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Jon Eric Johnson: Beamer. Mr. Beamer, first of all. Could you tell us your
place of birth, your country, state, town?
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Delmas Beamer: Yeah. Cedar Grove, West Virginia. Birth, April 13th, 1906.
That's in Kanawha County, West Virginia.
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Johnson: Okay. Uh, how do you. How do you recognize yourself? How do you
relate to yourself? Like, ethnically? Do you relate to yourself as a Black
or an American Negro or in some cases, Colored?
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Beamer Well. I relate myself as Colored because that's the way it was,
you know, when I was brought up. Just here lately, they changed everything
to Black, you know.
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Beamer But where I was born, in Cedar Grove, West Virginia. We referred to
Negroes as Colored. Whites as Whites. And if you were to call a Negro a
nigger, you had a fight on your hands. Same way if you call a White a pale
face, you know.
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Johnson: [laughs] Okay. Um, well, go ahead. I'm sorry.
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Beamer Well, what I mean to say is that's the way it was then. But you
remember, this has been a long time.
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Johnson: Well, how do you feel about, you know, the since they made the
conversion from Colored or Negro to Black? How do you feel about that
transition? Do you you relate to that? Is it something difficult for your
generation to relate to?
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Beamer It's really not difficult. It's not difficult because there Cedar
Grove is 20 miles from the capital of the state of West Virginia. And there
everybody was the same. As you refer to the Blacks now, the Blacks eat with
the Whites. The Whites eat with the Black. And there is no comparison,
anything. Understand? That's the way it was. Then as I went to school, it
was really segregated.
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Johnson: Do you remember what school you attended?
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Beamer Yes, I attended Cedar Grove Elementary, and then for high school, I
had to go to Charleston, you know, to at that time it was Boyds, what they
call Boyds Junior high. And later they built the new school, which was
Garnett High. And so, I don't know. I was always a very-- they said I was a
black sheep. They said I was a black sheep. My mother was 56 years old when
I was born and I was number ten. After I there weren't any more, see.
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Johnson: 56 years old.
Beamer My mother was 56 when I was born. And they they said I was a change
of life baby. And listen, they couldn't teach me anything in school. Then,
I went to West Virginia Collegiate Institute. At this time, it's West
Virginia State College. At that time it was West Virginia Collegiate
Institute. Well, I couldn't get along with anyone there because I knew more
than any one there. See? So before they could kick me out, I transferred to
Bluefield Collegiate Institute, which today is Bluefield State College. And
I got there and I couldn't learn anything there. So I just gave it up. As
you might say, I went through two colleges in the front door and out the
back, but that's neither here nor there. But I mean, I just I, I've been a
freelancer all my life. If things didn't go my way, well, I just walked out
on it. I don't know. And I guess at my old age, I'm still that same way
today. If it don't go my way, well, it doesn't go anyway.
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Johnson: Well, you're tired--retired right now?
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Beamer Yeah, I'm retired.
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Johnson: What was your occupation prior to retirement?
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Beamer Well, all right. Now, I came to Pittsburgh 19 and 37, and then I.
Well, I had quite a bit of drafting, so I went to CB County Trade School
and I did the drafting there under--I forget now. This has been a long time
ago back in-- Johnson: Take your time. Beamer: '38 when I went there I'm
trying to think--it was under some fund or, you know, program or something.
I was getting paid for it and I did tracing. And I was doing, you know,
electrical tracing, radio. Well, at that time, we didn't have too much
television. In our classes or anything. And I did quite a number of
sketches of, uh, schematics, you know, for television. And in fact, I was
so good with radio that I could draw up a schematic and go to a radio part
store and get parts and build that radio from them. So later on, I also did
that with televisions. I would go downtown Pittsburgh at they called
Tidings Store--tidings electrical store. Radio and television. And I would
go buy televisions by, you know, the parts. I mean, the whole entire thing
broke down. Excuse me. And I would assemble it myself. And I made a lot of
money building televisions and selling. Those were in the very early days
of television, see? All right, now in the meantime, I--when the war broke
out in '41 then I went to work with the Army as a volunteer. I was
secretary to Colonel Alexander McLean Milligan. He was head of the medical
center for preparing the boys to go to service. We worked out of the old
post office at 408 Smithfield Street. There were 16 doctors that each boy
had to go through. And then after he goes through these 16 doctors, we
had--we'd have around 100, we'd have around 120 to 200 each day for
examinations. And then the last doctor they would go to would be the big
brass, that was Colonel Alexander McLean Milligan.
