George Perry Lemon Interview
Item
Title
George Perry Lemon Interview
Interviewee, Interviewer
Lemon, George Perry
Borges, Dennis
Relation
Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute
Date
2/4/2020
Identifier
SCUAD_pbbi_00018
extracted text
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Speaker 1: So can I have your name again, please?
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Speaker 2: George Perry Lemon.
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Speaker 1: And will you named after anyone that you know?
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Speaker 2: Not that I know of, no.
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Speaker 1: Unless you're living in Where were you born?
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Speaker 2: Where was I born?
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Speaker 1: Yes, sir.
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Speaker 2: Right here in Tulare, California, about about where the new
Liberty school is built today. I was born on that wrench right there.
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Speaker 1: And your parents, were they also born here?
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Speaker 2: No. They were born in the Azores.
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Speaker 1: what Island you remember?
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Speaker 2: Pico
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Speaker 1: Pico Island and where from? Do you remember where your mom and
your dad was from?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, my mom was from the village of St. JOHN. And my dad was
from the Raiders me that in mill River.
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Speaker 1: And now did your dad come over by himself or with his parents?
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Speaker 2: No. My dad came over by himself. Where by himself. I don't
know.
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Speaker 1: Right.
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Speaker 2: He had he had three brothers manual. Tony and Joe They were
already here. And my Uncle Joe, who was sheeper. He shipt for my brother
for my father, Frank to come over. And he came over as a
young man. And my Uncle Joe gave him American education.
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So your father, your father's name was again, please?
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Frank Perry Lemon.
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Frank Perry Lemon.
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Yes. And his name is inscribed today in the Museum of Arts in Ireland of
the peak, where they have the Museum of whalers. Yes. My dad's name is
inscribed in that book. In that book of the museum, his
name appears and his signature appears in that book. I have never been to
the old country. I've never been to the Azores. But the people who go
over there from here, they have seen my dad's name
inscribed in that book. And they have told me, that's how come I found
out about it.
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Speaker 1: Now, he was Frank was, was he Fransisco there? You know?
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Speaker 2: What's that?
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Speaker 1: Frank, was he Fransisco in Portugal before he came over?
Fransisco then became Frank?
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Speaker 2: No, he was he was Frank
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Speaker 1: Just Frank.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: And did he so when he came over, he met your mother already
here?
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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
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Speaker 1: So they married here in the States?
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Speaker 2: Yes. Yes.
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Speaker 1: And she had come from Pico as well.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yes.
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Speaker 1: And where did they settle? So first, he went to work for his
brother.
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Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah, he came over and he went on a he he worked on a
dredger.
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He worked on a dredger up in the Sacramento River region for gold and
that's how, it appears on the immigration papers. He came over, and he
was employed by a dredging company in Sacramento River. And
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Speaker 1: so he lived far from his brothers?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, manuel is my uncle Manuel he he lived in, in Folsom,
California. And that's where my dad first came to
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Speaker 1: you. Do you recall when they first thought your mom and dad
when they first located here in Tulare?
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Speaker 2: Oh yeah. I would say I was born in 1926 here,
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Speaker 1: so they were already here in 1926.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: And what did your father do here in Tulare?
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Speaker 2: he My father, he was a building contractor. He built dairy
barns and things all around Tipton area down years ago. And he had a, he
had a. well, he catered to the dairy industry. And he
died. And he got a job working with the state of California Department of
Highways. And my dad, he planted all those walnut trees from highway 99
going west, toward Hanford, those walnut trees that
are a lot higher 99. Well, he planted he planted those well that he did
it under his supervision.
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Speaker 1: right.
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Speaker 2: They planted those, they planted those trees. They're 19
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Speaker 1: They went to school here.
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Speaker 2: Yes.
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Speaker 1: Not many people of his generation went to school in America
most of them just went to milk cows.
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Speaker 2: Yeah,
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Speaker 1: he was one of the few that went to school.
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Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah.
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Speaker 1: And so you were born here in Tulare.
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Speaker 2: Yes.
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Speaker 1: And you're how many people how many brothers and sisters?
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Speaker 2: I have one brother and one sister. Both of them have deceased.
