Nathaniel Lee - On his childhood, bricklaying, and family

Nathaniel (Pee-Wee) Lee was a brick mason and laborer, and has worked and lived in the Chapel Hill area for most of his life. He was born in 1944 at UNC Hospital. When he was first born he lived with his grandparents on the farm that they sharecropped in Durham. Pee-Wee reflects on growing up on a farm with his family, with many fond memories of his childhood in the country, including stories of cultivating tobacco, running with his brothers, and adventures with his skittish horse. He shares about his grandfather and the lessons he taught him, along with the skills that his uncles and stepfather taught him over the course of his life. He recounts the names of many relatives and the ways they lost their lives. Pee-Wee shares about the many jobs he has held on Franklin Street, and details the ways that Chapel Hill and Franklin Street have changed over his lifetime. He shares how he learned to lay bricks, including the names of teachers he had in the trade over time and the crew leaders he worked for in Chapel Hill. He details some of his favorite and most difficult jobs. The interview includes reflection on the businesses on Franklin Street that he has befriended over the years, both during his experience of homelessness and in the years since finding stable housing. The interview concludes with the story of how he got the nickname Pee-Wee.