Lonnie!

World War II was raging in 1941-42. I met Lonnie at an Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity meeting in Columbus, OH. We were both in graduate school at Ohio State and working part-time at the local YMCA. Right away I knew Lonnie was a quick thinker. High spirited and being from St. Louis, he had been around the block a couple of times; so to speak. He feared no man and would fight for what he believed in.

Lonnie was very much a “race man,” he was for the progress of his people. Here’s an example.

After a football game between Ohio State and University of Michigan, we were discussing the game and Lonnie rushed up and said this: “Did you see the black guy with the Ohio State marching band?” (Ohio State was known to have one of the best marching bands in the country at that time.) After that statement, someone in the group said, “We didn’t see any black person with the marketing band.” (If it were true, this would be the first negro to be a

part of that great band.) Lonnie, in true form, said, “I believe he is the first black student to be a part of tha

t great band.” And it occurred to me that since I had not seen him I told Lonnie. I said, “By the way, what instrument was he playing? Lonnie said, “Brother Lee that guy wasn’t playing any instrument he was just marching; but that black boy was marching like hell!” I said to Lonnie, “In any marching group, everybody marches exactly the same, was everybody marching like hell?” He glared at me and said, “Brother Lee, I don’t know what those other guys were doing, but like I said, that brother was marching like hell!”

That was the type of enthusiasm that Lonnie had when it came to racial progress of his people.

One day I asked Lonnie to be a substitute referee at an important basketball game, the Axis vs. Allies. It was a tough game and the spirit was high. The Axis at one point didn’t like a call that Lonnie made against them. The captain of the team rushed up to Lonnie with his team following. With anger in his eyes and his fists half closed he confronted Lonnie on the call he had made. The crowd was silent.

I’m thinking, “Here we go, but not in the YMCA.” The leader was glaring eye to eye at Lonnie, who slowly took the whistle from around his neck and handed it to me. I’m thinking, “Here we go.” Lonnie glared at him and together they glared at each other for maybe 15 or 20 seconds. What seemed like 15 or more minutes. Not a word was said and Lonnie stood facing the team’s leader eye ball to eye ball with his chin up and ready for battle.

The leader had his team slowly back down and the game was on again. As I said before, Lonnie was from St. Louis, DOWNTOWN, St. Louis, if you know what I mean. We had a great time together, until we were both drafted into the military, Lonnie in the Army and I in the Navy. During and after the war, I lost track of Lonnie.

About 25 years later I attended the Alpha Phi Alpha National Convention in Philadelphia. I sat in on one of the business meetings with a small group of new brothers listening to the neophytes challenge the fraternity precepts. The leader of that meeting in a very forceful way looked into

the eyes of the neophytes and shouted with his fists in the air. “I would die before I would allow this to even come before this organization.” The neophyte brothers starred at him and he starred at them, what seemed almost 10 minutes. Slowly, without a word they backed down and sat in their seats.

The leader of the meeting had been president of two colleges, was a national figure and spokesman for his people in the US and now resided as 22nd General President of Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity, Dr. Lionel H. Newsom…my man from DOWNTOWN St. Louis, brother Lonnie.

61st Monmouth County Cotillion

Forrester Lee was honored at the 61st Monmouth County Cotillion in Asbury Park, New Jersey on May 14, 2011. He was the surviving founding member of the cotillion. It's originator, Florence Hayes died this year and was also honored. His Alpha phi Alpha brothers accompanied him.

He was also joined by his son-in-law, Sohn Lewis, and daughter, Marian Lewis.

The event took place at the Asbury Park Convention Hall on the boardwalk.

The debutantes were in white formal dresses and the escorts were in tails. Awards and scholarships were presented and the king and queen were crowned based on scholastic achievement.

PICTURE ANY CROWD OF PEOPLE -- TWENTIETH CENTURY, IF POSSIBLE

“If you have tears to shed, prepare to shed them now.” Shakespeare

If you have words to say, prepare to say them now. There could be several billion other voices yet to be heard.

The National Geographic Society has just published the results of an extensive study of the earth’s population. It’s called the world of seven billion.

