Interview of Dr. Eddie Lindsey

Interview Team: Durrell Waldon, Jamie Bankston, and Chandler Anderson

Faculty Facilitator: Ms. Sonya Boyd, Mr. Phil Linn

Date of Interview: March 9, 2006

Dr. Lindsey was born in Phenix City on January 24, 1932, and moved to Columbus during the 4 th grade. During the war years, his family resided first at B-24 8 th Avenue, and later moved to a shotgun house at 1205 East 7 th Street. He was a student during this time, first at 5 th Avenue Elementary, and later at Spencer High School (then located on 10 th Avenue, adjacent to Lummus Cotton Gin and across from Tom’s Foods).

His father worked in a local laundry, pressing clothes, while his mother worked as a secretary. Although she had only an 8 th grade education, she inspired and pushed her children (three boys, two girls), stressing the value of education. She was active in school activities, becoming the president of the Spencer High School PTA and eventually President of the State PTA.

During World War II, Dr. Lindsey recalls that he was too small to participate in varsity athletics, but he was a “sandlot and playground star” in baseball and basketball.

5 th Avenue Elementary School was the “best black school in the world” because it was continually winning city-wide contests in all sorts of areas, including scrap paper and tin can collections. A favorite hangout for black children during this time was at the “Leisurette”, in the basement of the 9 th Street YMCA, where teens could play pool, ping pong, and other activities, and where dances were held as well. Upstairs, the YMCA had a pool and a gymnasium. When Booker T. Washington apartments were built, there was a teen center there which was a popular hangout, especially on Friday nights, and the same for Warren Williams apartments later. Dr. Lindsey pointed out that at that time, the public housing areas did not have the reputation that many have today, and that many of Columbus’ current black leaders, including Judge John Allen and others, grew up in Columbus public housing areas. Occasionally, Dr. Lindsey caddied at the old Municipal Golf Course located at the South Commons; it was here he picked up the game, which he enjoys playing to this day. The Liberty Theater usually showed movies, but on Thursday evenings held live vaudeville performances with stars such as Cab Callaway and Louis Jourdan. Of course, his mother did not allow him to attend these. He remembers, however, that the price of a movie for kids under twelve was 12 cents; twelve and older, it was 17 cents. Bus transportation cost 5 cents a ride.

War rationing, from a child’s perspective, had an impact on the Lindsey family. Shoes were rationed, and Dr. Lindsey remembers going to school with holes in the soles of his shoes. His mother would stuff cardboard inside the shoes, but on wet days, it didn’t take long for his feet to become soaked. Sugar was rationed, and for some reason, the grits back then were yellow, although Dr. Lindsey does not know if this was connected to rationing or not. Lucky Strike cigarettes used to come in a green and red package, but during the war, the company changed the green to white, with a slogan on the package saying that “green has gone to war”. There was no room for a Victory Garden in the house on 8 th Avenue, but he remembers that at 1205 7 th Street, the family raised collard greens and other vegetables. There was not a lot of meat on the table, due as much to the circumstances of the family as to rationing. Dr. Lindsey remembers, however, his father bringing home rabbits and kidneys, to the extent that he will not eat them today.

Phenix City was “ Sin City”—“you could do anything you wanted—anything—in Phenix City”. Although he was too young to go, and the fact that his mother would not have allowed it, the reputation of the city was well-known. There were numerous black establishments there, and many of these, especially those on both sides of Highway 280, were owned by a prominent black entrepreneur by the name of Ingersoll. One such establishment was the Plantation—which had a swimming pool, and many black teens would swim there in the summer. Another popular summer swimming pool was in Woodland Park off Cusseta Road.

Radio was popular entertainment during the war. Dr. Lindsey’s favorite entertainer was Nat King Cole. He recalls that Saturdays were especially popular with the kids listening to such programs as “Inner Sanctum” and “Gangbusters”. Fireside chats from President Roosevelt were also popular, but most popular of all were broadcasts of boxing matches of Joe Louis.

Asked about all the soldiers in town, the teen-age male perspective emerges. He “didn’t think much of the soldiers”, Dr. Lindsey said. The soldiers had money, and because of this, the girls preferred to go out with them rather than the local boys. This sometimes led to incidents between the locals and the soldiers. He remembers that black soldiers had their own USO Club at 9 th Street and 5 th Avenue.

During the war, trips to Atlanta and vacations were unaffordable in his family, but Dr Lindsey remembers that on one special occasion, his mother sent him by bus to visit an aunt in Augusta. This was a big adventure, but also a reminder of the region’s segregated past. Seating on buses was strictly segregated. At a rest stop in Macon, black passengers were ushered to a bathroom facility in the rear of the station.

After the war, Dr. Lindsey graduated from Spencer shortly before his 16 th birthday. Spencer had two graduating classes in those days—one in winter, and one in late spring. He also pointed out that blacks attended school to the eleventh grade at that time. He graduated in the winter class. Trained in brickmasonry, he tried it briefly before deciding that education was the path for him. He received a scholarship to Savannah State College, where he was an English major. Returning to Columbus, he first taught at Carver Elementary School, then taught English at Spencer, before being drafted into the Army for two years. He eventually became principal at Spencer High School, the first graduate of Spencer to do so. He guided the high school through the first years of integration in the early 70’s, before finishing his education career as an assistant superintendent in the Muscogee County School District.