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Speaker 1: And so when you were being raised up, so you were born in 1926
so when you were raised as a family,
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Speaker 2: my dad Yes.
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Speaker 1: Did your dad and mom speak to you Portuguese? Because you
know, Portuguese?
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Speaker 2: Yeah, yes. My dad mums both spoke Portuguese. And we spoke at
home and my dad died. I was nine years old. He died of blood poisoning
his leg because of industrial accident when he was one
of the engineers that punched the first hole under the railroad, when
highway 99 went under the railroad at the Plaza. My dad was one of the
engineers that worked for the state on that job.
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Speaker 1: And so what was it like being raised up in Tulare, how was the
Portuguese community in when you were younger in the 1930s and 40s
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Speaker 2: very very very united and and a close knit, close knit bunch
of people,
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Speaker 1: right.
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Speaker 2: My dad died like I said I was nine years old. And we Oh and I
went to work when I was 10 working for Portuguese family named Geoffrey
Louise joepie Louise named Sylvania
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Speaker 2: Here in Tulare. and he was partners with Frank C. Vieira who
later owned the land where the Tulare Western High School is. and maple
school and and I worked there for a couple of years on
the dairy milking. milking cows. What? And
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Speaker 1: Here in Tulare?
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Speaker 1: so you were milking cows at 10 years old?
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Speaker 2: I was milking cow milking cows. Not not big ones, you know, I
mean, and they were and they were and they were tamed and in a secluded
section of the dairy you know,
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Speaker 1: but you were working at 10?
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Speaker 2: Hmm.
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Speaker 1: But you were working at 10 years old?
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Speaker 2: Yes. And I got and I got $10 a month. And a room and board
with the school. And I brought that money home to my mother. That was
during the Depression years. I would do the .... We had no
social security at that time. But social security didn't come in until
1936.
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Speaker 1: So when you So you went to school here? Yes. And where did you
go to school? Remember the schools?
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Speaker 2: Yes, I went to the old Roosevelt school in Tulare. And the old
central grammar, which is where the old law library, and the fire station
is today, has all torn down. I went to central
grammar. I graduated from Cherry Avenue. And then I went to Tulare
Western. And then I enjoy the Navy during World War Two. I didn't want to
get drafted. So I joined the Navy.
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Speaker 1: So you went To the you joined the Navy?
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Speaker 2: Navy 19, 1944, but I milk cows on the dairy. my first paying
job. I work for Tulare Union High School District. I was I was the
herdsmen for about five years when I was a. I was a sophomore
in high school.
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Speaker 1: And your herds went from dairy?
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Speaker 2: it was a herds worked for the dairy.
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Speaker 1: The dairy farm
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Speaker 2: five cows I milk them by hand and had five cows. And I had, I
don't know, eight or nine head of hogs and a flock of chickens.
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Speaker 1: You took care of all that.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, there was a there was a full time manager at the farm
named Roy And I, I was he was my boss and his boss was the agricultural
department of the school.
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Speaker 1: So in high school, you made a decision to go into the Navy?
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Speaker 2: Yeah. After when the war broke out,
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Speaker 1: right.
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Speaker 2: And they, I was going to get drafted and I said, No, I'm not
going to get drafted and I joined the Navy.
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Speaker 1: Where that take you?
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Speaker 2: It took me, this is so subject with me, Dennis. I, I've got
bad memories of my wartime.
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Speaker 1: We will not talk about it.
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Speaker 2: I went from I went from Tarawa. I was in Tarawa psych ban. I
was in the Battle of the Philippines from there we took on we went to
back. Go ahead and we went to Okinawa. But in the meantime
I was I was in Korea. I was in Korea in 1940 in 1944. In 1944, or
beginning in 1945. We went into Korea, South Korea and picked up a bunch
of spies and then brought them out. And that was that was
that was Harry. We we wore life jackets. 24 seven. He was We was in
battle gear 24 seven.
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Speaker 1: So after you were in the Navy, you came back to Tulare?
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Speaker 2: Oh yes. I came back to Tulare and I got a job working from my
one of my old bosses that A.M. firrea family down Tipton. And I worked
there for, I don't know, a couple, two or three months
and I went back to school, got my high school diploma. And then I got a
while I was doing that. I had a job selling cars for herb Evans.
