[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]

Interviewer 0:01
Okay, rank and where you're from.

Roy Lake 0:05
My name is Roy lake. And I'm from Washington. I'm sorry, Silver Spring Maryland. rank in the Navy, musician second class at what we were discharged. And what else

Interviewer 0:32
Well, how did you find out about the band? Can you can you tell us a little bit about how you got into the band? What were you doing at the time?

Roy Lake 0:37
Oh, I see, at the time that I enlisted in a band. I was sort of between schools, I had just graduated from high school, James V. Deadly High School in Greensboro, North Carolina. And there wasn't that much money around in my family. So I really had no hopes of going to going on to college like I wanted to. So I found the job and started working immediately after graduation from high school. And I was in the process of trying to save some money so that I could go to college. I had big plans of college, I had thought that I was going to Michigan State. So but my resources were very limited. So that's why I started to work. And the news about the band came about hearsay you know, I was that that's it, I had taken a job I thought it working there in Greensboro in hopes of saving enough money to pay the tuition. And is that said, I was really unclear about the school I had hopes of going to Michigan, I have heard so much about Wayne State that I will set my mind on going there. Now. The the fact that that was a long ways away from North Carolina, and also more money that I had saved up for. And so I just prepared to work and wait until I could raise the tuition or raise enough money to. And I had received that scholarship to one of the North Carolina to one of these schools and I think is number one, I think it was either in North Carolina, Tennessee, but I did forget who it was it was a black predominantly black school. And scholarship was a partial scholarship. And even that didn't pay enough for me to go full time. So I just made up my mind to work and until that had enough money saved to enter. Now, as I said, that was in the fall of the wintertime. It was during the 1941 was when I graduated high school. So I just made myself determined to work until until the following year to enter school and the being a resident of Greensboro and that said the information about the native except now the news about the band sort of got in the community somehow and it piqued my interest because I enjoyed the playing in a high school band. No. And at the at the time thing, the person the band director, just two months further back had entered, you know, had been gone is genuine there as a band leader, and Jane and Daniel High School. And I like the like the band very much be he had Mr. PARSONS that just entered his tenure that year, so earlier. And as I said he was very well liked there, in the school and in the community. And I enjoyed the band when they lose that out about the eye, and I really don't know how it became so well known at the time, because well, anyway, I think it was he who mentioned it, but other fellows around the city, you know, some of them might play schoolmates,who played in a band also got to lose. And well, one thing led to another and as I said that way, for news got around. We were when I say we, I mean, other friends of mine, you know, started seeking more information, knowledge about enlisting, and things like that. And Mr. Parson himself, after talking to him, indicating that the possibility of my entering, enlisting into the band that said this was in about February or March of 41. So that was just the entrance that I first so this is how I got the knowledge and eventually, it got to the point where I had more information about enlisting. And I found that I was underage, as far as doing it on my own. So I had to get my parents, right. Get permission to enlist whenever the time came, but as I said earlier, I didn't do anything, right.

Interviewer 8:33
What kind of job did you have?

Roy Lake 8:34
Oh, it was just a meaningful type of messenger job and one of the one of the local stores in greensboro, didnt pay very much but but

Interviewer 8:48
is that there? Do you remember which store?

Roy Lake 8:51
A Sure Hey, this was learners clothing store? located in Greensboro.

Interviewer 8:58
So what did you do as a job there you would give messages within the store or outside of town, a sort of thought

Roy Lake 9:05
of you know, the pressure. unpacked coals are now you know, worked in the store to help in the process of keeping the people to store clean and messenger type of services, whatever was needed by the management.

Interviewer 9:40
You had it sounds like you had an interest in getting out of Greensboro. I mean, how would you hear about someplace like Michigan State, or Wayne State? Was there some point it was

Roy Lake 9:50
just my interest and reading about

Interviewer 9:53
the Do you remember what it was about Michigan State that attracted you to it?

