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Oral History

R.D. and Euzelle Smith - Their grandson Sean (clip)

Interviewed by Alexander Stephens and Alex Biggers on January 20, 2011

R.D. and Euzelle Smith - Their grandson Sean (clip)

Oral history interview of Smith, R.D. conducted by Stephens, Alexander on January 20, 2011 at Chapel Hill, NC.

Citation: Marian Cheek Jackson Center, “R.D. and Euzelle Smith - Their grandson Sean (clip),” From the Rock Wall, accessed April 18, 2025, https://fromtherockwall.org/oral-histories/rd-and-euzelle-smith-their-grandson-sean.

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In this Oral History

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On Pottersfield and Smith Middle School

This interview was done as part of the “Histories of Homes” initiative of the Marian Cheek Jackson Center for Saving and Making History. The interview includes R.D.’s experience in WWII and his role in constructing their current home after the war. R.D. also held educator roles at Lincoln High…

More to explore

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On working while at Hampton (clip)

Euzelle Smith (ES): Both of us were what is now called Self-Help students. We used to call them working students at Hampton. One year you had more work hours than class hours, but you started building up your account. And then after that you would have work…part-time work. And you never got cash or…

 Euzelle Smith - On putting her children in daycare and cooking (clip)

Euzelle Smith (ES): My mother-in-law didn't particularly want to put them in daycare. She said she would rather keep them. But I wanted them to start getting used to being with other children. And learning how to mingle and associate. And when the twins went to nursery… to daycare at two, the first…

 R.D. Smith - On his mother caring for their children (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On awards and diplomas (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On the fireplace (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On their house and family photos (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On Smith Middle School (clip)

Euzelle Smith (ES): Smith Middle School, and this is an aerial view of the school here. This is Sewell Elementary School and Smith Middle School and that path right there goes up to Chapel Hill High School. And over here, right in this area here, the university has built a building they call the UNC…

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On the neighbourhood now (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On the neighbourhood when they moved in (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On their neighbours (clip)

Alex Biggers (AB): Are you guys close with a lot of your neighbors? Euzelle Smith (ES): Hm? AB: Are you guys close with a lot of your neighbors? ES: No, no, not many. Most of them are tenants. Alexander Stephens (AS): What is your relationship with them? Is it a lot of students now? ES: Yeah a lot…

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On roads and traffic (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On living outside of city limits (clip)

Euzelle Smith (ES): This area was— was not in the city limits. We had no paved streets, no city services, the nearest traffic light was at the corner of McDade and Church. No fire protection, no garbage pickup, no city services at all. And it was long after that when, I remember when, one summer, we…

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On Pottersfield (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On her first year in Chapel Hill (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On the history of Northside Elementary (clip)

Alexander Stephens (AS): You said, where exactly was the Orange County Training School in relation to here? Euzelle Smith (ES): It’s right up on the hill there, what is now Northside. That school was Orange County Training School when we came here, and then in the – well, I guess I came here in ‘43…

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On their careers prior to marriage (clip)

R.D. Smith (RDS): I refused the promotion. I said I want to go home. To my wife. We’d been married for … how long we’d been married for? Euzelle Smith (ES): Well, we married in ‘43, and you came out in, came out of service in ‘46. RDS: I know, I know. But we’d been married for what, about two…

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - On paying for housing (clip)

 R.D. Smith - On how he learned about carpentry and construction (clip)

 R.D. Smith and Euzelle Smith - Explaining his nickname (clip)

 R.D. Smith - On his nickname at Lincoln High (clip)

 R.D. Smith - On the sitting room (clip)

 R.D. Smith - On building his house (clip)

 R.D. Smith - On the 933rd anti-aircraft unit (clip)

 R.D. Smith - On his military service (clip)

 R.D. and Euzelle Smith - Introductions (clip)

 Euzelle Smith - On teaching in South Carolina (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On daycare (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On wedding photos (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On school (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On community (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On the schoolhouse (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On being newlyweds (clip)

 Euzelle and R.D. Smith - On how to drive (clip)

 Euzelle Smith and R.D. Smith - On service (clip)
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