Adolph+Auer+Interview+Transcript

=Adolph Auer (Class of 1932) Interview Transcript=

C: Do you remember any of the classes that you took at West or any mandatory classes?

A: We had to take..I took bookkeeping, and typing and shorthand. I took commercial courses, Christina. And we had to take english, and I don’t remember if we had to take, what do you call that stuff like everyday stuff?

C: Like math and science or history?

A: I don’t think I took much math. I think we had to take some math at the start, the first two years, but then I don’t think we had to take math. I don’t think i had to take math. I don’t think I had algebra, just the simple stuff. I think you had to take two years of it probably. What do you call it when you, politics only...

C: Like history or civics?

A: Civics, civics we had to take. We had to take civics and english. Civics I don’t think you had to take but two years, english four years, and math two. And I took bookkeeping and typing and shorthand pretty much all the way through.

C: So I found your senior yearbook, and I was looking through it...

A: And what did it say about me?

C: It had, I don’t think I wrote it down here, but by your name it had three things by it, I can look it up. But in the back in senior wills it said “Adolph Auer, will my ability to write short hand to Flora Towers.” So were you good at short hand? Were you pretty good at it?

A: Fair. I never flunked anything. I never did real well in school. I never made like you, straight A’s. I may have made a B in short hand.

C: How big were the class sizes? Do you remember how big they were?

A: About thirty.

C: How many buildings? How many buildings were there when you went?

A: The same as out there. They haven’t added any buildings I don’t think. We had the gym and the building and the auditorium, and that’s about all they had isn’t it?

C: You guys didn’t have the stadium yet, did you?

A: We had the gym which is over by where the tennis courts are. Right in back by the tennis courts, off to the side there. Three buildings I think.

C: Were did you go for the football games? Was there a stadium there?

A: Yeah, they had the seats out there. I guess where they are now. We never had a building a stadium. We had the gym, but no other stadium they played in. They played out in the open.

C: Do you remember the West v. East St. Louis games? The Turkey Day games?

A: I remember. It was a pretty important game. East St. Louis almost always won. I don’t think while I was there...maybe... oh man, it was a long time, maybe ten or 15 years that they won. This guy Lisch that’s pretty chic, his daughter is pretty important in basketball isn’t she? Well, he was on the team that Rusty Lisch was on the team that beat East St. Louis, and it was quite a number of years that I was out of school ‘cause I know I kid who worked for me. It was while I was in business that they won, and I think Rusty Lisch was playing at that time.

C: Did you still go back to games?

A: Well I’d go back occasionally. I think the only thing I went back to see would be football games. Jerry and her husband, Jerry and David went one time and this kid who worked for me we went one time and I might have went about three or four times. I didn’t go back much.

C: Was it a pretty big sense of community? Did a lot of people come our for it or was it more the school?

A: Yeah, there was always a pretty good crowd. You know for thanksgiving naturally it was... when I went on thanksgiving why they played in East St. Louis. They played one year in East St. Louis and one year in Bellevillle. They’d switch. The year I went on Thanksgiving they didn’t win on thanksgiving, but I went on thanksgiving... and they didn’t win but they played in East St. Louis. Then then...you better not say it but East St. Louis was a tough place to be. You had to be careful what you would say or be doing. Even at that time. You know how it is on the bus and that but of course we never rode the bus to school, we walked to school. Hardly anybody had a car.

C: How big was Belleville back then? Was it pretty small?

A: It was about 30,000, and its about 45 now I think. It was smaller, but there was a lot more businesses on main street back then. There was more business downtown, now its more out. Like this place they put out by your school or even small over here where K-mart and that is there was nothing like that it was all downtown.

C: Do you remember what any of your pastimes were? What you and your friends would do after school?

A: Christina, ever since i was 12 years old I worked.

C: Where all did you work?

A: I shined shoes, on Saturday and Sunday. I worked two days shining shoes on sat and sun we used to play out on the street corner at night after school. The neighborhood kids, you know there were about a half a dozen of us. Ma raised Charles and Lee they were our cousins, and their mother died, and they lived with us. And Chaz used to be there and Eddie and I guess soccer there were two of them and Purino. There was a boy and a girl who was it over there I can’t remember the name now. We had about a half a dozen kids who used to play eye spy, eh not really eye spy but used to you know just kind of hung out together.

C: Did other kids have to work back then too? Did they get jobs young?

