Question: You actually saw Robinson play 61 years ago. Tell us about that.
Answer: The Dodgers assigned his contract to Montreal, their triple-A affiliate [in 1945]. Montreal's spring training was in Sanford, Fla., but due to the hostility there, they decided to move the base over to Daytona Beach [in 1946].
It so happens that their practice field was right in the black community, directly across the street from where I lived. I used to watch him as soon as I got out of school instead of going home. Other kids used to run after him and try to get his autograph. I was too shy. I just admired him like he was God.
Q: What did he mean to a boy of your age?
A: He gave you a reason to hope that things were going to get better. I was a kid that said, "If Jackie can make it, maybe he can open the door for a flood of blacks to make it into Major League baseball."
Q: Were there fears for Robinson in the black community?
A: We didn't want anything to happen to Jackie. In fact, if anything happened, you probably would have had a race riot. There was a lot of tension.
Q: Describe your sense of what he experienced as the lone pioneer.
A: He had the weight of the race on him, [but] he knew that every black person was pulling for him.
Q: What did you like about his game?
A: He took it to the opposition. He was daring. He didn't sit back and wait. After he made it there, he was very aggressive. He was talented . . . and fancy!
Q: You were grown when you finally met Jackie Robinson. What was your reaction?
A: It was like I was still that little 12-year-old kid. I was trembling like a little kid and I was 39 years old! I was nervous, man. . . . But I walked up to him and said, "Mr. Robinson, thank you for what you had to do for us." I just went off."
Q: What was your reaction on Oct. 24, 1972, when you heard that Robinson had died?