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Johnson: Well you lived in Pittsburgh then--
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Beamer Right here in Pittsburgh.
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Johnson: What area did you live near in Pittsburgh? Beamer: Huh? Johnson:
What area?
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Beamer That I live in? Johnson: Yeah.
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Johnson: What area? North Side? Home--
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Beamer No, I live 1410 Wylie Avenue, Hill D-- Johnson: Hill District.
Beamer: That's where--
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Johnson: How was the Hill District back then? Beamer: Huh? Johnson: How
was the Hill District back then in the 1930s?
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Beamer Oh, gee, it was rough. [Johnson laughs] If you--listen, as they had
an expression, they said, most everyone was on relief and everything and
getting relief checks, you know? And they had an expression that say, if
you can make it over Friday night, you're good for a new week. [laughter]
Understand? Well, but by that, they meant everybody go get they relief
checks Friday. They go and get them a little wine and a few pork chops
and--and pay a little rent, you know, and everything. [laughs] Now, that's
the way things were. I'm going back, you know, I'm bringing you back now
to, uh, uh, '41. You remember, when the war broke out. But anyway, as I was
telling you about, when you bring your papers back to the 16th doctor, that
was Colonel Milligan. And then he looked these papers over, and then I'm
the one to tell you whether you were in the service or rejected. See, I got
the stamp there, you know, and everything. Johnson: Uh huh. Beamer: And
when you left there, whatever I told you, that was it. If I said you're in,
you're in. And as I say you're out, you're rejected. So. And, well, it was
it was fun for me because I had a lot of friends that didn't want to go to
the service. And Colonel would ask me, said, well, Beamer said, what are we
going to do with this boy? I said, Now he's got a 50/50 chance. Well, what
are you gonna--I said, put him in! And I said, we're going to put him in.
And one guy wanted to kill me. I'm not saying I mean this sincerely. He
really wanted to kill me. When he came back on the furlough, man, he looked
for me and I had to hide. I had to hide. [laughter] I mean, it was funny.
That's not so good. But. And then, uh. Well, in the meantime, uh, I tried
to get in then, but at that time, I did have what they call, uh, what they
call it, a coronary--I forget exactly what they call it, but it was--
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Johnson: It was some type of ailment that kept you out?
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Beamer It was something that--that the blood was, you know-- Johnson: Oh,
uh, hardening in the arteries? Beamer: Hardening somewhere in there, you
know, and didn't permit complete, you know-- Johnson: Flow of-- Beamer:
Flow of blood. So they--I tried to get in, you know, through a waiver
there. Anyway.
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Johnson: Okay, Let's move on to, uh-- Beamer: Yeah. Johnson: --like your
religion. Do you have any religious-- Beamer: I'm Baptist. Johnson:
--affiliation?
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Beamer I'm Baptist. I've been baptized.
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Johnson: Any specific congregation here in the Pittsburgh area or down in
West Virginia?
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Beamer That's West Virginia. Cedar Grove, West Virginia. I was baptized--
Johnson: Was it a big congregation? Beamer: Huh?
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Johnson: Was it a big congregation?
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Beamer Yeah, quite a big congregation. I was baptized in the river. We go
out in the river and baptize, not in a church. We went out in the river.
Yeah.
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Johnson: How long ago were you baptized? Do you remember? Beamer: Hm?
Johmson: Do you remember when you were baptized?
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Beamer Sure. I was baptized when I was about 12 years old.
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Johnson: Do you remember what river you were baptized in? Beamer: Huh?
Johnson: Remember what the name of the river was?
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Beamer Sure. Kanawha River. Johnson: Kanawha River? Beamer: Yeah. Kanawha
River.
