Interview of Clason Kyle

Interview Team: Crystal Nguyen, Kelsey Malkin, and Josh Nichols

Faculty Facilitator: Mrs. Sonya Boyd

Interview Date: 3-9-06

Clason Kyle was born on May 5, 1929, just months before the Stock Market Crash, signaling the onset of the Great Depression. Despite the troubled economic times. Mr. Kyle enjoyed a happy childhood. As the youngest child, he was surrounded by a loving family that extended to grandparents and aunts and uncles. His family lived at 925 Blandford Avenue. He attended Wynnton Elementary School and enjoyed playing with neighborhood friends. His family’s home was joined on one side by a lot and it was there that Mr. Kyle enjoyed playing softball with his friends. The lot was referred to as “Kyle’s Field”.

World War II began in Europe when Clason Kyle was only ten years old. Although the war would greatly impact everyone in the country, Mr. Kyle recalls that he still felt safe in his neighborhood and that his parents never worried about his whereabouts. Oftentimes he would go to one of his aunt’s homes. His family afforded him a safe haven, and they enjoyed life in Columbus. One of their favorite outings was to Spano’s Restaurant, a landmark in Columbus, where Mr. Kyle liked to dine on scalloped oysters!

Mr. Kyle remembered being at the Bradley Theatre on Broadway when the management stopped the show. It was a Sunday afternoon, December 7, 1941, and the manger announced that Pearl Harbor in the Hawaiian Islands had been attacked by the Japanese. Mr. Kyle said that the moment was a very emotional one, with the movie goers standing and singing our National Anthem, The Star Spangled Banner as members of the armed forces, who had been in the audience that afternoon, exited the building. This, the announcement of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, remains one of Mr. Kyles most startling and moving memories of the war years. Even as a child, he knew that this meant that the United States would declare war. From 1939 until 1941, we had been involved in supporting the Allies; now we would be one of them. At twelve years of age, Mr. Kyle knew that this was a very serious time.

 The Kyle family was in the textile industry. It was wartime; toweling and sheeting that was manufactured in the textile mills went to support the needs of the armed forces. The Kyle family supported overall efforts to win the war and, like Americans across the country, the family participated in those activities that benefited the defense efforts. The Kyle family often invited soldiers who were stationed at nearby Fort Benning to have dinner with them at their home. Like many other Columbusites, they enjoyed the presence of celebrities who came through town on campaigns to sell war bonds. Often times these celebrities were film stars. The Kyle family also collected tinfoil that would be gathered into a ball, then melted and used in the war efforts. “Bundles for Britain” were sent to our allies and Mr. Kyle remembers ladies in Columbus knitting bundles of wool items that were mailed overseas.

Rationing was an ever present circumstance during the war years, and Mr. Kyle recalled that sugar was rationed and people made their own butter. Tires were retreaded when needed and nylon hosiery was scarce. Where transportation was involved, most persons walked, rode bicycles, or took the bus. Today we can be in Atlanta within two hours, traveling via the Interstate Highways. During World War II, however, trips to Atlanta were rare. It was a journey of several hours, as Mr. Kyle recalled traveling through Fayetteville to finally arrive in Atlanta.

The war touched many families, and the Kyle’s were no exception. Mr. Kyle’s brother was ten years older, and while he was serving in the war, he was wounded in the leg. The family was worried about his safety, and they were relieved when the young man returned home safely. Soldiers were everywhere in Columbus, and they could often be seen on the streets. The Kyle family felt both sympathy and gratitude toward the young people serving in the armed forces of our country.

Mr. Kyle recalled that one of his uncles was a warden who worked with the blackout drills. These drills required special blackout curtains that would make a house as dark as possible. When the signal sounded, the curtains were drawn and everyone stayed inside. Because of his uncle’s involvement, Mr. Kyle said that his family members were careful to carry out the drills correctly.

Even during the war years, there were times when entertainment flourished. Children, as well as adults, attended the movies, went to concerts, enjoyed shopping and went about their daily lives. Some local persons found Phenix City, Alabama, just across the Chattahoochee River from Columbus, an enticing destination. Mr. Kyle described Phenix City as “wide open”. Although some of its citizens were already making valiant efforts to restore order to their community, it would be years before this would be accomplished. In the meantime, soldiers and civilians alike would go to Phenix City. Vice was commonplace, and Columbus parents warned their children not to go there!

Today, Phenix City is a progressive city, one that has overcome its past and provides a good quality of life for those who live and visit there.

One Sunday afternoon during the war years, Mr. Kyle’s grandparents hosted a tea in their antebellum home on Twelfth Street. Today there is no yard, but at that time, a lawn and garden surrounded the house. One of the guests was the famed author Carson McCullers, a native of Columbus; another was General George Patton. That afternoon, in the midst of the party, General Patton stepped to the front porch, and there he shot his famous pearl handled revolvers. Mr. Kyle remembered that a “sea of khaki” filled the yard, as soldiers from all around the area poured onto the lawn! It seemed as though two thousand troops were standing in front of the house! As Mr. Kyle expressed it, this is one of his “splendid memories”. He also recalled that while most of the guests were dressed in their afternoon best, Mrs. McCullers was dressed in a casual skirt with knee socks and brogans, a style of walking shoe. All in all, it was a very memorable afternoon!

As the end of the war approached, Americans, including the Kyle family, would suffer a loss. President Franklin D. Roosevelt passed away at The Little White House at Warm Springs, Georgia, only a short distance from Columbus. In fact, numerous Columbusites had the opportunity to meet the President when he visited the area, where he received treatment for polio. On that April afternoon in 1945 when Mr. Kyle heard that the Commander-in-Chief had died, he was in his grandfather’s optical shop. That day, and in the days that followed, many American’s mourned the passing of their President, the leader of the Free World. Persons in the street wept with grief.

Later that year, when the new President, Harry Truman, ordered the atomic bomb dropped on Japan, Mr. Kyle, now a teenager, thought that it was the right thing to do. Like many Americans, he believed that it was the most expedient way to end the war. Looking back, he now says that it was “horrible thing to do, necessary, but morally questionable”. Although he acknowledges that President Truman made a decision that must have been difficult beyond our understanding, Mr. Kyle’s feelings remain mixed on the issue.

The end of the war brought great joy and excitement to Columbus and to the rest of the country. There were celebrations throughout the city. Downtown Columbus was filled with revelry and the celebrations lasted for hours, throughout the night! Young and old alike joined in the fun! 1945 saw the defeat of Germany and Japan, and the American military came home to a welcoming that has never been equaled!

Clason Kyle grew up and became a newspaperman, a journalist who grew to love the notion of historic preservation. He has long been a spokesperson for the efforts to preserve the historic buildings and neighborhoods of Columbus. As he was also a patron of the arts, the community greatly benefited from his interest. Along the way, Mr. Kyle wrote a book that reflected the importance and the beauty of Columbus. Images remains an important record of life in the city along the Chattahoochee.

For a number of years, Mr. Kyle also worked on a book that told the story of the fabled State Theatre of Georgia, the Springer Opera House. In the Spring of 2006, In Order of Appearance was published to acclaim. Once again, Clason. Kyle’s ability to recollect the times of his life, and to place them into historical perspective, has added to the lore and legend of his hometown, Columbus, Georgia.