Memories from the G-rents (Gpa)

Grandpa's memories about the 1960s events:

What was your first impression of Elvis and Rock and Roll?
I did like early Elvis records but did not spend a lot of time listening to popular music.
A lot of rock and roll developed when we were in Puerto Rico - but there was a lot of Salsa on the radio and at a party house within hearing distance of our home.

What was your first impression of JFK?
I was very impressed by his speeches. He (or his writers) had a great turn of phrase. He was also young, dynamic and I mostly agreed with his policies. I learned about Kennedy's assassination when a group of three scientists from Oxford came down to P.R. to do a study on monkeys. They stopped at a gas station before getting to our lab and the attendant came over and expressed his deepest sympathies about the death - the Brits were perplexed and wondered what he was talking about. They then learned that Jack Kennedy had been killed and were so impressed that a complete stranger expressed so much concern - he was almost crying.
Another part of the Kennedy story is me going to the lab (actually like a field station) to listen to the funeral on the short-wave radio. That was the only place to hear it in English. We had only access to local stations and I was concerned that my primitive Spanish would not be good enough. It was one of the most moving experiences I have had with radio. The broadcast came in and out and was occasionally masked by static. Much like in the WWII movies when the spies are listening to broadcasts from London. An experience not to be forgotten.

What was your experience with the Cuban Missile Crisis? (Weren't you in Puerto Rico then?) 

 Yes, we were in Puerto Rico from August 1962 to August 1965 and the crisis was a tense situation for us. Our state-side families were very concerned for our safety and we briefly considered having Barbara and the kids go back to the States. But we stayed.
I was with the U.S. Public Health Service (NIH) at the time working on rhesus monkeys. We had a lab in San Juan and a field station on two islands off the southwest coast, near La Parguera. About once as month I had to fly up to SJ for meetings, or lab work. I flu in a 4 seater "Carib Air" plane. I recall that on one such trip after the crisis began flying into the San Juan Naval Base was quite exciting. The harbor was filled with Destroyers and other warships. We had to go through tight security to get off base to go to the nearby lab.
Another item: About 10 miles up the coast from our monkey colony was a SAC base (B-52's probably with nuclear warheads).

 I remember two things about it: (1) They had rescue helicopters that flew regular missions over our monkey island. One day one of them dropped out of the sky and landed on our island. They claimed that they were low on fuel but they really wanted to know what we were doing there. We spent an hour or so describing our project and had a great time with the crew. When they were ready to leave they could not get the engine started - dead battery. Fortunately we were ready with a gasoline generator and a recharger. In an hour or so they had enough power to start. The pilot was very worried that he had to explain where he was for those hours. I would love to know what he told his commanding officer. Studying monkeys, right!
(2) One of our friends, a couple from NJ retired to Puerto Rico to run a charter boat service. One of their friends (a rich guy) wanted a Chinese Junk. So he had one built in China, disassembled, sent to San Juan and reassembled. He then had to get the junk from San Juan to La Parguera (about 100 miles around the north and west sides of P.R.) Our boating friend from La Parguera went along as crew. They ran into stormy weather along the way and tried to get to a local harbor. Too bad it was "Crash Boat Beach" right in front of the SAC base. As they came into the bay their junk was were surrounded by military vessels and boarded. After a long negotiation they were released the next day and went on their way. Can you imagine the fuss there must have been on the Air Force base when a Chinese Junk pulled into their harbor in the midst of a crisis.

What was it like moving to Raleigh in the middle of the Civil Rights era?
We were so busy with family and work that we did not play a role in the civil rights movement. We supported it as the right thing to do but were not activists. There were remnants of Jim Crow laws in Raleigh. The railroad station had separate water fountains and bathrooms for Blacks and whites.

Did the Freedom Riders attract a ton of attention in Raleigh or were they ignored?
Largely ignored by most people. The university folks followed it closely and were supportive

What was your impression of MLK and the Washington March?
MLK was a spellbinder of an orator. I don't have many memories of it other than reading about it.
One thing I do remember occurred later, when Martin Luther King was killed. We were in the process of building a house and one of the workers, James Marshall, a Black man, and I became friends and we hired him separately to help out. He called me on the night MLK was assassinated and said he was afraid for his family - The rumor in the Black community was that white gangs were gong to kill more Black people. I didn't know what to say but suggested that it was likely just a rumor but, to be safe, he should make sure everything was locked up at his house. Fortunately it was just a rumor but it showed the depth of concern within the Black community.

What was your experience with the Vietnam War? Did it really affect you that much?
I had a distant experience with the Vietnam war - mostly from newspaper and TV coverage. Other than thinking it was stupid of us to go into it, I did not get involved.