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Johnson: Where's Kanawha River located at? You know?
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Beamer Kanawha River runs all just about all through West Virginia.
Johnson: I never heard of that. Beamer: Yeah.
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Johnson: What about politics? Were you a registered Democrat or registered
Republican?
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Beamer I'm registered as a Democrat. Johnson: Why? Beamer: Hm? Johnson:
Why? Beamer: Well, I just--as you know, West Virginia mostly is Republican.
But I figured to each his own the way you feel. And I figured that Democrat
was most for me.
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Johnson: So does voting really matter to you or does it really matter?
Does it mean anything to you? Does your one vote really count? You think it
counts?
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Beamer I figure. Listen, I--I--I--I figure like this, that, uh, being able
to vote means something to me, and I--I figure I should vote. That's the
way I look at it. I should vote, and I do vote. And since I moved up here,
see, I had changed my registration, and I sent a card in for that because I
figured that's something each and all of us should do if we are able to
vote, to vote. And vote for your own choice. Johnson: Okay. Beamer: Now, I
believe in splitting tickets.
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Johnson: Okay. All in all though, how many years did you live in
Pittsburgh?
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Beamer I've been here since '37. Johnson: '37. Okay.
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Johnson: What other areas other than the Hill have you lived in? Other
than the Hill District?
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Beamer None. Johnson: Just the Hill District? Beamer: The Hill District
and, uh, the Hill Distict, and I lived, you means--
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Johnson: You know, areas. Hill, Homewood--
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Beamer Oh, I lived in the Hill District and Shadyside. I lived in
Shadyside for about 17 years. And then after that, Brushton.
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Johnson: Okay. I'm gonna get a little bit into your family history here.
Do you remember your grandparents and you know, what do you remember about
them that really sticks out in your mind?
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Beamer I don't--I don't remember my grandmother and I remember seeing my
grandfather. That's all I could tell you.
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Johnson: You didn't--you didn't know anything about your grandparents
other than-- Beamer: No. Johnson: Did your parents tell you anything about
your grandparents?
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Beamer No.
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Johnson: Where were your parents born at?
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Beamer My mother was born at--my mother was born--well, I have to get that
straightened out. My father was born in Mount Salem, North Carolina.
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Johnson: You remember what year?
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Beamer No, I don't. I don't, no. And my mother was born in Hansford, West
Virginia. 1860.
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Johnson: Oh, she was born 1860? Beamer: Yes. Johnson: Was your mother a
former slave?
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Beamer No.
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Johnson: Okay. Both of them were freed--well, freedmen. Beamer: Right,
right. Johnson: Did your mother ever relay to you any--anything that
happened or how it was back in, you know, when she was coming up? Beamer:
No. Johnson: Never? Beamer: No.
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Beamer And then, as I told you, I was born in Cedar Grove. And of course,
there we had, uh, we had, uh, my father, he was--he was a barber. My father
was just about everything. And we had three restaurants, barbershop, hotel,
and just about everything. Just about anything you want, my father had. And
I mean, of course you understand now, my mother was married twice. My
father was married twice. And by my father, there were two of us, a boy and
a girl. And my sister, she's still living in Cedar Grove. And my father, he
educated all of them, all but me. I couldn't be educated, [Johnson laughs]
but all the rest of them got a good education. I had a cousin, I'm quite
sure you've heard of him. He lived right there, just three miles from us at
Pratt, West Virginia. I'm quite sure you've heard of him, Adam Clayton
Powell.
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Johnson: Oh, that's your cousin?
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Beamer Yes and we used to fight all our lives when we were young.
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Johnson: The Adam Clayton Powell?
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Beamer Adam Clayton Powell.
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Johnson: Oh, wow. That's--that's beautiful. [laughs]
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Beamer And so, as it is now, Adam was born in Pratt. But counterpart when
they had to leave Pratt. These are things a lot of people don't know, but--
Johnson: Talk about them, please!
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Beamer But I mean, these are things that people don't about Adam
and--and--and the Senior had to leave Pratt. That Pratt was really a
segregated place, see.
