Oral history with Mr. Buck Wells

              Oral history with Mr. Buck Wells, 1997
F341.5 . M57 vol. 694
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
Mr. Ray William " Buck" Wells was born August 21, 1916, on a dairy farm three- fourths of a mile southwest of Mississippi Normal College ( now The University of Southern Mississippi).
He was the third of four children born to Lemual Munford and Bessie Patison Wells.
Sometime around 1920 or 1921 he moved into Hattiesburg with his family. He lived in this house, located on Miller Street, until he entered military service in 1942. He served in the Pacific with the Navy Seabees in World War II.
He went to work for Hercules Inc. in 1937. He retired in 1980 after forty- three years of service.
In 1941 he married Roberta Trigg. They have one adopted daughter Debbie Harvey.
He attended Hattiesburg and Petal schools. He has been a member of Main Street Baptist Church for over fifty years. He is an avid golfer and flower grower.
Table of Contents
I. Growing up on a dairy farm in Hattiesburg
II. Hattiesburg in the 1920s
III. Dairy farm life
IV. Black jobs and white jobs
V. Working at the creosote plant and at sawmills
VI. Railroads; paper routes; baseball; movies; the circus
VII. Bilbo; race relations; minstrel shows
VIII. Schooling in Hattiesburg; Mobile Street
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