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Speaker 1: here in tulare?
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Speaker 2: here in tulare. And I got a job selling cars and then after I
got done Got my education. Then I had a chance to buy a milk truck with
milk cans. And I bought a milk truck at $4500 that i
borrowed I didn't have a dime. I did not have a dime I had a man trusted
me. And he loaned me the money to buy that milk truck for $4500 he owned
the rich cafe. Wonderful man Louie Louie kudos It was
his name. He loaned me the money to buy my milk truck. And after I've
after he loaned me the money to buy my milk truck. Mr. Jorgensen, the
dairy men's from the manager of the dairy men's Co Op query
and clarity. He called me in one day, said George, we're going to we're
going to Expand and we're going to go more modern and we're going to get
rid of these milk trucks. If you've got a chance to
sell your milk truck you better sell it, because we're going to go into
milk tankers. I'll tell you What? He told me this, he told me this on on
Wednesday afternoon I'll never forget. And on Thursday
morning, yeah, I went to the bank. I had a few dollars. I put my truck up
for sale. And I sold it Friday morning. And then, and then I went back to
school, went to and studied real estate law. And
when I got my real estate license as one of the youngest real estate
brokers in the city, In the state of California, I got my real estate
license. I just barely 22 years
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Speaker 1: 22 Wow. And how was that experience?
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Speaker 2: Good, very good. Very good. I had a real good experience. I
was in the in it I sold real estate and and insurance and and then I I
also had a Portuguese radio program.
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Speaker 1: did you?
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Speaker 2: Yes, I did.
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Speaker 1: Wow.
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Speaker 2: A Fellow fellow who lived here in Tulare. Well go back farther
go back a little ways. And it was a we've always involved in all the
activities of the Portuguese community And as a
Portuguese commentator in a sentence.
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Speaker 1: Yes Sir, Pisgha.
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Speaker 2: Pisgha, Pisgha.
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Speaker 1: Yes Sir.
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Speaker 2: He was he was there and there was another fellow that was also
there. His name was Guss semas. Gus Semans, was he he was a agent for New
York Life. And he had a radio program every morning
at six o'clock. And all the Portuguese people would listen to that
Portuguese program.
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Speaker 1: And it was here in Tulare?
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Speaker 2: No, I know. Yes its in Tulare. KCOK.
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Speaker 1: Yes.
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Speaker 2: Yeah. He had a stroke. And I turned into the radio show, and I
couldn't find him. And so I call the radio station to find out what
happened. Well, Mr. Anderson, who is the manager and the
owner of KCOK, told me that Gus was in the hospital in bad condition. He
had a stroke. I did not know anything about radio broadcasting or
nothing. I had no I never, I had never been it. So I told Mr.
Anderson, I said I'd go there. I'd be there in the morning and make that
radio program. I picked up my stuff. I went to the radio station. And we
got everything came over teletype. In those days when
there was no, not like today. Everything was coming in on teletype. I
came over there I grabbed the teletype machine, and I would read the
news. In Portuguese, I would translate it from English.
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Speaker 1: automatically
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Speaker 2: automatically. Just looking at Just looking at it
automatically read it in English and speak it in Portuguese.
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I kept that I kept that real but I kept it for about six months. And then
with that,
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Speaker 1: was there a name to the program? Was there the program have a
name to the radio program have a name or just
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Speaker 2: yeah. Voice of the Azores.
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Speaker 1: Voice of the Azores.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, voice. voz dos azores.
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Speaker 1: What year was this? More or less? You remember the more or
less?
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Speaker 2: 19 in 1948.
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Speaker 1: 1948.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, by 1948. I got married in 48. And this and I had this.
This was before for you. This is more or less in the 47 48. Yeah. And and
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Speaker 1: so you kept the show for six months?
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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, about that. And then I had and I was always
looking for greener pastures and always looking for something to be. I
was quite when I was in the younger years, I was quite
involved in the Portuguese, lodges. APPB and the SES.
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See, that's something.
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Yes, I had I had those. I was quite involved in those two lodges. And
till I moved to Los Angeles, in the 50s. But, uh, I, that's where I
learned to, to speak and read and write Portuguese.
