ORAL HISTORY
COLLECTION
MAIN ENTRY:
Abbott,
Robert
DATE OF
INTERVIEW:
January 27,
2000
LOCATION OF
INTERVIEW:
Lubbock, Texas
INTERVIEWER:
David Marshall
NUMBER OF
REELS/TAPES:
2
TAPE FORMAT:
Cassette
LENGTH OF
INTERVIEW:
2 hours
SCOPE AND CONTENT NOTE:
Robert
Abbott talks about what Lubbock, Texas was like from 1915 to the early 1920’s. He tells about the dedication and ground breaking
for Texas Tech University; the jobs he held as a teenager, and his military service,
including his time as a prisoner of war during World War II.
ABSTRACT:
The Life of Robert Abbott
TAPE ONE
SIDE ONE
[NOTE:
Very difficult to hear Mr. Abbott
Abbott,
Robert
Born: December
20, 1914 in Cisco, Texas
Memories of
Lubbock, Texas around the time of World War I
Search lights
scanning the sky at night
Old Bi-planes
around Lubbock, Texas
Move to
Lubbock, Texas
Grandfather
already lived in Lubbock
Father and
Grandfather were in the feed business
Father:
C.W. Abbott
Mother:
(?) Brooks
Aunt and
Uncle made candy in Strong (?), Texas
Candy Kitchen
Lubbock,
Texas – 1915 – early 1920’s
Began paving the
street with concrete and bricks
Water sources
Heating the
house
No basements in
the houses
Coal delivered
in a pile in the yards
Starting a coal
fire
Lighting the
houses
They
got electricity around 1930
Education
Started school
in 1921 in the White Building
Mr. Dupree (?)
was the superintendent
Mrs. Dupree(?)
was a teacher
Story about
Mrs. Dupree (?) keeping students after school
Dedication
and ground breaking for Texas Tech University
School children
were marched to the dedication
Military
service
Joined in June,
1934 during the depression
Uncle T.T.
Brooks
Ex-railroad
section gang foreman for the Santa Fe in Pampa, Texas
Moved to
Lubbock, Texas
Owned a service
station and tourist camp in Lubbock, Texas
Owned rental
houses
Jobs as a
teenager
Picking cotton
he was paid $.37 for 100 pounds
Sold newspapers
on the streets of downtown Lubbock for $.05 a paper
The two
newspapers in Lubbock, Texas: The Lubbock Avalanche and The Lubbock
Evening Journal
Story about
getting hit by a car while selling newspapers
Military
service (again)
In the Air Force
for 31 years – 1934-1965
TAPE ONE
SIDE TWO
Military
Service (again)
Recruiting
station at the courthouse in Lubbock, Texas
Recruiting
process
Train ride to
Fort Bliss
Boot Training
Ground
training
Target
practice on horseback
Care of the
horse
Description of
the saddle
Weapons used and
descriptions
Artillery
battalion at Fort Bliss
Description of a
regiment
Description of the barracks
Description of a
regiment (again)
Types of machine
guns
Types of air
craft
Length of time
at Fort Bliss
Transferred to
the Army Air Corp in 1939
Reenlistment
bonus
Reason for
re-enlisting in the Army Air Corp
Expansion of
the Army Air Corp
Military
service (again)
Training in the
Air Corp
Stationed at
Langley
Transferred to
Oklahoma City, OK – 1940 or 1941
Types
of aircraft
Flying
status pay increase
Qualification
for being a pilot
Newspaper
and magazine articles about the Japanese
TAPE TWO
– SIDE ONE
Will Rogers
Air Field in Oklahoma City, OK
A refueling stop
for many planes
Military
service (again)
Transferred to
Albuquerque, New Mexico
Experiences
during World War II
Being aboard an
unarmed ship headed for Pearl Harbor
Reaching Pearl
Harbor the day after it was bombed
Reaction of the
crew to the Pearl Harbor bombing
Capture of the
ship and crew by the Japanese – 1942
TAPE TWO
– SIDE TWO
Experiences
during World War II (again)
Location of
prison camp in China and the nationalities of the prisoners
Transferred to a
prison camp in Japan in 1943
Liberation by
the hospital ship Rescue
Bomb shelters at
the Kiwasaki (?) prison camp
Awareness of
U.S. bombing in Japan
Treatment of
prisoners
Meals in the
prison camps
Liberation
(again)
Being
hospitalized upon return to the U.S.
Stayed in the
military another 20 years
RANGE DATES:
1914-1945
BULK DATES:
1934-1945
AGE OF
INFORMANT:
85
GENDER OF
INFORMANT:
Male
ETHNICITY OF
INFORMANT:
Anglo