Valerie Taylor and Vernon Taylor

00:02 Do you want me to read what you have here? Okay, so I'm going to go myself and then you're going to go ahead and respond. You don't have to look at anything. I'm going to go ahead and ask you the question. This is just to make sure you're understanding the basic question. I'm asking you. Okay, I'm going to start my name is I we got to give it and we happen to be aged.

00:30 Oh, yeah, I'm going to pass on the age but I am in Las Vegas, Nevada and my conversation partner is my father Vernon Taylor. So, it's Valerie Taylor in Las Vegas. Nevada conversation partner is my father Vernon Taylor. Can you say your name age where we are and who I am to you go ahead down. My name is Vernon Toyota in Las Vegas, Nevada.

01:03 This is Valerie my daughter.

01:08 My age is 88.

01:17 I was born in night.

01:19 1932

01:25 Where were you born Dad was born in Carthage Arkansas? This is Dallas County about 59 miles south of Little Rock.

01:37 What type of place were you living on with and who you living with?

01:43 I live with my grandfather.

01:46 My grandma to give you some idea about the ages. My grandfather was born in 1861, and he just started took me over for my mother and raise me.

01:59 Was it a farm?

02:02 They hit one was calling truck form is not a real form with a reason most of their food and food for the animals.

02:16 Of course the school real segregated.

02:21 Very small microphone room school. They wanted to 12th grade unit. So they have show classes going.

02:33 In one room

02:36 Can you repeat that because it doesn't seem like whatever I should have turned off turned off. Okay, go ahead. So you were saying you were saying you went to school in a one-room?

02:49 The school consisted of four rooms

02:52 Andrew's 1 through 12

02:55 So there could be several different classes in grades going in one room at one time.

03:05 What was one of the things that you ended up having to help your grandfather grow? I remember hearing about watermelon color truck Farm Universal completely form of support for the form of growing food and support.

03:30 Do you support being numb?

03:34 Selling eggs

03:37 You know from this you can.

03:42 Some corn for seed

03:49 And occasionally is the they needed some labor work. He will go over and work on that too.

03:57 Since his plow in the garden next door, you know.

04:06 My relationship to my grandfather night today, I highly appreciate it. You know, he's he's taught me how to do things, you know like Alanis on the animal.

04:25 And account

04:27 His way of counting his math would not necessary to match with you and I was saying, you know.

04:38 And even at the age now just mission is being born in 1861.

04:49 You still working in?

04:54 1940

04:58 NC State meal

05:01 I am doing this small farming.

05:07 Even though he was an uneducated person. He was all strung out on education.

05:16 Wanting you to be educated.

05:24 And I live with him.

05:26 To I think that you was 1943.

05:31 This is one of the big migration from the south.

05:37 2 in my case to California Shipbuilding

05:43 Then I moved with my mother.

05:47 To California

05:50 And then my all of my schooling.

05:54 Was from then?

05:56 Actually in

05:58 Zarza went in that area when I said that area I'm talkin about the townships and so forth.

06:07 So when you moved you move to Richmond, California Kaiser had major ships being built and

06:21 How was that? What was it like living in Richmond, which was a nothing place as far as you know numbers of people and went to a hundred thousand people in about a year or two with including you and your mother and stepfather.

06:36 Well, one of the things I think about is.

06:40 During the during those years. There was no place to sleep. So people slap and ships.

06:48 Because everyone was working at the shipyard. So from a certain time of day to another certain time of day is my time for the bed.

07:03 Schools were not segregated in a way, but in another way they were segregated. We all wanted in the same classroom same teacher.

07:15 What they had

07:18 Certain areas that you lived in

07:22 And you didn't cross over those areas.

07:27 Education

07:35 Do go down and watch some laundry ship-to-ship about every other day.

07:41 You know from being built and ready to Florida, but I remember when I was doing a little research on that time. The shipyard in Richmond basically had the highest productivity for what were I think of Liberty ships for 11 days from start to finish that they would work on them. So I would imagine there was always end up with the other Shipyard that was doing the other shift so I can imagine there was a lot of ships being launched. Will they headed to him shoot today? She there was more than one Shipyard best. I can remember that for shipyards now, so they were really producing them.

08:31 And really something even to me today to watch her she'll be enlarged. They didn't launch the ship backwards into the water.

08:41 They just for Roblox on it and let it follow with her side in this truck and shot. We know he didn't know course.

08:48 But they will never think of that today, you know.

08:52 It was slide out of the building wave back with you.

09:01 Of course, it was awful lot of segregation.

09:06 Mostly all of blacks in the word laborers and promotion to be a helper.