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Speaker 1: So you taught yourself?
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Speaker 2: Yes, yeah. In these Portuguese lodges. How is the little kid
Have you got about 14 years old? These grown men, grown grown men
Portuguese doers, the movers and shakers of those years so I
thought I was quite a cat you know, because I was always willing to learn
more and do more and and they always watch over me they made sure they
take me in and if they'd show me how to write a show me
out, if I didn't see didn't say something, right. They tell me. You don't
see it that way. You see it like this? And he says, You got to watch what
you say because some words one way mean something in
some ways they mean the other that's what I did so right. But I learned
to speak and write Portuguese, probably as well as anybody that came over
from the old country. In those years. I could speak in
Shell yet today. I have a I have a sorrow in my heart where I did not
have a chance to go to the old country. That's one of my is one of them.
I consider that one of my lifelong failures in life was
not being able to go to the old country. But I'm a proud I'm a real proud
Portuguese individual. The pride of Portugal just oozes out all over me.
I was not the Dennis. I was not born there. But I
have a dedication of being proud. Portuguese, and I couldn't stop in
stand up to Anybody that comes from over there, I could stand up and talk
Portuguese to them as well. And I could talk to English
of anybody. And then I did it. I did it like
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Speaker 1: and when you so when you left your radio program you said
you're looking for greener pastures?
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Speaker 2: I went out to Los Angeles
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Speaker 1: you moved to LA.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, we went to Artesia.
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Speaker 1: How was Artesia the 1950s still dairies there?
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Speaker 2: Yes. Oh, yeah. Florida in Artesia. I went down there, I got a
job. I got a job working for Ketner truck lines out of San Francisco with
a with an office in Los Angeles. And we moved to a
little town of Artesia outside of LA there and in the end, I moved there
because of the Portuguese people and I stayed there and
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Speaker 1: how long did you live there in Artesia?
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Speaker 2: There back 12 years about 12 years. Then I made back, came
back to Tulare and I was I sold insurance and real estate in Artesia and
I drove cattle truck for Garibaldi, livestock and for
freight cost and livestock and sold insurance and real estate you know
all the time there and then then I then I may I move back to Tulare. for
health reasons I was sick. I moved back to Tulare and
all my children were that I have four children born in Los Angeles, two
of them born into Tulare, four in Los Angeles, and moved back to Tulare.
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Speaker 1: So you moved back to Tulare in the 1960s?
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Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I moved here. I was going to buy out I was going to
buy out led better insurance company. I came to Tulare with the intention
of buying out led better insurance company. And when
got here then politics got involved in the sale. And I couldn't compete
with it. I couldn't compete with the politics. So I just gave it up. And
I got a job driving a truck for Kings County truck lin
s. And I worked there for 40 years,
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For Spike Mancebo
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spike mancebo I spike. I work for spike for 40 years. For him and his
family. I work for 40 years. Wonderful, man. everything I own today Oh,
spite my TiVo and his family, they give me they put me on
they put me on the right road, the road.
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Speaker 1: Now here in Tulare in the 1960s.
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Speaker 2: Yes,
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Speaker 1: we started seeing, especially especially in the 1960s. A
little bit in the 50s. In the 60s, we started seeing some new immigration
come in from Azores.
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Speaker 2: Yes
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Speaker 1: that didn't come in 40s or the 50s when you were grown up.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: How was that different in the community? How was the community
different? When you were like a teenager? 14 or 16. To when you came back
in the 1960s already grown man?
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Speaker 2: Yeah. It was different. It was different. Yes. Because the
fact that then the younger generation of the Portuguese people in the 60s
and the 70s and 80s. They came over they had their own
ideas. And this is one of the things that I think plagues the Portuguese
community or the Portuguese nationality is that I find they're a very
jealous bunch of people. We have here Tulare back in
1930.In 1930 1920 years back we had the two party system here in Tulare
we have the IDES Hall. It's where the lenders, hardware and tractor
company is today. That used to be a big dance hall, a big,
nice facility owned by the Portuguese owned by the Portuguese people.
Then they got
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Speaker 1: that was the IDES?