Roy Lake 9:56
Well, they had a good engineering environment and how I'm interested in pursuing an engineering course. And that's why I felt that firstly,

Interviewer 10:15
when you are in the process of enlisting, do you remember much about how you went down for the meeting a recruiter who went down with you? And you mentioned some of the fellows from Dudley Can you talk a little bit about that? So if the circumstances of actually getting interviewed by a recruiter or however that might have happened

Roy Lake 10:34
say in my mind right now, but I know that the interest and the knowledge kept building up to the point that I talked to Well, I didn't I didn't talk to recruiters at that time. But I did try to find out more information about the Navy and you know what, what I had to do in order to in order to get in I can't remember even the buddies that you know what I do know there was there was also interested added this building and I can't really remember what I talked personally to Mr. Parsons, or not about it, but that's I think the converstation most people were enlisting you know,

Interviewer 11:59
what you have an interesting perspective on Parsons, having known him in high school, and then as a commander in the Navy, did you find him a different person? He sometimes is depicted as being kind of harsh in the Navy.

Roy Lake 12:16
Well, no, I've never I never found him in anyway Anything other than congenial and just a very good professor you know and as I said, contact that I had was friendly in fact, he gave me I had a personal clarinet lessons I met him at one time you know, and would visit the house where he lived to get a lesson but they weren't it wasn't there all week.

Interviewer 13:18
Did you continue playing music what you got out of high school?

Roy Lake 13:21
No, no, that's that's that's the thing once once I got out of high school I sort of put it down for as opposed to regularly playing either with a group or some other organized organization

Interviewer 13:51
what do you remember about Norfolk training?

Roy Lake 13:55
Norfolk was, as I said, being very young. It was it was a it was a new world for me as far as the military life and routine developing bootcamp was it was pretty rough. Having to the different swimming couldn't swim. So I had to think what the Go submarine submarine called every

Interviewer 14:45
learned what is some recall is a lesson for swim lessons. Yeah,

Roy Lake 14:49
that they would call it so for those who the recruits and until you know If you swam, swam well enough to pass the minimum path decide to go everyday, every day until that happened.

Interviewer 15:17
You didn't get you didn't get music training in Norfolk. This is basic Navy training, basic Navy training. Did you even have instruments in North know that people in Norfolk know that you were training advancements?

Roy Lake 15:29
Yeah, there was a sort of a unique type of thing to have on the base. Firstly, there was sort of looked down as a prize type of organization, you know, the other sailors who were it was a boot camp for the Navy. They had they will Lankan. While they were in boot. Facilitate,

Interviewer 16:09
were there. Were there other black units being trained? Was it what was? What was the baseline? Well,

Roy Lake 16:15
the baseline just regular, regular, normal naval operating base and you saw nothing but on the base learn about the road to obtaining.

Interviewer 16:36
So what was it that was it? Were they predominantly black sailors? Or was it a mix? Was it a

Roy Lake 16:41
lot? A lot of black sailors?

Interviewer 16:45
Were you you were being trained about white officers? Oh, yeah. How did you did you have any recollection of how those sounds? There's a point earlier in naval history where there's a statement that we need southern men to leave because they're the only ones that know how to deal with black people. I'm curious, I'm curious about how you might have felt that some of the commanders, your instructors,

Roy Lake 17:15
I don't think I had any any real feeling one way or the other about the leaders or the superior offices because we are more or less like most of the others that we would have to learn and train and how to be good sailors that there was no I encountered no antagonism from either the mainland routine stuff that we went through. Daily getting up and going through aspect of being a sailor learn how to be a sailor, or the math teacher.

Interviewer 18:13
Did you have a sense of what you were doing is being unusual kind of historic?

Roy Lake 18:19
Well, yes, yes. Yeah. That that was, I think, in my in my mind and it was such that the other sailors, you know, undergoing the bootcamp looked upon us as being special. We're all black, but you know, black unit was there. And they're meant to, you know, they would look at us with all whenever we go about their routine.

Interviewer 19:11
We did you already have musician strikes, or is that awarded at the end of bootcamp

Roy Lake 19:17
that was awarded? I think we had no ratings whatsoever.

Interviewer 19:25
Was there a ceremony for that? Or was that done individually?