A: Purinos didn’t work. No. One time there was some people on Raab Ave. that was a block over from where Purinos had a grocery store and they had their outside toilet turned over and she had a whole bunch of us go over there and my dad went down with me tho because I had been working. I’d been working that night. That was after I was sixteen. When I was sixteen my brother eddie started shining shoes, and I started workin’ the movie i was an usher in the movie when i was sixteen.

C: How long were your school day? Do you know what time it started to what time it ended?

A: I think we had to be there about eight in the morning. How long do you have to be there?

C: Well, I get there at 8:30, and I leave at 3:30. Did you get to go off campus for lunch?

A: No, we never...well what do you mean, during school time?

C: Yeah, were you allowed to leave for lunch? A: We ate there in the cafeteria. No. Nobody left the school grounds. There was no time you didn’t have a class. There might have been a time..what do you call it a class when you don’t have to do anything?

C: A study hall?

A: A study hall. You probably had a study hall during the day. No no kids..it wasn’t like you could just go. I don’t even know if there was. it seemed like there was a place that you could go get a wiener sandwich. I never did leave the school none of us kids did.

C: What do you remember about Hobo Day? Do you remember much about Hobo Day?

A: The kids used to wear old clothes, and they’d march on main street. I don’t know where they marched from...down to the square maybe? I don’t remember too much about it. They said you could wear old clothes so I wore old clothes. So you’d march afterward.

C: So you did the Hobo Day Parade then?

A: Yeah, we marched.

C: Did you have the floats yet or is that later?

A: I don’t think so. I don’t think there were any floats. You can look through the book and see if there were any floats, but if there were some then there wouldn’t have been many. Couple would have been all. They might have had the band playin’. Cause then did have band, ya know.

C: I know when I talked to you the other day your picture in the yearbook was next to the only black person...

A: There was only one black student in the school.

C: Did you know her at all?

A: Yeah, she must have taken the same kind of classes, but I’m not real sure. I don’t know what she took.

C: But she doesn’t stand out in your mind?

A: Not only that she wasn’t in any of my classes so... doesn’t the yearbook have two years in it, junior and senior? I don’t think she was the exact year as me.

C: Well, she was a senior because it only pictures the seniors, but she could have just not been in any of your classes.

A: She wasn’t in any of my classes. I never hardly knew the girl. I mean I knew her, but i didn’t know her very well.

C: What was the overall atmosphere of the school? Was it friendly, a good learning environment?

A: You belong to this cliche or you belong to that cliche. The athletes kinda hung together, the wealthy kinda hung together, the poor ones kinda hung together. I never associated with any kids that had any money. They one that had money were a little prestige or something. They never had anything to do with a guy like me. I had a couple close friends.

C: Who were they?

A: Elmer Schmidt, for one... and I don’t just remember, I’d have a look through the book. I had a couple close friends, and we kinda did things together and stuff.

C: Was there a lot of school spirit while you went to West? Do you think everybody was pretty proud of the school?

A: Yes, very definitely yes. Oh yeah, we knew we had the best school. yeah. I think all the kids would agree to that. We all knew we had a good school. You know belleville at that time Belleville was really the time where if you lived in Freeburg or Millstadt or somewhere like that, if you come to Belleville to school I think you had to pay, so there wasn’t all that many kids who came from out of town. They wouldn’t come from out of town except that they knew that Belleville was a good school to come to, their folks from these smaller towns would come to Belleville to shop because Belleville Main Street was a couple block on the west side and three four blocks on the east side there was a movie theatre on the east side a couple blocks that’s where I was an usher. Even that block yet was pretty good business.

C: I was just looking through your year book do you remember any of the play productions?

A: I didn’t, that was a club.

C: I didn’t know if you ever went to see...

A: If I did I don’t remember. I wasn’t much of a socialite. If it was Saturday or Sunday I would be working all day. I mean I would be there to shine shoes all day probably nine to nine. For a dollar or two. A dollar pay.

C: So, did you go to many of the school dances then?

A: No...no. I went to graduation, but that was about it.

C: Where was graduation held? Inside? Outside? A: I guess it was held in the gym. I really... I can’t say. I can’t remember it being anywhere else so it must have been in the gym. It was well attended. I think all the juniors and seniors showed up for that annual dance that they had... I don’t think they had but one. I remember so well because well my dad bought me white pants and a black coat and that was really something because i never got much new clothes. But it was a real nice time.

C: Do you remember you school’s newspaper back then?

A: Oh yeah we had a buy it. Yeah you had to buy it. I think it was a nickel, but I can’t remember. I always read the paper.

C: Do you know how often it came out?

