Brooklyn Oral History
Brooklyn Oral History
  • Savoy Theatre
    Savoy Theatre on S. McDowell St. Undated. Hank Daniel, Staff - The Charlotte Observer
  • Caldwell+Brevard-crop
    2nd St. between Caldwell & Brevard, Brooklyn neighborhood. Undated. Tom Walters, Staff - The Charlotte Observer
  • News
  • History of Brooklyn
    • Brooklyn Time Line
    • Bibliography for Brooklyn and Urban Renewal
    • External Oral History Sites
  • About this Project
    • Class Pictures
    • Note of Thanks
  • Interviews
    • Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
    • Second Ward Alumni
    • Olaf Abraham
    • Kelly Alexander
    • Margaret Alexander
    • James Black
    • Christine Bowser
    • Calvin Brown
    • Don Bryant
    • Charles Clyburn
    • Barbara Davis Crawford
    • Calvin C. Davis
    • Naomi A. Davis
    • Price Davis
    • Morgan Edwards
    • Thereasea Elder
    • Vermelle Diamond Ely
    • Rosena Gaines
    • Delores Giles
    • William Harris
    • Reginald Hawkins
    • Vernon Herron
    • Betty Golden Holloway
    • Johnny Holloway
    • Wright Hunter
    • Ida James
    • Charles Jones
    • Walter “Buck” Kennedy
    • Frances Leach
    • Doretha Leak
    • Lem Long
    • John McCarroll
    • Mary S. McGill
    • John Murphy
    • Mae Orr
    • Connie Patton
    • Richard Petersheim
    • Mary Poe
    • James Polk
    • James Ross II
    • Vernon Sawyer
    • Dorothy Shipman
    • H. Milton Short, Jr.
    • Curtina Simmons
    • Barbara C. Steele
    • James “Slack” Steele
    • Arthur Stinson
    • Daisy Stroud
    • John Thrower
    • Bill Veeder
    • Arthur Wallace, Sr.
    • George A. Wallace, Sr.
    • Alegra Westbrooks
    • Arthur Williams
    • Diane Wyche
    • James Yancey
    • Ozener Yancey
    • James and Ozener Yancey
    • Cleo A. Yongue

Mae Orr

September 28, 2016 by Alex Chapin
section: Interviews

Mrs. Mae Orr was born and raised in the Greenville community. Her life has been spent almost continuously in some form of education from graduation at West Charlotte and Johnson C. Smith to teaching throughout the Charlotte-Mecklenburg School system. Her experiences both as a student at West Charlotte and a student teacher at Second Ward High allows her to have a unique perspective on the rivalry between the two schools. Her young life included growing up near the famous first African-American policeman Mr. James Ross. Mrs. Orr’s memories of him are a marvelous set of stories.

Part I

https://sites.charlotte.edu/brooklyn-oral-history/wp-content/uploads/sites/1007/2016/09/MaeOrrpt1.mp3

 

Part II

https://sites.charlotte.edu/brooklyn-oral-history/wp-content/uploads/sites/1007/2016/09/MaeOrrpt2.mp3

Tape Log

Tape Log: Oral History Interview with Mae Orr

Interviewed by Stephen Howerton

Time Description of Interview Contents
1.0 Introduction of interview
2.0 Introduction of family in Fairview neighborhood near Greenville, effect of urban.renewal on family
4.0 Foster care of children by her mother
5.0 Purchase replacement house “without any debt”
6.0 Education of her and her sisters and brothers, possible reference to Northwest.School as first campus of West Charlotte
7.0 Rivalry of West Charlotte and Second Ward, description of fight during football.game
9.0 Use of the Y in Brooklyn for typing classes and other classes given, discusses 2nd.Street businesses
13.0 Influence of father’s employer, Myers Park County Club, on father
15.0 Origin of rivalry between West Charlotte and Second Ward
17.0 Opinions on Brooklyn in comparison to Greenville
20.0 House of Prayer, mothers joining in, attendance of convocation parade, feelings of.House of Prayer by other churches
24.0 Thoughts on urban renewal, reveals her student teaching was done at Second.Ward, puts Brooklyn’s border to site of present day stadium of the Panthers
30.0 Thoughts on students of Second Ward and her stint as a student teacher in the 50’s
32.0 Police force and James Ross. “He was mean”. Stories about James Ross and his.family. Including the reasons for his dismissal from the PD and his ultimate death..Nearly 12 minutes of stories on James Ross.
44.0 Social life of Brooklyn. Brief discussion of drug use in Brooklyn at JC’s club.
47.0 Lincoln theater told as being told infested with small bugs
49.0 White ownership in black communities
51.0 Feelings in the community towards Urban Renewal
53.0 Remembers talks with former slave
55.0 Effects on African American community caused by urban renewal
59.0 Scolds interviewer for not eating delicious cake
60.0 Discusses Waddell helping find houses for population
62.0 Second street memories
63.0 Interview ends.

Transcript

Mae Orr

Skip to toolbar
  • Log In