09:17 What about where did you end up living in the housing?

09:25 Baby doll houses projects

09:30 They give you some description of this. I guess I ain't Department that I lived in the sixth grade to a graduate high school will probably be about for 500 square feet.

09:48 You walking the doors living room bedroom.

09:53 Walk another few feet and it was your kitchen and bathroom.

09:59 The kitchn consistent job

10:01 What we were we were saying.

10:05 How to clean your O2 burners

10:10 In the oven in the Black Box instead of $1 electrical.

10:17 If they would have

10:23 16 families living in that one building is to two levels.

10:30 They have no washing machines in each washouts at the end of the building.

10:41 The schools were in junior high road Fairland integrated.

10:48 Can I just say remember when I was doing a little bit of research I found out that Richmond at the largest public housing in the country because of the shipyard. So you were in in that project when you talked about project it was huge huge very large.

11:08 One thing I can say is the projects of the buildings for the white or the same as the building, but they were separated into a different area.

11:21 You like that one block down the street with whitening going other direction. They were black.

11:33 You graduated from what high school did?

11:36 Yeah, I graduated from Richmond Union High.

11:40 In 1950

11:45 What did you do after you graduated from high school? And

11:51 Where did you do it or jobs were extremely hard to find.

11:56 Especially for blacks. So one of the big livelihood for shining shoes.

12:09 Cleaning the pool rooms.

12:12 There wasn't very much.

12:15 Golfer's score of the job

12:18 And if you got any could you off going garbage truck manual really living?

12:24 You know to be a garbage man goes to pavers Superior what you were getting if you clean the pool room or shiny shoes or Barbara running a barber shop.

12:38 My first real job after I graduated high school.

12:46 I work for American Standard. They still exists today in a bathtub toilet articles.

12:55 And my job was wrong for when I said that it's

13:01 Afford a later model 14 15 inches in diameter.

13:09 I'm with the four going on in the streets shank on the other end.

13:15 NSSA, this is American Standard in Richmond, California.

13:20 Amazon piece work. We got something like a pen and 1/2 / 2.

13:29 So this meant that you really had to step around at night to earn a living you.

13:37 I work there for

13:40 Oh for 5 years.

13:43 In addition to

13:46 I worked as a garbage man for the city of Berkeley.

13:52 So I worked in the evening for an hour or American Standard and I'll go home and try to get to 2 hours sleep and get up at 5 in the morning and go to work on the garbage truck.

14:08 I had all intentions.

14:12 Trying to educate me in at the time. I was married to someone else and putting this person to college.

14:21 That didn't work out too. Well, because one day all on the weekend wash cars.

14:29 Because in one day in a wedding, I just fainted in front of everybody.

14:40 And at that point I started going.

14:45 Two Rivers hospital and they found out on your TV

14:51 Are some good things start happening to me?

14:55 While I was in the hospital.

14:58 A doctor Fluevog came by and

15:02 What I was doing the crossword for something.

15:06 Exit out of my hand.

15:09 Ambrosia bringing in some math books

15:12 You never did he come by and check on me.

15:19 Instrumental start growing doing something else

15:25 So the next thing that happened after some time in the Sanitarium

15:34 I took an examination.

15:39 For an apprenticeship is a pipefitter.

15:43 And thanks to the doctor, you know his math and so forth. I got the very last job as a pipefitter that Maryland Naval Shipyard.

15:56 And I work there for 10 years.

16:00 What did they do at Mare Island? What what what what is Mara or was Mariah Island close?

16:09 What I was mainly working on nuclear subs fast attack missile launches.

16:19 And I've completed my apprenticeship there and I've got a promotion to what was called a snapper.

16:28 And I was running very systems in the air conditioning Refrigeration.

16:36 And this I could remember I couldn't go look it up. I probably went through.

16:42 1214 East Shields

16:46 In Maryland

16:48 Racism was really rapping.

16:54 The shipyard was 104 years of something and I was like number 7.

17:01 Apprentice black Apprentice

17:06 And there were lots and lots of white apprentices if I was just looking to grab one.

17:16 After working there and completing.

17:20 Civil shift if necessary. I could come up with names.

17:26 Acronym go to promotion even though I got all kind of recommendations even today sometimes I shoot to the family.

17:39 Room with my wife

17:43 She said

17:45 Arroyo Drive around

17:48 She said just quit.

17:51 And when I went into

17:54 Take an examination for jobs at warning.

17:59 After getting all these pads on the back of about doing the job as well.

18:05 When I went over to get into

18:08 The interview books today

18:12 Someone else then he knew nothing about the job got the job.