It begins “Earth’s population hits seven billion in 2011. The percentage of people with a decent standard of living is higher than it ever has been yet. Inequality still abounds: Two percent of the population today owns 50 percent of the wealth. But the gap between the world’s poorest and the richest is now filled by a broad middle-income group that scarcely existed on a global scale 50 years ago.”

The report goes on to point out many good things to think about, for example -- birthrate falling, more children live to be adults, fewer adults die of preventable diseases, etc.

The report implies that the small percentage who own such a large percentage of the wealth in the world owned even more than 50% before 1970. Today 98 percent of the people on earth must be satisfied with only one half of the earth’s wealth.

One commentator reporting on the rebellion in the middle east last week that young men there were being paid $2.50 per week. Perhaps the only thing good is it might enable the economy about 2 million dollars or more per week.

Incidentally, this past week on the t.v. a group of people were asked to check the clothes they were wearing and keeping on only the clothes that were made in America. They all had to stop when they were down to their undies. This was because of the law, of course.

Where would we look to find out what the hourly pay in these foreign countries who made the items of clothing that were taken off by this group.

Wouldn’t it help our economy if most of these items we make were made in America and we paid the CEO’s in thousands instead of millions.

History of the Monmouth County Cotillion

Shortly after the end of WWII in late l949 or l950, a young veteran and his wife, living on the outskirts of New York, decided to move to the Jersey shore area where his wife was raised. Red Bank, New Jersey, about l3 miles from Asbury Park, a small, busy town on the Shrewsbury River.

Leon and Florence G. Hayes were soon involved in the social and community betterment activities of Red Bank, one being the Red Bank YMCA Westside Branch of which I was the Executive Director. Leon was on the Board of Directors and Flo was a member of the Women’s Auxiliary.

Flo, a teacher and piano instructor, mentioned the cotillion to me one day and said that she was going to present the idea to the Women’s Auxiliary and what did I think. I thought that it was an excellent idea but would a group of mostly busy, hard-working, middle class women go for such a huge undertaking? And would the parents, some of whom were on welfare, be interested enough to do their part?

Flo would present it at the September meeting. I attended to oversee the reaction. The meeting was called to order and Flo couldn’t get a word in edgewise. The agenda was long and the discussions were lively and lengthy. Questions regarding major and minor concerns about the youth needs and activities were brought up and discussed, or put off for another meeting. Much was done and much was left for future meetings.

The meeting ended and Flo, except for saying thank you after being introduced and welcomed as a new member, wasn’t able to introduce her idea.

But, as she and a lady friend were leaving the meeting room, Flo stopped in the doorway and turned around and said “Ladies, there is something that I would like to introduce to you at the next meeting.”

In my mind, that statement was the spark that started the flame that has lasted for over 60 years – and is brighter today than it ever was I had no idea at that time that I was witnessing such a powerful movement.

At the October meeting, Flo presented the idea of a cotillion with all of major and subordinate committees necessary, working together for a common cause.

Just hours after this meeting, the telephone wires were hot and burning from small surrounding communities saying no, you cannot have a cotillion just for Red Bank and saying that you cannot have a Westside Branch YMCA cotillion for the Red Bank area. We must be included in this. Please tell us what our community needs to do to be a part of it.

At the November meeting of the Westside Branch YMCA Women’s Auxiliary, Florence Hayes expressed this point of view:

“I know you ladies have already started your various committee functions, but this cotillion this spring will be the Monmouth County Cotillion. There will be other towns involved. Proceed with your responsibilities. They will also do the same.”

The First Monmouth County Cotillion started on time 8:00 pm, April 28th, at the Asbury Park High School auditoriumbefore an audience of about 500 people.

May 14th, 2011, the 61st Cotillion will be presented at the Convention Hall in Asbury Park, New Jersey at 2:00 pm.

THEN

Brief Unrelated events of the Past

When we were living in Cincinnati Ohio and my brother, Mossell was ten or eleven, he seemed to be having trouble walking. I asked, “Moss, what’s the matter with your leg?” He said, “Can’t bend it anymore.” I asked, “Does it hurt?” He reached down rubbing his leg and said, “Yes, can’t bend it anymore.” I said “You’d better tell dad.” “No, no,” he said there’s nothing wrong. I just can’t bend it. I’ll be like this the rest of my life.”