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Speaker 2: that was the IDES. Yes. And then the Tulare, then a fraction
of people also had a little Hall in Tulare called the TDES hall.
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Speaker 1: That started later.
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Speaker 2: And that started that started in later. And then the fractions
broke up and times got times got hard. And they lost the IDES hall
because of political infighting and everything in the end,
and in the people got behind the TDES hall and that's what we have today
is a TDES Hall. But that was the outgrowth of the old IDES hall There was
people all the old timers Jopie Louise, Invieques
Cardoza, mem Costa from Visalia. The These are some of the movers and
shakers of our time. Frank Lucio FL Lucio out west of town, Joelle Rocher
who was the field man for dairy mens Co Op Creamery in
Tulare, as one of the movers and shakers of our time, and they were
involved in a lot of Tulare activities that
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Speaker 1: you you remember when you were growing up? I know your dad
passed away quite young, but you remember some of the festas that were
there?
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yeah, what are these two? I was an
older boy. I serve mass in the old Tulare church on F Street. And Father
of brat is a Portuguese priest was Portuguese. Yes. We
had mass on it today. I I was living it at that time we were living in
town. We was living in town. And I would serve. I would serve mass on
Sunday and go to Tipton and say mass down there with Father
brannis and E He wanted to send me Father brannis wanna send me to
seminary school? And I almost went but my mother, she was a widow. never
married. She never remarried. Yeah, years years later she
did but I was already grown and had children my own when she married
another man. That's a different story. But I had I had I had a morning
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Speaker 1: so you remember some of those early festas?
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yeah, here in Tulare.
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Speaker 1: braids and everything like
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Did clear back then. Yes, yes, yes.
Hanford by seeing you today, Larry Tipton, yes.
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Speaker 1: This was already a traditional back
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00:31:00,000 --> 00:31:05,610
Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yeah, the surface is already traditional at that
time back there.
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00:31:07,280 --> 00:31:22,730
Speaker 1: And as you as you grow as you got married and you had your
family and I know your daughters or sons Did you we although been born
here, were you able to keep some of the traditions alive in
your own family?
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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I still do. I still do that today. We still have we
still my wife, my wife, Dorothy. She still makes the old Portuguese
masses rather.
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Speaker 1: homemade
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00:31:46,280 --> 00:32:15,560
Speaker 2: homemade. She hasn't made it for years because she's already
grown and and we've got commercial bakers now that make it is we used to
make it but she when I got When I got married she was a
young girl growing up in her family, but she already had quite a
responsibility for cooking in and
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00:32:16,390 --> 00:32:19,570
Speaker 1: she's a Portuguese you said, just from Portuguese families
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Speaker 2: you oh Yes, yes her mother and father were born in the old
country too. But they were born at the Seder on the on the village of the
Moscow
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Speaker 1: What was her maiden name?
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Speaker 2: Armande nickname good things. Good things getting a little
kiddies Yeah.
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00:32:39,989 --> 00:32:50,819
Speaker 1: Yeah. And tell me the story. As you mentioned your father had
brothers here. Tell me the story of your uncle that was in the morgue a
little bit if you don't mind telling me that.
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00:32:51,020 --> 00:34:00,050
Speaker 2: I don't know much about Mack my my uncle all I know that he
was a beekeeper over there. And I did get to see him a several times when
my father had fallen, my mother had a big falling out
with my Uncle Joe. And my Uncle Joe and my father was in the hospital
with it. The malig and the malig, malignancy on the leg. They want to cut
his leg off. Because I guess there's no cure with the
osteomyelitis. And at that time, there was no cure for nowadays they got
penicillin and that takes care of that. But my mother never consent to
cutting his leg off. And consequently it went to
gangrene and my father died. And my Uncle Joe never forgave my mother and
my mother kept us away. And the Family Feud you know, and Portuguese
being the way they are with you
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00:34:00,470 --> 00:34:03,920
Speaker 1: But he had he had something to do within Azores
170
00:34:03,989 --> 00:34:17,459
Speaker 2: Oh, yes. I don't know. I don't know much about that. Other
than that he, he owned that. And he told me himself. My Uncle Joe told me
himself.
