Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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Q: You didn't do any real field work, then, while you . . . A: Not basically, no. Q: You indicated that you had done some clearing of land, or worked at that at some time. A: Yes, I guess that was probably my senior year in high school. Just before graduation, we took a few days out and worked in this new ground to get some money to get clothes and other items for graduation. Q: And what type of work did you do there? The chopping of trees or . . . A: Chopping of trees, burning stumps, getting--you see, sometimes they would haul away part of the debris and that kind of thing and you would load the trucks and stuff like that. Q: What kind of farm was Mr. Sebastian's, predominently? Did they grow cotton? A: Cotton, they used to grow cotton and corn. See, in that county was a very rich land. Actually, probably had the highest production rate of cotton in the world. They grew two bales an acre without fertilizer. Q: Oh? A: Yes. The land was very, very productive for cotton and, as a matter of fact, that's where they had the first cotton-picking contest in the world. They used to have it every year. The first prize was $1000, I recall, and that was a long time ago. They really raised cotton there, they raised more cotton in that county than in any county in the world. Q: Did you do any cotton picking while . . . I I A: Yes, I did some cotton picking as a kid. Never was very good at it, never did really get a handle on being a good one. I just never did. I never i picked 200 pounds in a day in my life. One day I had a very good start, I had 140 pounds by one o'clock and I knew I was going to get 200 that day and it rained. (laughs) Never did really become an efficient cotton picker at all. Q: How about shucking corn? Did you . . . I A: Never did much of that, no. 1 Q: When you were clearing the new land, did they work as a large crew? A: Large crew. I think it paid a dollar, dollar and a half a day or something like that. i Q: Was this a mixed black and white crew?
A: Mixed crews, yes. Q: Do you remember any of the foremen on those jobs? A: No, I do not. I really don't. Q: Since it was an agricultural conrmunity, there must have been an interest in the county fair type of thing. Was there a county fair each year? A: Oh, yes, we had county fairs there and they had . . . sewing, preservation of vegetables, mostly canned vegetables. And they got very fancy, like shingle-pack peaches, and all kinds of jellies and jams and best ham, best shoulders, and the best live animals, you know, hogs. They had, Duroc Jerseys and Poland China hogs, basically. Those were the big brands in that area. Chicken production, turkeys and--a regular county fair. But there was a lot of competition from the people in the area as to who had the best green beans and who had the best tomatoes and peppers and all that kind of stuff like that. Q: Did you make any entries at any time? A: No, never did make any entries. My mother used to put, you know, fruit and jams and jellies and stuff like that. Q: Did Mr. Sebastian have any entries in the fair? A: I don't know whether I ever remember--remember Mr.--I just don't remember that--I'm sure Mrs. Sebastian did; particularly, probably; in the sewing because she was a seamstress, too. (pauses) And they would have things like, you know, quilts and all that kind of thing. People did a lot of things for themselves in those days. The government wasn't giving everybody everything, you know, nor did people expect it, which is the other side of the question. Q: Did you have a particular family doctor there? A: Yes, we had Dr. Green and Dr. Roberts. Dr. B. E. Roberts. Q: Was he black? A: He was black. Both were black. Q: Where did he get his training? A: Meharry Medical College. As a matter of fact, I was delivered by a black doctor whose name was Dr. Joe Armillo Banks. As a matter of fact, I have my, second name from him. My second name is Armillo. Dr. Banks was the doctor 9ho delivered me. In my hometown, we have always had black doctors and black I dentists. As a matter of fact, in my hometown, the first liquor store that came in after prohibition was owned by two black gentlemen, the first in the town.
Page 1 and 2: University of Illinois at Springfie
Page 3 and 4: ILLINOIS LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL 107 St
Page 5 and 6: CECIL A. PARTEE Illinois House of R
Page 7 and 8: Mr. Bartee retired at the end of th
Page 9 and 10: Volume I SESSION 1, TAPE 1, SIDE 1
Page 11 and 12: Q: You say she taught there near Bl
Page 13 and 14: The third grade teacher taught us t
Page 15 and 16: A: No. None as dramatic as that. Ha
Page 17 and 18: and said, in one of the contests, L
Page 19 and 20: I 1 Q: Oh? i '1 A: And then I had a
Page 21 and 22: So the whole family relationship an
Page 23 and 24: a tie-in between that and what we c
Page 25 and 26: A: And my grandmother. My grandmoth
Page 27 and 28: But I think it was more or less a S
Page 29 and 30: a debate on , "What is most destruc
Page 31 and 32: somebody or something foul. So, had
Page 33: when prohibition was over and they
Page 37 and 38: to her for fear she wouldn't pay me
Page 39 and 40: lawyer who became a judge there. He
Page 41 and 42: A: (pause) I don't know. I think pr
Page 43 and 44: CHARLES CECIL AND BESSIE DUPREE PAR
Page 45 and 46: COURTESV OF BESSIE D. IVY CECIL PAR
Page 47 and 48: CORNEAL DAVIS (L) AND CEClL PARTEE.
Page 49 and 50: A: Beautiful. I stayed in the dormi
Page 51 and 52: A: I didn't know any of them until
Page 53 and 54: A: Well, just like going out for th
Page 55 and 56: 4 1 SESSION 3, TAPE 3, SIDE 1 Q: I
Page 57 and 58: yourself and so forth. Whereas, in
Page 59 and 60: A: Yes, I remember a fellow by the
Page 61 and 62: six inches, into my leg. And just m
Page 63 and 64: Q: And you're still in touch with t
Page 65 and 66: A: But they said, "You can go somew
Page 67 and 68: Q: How did you get back and forth?
Page 69 and 70: just on the weekend which was a lot
Page 71 and 72: A: Well, I was there for about a ye
Page 73 and 74: old fellow told me that he's from t
Page 75 and 76: We tried to get a decision between
Page 77 and 78: 63 Abraham Lincoln Hotel and we wer
Page 79 and 80: Q: That had already finished? A: No
Page 81 and 82: legislation, I think one day what I
Page 83 and 84: A: No, that was about two years bef
Page 85 and 86:
A: Yes. q: Did she continue active
Page 87 and 88:
Q: Was this in replacement of Mr. C
Page 89 and 90:
Filipino or some man may be married
Page 91 and 92:
deal of controversy about them. Q:
Page 93 and 94:
well paying jobs but they had to do
Page 95 and 96:
joined other organizations for the
Page 97 and 98:
A: Generally just before an electio
Page 99 and 100:
A: No, I don't think we had opposit
Page 101 and 102:
where they paid you far two years t
Page 103 and 104:
BLACK DEMOCRATS IN THE 77TH ILLINOI
Page 105 and 106:
CECIL PARTEE AT WORK IN THE SENATE
Page 107 and 108:
A: No, it was the Legislative Refer
Page 109 and 110:
Q: Well! (laughter) A: Yes, didn't
Page 111 and 112:
esearch if you needed it? A: Bill I
Page 113 and 114:
started from nothing. Q: Did that o
Page 115 and 116:
A: Well, not specifically as to the
Page 117 and 118:
for that. About 1968, Chicago start
Page 119 and 120:
he was there. We joined him in 1967
Page 121 and 122:
years and for many many years it fa
Page 123 and 124:
of that nature. But other than that
Page 125 and 126:
A: No, I do not. Q: Why were yau co
Page 127 and 128:
the word I seek now is . . . quota
Page 129 and 130:
the 1965 Civil Rights Act at the fe
Page 131 and 132:
matter of fact--with the head of th
Page 133 and 134:
served or rehabilitated as well as
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Cecil A. Partee Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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