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Johnson: You're talking about Pratt, West Virginia.
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Beamer Yeah, Pratt, West Virginia. Johnson: Okay. Beamer: And shoot, now,
they were--they--all they want to do is call you a Nigger. Those Whites
wanna call you a Nigger, see? [Johnson laughs] And you call them a sayjure
[??], you've got a fight. Don't call them no sayjure or you got a fight on
hand. What does--
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Johnson: What is a sayjure [??]? I've never heard that before.
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Beamer A sayjure [??]. That's something a White person don't want to be
called, a sayjure [??]. [laughs]
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Johnson: What does that term sayjure [??] mean?
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Beamer Just--just the way you would refer to Nigger-- Johnson: Oh, okay.
Beamer: --to us. Johnson: Sayjure[??]. Beamer: Understand? Yeah. And so.
[laughs] Adam Sr.--Adam Sr was on his mule, crossing the creek. [laughs]
And two boys came out, you know, [laughs] and started calling him nigger
when he crossed the stream and then throwing rocks at the mule, see? And
the mule bucked knocked Adam down--off the mule down in the creek. Adam
went home, got his .22 rifle and came back and killed one of the boys, see?
So they had to leave at night.
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Johnson: Was this Adam Senior or--
Beamer Adam Senior, [telephone rings] so the whole family left. [sound of
tape pausing] Johnson: Okay, let's continue. Beamer: Yeah. He--he shot and
killed this boy. So they had to leave at night, you know, going anywhere.
So they finally made it to New York. But then, well, Adam junior, now you
know what that dude used to do to me? That's when we were kids, see.
He--he--he was smart, though. Adam was smart, I'm telling you. And he'd
talk about kings, you know, had to sleep with a sword suspended over their
head on two hairs from a white horse's tail and said if one of those hairs
should break, the sword come down and cut the king--and I believed all that
kind of crap! You know, I mean, [laughs] he--he had me brainwashed. That's
no joke.
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Johnson: So, okay, so your parents really never moved from West Virginia
to Pittsburgh? Beamer: No-- Johnson: Just you? Beamer:--no, that's right.
Johnson: Okay. Anything you know more about Adam Clayton Powell that, you
know, this is the first thing I've ever heard about him, other than, you
know, the late 60s or mid 60s. Beamer: Yeah. Johnson: Is there anything
else that any other famous people that you've come across like, you know,
in your--in your [??]?
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Beamer No. No. Well, no, I. I, uh, I don't know. There was--oh, there's a
lot of them I used to know, but after all I've forgot now.
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Beamer My father, he was a--he was a great friend of the president of
Howard University. And there were several times that he visited, you know,
our home and. Well, I'll tell you, the way we lived there is just like a
lot of the White people live in the South because we had plenty. We had
plenty. And my father had plenty of businesses. None of the kids had to
want for nothing. Excuse me. And today in Cedar Grove, actually, in a way
of speaking. We still own, I'd say, a quarter of the city of Cedar Grove
today. I mean, land, you know, as far as they go.
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Johnson: Since your father was such a, you know, outstanding businessman,
you know. And your mother didn't have to work outside of house or anything,
did she?
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Beamer Oh, no, no. No one worked. No one worked. Uh uh.
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Johnson: Okay. Did anyone else, like, share the home with the immediate
family, your relatives, or did you have any boarders?
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Beamer No, everyone had owned their own home. Everybody owned their own
home. And instead of waiting out when my mother died, she had 33
grandchildren and each one of them owned their own home today and
everything. No one suffered. I'm the only one suffered since I've been
right here in Pittsburgh, you might say. No one else is suffering.
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Johnson: Well, do you ever regret having made that move from from Cedar
Grove to Pittsburgh?
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Beamer I can't say that I have. I, uh. I can't say that I have
because--ooo, my biography would be something. I'm telling you, I've been
married five times and I paid for three divorces. One was an annulment. And
my fifth wife, she passed on the 19th of March, 1969. Haven't married
anymore. Never intend to. So that's the way the thing is. But I've lived.