At the dinner table that night, I thought I had better say something to my father. I looked at Mossell, then at dad, he didn’t seem worried, so I just piped up and said,” Dad. Moss hurt his left leg.” Dad said, “Yes, I know. We’re going to see Dr. Clark in the morning, Saturday.” Mossell had told me not to mention it to my father, but he seemed a little surprised. I didn’t say anymore, and Mossell just stared straight ahead. I didn’t know what to think, so I just said, “Can I go with you?” Dad said, “Yes, okay, Moss,” who acted like he wasn’t paying any attention. He was sort of looking straight ahead at nothing and said, “Yeah, Dad, we’ll see Dr. Clark at 10:00 am tomorrow. If my mother was there at the time, I don’t know. Charles???? If he was there, he was probably smiling to himself.

We were at the doctor’s office the next morning. There were several people ahead of us. Mossell always tried to look after me. I looked at him. He was looking straight ahead. I whispered, “Does your leg hurt?” He didn’t answer, he just looked straight ahead. Finally, it was our turn. The doctor greeted us with a smile and said, “What have we here?” as he closed the door.

It didn’t take very long. As they came out, the doctor said, in a serious voice, “Come back next week and we’ll decide what has to be done.

As we walked home, I noticed that Mossell was walking a little better. I said, “Dad, I think Mossell can bend his left leg a little,” and by the time we got home, Mossell was walking normally.

At home, my father said to Mossell, “Don’t you ever pull that trick again. If there is something you need to talk about, your mother and I will sit down with you and talk about it.”

The Wilberforce Collegians

Paul and I played with the Collegians about two years. Paul played the guitar and I the upright bass. He wrote most of the arrangements. One year shortly after school started we picked up a kid just out of high school. His name was Snooky Young, a terrific trumpet player. He later played with several of the Big Bands including Duke Ellington and Count Basie, Doc Severenson, etc. Google Snooky Young.

More Collegians

In those days, most young men had a great deal of respect for the opposite sex. Our piano player, a fellow student. was a young lady. When considering her to join the group, the guys had one problem – our language. Our language? Yes, there were times that some of us didn’t express ourselves in a way that would be proper if a woman was present. Long pause – discussion -- long silence --- then one fellow, probably an English major, said “We could use substitute words, so the ”s” word became “shed.”

It actually worked out very well. I was really surprised. Our leader spoke of this while on tour, but a funny thing happened in Memphis, Tennessee before we headed back to Ohio.

A relative of one of the fellows invited the band to her home for lunch, all l5 members. It was a beautiful home with a large family room, however, when the hostess rushed over to three of our guys as they were settling down on one couch, with a large brush in her hand, she almost frantically said, “Oh, I am sorry I didn’t have time to brush the sofa, the dog slept on last night and I know she made a mess on it. She SHEDS all over the place. The three fellows jumped up so fast they were airborne in a split second. The nice lady relative never knew how funny it was. On the rest of the trip the guys were called the three astronauts.

PAUL AND I (continued)

I was still reeling and in shock to learn that Paul and Laura had been dating the year before at the University of Cincinnati. Paul, dating such an attractive girl and being so casual and nonchalant about it. Paul, who for years depended on me to help him socially, especially with dating. In high school Paul came to the senior prom without a date.

Laura came to Wilberforce that winter. The campus hotshots tried to make a move on her to no avail. Paul was her number one guy and everyone looked on with amazement. She was as attractive as ever. The girls on the campus took a big sigh of relief as the fellows who tried to date Laura were left puzzled and perplexed and put out. Where does Paul Brown fit in the picture? Paul and Laura were a couple.

(to be continued)

PAUL AND I

Wilberforce University

I am so grateful and indebted to my daughter, Marian, for suggesting the title for my blog (Grandpa Then and Now)

The present covers a lot of time. Thank you, Marian. I am grateful to you for expediting the time for production. I use the Columbus system typing (discover and land.) I would probably still be on number 1 blog.

This blog is THEN. PAUL AND I.