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00:34:17,760 --> 00:34:19,140
Speaker 1: So Joe Joe lemon.
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00:34:19,170 --> 00:34:43,620
Speaker 2: Yes. He told me himself that the government took his land for
the airport. He says they they, I had to sell it. They watered it I had
to sell. My Uncle Joe told me that it's a screen actor.
He is given the
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00:34:43,900 --> 00:34:50,080
Speaker 1: so he he is land. He own some land where today is the airbase?
174
00:34:50,080 --> 00:35:12,610
Speaker 2: Yes, right. Yeah. And, and, and as far as I know, Dennis,
they're still high I did not I have not been able to research that. But I
have a son that's in the real estate business. And maybe
someday he should I don't know.
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00:35:17,700 --> 00:35:36,540
Speaker 1: What, to what extent as you look back, you know, you're still
young man. At least another 25 or 30 years to live. But to what extent in
your opinion, being Portuguese American, being a
Portuguese background in America shaped who you are and who you became as
a man?
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Speaker 2: What?
177
00:35:37,890 --> 00:35:46,500
Speaker 1: To what extent being Portuguese shaped you to make who you are
as a man as a person? Was that always an important part of your life?
178
00:35:46,660 --> 00:36:47,290
Speaker 2: Yes, yes. It's always been a part of my life. Because I always
been a proud I was, it was so Probably one of the bad characteristics of
my life is being proud, Prosser as they say in
Portuguese, you know, a prosser ..... But I'll tell you what. I loved it.
I love the Portuguese people. I love the Portuguese land. And like I say,
I only had the only read that as I can say, in my
lifetime will be one of the failures of my life was not being able to go
to the old country and visiting,
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Speaker 1: but even though you've never been there, and your mom and dad
came a very young age here, you feel that you're an American, but you're
also Portuguese.
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00:36:57,160 --> 00:37:00,700
Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yeah.
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00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:05,800
Speaker 1: And you're able to kind of pass that on to your family.
Weren't you?
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00:37:05,980 --> 00:37:14,020
Speaker 2: Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Always, always remember the
roots. Always remember your roots.
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Speaker 1: Thank you Mr Lemon.
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Speaker 2: Yes.
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00:37:18,869 --> 00:37:21,509
Speaker 1: That's a wonderful way to end it. Always remember your roots
00:00:01,860 --> 00:00:03,600
Speaker 1: So can I have your name again, please?
2
00:00:03,630 --> 00:00:05,490
Speaker 2: George Perry Lemon.
3
00:00:05,540 --> 00:00:08,090
Speaker 1: And will you named after anyone that you know?
4
00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:09,560
Speaker 2: Not that I know of, no.
5
00:00:09,680 --> 00:00:11,210
Speaker 1: Unless you're living in Where were you born?
6
00:00:11,840 --> 00:00:12,830
Speaker 2: Where was I born?
7
00:00:12,830 --> 00:00:13,340
Speaker 1: Yes, sir.
8
00:00:13,430 --> 00:00:24,080
Speaker 2: Right here in Tulare, California, about about where the new
Liberty school is built today. I was born on that wrench right there.
9
00:00:24,810 --> 00:00:27,060
Speaker 1: And your parents, were they also born here?
10
00:00:27,000 --> 00:00:29,580
Speaker 2: No. They were born in the Azores.
11
00:00:30,120 --> 00:00:31,320
Speaker 1: what Island you remember?
12
00:00:32,760 --> 00:00:33,360
Speaker 2: Pico
13
00:00:33,000 --> 00:00:37,830
Speaker 1: Pico Island and where from? Do you remember where your mom and
your dad was from?
14
00:00:37,860 --> 00:00:46,110
Speaker 2: Yeah, my mom was from the village of St. JOHN. And my dad was
from the Raiders me that in mill River.
15
00:00:46,200 --> 00:00:50,070
Speaker 1: And now did your dad come over by himself or with his parents?
16
00:00:50,100 --> 00:00:54,240
Speaker 2: No. My dad came over by himself. Where by himself. I don't
know.
17
00:00:54,450 --> 00:00:54,750
Speaker 1: Right.