18:18 I told my wife about it.

18:21 And she told me to Smart ride over to the office and quit and I did.

18:27 Did you do you want to talk a little bit about the $21 the $21?

18:37 What is a group of black for your fellows?

18:41 Admiral and we're going through some of the same problems. I was telling you about.

18:47 And they were very very vocal jumping on the Admiral and so forth.

18:53 Two or three of them

18:59 Real promotions that they really desire and deserve.

19:04 With the

19:08 Prejudiced still somewhat remain

19:12 And why were they called the 21 hours?

19:15 Because there were 21 people to sign the necessary papers to go.

19:29 They filed a complaint with the complaint in Congress.

19:37 One thing I would like to hear also. This is the time of President Kennedy.

19:46 They sent me back to Pennsylvania.

19:50 Because of something that he had signed to York, Pennsylvania York International & Company in Covington leader of the large air condition for Generations. Particular seagoing, so

20:08 So that was my first big break.

20:13 So they filed his federal complaint with the equal opportunity commission. And then what happened?

20:20 Side when you going did anything else change?

20:25 A couple promotions were given, but basically the entrance there was still the same.

20:37 My daughter here

20:40 May remember some of them especially when I first name Jim Davis, he's talking about his friend who wrote the book about the 21 hours and I've also had the pleasure of meeting Jim Davis and definitely a couple of other ones and then Jackie was there when they did the ceremony

21:07 In Vallejo to acknowledge the 21 nurse. Do you remember that that took place about six years ago? Was it something like that? So before he passed away, by the way, I like to ask Jim had a real job of nuclear Solutions in refueling.

21:35 But he was one of the very few.

21:42 This kind of promotion.

21:45 The most there promotions that Vacaville got was a field supervisor, you know running a job on a ship.

21:57 Maybe inspector

22:00 You know how to make sure the fight was put together properly.

22:06 The shipyard closed down. I think it was 1990 and somewhere in there.

22:14 And because of the Limited

22:18 Training that they had, you know all the training he ever had was

22:23 To building you mean some of it some of the 21 hours.

22:30 And I got lucky but mainly because of my wife, you know, I got out and went into Union.

22:41 I was being very first.

22:45 Person in the local 159 in Contra Costa County, I don't have no way of verifying that you were in the first black first black. I don't have any but I probably under the first in Northern California to get into the Union, Springfield.

23:11 And then did you get active in the Union?

23:16 Is one thing I'm going to have to say.

23:21 Once I was in the Union.

23:24 We'll start off with the initiation night.

23:30 They had all kind of people off of course. Everybody was white.

23:35 They funeral Hall in the freaking to the window. So here I am standing there supposed to hold in your hand up. I'll be a good member and take a note.

23:48 Looking at all these people standing around you. I mean hundreds of them. You don't know if it's the Mansion of what?

23:56 Dwyane Wade turnout gear friendly

23:59 By the time everyone fish kissing and put himself down in my neck.

24:09 After getting in and fairness to them.

24:15 Because of my training in the nuclear area and so forth.

24:20 They spend a lot of money sending me back east.

24:24 For further training

24:28 And I talked to her.

24:31 In local 159

24:35 7/8 years, then they decided they join the two to locals together.

24:41 In the local 342

24:46 And I talked to him for a long time to load the Saturday. I was going to leave California and move to Las Vegas.

24:54 So you taught at the community college on behalf of the year?

25:02 And I have no way of guessing how many students are there if you figure over 20 years or so or 784, you know for a class.

25:14 Have you been able to keep in touch with some of your students over the years or have they run into you?

25:25 But one of the things you're so amazing is the five-year apprenticeship. They were in.

25:33 Every once in a while, they're called me and and of course I've been retired for years, but these people have the job that I had.

25:43 When you retired, what was your title from from the company retired from?

25:52 Supervisor enlargement mechanical

25:55 And give me a keeps on that term out. I'm going to use one of those rhaetian to give you some idea.

26:03 They had

26:06 What it's called cogeneration this there are many more where I could tell but this one will probably register with cogeneration. This is very an oil deal California. This is where the well has was too too stiff to Pump from years ago. So they just stopped.

26:28 So then came along later.

26:31 And with a utility company, they started producing generate generating electricity right on the site over the holes where they stood still.

26:46 And of course he was generated so that take the heat from the turbines.

26:53 And heat the oil in the ground in front of the oil out into a truck.

27:00 Utility company was paying them to do this quick plus by me Royal.

27:09 Where I came into this was they had a system called lithium bromide absorption.

27:16 This is where the water.