(Suggestion: read “My Friend Paul” blog to know Paul.

After graduating from Walnut Hills High School, Paul spent his first year at the University of Cincinnati, Ohio and I attended Wilberforce University in Ohio.

Being freshmen in two different schools, we had very little communication with each other.

For whatever reason Paul decided to matriculate at Wilberforce University for his second year. Paul was a brilliant student so U.C. couldn’t have been too difficult for him. We decided to be roommates that year. We had another roommate who was absent most of the time.

Paul still depended on me to help him in his social life. We enjoyed laughing about some of our high school ventures, then there were times like:

Paul – Lee, don’t go to sleep yet. I’ve got a question.

Me – I’m tired, Paul. Coach made us do 5 miles before 8:00 am this morning.

Paul – This girl in chemistry class wants me to help her with a project.

Me – What’s the problem?

Why would she ask me?

Me – Put it on the table over there.

Paul – Lee, don’t go to sleep. What do you think?

Me – What was the question?

Paul – Are you awake?

Me – I’m awake. What was the question?

Paul – Lee, don’t go to sleep. Are you awake? Me – Yeah, the girl. She wanted to go to the store – for what!

Paul – Lee, Lee, Lee, wake up.


Me – Ok. ok. ok. ok….

Another night.

Paul – Lee

Me – Yeah.

Paul – Remember the girl, Laura who finished Woodward High last year? Me – Yeah, very attractive girl.

Paul – She’ll be here next quarter. She’s going to transfer fro U.C.

Me – Ok. Tomorrow. Tomorrow – talk about it tomorrow. Man I need some sleep.

Paul – She’s gong to expect me to be taking her out.

Me – If you say so, Paul.

I finally was off to sleep.

The next morning I was out early and kept thinking, was I dreaming and did Paul say this girl was coming to Wilberforce and would be asking him to take her to school affairs. He did mention her name, but taking her out – No. Maybe I was dreaming.

I did see him that afternoon on the campus. We gave our usual greeting from our high school days. Paul got it from a ancient Greek or Roman reading. Right hand in a salute position, but point upward, fingers closed, and the upper body in a quick upward gesture and the word “Ta.” That was our greeting.

Me – I was dead tired last night, but you said something about this girl, Laura switching from U.C. to Wilberforce next quarter.

Paul – Yeah.

Me - (a brief pause) You took her out last year when you were at U.C.?

Paul – A couple of times.

Me – How come you didn’t tell me?
Paul – We were just friends. Hey, see you later. I’m late.

This was puzzling to me, so much so that later I asked Paul just how did this relationship come about.

(to be continued)

GREAT LAKES, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS OR CHI-TOWN

Great Lakes, Chicago Illinois

In spring of 1944 the Japanese were showing their strength. The Germans were trying to take over Europe and I was entering the fight to help in any way I could.

The training was rugged and challenging at times, but as I look back on those times, the first thing that comes to my mind is the one day of liberty in Chicago. Three of us were in the big city of Chicago with limited change in our pockets and looking for a place to spend it. There was a group that had made a recording that was selling like hot cakes. It was called “Straighten up and Fly Right” and they were performing at a small club within our reach, physically and financially. ha.

We made our way there and as we entered the emcee was saying “Ladies and gentlemen, the King Cole Trio.”

The young fellow singing and playing the piano was none other than Nat King Cole who later became one of the world’s greatest entertainers with his beautiful voice and engaging personality. Nat King Cole. ha ha.

BOOT CAMP? Well, the war had been going on for a couple of years and I was doing my part. I was excited , yet a little apprehensive. I wasn’t surprised to find that the training camps were segregated. Being from Ohio, I was well acquainted with racial separation and some outright segregation. I was sure that this situation in the military would be resolved by the war’s end and would be a number one issue in the country in the post-war days.

Physical protesting was not my nature. I chose to try to lead by example. More power to those who were willing to offer their lives in protest. It takes strong action on all fronts.

Navy boot camp training was interesting, gratifying in some ways, and compelling at times. My college and graduate school training in health and physical education were an advantage. After a few weeks, I was assisting in some of the training procedures, and at the same time getting a good workout myself. ha.