18
00:00:54,750 --> 00:01:21,480
Speaker 2: He had he had three brothers manual. Tony and Joe They were
already here. And my Uncle Joe, who was sheeper. He shipt for my brother
for my father, Frank to come over. And he came over as a
young man. And my Uncle Joe gave him American education.
19
00:01:22,230 --> 00:01:26,220
So your father, your father's name was again, please?
20
00:01:26,250 --> 00:01:27,510
Frank Perry Lemon.
21
00:01:27,510 --> 00:01:28,650
Frank Perry Lemon.
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00:01:28,680 --> 00:02:15,630
Yes. And his name is inscribed today in the Museum of Arts in Ireland of
the peak, where they have the Museum of whalers. Yes. My dad's name is
inscribed in that book. In that book of the museum, his
name appears and his signature appears in that book. I have never been to
the old country. I've never been to the Azores. But the people who go
over there from here, they have seen my dad's name
inscribed in that book. And they have told me, that's how come I found
out about it.
23
00:02:15,810 --> 00:02:20,040
Speaker 1: Now, he was Frank was, was he Fransisco there? You know?
24
00:02:20,370 --> 00:02:21,000
Speaker 2: What's that?
25
00:02:21,660 --> 00:02:26,880
Speaker 1: Frank, was he Fransisco in Portugal before he came over?
Fransisco then became Frank?
26
00:02:27,360 --> 00:02:29,070
Speaker 2: No, he was he was Frank
27
00:02:29,000 --> 00:02:29,720
Speaker 1: Just Frank.
28
00:02:29,790 --> 00:02:30,180
Speaker 2: Yeah.
29
00:02:30,210 --> 00:02:34,080
Speaker 1: And did he so when he came over, he met your mother already
here?
30
00:02:34,350 --> 00:02:35,760
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah.
31
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Speaker 1: So they married here in the States?
32
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Speaker 2: Yes. Yes.
33
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Speaker 1: And she had come from Pico as well.
34
00:02:40,460 --> 00:02:41,780
Speaker 2: Yeah. Yes.
35
00:02:41,900 --> 00:02:46,400
Speaker 1: And where did they settle? So first, he went to work for his
brother.
36
00:02:46,469 --> 00:02:51,959
Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah, he came over and he went on a he he worked on a
dredger.
37
00:02:51,000 --> 00:03:16,080
He worked on a dredger up in the Sacramento River region for gold and
that's how, it appears on the immigration papers. He came over, and he
was employed by a dredging company in Sacramento River. And
38
00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:18,840
Speaker 1: so he lived far from his brothers?
39
00:03:18,900 --> 00:03:33,510
Speaker 2: Yeah, manuel is my uncle Manuel he he lived in, in Folsom,
California. And that's where my dad first came to
40
00:03:34,590 --> 00:03:40,770
Speaker 1: you. Do you recall when they first thought your mom and dad
when they first located here in Tulare?
41
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Speaker 2: Oh yeah. I would say I was born in 1926 here,
42
00:03:52,480 --> 00:03:54,340
Speaker 1: so they were already here in 1926.
43
00:03:54,400 --> 00:03:54,820
Speaker 2: Yeah.
44
00:03:55,390 --> 00:03:56,920
Speaker 1: And what did your father do here in Tulare?
45
00:03:59,090 --> 00:04:53,210
Speaker 2: he My father, he was a building contractor. He built dairy
barns and things all around Tipton area down years ago. And he had a, he
had a. well, he catered to the dairy industry. And he
died. And he got a job working with the state of California Department of
Highways. And my dad, he planted all those walnut trees from highway 99
going west, toward Hanford, those walnut trees that
are a lot higher 99. Well, he planted he planted those well that he did
it under his supervision.
46
00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:53,720
Speaker 1: right.
47
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Speaker 2: They planted those, they planted those trees. They're 19
48
00:05:01,790 --> 00:05:03,200
Speaker 1: They went to school here.
49
00:05:03,260 --> 00:05:03,860
Speaker 2: Yes.
50
00:05:04,160 --> 00:05:08,720
Speaker 1: Not many people of his generation went to school in America
most of them just went to milk cows.
51
00:05:08,750 --> 00:05:09,230
Speaker 2: Yeah,
52
00:05:09,260 --> 00:05:10,670
Speaker 1: he was one of the few that went to school.