A: Not very often. I don’t think even every month... probably once every three months, about fours a year.

C: Do you remember what stuff was in it?

A: Same kind of stuff you put it. Stuff that happened at the school.

C: What kind of sports would you say were really..

A: What did i like to do? I didn’t play on any teams. I went out once or twice but I’d last about the first cut and I’d be done. I played shortstop or third base.

C: So you were a baseball player?

A: I was better at it than anything else. I like to play football, but I couldn’t compete. I went out for it it was one I went out for. the guy took one look at me... I was trying to think who the coach was then. I thought of his name the other day, but I can’t think of it now. There was a football coach and I guess a basketball coach, I guess there was just the two coaches who care of everything...track and baseball and basketball...each one of them had about two things that they did.

C: What sports would you say were the most popular at West?

A: They played pretty good baseball. Yeah. I guess basketball now that you mentioned it but I wasn’t I wouldn’t even....I always told the kids even. you know your mom was a pretty fair basketball player. I always used to say I wouldn’t mess with that why if you’re not 6.5 foot tall why you don’t stand a chance. we never did...my cousin Chaz who lived with us he, I think he actually made the football team. I’m not real sure, but I think he made the team one year. One of the Breeze kids he was one that bummed about with us, they let him play but always as a sub they never let him play, but he got a letter. Everybody wanted a letter. I never got a letter but everybody wanted a letter. oh yeah. That big b on a red sweater.

C: Did your sister Aurelia play tennis?

A: Yeah, she was the one who played tennis, but none of them ever went as far as your mother. She went to one in Texas. I guess it wasn’t a national affair, but it was more a state thing. But was Aurelia what? You were going to say something?

C: Do you remember her going off to competitions?

A: No I don’t think so. But at the start I don’t even think Aurelia finished high school. She dropped out a year and then she started again and finished. But you can look again and see.

C: I know her picture was up in the coach office...

A: Well, maybe she was better than I thought... C: You went to high school around the Great Depression, so how did that affect you or people around you?

A: I was poor. I lived on the wrong side of the railroad track i lived down there on S. Fur Street below the railroad track. Didn’t I ever show you where we used to live. That building is torn down now. There’s no building there by the railroad track. Some woman not too long ago was telling me about she lived in that area also and I told her you were on Third Street by the foundry. And she said yeah. She lived a little but closer...we lived on the railroad track and she lived on the better side of the railroad track toward St. Elizabeth’s Hospital. Who in the world was that? Someone that I knew or I was talking to. Your mother lived on Third Street I said you lived down there on Third Street below the foundry and she said yah. I said my dad owned the tavern on the corner and said we used to can, they used to send cans down and then we used to take the cans of beer and walk to the foundry. We were on Fur Street, and then we went to the foundry on Third Street. We carried beer like that. I was five or six years old i guess. When we lived there I went to Washington School and then from the Washington School you went to seventh and eighth grade at Central Junior High School now they tore it down. That schools no longer there they tore it down the past couple years. Where’d you go to junior high?

C: I just went the Queen of Peace.

A: You didn’t go to junior high?

C: I was just at Queen of Peace forever.

A: You didn’t go..oh yeah, that’s right you went to a Catholic school. But yeah..well it used to be across the police station. We went to central school and then from there we went to high school.

C: So during the great depression, was that during around the time that you got your extra jobs and stuff?

A: Oh, I don’t know. We were good people but we just didn’t have anything. And my mother used to take in wash for some people close by I guess and we used to have a sprig wagon, and they would put the clothes in there, and then Aurelia and I would walk it to where the people lived.

C: So you did some extra jobs to get a little more?

A: Yeah. Wherever we could make a nickel why we’d make it. I don’t know how much those people paid Ma. I don’t remember how much they paid but you didn’t get much. When Aurelia went to work she was a swimming instructor and she got a nickel an hour I think, and when I was shining shoes I got paid a dollar for twelve hours for working eight or nine in the morning to eight or nine at night. But that was two dollars. A dollar for Saturday and a dollar for Sunday. We always, my dad always said, he couldn’t get us what we wanted maybe but he could see that we got enough. So we always had enough to eat.

C: Do you have any other stories from high school? or anything you want to say about west?

A: It seems like...by the time I was in high school from 16 to 18 I worked in that movie theater every night. and on saturday and sundays 14 and 15 I shined shoes. I never really had much to do with high school.

C: Anything else you want to say? Or you got it all out?

A: I think that’s about the story of my life..

C: Well, you’re high school life.