Interview with Mr. Harry Minga
March 15, 2004
Interviewed by Sandra M. Lowe
Mr. Minga attended Rescue School for two years; second and third grades then went to the larger Smithfield School.
Q: We are at the Rescue Community Center which was formally Rescue School and we are talking with Mr. Capi Minga, what is your?
A: No, Harry.
Q: Harry?
A: Harry.
Q: Harry, Thank you very much Mr. Harry Minga and we want to start off first of all with just getting a little background information. You, grew up in Isle of Wight County spent most of your time…
A: In Rescue
Q: Okay and do you have sisters or brothers?
A: I got a brother, yeah
Q: And he attended Rescue also.
A: No he is younger he started in Smithfield.
Q: All right and you went to this school (Rescue) for three years?
A: Two, two years, second or third grade I went here.
Q: Those years would of been about 1929 or 19...
A: Six years old is when I started here.
Q: Okay and what year would that of been?
A: 35
Q: 1935. Do you know when they closed this building as a school?
A: I was only here two years and then they closed it after that.
Q: Okay, the same year you stopped and moved on…
A: No, I finished the third grade here and we went to Smithfield for fourth grade.
Q: And when you were here, were they using both, two class rooms?
A: Yes.
Q: And your teachers were?
A: Maggoty Shields was the one I remember most.
Q: The one that stands out in your mind?
A: Uh-uh
Q: Do you know of anything about the keeping of the building as far as you know the opening or closing?
A: No not opening or closing.
Q: We talked about closing.
A: Yeah.
Q: Did you live near the building, as far as walking to school?
A: We walked to school every day. I lived right here on the main part of Rescue itself then kinda close to where the Marina is, around there.
Q: Do you have jobs you had to do before and after school?
A: Oh, yes! (Laughs)
Q: What was some of the things you had to do?
A: Well, the main thing we did go, of course you know the toilet facilities was outside, we had to keep those clean and ever day we had to task them, cleaning the erasers, and cleaning up the classrooms.
Q: Did you do any collection of wood or fixing the fire?
A: Well we had to bring wood in to keep the fire going. We didn’t tend to the fire, we were too little for that, but we did keep the supply of wood in.
Q: Did you have many jobs to do home, chores before you went to school or afterwards?
A: Well everyday the water bucket was empty we had to go keep bailing it out that well, surface well all the way around. I was amazed at that total thing we did it on. You got to hold…
Q: Your parents weren’t farmers, I assume?
A: No, my father worked on the water.
Q: Did you do any of that, as you were growing up, working on the water?
A: Not till I was a senior, in high school with my father some, just on a Friday or Saturday or something like that.
Q: What do you remember about the way school the day started? Any particular procedures that you all went through before you started your lessons?
A: Nah, we knew what time we had to be here. We got there and we heard the bell ringing so we knew it was time to come in, into the classrooms.
Q: Were you ever at home when the bell rang?
A: Oh no! (Laughs) My mom took care of that! She made sure you were there on time.
Q: What do you remember about the subjects that you had?
A: Nothing in particular you had your basic arithmetic, history, and things like that you studied.
Q: Do you remember who was in your preprimer or what stories were in there?
A: No, not that far back.
Q: So do you remember about your recess and your lunch period?
A: Well the main thing we used to do was there was a small pine forest at the far corner of the building and they were tall enough we used to bend them to the ground and one person would get on and we would turn it loose, they would fly through the air. Kinda crazy but we enjoyed doing it.
Q: You didn’t go very far, I hope?
A: Oh no the trees were close together so you would grab another tree as you flew through the air. But you know your regular games that the children play that was tags and hidden and them things.
Q: Lunchtime did you basically stay here?
A: Most of the time I’d walk home for lunch it wasn’t very far.
Q: Do you recall anything particular about your potbelly stove?
A: No, I remember it was kinda cool when you first got here in the morning and once you got it fired up the classroom was comfortable then.
Q: Was it ever used to cook food?
A: Not to my knowledge, no.
Q: And your water supply when you wanted water during the day?
A: There was a large artisan well at the foot of the ravine back behind the school here; we used to go there. It flowed free flowing, back then. We go down there and get water when we needed to.
Q: Did it ever freeze up?
A: No it would flow constantly so it wouldn’t freeze.
Q: Did any of your furniture in the room stand out?
A: Nah, nothing in particular about it.
Q: Was there anything about your two years of school here that stands out in your memory? Activities or things you did, things you had fun at, funny situations?
A: About the only stupid thing we did was set paper on fire to the girl’s front door facilities one time. Of course we got in trouble for that. Typical boys, I guess.
Q: They found the culprits?
A: Oh, they found the culprits. Yeah they knew who.
Q: Anything else?
A: No, nothing particular, we just, you had your regular periods of exercise that you had to take when you had your recesses.
Q: Discipline and punishment what does that bring to mind?
A: Just wooden rulers. If you didn’t behave you always got smacked on the hand with a wooden ruler. But there was, you know, nobody misbehaved you knew what you had to do and you behaved yourself.
Q: You never had to go any further than if you cracked on the knuckles?
A: No, no detention or no sitting in the corner with a dunce hat on or anything.
Q: Any what you would consider to be your positive memory of the Rescue School?
A: I don’t know, I can’t I don’t remember.
Q: Any negative memories of you school days here?
A: Nah, no, no they were you know they had their discipline then and you knew what you had to do and you did it. That’s all.
Q: One word to describe your stays here.
A: They were enjoyable. I’ll give you that. Before I even stated school here, being young kid in the community had nothing to do I would come out and sit in the classroom some evenings, higher grade just something to pass the time away.
Q: So you already had a head start?
A: Uh-uh. My mother taught me at home coming around here, so when I went to school I skipped the first grade and went into second grade. So that gave me quite a jump.
Q: Would you give us a brief summary of the highlights of your life, after school what would you do the chores jobs or family?
A: You mean that time frame?
Q: After school, after high school, what did you do then, where did you work, what kind jobs did you have, did get married?
A: Well when I finished high school I mentioned to my father I would go into river work with him and he said no way. He said you get a job somewhere else, stable, so I went to Newport News Shipyard, went into the apprentice triple buyer, I stayed there 45 years and retired in 1992. I also met my wife in Newport News. We’ve been married it will be 50 years June 10th. I love her.
Q: What about the army?
A: Yeah, I was in the army for 2 years I was drafted in 55. We had been married 6 months. The draft got us as they did a lot of boys at that time. Looking forward did 2 years in the Army and went back to the shipyard. Then I got out, I retired. I got 2 children. A boy and a girl, and I got 2 grandchildren by each. But we’ve had a very good life.
Q: Is there anything else you would like to add? I don’t have any other questions.
A: No I enjoyed growing up in a small community, watching these kids we played in the water in the river all of the time, to past time, we played in the creek, swim, boat, of course we boated all of our lives. On the river all of the time that was our enjoyment.
Q: That was a fine way to grow up.
A: Yeah we enjoyed it. Association with all of the other people we knew too.
Q: Okay then, that takes care of the questions that I have for the project. I just wanted to thank you very much for letting me question you, you’ve been very helpful and I hope you will come see us when we open up.
A: Yeah, I definitely will. They moved the schoolhouse yet? Or are they getting ready to?
Q: They are getting ready to.