Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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' I 59 you couldn't get across that highway if you - it was just twenty-four hours a day. I mean you'd have to be as fast as a deer to get across that highway. But that was the name of the game. Q: Well from Camp Claiborne where did you go for your port of embarkation? A: Well we went to Orange, New Jersey. I can't remember the name of that place, but the - my neighbor is from there - Burkland; and we went across the Washington Bridge, Washington Street Bridge or whatever they call it, in New York, you see it on television occasionally. And we went in there, and we got - Bell and I - we were there, oh, two or three weeks. And we got to go to New York two or three times. He and I would go in and they had buses and we'd eat downtown. There was one of those places called Dempsey's that you see occasionally on "Kojak" or one of those mystery movies. They had a number of restaurants. We used to eat in there, not that particular one. + Q: Had you been to New York City before? A: No I'd never been there. No, I've been there twice, and that was going and coming, at the taxpayers' expense. (laughter) Q: Is that right? Well I'll be darned. Well. A: You know that! (laughter) Q: Did you do much touring around the city? Did you hit Grant's Tomb? A: Well we got in - as I said, it was two or three times. We weren't there too long. When I say too long, maybe ten days. We got to eat at Dempsey's, we ate at Dempsey's twice. We saw Dernpsey. You know, talking about Dempsey, he lived in Alton you know, before he was . . . Q: Oh is that right? A: Well no, you wouldn't know it - but downtown, or what we call Broadway, 507 Broadway, he was a friend of the Connelly family's and he was here for about a year. He didn't win the title until 1922 did he? t Q: I don't recall the . . . A: He was here - it was in the late teens, 1918, 1919, for about a little over a year. At least that's what legend has it. I didn't know him then, but I'm sure that's correct. We got to see Dempsey and we . . . Q: Did he greet you as an Alton boy? A: Oh no nothing like that. One thing though the time we were in New York was that we were sunburned from Claiborne from Louisiana, and some of those people would come up - people were generally friendly. Chicago was the best soldier city I was ever in, but New York wasn't unfriendly, I just wasn't there long - they'd think you'd been to the North African war and we'd tell them, "Hell, we'd like to be home," but you weren't. Q: I see. (chuckles) A: But it was interesting and New York was a very interesting place and we loaded - they played the "Stars and Stripes" - I mean, what's that . . . Q: The "Battle Hymn of . . .
A: No they played "Over There." Q: "Over There." A: They played "Over There" when we got on the boat. I'll always remember that. Q: What boat did you get on? A: Oh shit, I don't know. Q: You don't remember'! A: I did know but I'd have to - I did know, but it was a big - it had - as far as we were concerned, it must have had twenty thousand passengers. Of course it didn't have that, it wasn't the Mary or the Normandy. It was about the fourth or fifth largest - at least that's what we were told - the fourth or fifth largest passenger steamer. I think it belonged to the British company. Q: Was it the Ile de France or the New Amsterdam by any chance? A: No it wasn't that. I'm going to look that up. I think I can find that out for you and I'll let you know that. That would be interesting to put in there. I can't recall what it was, but I can find out I'm sure. It might take me a little time but . . . Q: One other thing . . . A: . . . the ship was real crowded. You slept on the deck you know and you . . . Q: Oh you slept on the deck? A: Slept on the deck. They had some fellows down below. Rut we got on late, about the last contingent. Q: What kind of shelter did you have? A: You had no shelter. Q: Nothing at all'! A: No shelter at all. If it rained, it rained. Q: Now this was in, what, about March or so? A: No it was in late April. Late April or maybe early May. Late April or May of 1944. Q: Was it very rough going across'! A: I didn't find it that way no. I can't remember that much. We went over quick. When I came back, why, that was different. We came down the South Atlantic in a convoy, but I don't think we were in a convoy going over. Maybe we were, but it was a pretty fast ship. They got you over there pretty quick. I don't think we were on the seas over five or six days. Rut you couldn't bathe because all they had was saltwater to bathe in you know. You couldn't shower I mean, you could wash your face. No, we slept on the deck. Of course you had - you hear - just Ijke, well you've been in the service, Christ, the rumors, they had you going crazy. They had guys jumping off the ship and . . . Q: Oh really?
