Dad was an intelligent man displaced in the Jim Crow South. He served his country during WWII. He was discharged in 1943 and was denied G.I. benefits. He made a cumulative score of 97 on the Civil Service Examination but was denied meaningful employment. He had a wife and five children to provide for, so he worked in cotton fields. He moved his family to different locations in search of employment. In each location, we ended up living in shacks surrounded by cotton fields.
He kept his head high and believed God would see us through. Our mother believed in her husband and when she could, worked in private homes. During the summer and fall, she joined him by working in the cotton fields. When we were old enough, we joined them during the summer or during fall break. Our parents insisted we go to school, achieve, and graduate. All five children graduated and went to trade school, business school, or college.
If Dad had bad days, he never let it show. Our parents were Christians and led by example. As the head of the household, I know it was tough for Dad but he never gave up. He studied our worn out family Bible daily, and bent his knees in prayer. On Sundays, we went to church and contributed what we could to the offering.
During those times, people in the community looked out for each other. Most of the families were poor or low income. When I was around seven, we moved to a town located about 20 miles north of Memphis. There was a large Naval Base in the center of the town. After living in the town for about six years, Dad obtained employment at the Naval Base. He was hired as a janitor.
Dad loved to write. This was a form of release from the racism that affected our family. With everything he experienced, he never said a cross word to his family. I dedicated my book, The Footlocker, A Family’s Journey Out Of Poverty, to my loving parents.
It’s available at:
www.simplybestreads.com or Amazon
After Dad passed, I found some of his writings in his Army footlocker. Since he never published his writings, I will publish some excerpts in my blog post.
Excerpts of writings by George Hewlett, II
In our lesson for today, Christ provides for growth. Paul was previously known as Saul, and lived blameless under the law. He persecuted the church before his conversion to Christ. He counted it as a loss the way he lived before Christ came into his life.
To gain Christ meant more now to him than Judaism. As Paul was familiar with the sport of his day, he could illustrate what it means to go all out to win the prize. Contestants in sports can’t afford to lose ground.
We are familiar with the story of the rabbit and the turtle. The rabbit, tho swift on feet and had all the advantages, lost the race because he stopped and fell asleep too long. The turtle, tho slow, kept going. The race isn’t to the swiftest or strongest but to those who press onward to the goal.
Dad, thank you for pressing on and leading our family to the goal!
Francie Mae. April 13, 2024.