Roy Lake 19:30
Well, there was no, no ceremony. It was. In fact, I don't even think we had the emblem. You know, they're just a little musical. At that time, that one weekend we knew quietly who would work while we were going about the base say my man was literally Half a dozen think so. Please indicate that we were missing I'm not too sure

Interviewer 20:10
about Chapel Hill but do you remember about getting there? Were you pretty excited about coming home? Any feelings about that how you got into Chapel Hill especially that first day recollections

Roy Lake 20:24
Well as I said we didn't we didn't have any instruments for a long time even after we got even after we got situated and the housing our instruments didn't come for a period of time I'm not quite for

Interviewer 20:43
Chapel Hill in Chapel Hill so there's not there wasn't a parade the first day you got there

Roy Lake 20:49
oh no, no I can I can not remember having a parade not the first day as I say it was more or less got situated and the quarters where we were we were to reside and picnic in mean didn't have any instrument to practice on or anything until later

Interviewer 21:21
was the building complete?

Roy Lake 21:22
with the building was complete Yes, we lived in it you know yeah, I've quite quite good as to where my memory is at about a long time ago and thinking but that's where I remember we waited for waited for quite a while once in quite a while and waited for him to laugh. And they were able to come peacefully Oh, trombone maybe this time or whatever. But not all at once. You weren't we weren't not outfitted toto at one day

Interviewer 22:18
did you have a routine in that you were going through before the instruments were coming? What was Parsons doing with his troops during that time that instrument what was he doing with his band?

Roy Lake 22:31
Well that's the most hazing because I think that we were just living in the corners and going up after routine but I I'm a little bit hesitant about saying specifically what the normal dude is wearing. But I think as I said, I think it was more or less just waiting, you know?

Interviewer 23:23
What else do you recall about Chapel Hill turns you're marching your duty there after the incident after you became the band one with your instruments? How was like how's it Yeah, what what did you do or what do you remember about the highlights any kind of thing to stick in your mind today either actually highlights or lowlights?

Roy Lake 23:45
Well, as I say we got into the routine of what was that the Astral Plane practice and march to college and I'm now has to say whether we fade over that door during the day, but I know we might back and forth during the day, as from from the quarter over to the school and rehearse that dance.

Interviewer 24:38
Did you have rehearsals on campus also?

Roy Lake 24:41
No, no, it was all validated in a

Interviewer 24:45
band building. How about the community around a record recollections of the black community around the Hargrave center? How I know several 1000s wound up marrying ladies that were from there and it seems like there's a real good A good feeling about both the folks in Chapel Hill as well as advances were that

Roy Lake 25:04
that was that was there a good record between the community and members of the band and just know that going in comments was more or less looking and friendly dating and etc You know, what? Go on between the sales and the population

Interviewer 25:39
How did you meet your wife?

Roy Lake 25:41
Well, not until way later. That was that was our first idea of looking to any girl. And we come there I mean, at Yeah. Whenever there was the opportunity to grow up outside and outside the building and to communicate that churches, churches and community relationships

Interviewer 26:26
Did you hang out with them today and who are your buddies

Roy Lake 26:30
and about mostly those who were sort of in my age category because that was still airing and Monroe people who were entertained as a teenager because there were other members of the band you know a whole month much older than we were we were sort of children some of them even though different age they were all you know they're friendly and difficult

Interviewer 27:16
did you get to go home much

Roy Lake 27:19
because some fella that car cars and we could have liberty was pretty liberal weekend on the weekend that we could go right over the brain to some of the fellows who live there and

Interviewer 27:46
I want to back up just a little bit now was back on Greensboro. Can you talk just for a moment about growing up your family brothers and sisters type of jobs your parents had a little bit of background as

Roy Lake 27:59
well. Had no brothers and sisters so I was just a local only child and my parents they just menial jobs.

Interviewer 28:13
What sort of jobs?

Roy Lake 28:15
Well, my my mother did housework. also took some time to watch to watch clothing for people and community. Residents are great as well. wasn't too difficult you know to get piecework taken washing and do things like that. I not very much used to that.

Interviewer 28:52
How about your dad?

Roy Lake 28:54
He worked for the sanitation department. He's considered a pretty good job as far as

Interviewer 29:08
Did you know your grandparents?

Roy Lake 29:11
No, not that much. This is what I buy. I vaguely remember my grandmother who was in South Carolina and grandfather. So I knew very little about them and it was more or less continued family.