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Johnson: Okay. Of your five marriages, how many children do you have?
Beamer: Well-- Johnson: How old are they?
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Beamer Well, I've got a son, 41. And that's all I can really speak about
it now. I had a daughter and she was killed by an automobile when she was
about, oh, three years old. And that was '43, after I went into the
service. I went into the service. I did finally get in through a waiver and
I went in to the service. I went to the 1534th Service Unit, Signal Corps.
That was in '42. In '43, she was killed by an automobile while I was still
in the service.
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Johnson: Do you remember your first job? That you ever had? In Cedar Grove
and the first job you ever had here in Pittsburgh?
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Beamer First job I had at Cedar Grove, let' see. I never had a job in
Cedar Grove. The first job I had,Charleston, I think, was driving taxi. And
first job I had in Pittsburgh was a helper--helper to a heater at the Nixon
Theatre Building. That was, I guess, about a little over a year, give a few
weeks here or there. Then I went to, as I told you, CB County Trade School
and they sent me over here. Over here where was across the river where they
were. We were making maps, you know.
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Johnson: Do you remember what place that was? Beamer: I can show it to
you.
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Beamer Here you can see the building. [unintelligible] [sound of tape
pausing] It's acrossed--crossed the river.
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Johnson: Into Homestead?
00:26:49.000 --> 00:26:58.000
Beamer No. Oh, cut it off, man. [sound of tape pausing]
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Johnson: Was that fine for you on the North Side?
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Beamer Yeah. South Side, whatever you call it.
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Johnson: Some of the jobs that you've held through the years. What is the
best you know, good and bad jobs? What is the best job that stands out in
your mind and the highest paying job? And what were you doing?
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Beamer Well, really, the highest paying job is--the highest paying jobs
when I came out of the service in '47 because I worked when I went in the
service I was in in mill, I was US Steel mill. Johnson: Which one? Beamer:
United States Steel mill that's in Warren, Ohio. I went there and I started
as a chainman. I did everything, worked up from chainman to uh, uh,
chipper, grinder, dispatcher, crane man, inspector and then when I went
into the service, I was steel inspector. And when I came out of the service
in '27, I went back there. And I didn't start as a steel inspector, I
started as a heater helper and that was about the highest paying job at
that time, which which was about. A long time ago at $2, I think $2.30 an
hour or something like that. Then the heater of the coke ovens died and I
replaced him, which was supposed to be temporary as they wanted to use it
as senior rights. Anyway. Well, that paid 2, paid $2.79 an hour, but in
'45, $2.79 an hour was really good money.
00:29:20.000 --> 00:29:22.000
Johnson: Yeah, imagine it was.
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Beamer So anyway, they tried to. So that I wasn't eligible. You know, the
seniority rights to become a heater and a coke oven man. Johnson: Why? Why?
Beamer: All right. Because when I left for the service, I was--I was a
steel inspector, and they couldn't understand why I spend 39 months in the
service and come back and then get a promotion like that. So--where there
were guys who'd been there for 10 and 12 years, you know,that they figured
were. Well, anyway, what they did so they gave test, they gave examination
tests and there were, I think, three Blacks and about 11 Whites to take an
examination for heater of a Coke plant, see. And none of them passed it,
see. So naturally they had to keep me in there as heater. And so there was
so much resentment and I always been hot tempered anyway, so I just gave it
up and quit and came on here to Pittsburgh. That's what I did.
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Johnson: What year was that when you worked in Ohio? Beamer: What's that?
Johnson: You remember what year that was?
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Beamer Sure. I worked there. I worked there in '45 and I came out of the
service May 27, '45. Worked there till '47. And I came here, tried the
mills here. Oh, no. I couldn't even get a job as a craneman here. Johnson:
Why is that? Beamer: They didn't use Blacks here.
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Johnson: Did they tell you that?
00:31:28.000 --> 00:31:30.000
Beamer Why--huh?
Johnson: Did they tell you that they didn't use Blacks?
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Beamer They said they had no openings or anything. Anybody can tell you
around here, all they could do is chip--
