Oral history with Mr. Wesley C. Webb

              Oral history with Mr. Wesley C. Webb
F341.5 . M57 vol. 747, pt. 2
Funding for this project provided by The Mississippi State Legislature, The Mississippi Humanities Council, The Mississippi Department of Archives and History, and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage at the University of Southern Mississippi.
This transcription of an oral history by the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage of The University of Southern Mississippi may not be reproduced or published in any form except that quotation of short excerpts of unrestricted transcripts and the associated tape recordings is permissible providing written consent is obtained from the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. When literary rights have been retained by the interviewee, written permission to use the material must be obtained from both the interviewee and the Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage. Please call ( 601) 266- 4574 for more information.
Biography
Born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on April 2, 1938, Mr. Wesley C. Webb was the only child of Edward Carter and Celien Webb. He attended Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School in Biloxi, Mississippi. In his home, his mother's mother was the matriarch, and he grew up in a strictly disciplined home and school. After his graduation from high school, Mr. Webb entered the Navy, completing training at Great Lakes, Illinois, and then boarding the U. S. S. Helena for Japan. For two years and nine months, Mr. Webb served in the Navy, and was inactive in the Reserves for six years. Following that, he was in the Merchant Marines.
Mr. Webb settled in New York City, attending the Programming System Institute and working installing weapons systems in Navy vessels; at the same time, he earned a B. A. from New York University. In 1994, Mr. Webb returned to Biloxi to care for his aged mother; she passed away in 1998. Mr. Webb currently resides in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Table of Contents
I. Our Mother of Sorrows Catholic School
II. Main Street, Biloxi, circa 1940s
III. Family background
IV. Joining the Navy
V. Merchant Marines, Vietnam
VI. Working in New York City
VII. Racism
VIII. Harlem
IX. Childhood
X. Running numbers
XI. Returning to Biloxi
XII. Surviving on " the street"
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