Interviewer 29:35
How did you get interested in music

Roy Lake 29:39
developed in high school? Interested in the instrumental Choosing the instrument like the clarinet I mean it's one of those things

Interviewer 30:12
where there clarinet players that you admire Do you remember hearing big bands? Did you have exposure much to music around Greensboro How did you hear music

Roy Lake 30:22
Well radio and things like that occasionally that were bad things bands that would come with a screen oh one nice fan, etc and whatever the opportunity to go to dance it was just beginning to get to the stage

Interviewer 31:01
that in fact back to Chapel Hill some there were some pretty big occasions that y'all play for big bond rallies and the launching of the Merrick I think a presidential visit at Kenan Stadium

Roy Lake 31:13
oh yes yeah. That was oh they were excited that they were sort of headline of course and when we were more or less developing into a routine of being in Chapel Hill and there were things that would come along you know, like special holidays and parades that we would we would participate in a parade things like that.

Interviewer 32:15
Was the Dudley band what you would call a show band the marching band

Roy Lake 32:18
at the time it was one of the better bands of high school

Interviewer 32:25
he had a reputation

Roy Lake 32:30
reputation and so you know always call upon you know to dissipate were abandoned had to represent school basically holidays anti ban was always an attraction

Interviewer 33:04
what how do you think you got to the why what happened to get you shift out of her several theories and that

Roy Lake 33:13
I've heard I've heard and have never known exactly why we were shipped out after having the knowledge of thinking that we were supposed to be there for the duration it came to us as a surprise that we were going to be transferred for a long time not knowing where we were going in at least initially. I mean, pretty soon you're going to be shipped given the news that we were going someplace had to prepare for a departure from Pearl Pearl Harbor not right away. I guess it still became evident now

Interviewer 34:20
so did you did you was that a fearful thing to be said to me it seems like to say Pearl Harbor it sounds kind

Roy Lake 34:27
of well thought very hostile place them in the mass because the bombing and wondering where we will go and will how we're going to stay in and just didn't know anything about it. They didn't know what where it was. That was

Interviewer 35:02
fake news. Do you remember what are your circumstances where you work when the first bombing of Pearl Harbor? Do you do that as an advantage standout?

Roy Lake 35:13
My guess is that I was in the process of doing my little job down downtown. And the news came over radio, radio for Blasting News. The bombing of Pearl Harbor and what had happened, you know, killing us so many sailors, for

Interviewer 35:45
any recollections of what we sometimes hear today about the kind of battleground at home, the fight against racism in the black community's involvement in the press, trying to force the government to accept more black participation in the war. I'm trying to get at the Greenberg community and how it was responding to this news into the move into war.

Roy Lake 36:11
Well, I didn't set that much of a change in attitudes of people are either the general consensus of people and then going about their business routine business and black white situation was a fact of life as far as what the community was doing. And that in other words, they weren't in a different much different reactions I would say with the relationship between the community and within the community not that much before

Interviewer 37:02
in Chapel Hill, do you remember that Reverend Jones I think white pastor yes

Roy Lake 37:09
he was the minister who I'm trying to think clearly I'm think that some of our deputy come to visit us and now that we were invited to his church as a worship and his church and I can't remember exactly how they came about but I do know that he extended the invitation for for us to worship in a church did you go I know a date go, but some of the fellas

Interviewer 38:12
so it was more an individual invitation rather than the whole band come is it it was a continuing invitation

Roy Lake 38:18
right. But he was sort of a got to be known as sort of a liberal at Watson lesson. Too much news and bad news. Always liberal, liberal enemies, who would encourage good know, the main races and occasions and this was that really, two weeks after? But as I said, I think one of one or two of the fans took advantage of this information.

Interviewer 39:25
He wound up getting sort of booted out of that church, for the church on his own and independent churches as a result. I'm not sure that his parishioners were always as liberal as he is. That sort of is unfair. When I met him, he was near the end of his life, and yet he had some recollections started at what's called a Community Church that still is a thriving independent church in town.

Roy Lake 39:56
Well, I think that's I'm pretty sure that they have been happily left. Absolutely left half of him

Interviewer 40:07
he was affiliated with a denomination in Chapel Hill. So what are your other recollections of Hawaii, the service efforts and again, your instruments didn't arrive for a while people didn't believe you were musicians. You got to do repainting some amphitheater seats.