27:20 Is the refrigerant, you know, like your new home babe using something else will just plain water like your drink was refrigerant in this assembly. I specialize in from the old Shipyard days in Maryland that specialize in lithium bromide system.

27:39 So you can see that this is a money-making deal.

27:49 They're these sounds of these systems.

27:55 1560 megawatt

28:00 So you had a special like skill from those all those years at the shipyard that was highly prized and Industry in Northern California and all over the state or you went into the states in the other.

28:18 The Giver somehow another idea of the money that's in the barber there's there was a paper mill in Northern, California Simpson paper

28:31 And what they use for a few are was sellers. This is there mountains mountains of sawdust know from the lumber and I think produce

28:44 And they take this Lumber the sawdust and it had two purposes.

28:50 One they were making paper.

28:53 Electric toilet tissue and Superboy and his ship after ship. You know how all of these products paper products win.

29:03 Well from the what could be called free fuel.

29:09 They produce a lot of steam.

29:14 Will they steam wood would you have fun lacquer 28 megawatt?

29:21 Generator generating electricity for all of Northern, California

29:27 We pay our utility bills and KW.

29:32 And will be like $0.16 and twenty-eight big.

29:41 $0.04 so you can see this quite a bit of money every 24 hours now and so you were helping that system be productive my job within not to keep me productive is

30:01 Large Transformers

30:05 Nothing

30:08 Government says you need to keep the Transformers cool. This is where the air conditioning for duration. Just keep this big deal with these Transformers School.

30:22 So this is about 260 miles from where I live.

30:27 And it wasn't uncommon at all to get a call at 3 in the morning to visit 206 in miles.

30:37 So I just want to touch on a couple of quick things one. It sounds like you were exposed to a lot of industrial chemicals. Do you feel like that did you and so have they have they have you seen changes in the industry's to to better protect some of your students at this point. What is one of your greatest professional accomplishments?

31:06 They talk about a couple things what you think teaching was one of your greatest accomplishments or

31:12 Yes, and all the awards is usually in the back.

31:18 You know how I feel real proud of that.

31:22 Industry Awards. You got a couple of Civic Awards.

31:35 And I'm going to shift gears just a little bit. So what are your hopes or? Okay, what what trait? Do you admire the most in you and the most in your wife Milling?

31:48 Are you being hard to describe all the good things about my wife there?

31:55 We just had our 55th anniversary.

32:00 Is he are two daughters still have hanging over the years?

32:06 Television

32:08 I guess they so proud of it to they haven't taken it down. And this is the July July 9th.

32:18 What do you Meijer about and yourself? What are some of the a couple of those traits you admire the most?

32:26 I like to think about it.

32:30 Mean tricks that I learn

32:33 In the classroom I could pass them on.

32:37 And hopefully the students will do a better job than I did as a matter fact, I think one of the best teachers that I've had with the students.

32:51 And what did Meyer about Mom?

32:54 She didn't say much.

32:56 Good boy when she comes across.

33:00 You have to get up and move probably would not have left her out on it if it had not been for her.

33:09 Nice, how would you like to be remembered?

33:21 Well, I like to think about these students.

33:24 And what they would think about me.

33:29 Hi. I think the students still remember me that they've been since when I'm in a convention or something you comes with guy with a stomach hangover.

33:45 And I have no idea out of all them people shall see who this guy until he starts talking about something you.

33:56 Is there anything that I'd like to be remembered, you know, the guy walks up to me and it knows me and I don't know who the heck would you like other people to think of you as you know as nice as funny kind thoughtful.

34:15 I'd like to all these students you think about me sharing.

34:22 You know things that I've done.

34:25 And also being willing to listen to them.

34:32 What words do you have of advice for Jackie me Consuelo or Darryl's children? What words of advice would you give us our way to separate words Maybe?

34:48 Well, I do feel it was my chest stuck out was not children, you know education was you and Jackie especially since quite a businessman.

35:06 What about your grandchildren people who got a granddaughter didn't get started off too. Well, but now she's gone and got a massive. She's doing quite well.

35:19 NV truth wasn't show me my grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

35:26 We're not that close. We used to be real close.

35:30 I've got one great-granddaughter that we are real close you're sending pictures and that sort of thing.

35:40 That's about all I can say. They're

35:43 So you feel you feel like any thing you would want all of us to know about you or would you have a words of advice? I know one of the funny things you told me which was great is make sure when I put my stuff in storage that I put boards underneath my stuff and lo and behold during Kobe beef lud in the storage unit. So you save my stuff you got any other words of advice like that?

