little more “fit” than the others. They called me “Gorilla.” At the intermission in Kokomo, Indiana, a young lady talked to me about Wilberforce University and expressed an interest in the school and wanted to keep in touch. She wrote my name and address on a card, said that she would keep in touch. I also gave her my school address because we would be back at the school in a few weeks while on tour.

We went back on stage to play and she ran up and said, by the way, is Gorilla really a part of your name? I told her it was just a nick-name.

After a couple of weeks, we were back in Ohio and one of the fellows picked up the mail at the school and we were on our way to Michigan.

I liked to sit up front next to the driver in a seat a little lower than the driver seat – to help protect the lives of the guys – especially mine. I opened my letter and the first thing I saw was “My dear Gorilla.” Unfortunately, I was not the only one who saw that and he hollered it out, “My dear Gorilla?” The rest of the summer, the guys called me “My dear Gorilla.”

Lucky for me, it didn’t carry over during the next year. However, my brother-in-law, who was in my class, called me “G” for the next 30 or 40 years. ha – the joke was on me.

Signed,

Gorilla