Roy Lake 40:27
Well, our first apparent Pearl was and the most rememberable thing is the fact that we were more of a carpenter than whether they see the construction along with construction batac And more than anything else. And this is what they used to when we first arrived and we didn't play very much building Garner instruments didn't arrive after we had acquainted with them.

Interviewer 41:29
How would that differ from Chapel Hill?

Roy Lake 41:32
Against Epicenter Mitch Brooking back we more or less assigned to things that are new.

Interviewer 41:55
Do you have any recollection of like, free time as opposed to champion the only way you could talk about your way you're off base? And you had a community in Chapel Hill that was support a bit when you're off base and why you're sort of strangers in a strange land?

Roy Lake 42:12
Yes, and more or less, you sort of felt that way when you were out in the streets. The population you you were more or less, but you are more than just physical I am a strange place. That wasn't too much. fraternization between the population and Pearl Harbor. At least at first. It was just doing a routine deal with it. And visiting places on your own and

Interviewer 43:01
stuff like that. Were you housed in a separate a unit that was just for the band?

Roy Lake 43:07
Yes, we were waiting for your barracks

Interviewer 43:14
class we better we better wrap this up. losing track of time here. We got a lot. We'll continue this sometime. Thank you very much. Enjoy talking to Roy lake here at the bad the Student Union on October 19 to pretty Sunday morning.

Speaker 1 0:00
(inaudible) family and friends (inaudible) as we all know one of the greatest fans not so how will it sound(inaudible) great integration United States (inaudible) aware of some of the remains of one so(inaudible) please don't say I gave up don't set I lost a battle (inaudible) please don't say how good i was, that I did my best, dont say I tried please dont give me wings or halos, that's for the gods I want no more than I deserve please don't give flowers don't be concerned about the nest dont tell about what could have been, its over. all my family not just the bright light gray and dark in fact don't put me down on a resume all(inaudible) right if you must be saddened when I have one man made mistakes all love praise God we always invest ahead(inaudble) enjoy we cannot put we cannot put those we have recorded losses(inaudble) we feel as written by John in a man who gets(inaudible) to know now those buttons really the third year (inaudible) I feel you have a right to have AJ with a good any moment Good day To build hate mail in your wall know will affect(inaudible) Your. in the same breath as 1 through 4 (singing)

Speaker 1 8:59
(inaudible) family the way out

Speaker 2 14:53
this is something that helps keep the environment safe

Speaker 3 15:04
(singing)I love you I love you I love you today way do I give you my mind behind your hey that's why my God speaking of you I love you I love you lord today because you care for me in a very sepical way that's why I praise you I lift you up buy your day that's why my heart is filled with grace Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me I once was lost but now im found I was blind that's why I praise you I lift you up and your day hey baby that's why my heart is filled with grace my mind my heart my soul longs for you because you died for me working day don't count that's why I praise you i lift you up and i magnify your name that's why my heart was crazy Amazing grace how sweet the sound on saved a wretch like me I was lost but now im found I was blind but now I see that's why I praise you I life you up and i magnify your name that's why my heart is filled that my heart that's why my heart is filled with grace

Speaker 4 17:53
as the new president I would like mike and alec alright (inaudible) all right gonna be tough to be getting back to regular life and not having looking forward every day to see you guys again so I can't wait to hear what we're when we're gonna be in Georgia next year. Thank you (inaudible)all want to say that is best to do(inaudible) late last night be here today she also went through some of the other ladies(inaudible) and also fake(inaudible) sacrifices to get here(inaudible) Good morning everyone(inaaudible) we are about six hours away and I'm trying my best to get my time think I will I tell my father I wouldn't be a part of the organization (inaudible)and I want to see this carried out for all and it (inaudible)

Speaker 4 18:27
(singing) was job five Years Day

Speaker 1 20:39
(inaudible) one continue to good work we look forward to reading about us

Speaker 4 23:09
looking having the time to do it because the real real fun putting all this together I look forward to catching up with all of you again as I mentioned the other day ladies and he's not just amid stories several folks