36:15 Anything else you think we should think about

36:19 I would like to think of something good luck in most cases tonight. When am I going to be able to come across my mind, you know I should have

36:31 Save Swenson

36:33 And then just finally since I mentioned covid-19.

36:38 Drew a little bit with health issues and hospitalization excetera during covid-19. How do you feel now living in this time? We we're sort of in a pandemic and semi lockdown and you've been through a lot yourself and 88 years. How do you feel about during this time.

37:00 Will it be confusion Ric?

37:03 About wearing the mask

37:06 It seems like the same group of people put up the resistance to a seatbelt.

37:14 Helmet with the motorcycle riders

37:20 I do wish that they were started listening to science.

37:29 We couldn't figure in any one would think that riding a motorcycle. Do you need my help?

37:37 What do you hope happens in the future in 2021 going forward?

37:43 For you for family or the country?

37:49 Your former students

37:51 One of the things I'm doing

37:56 If this is my I have forgotten a lot.

38:00 Avocado from turning electrical terms. Maybe, you know, maybe you don't.

38:07 But I forgot and some of them getting counseling for him.

38:13 You know, they said there's no big deal that I have forgotten.

38:19 What are the projects that I'm taking on?

38:23 Is I have never had someone to come in and and help me.

38:29 Eagles me to get dressed and do various things around the house make sure as I do my exercises physical therapy exercises

38:43 And what I have taken on in is

38:48 Trying to pass on some of the things that I used to teach her through Valderrama take some of the time that he should be doing something else and teach him you don't like metrics and so forth to help him and also it keeps my memory going.

39:12 Project you and Elijah are working on to keep her memory going with your your new favorite toy.

39:23 What are you doing? Are you still in Houston going to be in Newport with me, but this is feeling

39:29 Nothing's been changed a little bit. You know, this is not feeling.

39:36 I can't imagine the great photographers will sit there for days to take a picture.

39:44 And then go get it developed nowadays. You can just walk over to the corner and take a look at it.

39:52 Are you there?

39:54 I was walking. I'm sorry. I was trying to turn off the sound annoyed. So so Elijah is keeping your mind going cuz you're using it to help train him and thinking about things that you know.

40:08 Ears in try to help me remember

40:13 A lot of things going on teaching him how to read micrometers in convert different standards.

40:24 It's going to be a big help for me. Not only trying to teach him your

40:30 Is there anything before we wrap up that I should have asked you or you wanted to talk about or I forgot to ask you and I know you have a ton of other things that I probably could have touched on but eating kind of big you want to throw out there.

40:50 No, I really can't think of but

40:53 I do feel like I do feel love.

40:58 Good night, my wife and I need a pat-on-the-back, you know, where the way we raise our children now?

41:06 Well, I feel lucky to have had both of you. I think the most amazing thing is that you've been 100% supportive. You might might have some.

41:17 Things you throw in there, but you definitely have been 100% supportive of both me and Jackie and not just in our education, but in things that we wanted to do Jackie's Sports and

41:30 The other thing that we've been very very blessed with his especially from Mom, but definitely from you too, is that the travel bug so we're both Travelers and we appreciate that. I wish at this point you had at least one more good Cruise in before everything shut down, but I know you had those opportunities to and that's been very good. So you seen a bit of the world.

41:53 Young back to my wife there. She likes to travel.

41:59 Since we both have retired I cancel the sale will probably have a Eaton 10 cruises.

42:10 Was Alaska one of your favorites for free?

42:21 And one of the things with the family, this is years ago when Valerie and Jackie, we're young they held family cruises.

42:31 Down the Caribbean

42:34 So we went on the family Crews took them.

42:38 And every night I was glad I had for one hell of a lot of it on the shelf and pussy in somebody's Kevin Young.

42:47 And from that cruise they met people especially Jackie they're still friends today.

42:56 Did you have some that you remember Jim still has some good friends, but I do want to just before we before we in I want to also thank you for being brave and you and Mom buying a house in an all-white neighborhood so that twice so Jackie and I could go to schools and schools that really mom felt was really good schools. So I want to thank you for that that brave step. I think that made a world of difference in who we are and how we see the world as I think that hopefully it was not that difficult it seemed as if our neighbors were welcoming. I don't know what happened when I was much younger. But even in the Bay Area you would have thought it would have been so difficult. So I appreciate that.

43:47 Thanks.

43:50 Anything else? I know we didn't even touch on the dogs or all the other good stuff that that we've been able to enjoy but I appreciate you being here with me and having this conversation and I'm glad we're able to capture it and I'm going to look forward to listening to it.

44:09 And thank you for me.

44:15 Bye.