Oral history with Harry C. Tartt

              Oral history with Harry C. Tartt
F341.5 . M57 vol. 747, pt. 2
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Biography
Born on October 16, 1908, in Biloxi, Mississippi, Reverend Harry C. Tartt was the oldest of seven children born to Seth Tartt and Beulah Charles Tartt. His father was an acid tester at a fertilizer plant, and his mother was a homemaker. Reverend Tartt attended New Orleans University ( now Dillard University) in New Orleans, Louisiana, from which he was graduated in 1933, having earned a B. S. In 1934, Reverend Tartt began teaching school at Thirty- third Avenue High School, in Gulfport, Mississippi. Reverend Tartt also attended the University of Chicago, San Jose University, and Xavier University where he earned an M. S. On March 23, 1941, Reverend Tartt married Miss Orlean Delta.
In 1942, Reverend Tartt joined the United States Army, was commissioned a second lieutenant that year, and served in North Africa and Italy where he won five Battle Stars. At the rank of major, Reverend Tartt retired from the Army in 1964, and returned to the classroom in Gulfport, Mississippi, where he taught until his retirement from teaching in 1974.
Outside of the classroom, Reverend Tartt joined the Gulf Coast Opera Company and played in La Boheme, Carmen, Pagliacci, The Mikado, and Marie Livore. A volunteer for community services, he was awarded the Living Legacy Certificate of Recognition by the National Caucus and Center on Black Aged, Inc., " in recognition of distinguished achievement, exemplary contributions and service benefitting the people of this nation." He is a civil service commissioner for the city of Gulfport, a member of Zeta Mu Lambda Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., vice president of Workers Helping Youth ( WHY), a member of the NAACP, the Original Illinois and Epicurean Clubs of New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gerontological Association. He is a retired United Methodist minister and works as public relations officer for the Gulf Coast Action Agency. He has a daughter who is a concert artist, Jacquelyne Tartt.
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