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University of Illinois at Springfie
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ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY ORAL HIST
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Preface This oral history of Leland
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Volume I Leland J. Kennedy SESSION
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next to us was a duplex house and a
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Q: Were these family meals that she
Page 14 and 15:
I was awful fascinated by politics.
Page 16 and 17: Q: Yes sir. (chuckles) What part of
Page 18 and 19: that much about it, about the makeu
Page 20 and 21: out and there was the number of my
Page 22 and 23: A: Well. Yes, I always remember one
Page 24 and 25: Q: Was it a paddle wheeler or what
Page 26 and 27: een that far back, in that era, may
Page 28 and 29: that wanted to take roomers or boar
Page 30 and 31: A: As you go by, that's the Alton W
Page 32 and 33: Q: Oh? Were you a pretty good corn
Page 34 and 35: A: Maybe it makes good talking to m
Page 36 and 37: A: The Fourth of July and Christmas
Page 38 and 39: A: I mean his wife is I think, and
Page 40 and 41: golden handshake. They'd give you m
Page 42 and 43: A: . . . and the twenty-five. But y
Page 44 and 45: day I would say that half of the fo
Page 46 and 47: Young Democrat convention, elected
Page 48 and 49: in Edwardsville, and you had to pay
Page 50 and 51: - and we were for Smith, and fighti
Page 52 and 53: work. I never was drafted for nothi
Page 54 and 55: more German than I was I guess. (la
Page 56 and 57: Of course there were war clouds han
Page 58 and 59: A: Twice a month. Q: Twice a month?
Page 60 and 61: There was neighbor against neighbor
Page 62 and 63: A: And they did, so that's . . . Q:
Page 64 and 65: SESSION 4, TAPE 7, SIDE 2 Q: That w
Page 68 and 69: A: Well they didn't have none of th
Page 70 and 71: A: Oh no, never saw any. I saw some
Page 72 and 73: VOTE FOR LELAND J. KENNEDY DEMOCRAT
Page 75 and 76: Q: Now when you first went in did y
Page 77 and 78: A: A port of embarkation or for sup
Page 79 and 80: A: Oh yes. I'm sorry about that now
Page 81 and 82: A: Alright. August. I'll tell you -
Page 83 and 84: And he got out before I did, but he
Page 85 and 86: A: No no, never said a word. Oh the
Page 87 and 88: though. He was a good talker, and o
Page 89 and 90: play cards or just talk. Women like
Page 91 and 92: Q: Yes sir. A: We had a strike in s
Page 93 and 94: Of course you'd have a lot of lawye
Page 95 and 96: A: Well that was - that was the bes
Page 97 and 98: polls in a particular city and he's
Page 99 and 100: Q: Yes. A: Bond never did like bein
Page 101 and 102: wife and family when you're out, or
Page 103 and 104: of Illinois) library and muse aroun
Page 105 and 106: A: Well legislative process, commit
Page 107 and 108: A: Yes I think so, had a column. We
Page 109 and 110: A: Well I recall - I guess they're
Page 111 and 112: state central committeeman. Now sta
Page 113 and 114: not an Italian name, but what those
Page 115 and 116: Q: Oh? WOKZ in Alton, Illinois? A:
Page 117 and 118:
This is going back, and I don't hav
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had twelve in the pool. I think it
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Q: Oh is that right? A: Oh my first
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a federal gasoline tax thirty years
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Q: No sir, no sir. Well let's see,
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they changed those desks after reap
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Q: He started that in the 1951 sess
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That wasn't a bone of contention a
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Q: Oh I see. A: I think they'd do t
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Talking about lodging, 1'11 always
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his wife's sister. Of course they w
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A: Oh did she? Q: Yes. A: Well some
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And a lot of those people are all g
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I believe there's a lot of that fam
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Leland J. Kennedy Memoir - University of Illinois Springfield

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