Hide Article Text (OCR)
Vet was community advocateWWIIThe Telegraph/LAURA GRIFFITHAbe Lee Barham Jr. holds a photo of himself with his father, Abe Barham Sr., left, who served in the Pacific Theater during world War II. It was taken on Easter Sunday in 1998 Barham Jr. said his father was appalled by segregation in the U S Army and back home in Tennessee, so he moved to Alton and worked to make his community a better one for African-Americans.By LAURA GRIFFITHThe TelegraphAbe Barham Sr served in a U S Army engineering battalion with other black soldiers, while other battalions had none. He noticed then that segregation had followed him to the Pacific Theater during World War II.Once he was discharged in January 1946, he noticed that such segregation still was rampant in his hometown of Jackson, Tenn., and decided to move north to Alton.“Alton still had segregation (though not as visible),” said his son, Abe Lee Barham Jr. “He believed in fighting against that.”In Alton, Barham Sr. worked to improve life for the black communityAmong his efforts, he started a club on Belle Street for black teenagers called the Blue Eagle. It closed in 1971.He also served as a community advocate — encouraging people to vote.“He wanted black people to be empowered,” his son said.Abe Barham Sr. was young when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in November 1942, and he became active the following month.His hometown in Tennessee had been a depressed area, and it was hard for men to find good jobs, Barham Jr. saidAlthough he talked less and less about his war experiences as he got older, Barham Jr. said his father would recall liberating the Philippines and spoke ofthe horrors he saw, such as the Japanese impaling people on stakes.“That was a horrific sight he said he would never forget,” Barham Jr. said.Barham Sr. never was injured in battle but was awarded numerous decorations and citations for his service.Barham Jr. said his father spoke more about his war experiences to his other son, James Lee Teague, who had served in Vietnam. Because they both had been inthe military, they were “kindred spirits,” Barham Jr. said But Teague died in 2005 at the age of 58.Barham Sr. always was interested in veterans’ affairs. He once became concerned when he went to Tennessee for a visit and found out that some of his friends, who also had served in World War II, were homeless. Those men had served their country and didn’t even have a home when they returned, BarhamJr. said“A veteran was a veteran,” he recalled. “(Barham Sr.) did not see black and white.”Following his service, Barham Sr. worked at Laclede Steel in Alton. He was there for 39 years, and everyone knew him, his son said.“My father spoke what he said, and he meant what he said. He always taught me to be a man of my word,” Barham Jr. said. “He taught me to be a man.”Send your WWII Veterans' Voices ideas to Telegraph Executive Editor Dan Brannan, P.O. Box 278, Alton, IL 62002, e-mail Brannan at dan_brannan@thetelegraphcom or call at 463-25600SEE VIDEO @tftetetegraph com
Newspaper Details
Alton Telegraph
Alton, Illinois, US
Mon, Mar 24, 2008
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Hayner P.
IL, USA 29 Jan 2024
Other Publications Near Alton, Illinois
Alton Evening Telegraph
Alton Observer
Labor World
Alton Weekly Telegraph
Alton Telegraph and Democratic review