53
00:05:10,700 --> 00:05:11,720
Speaker 2: Yes. Yeah.
54
00:05:12,110 --> 00:05:14,270
Speaker 1: And so you were born here in Tulare.
55
00:05:14,300 --> 00:05:14,780
Speaker 2: Yes.
56
00:05:15,050 --> 00:05:17,990
Speaker 1: And you're how many people how many brothers and sisters?
57
00:05:18,140 --> 00:05:22,340
Speaker 2: I have one brother and one sister. Both of them have deceased.
58
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Speaker 1: And so when you were being raised up, so you were born in 1926
so when you were raised as a family,
59
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Speaker 2: my dad Yes.
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Speaker 1: Did your dad and mom speak to you Portuguese? Because you
know, Portuguese?
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00:05:37,000 --> 00:06:17,800
Speaker 2: Yeah, yes. My dad mums both spoke Portuguese. And we spoke at
home and my dad died. I was nine years old. He died of blood poisoning
his leg because of industrial accident when he was one
of the engineers that punched the first hole under the railroad, when
highway 99 went under the railroad at the Plaza. My dad was one of the
engineers that worked for the state on that job.
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00:06:18,860 --> 00:06:30,770
Speaker 1: And so what was it like being raised up in Tulare, how was the
Portuguese community in when you were younger in the 1930s and 40s
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Speaker 2: very very very united and and a close knit, close knit bunch
of people,
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Speaker 1: right.
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00:06:48,380 --> 00:07:11,480
Speaker 2: My dad died like I said I was nine years old. And we Oh and I
went to work when I was 10 working for Portuguese family named Geoffrey
Louise joepie Louise named Sylvania
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00:07:11,460 --> 00:07:36,329
Speaker 2: Here in Tulare. and he was partners with Frank C. Vieira who
later owned the land where the Tulare Western High School is. and maple
school and and I worked there for a couple of years on
the dairy milking. milking cows. What? And
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00:07:12,540 --> 00:07:13,350
Speaker 1: Here in Tulare?
68
00:07:14,230 --> 00:07:38,350
Speaker 1: so you were milking cows at 10 years old?
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00:07:38,900 --> 00:07:51,410
Speaker 2: I was milking cow milking cows. Not not big ones, you know, I
mean, and they were and they were and they were tamed and in a secluded
section of the dairy you know,
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00:07:52,040 --> 00:07:53,210
Speaker 1: but you were working at 10?
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Speaker 2: Hmm.
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Speaker 1: But you were working at 10 years old?
73
00:07:55,630 --> 00:08:19,600
Speaker 2: Yes. And I got and I got $10 a month. And a room and board
with the school. And I brought that money home to my mother. That was
during the Depression years. I would do the .... We had no
social security at that time. But social security didn't come in until
1936.
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Speaker 1: So when you So you went to school here? Yes. And where did you
go to school? Remember the schools?
75
00:08:25,900 --> 00:08:58,150
Speaker 2: Yes, I went to the old Roosevelt school in Tulare. And the old
central grammar, which is where the old law library, and the fire station
is today, has all torn down. I went to central
grammar. I graduated from Cherry Avenue. And then I went to Tulare
Western. And then I enjoy the Navy during World War Two. I didn't want to
get drafted. So I joined the Navy.
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00:08:59,500 --> 00:09:02,980
Speaker 1: So you went To the you joined the Navy?
77
00:09:03,010 --> 00:09:32,890
Speaker 2: Navy 19, 1944, but I milk cows on the dairy. my first paying
job. I work for Tulare Union High School District. I was I was the
herdsmen for about five years when I was a. I was a sophomore
in high school.
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00:09:33,660 --> 00:09:35,070
Speaker 1: And your herds went from dairy?
79
00:09:35,000 --> 00:09:36,830
Speaker 2: it was a herds worked for the dairy.
80
00:09:36,890 --> 00:09:37,550
Speaker 1: The dairy farm
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Speaker 2: five cows I milk them by hand and had five cows. And I had, I
don't know, eight or nine head of hogs and a flock of chickens.
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Speaker 1: You took care of all that.
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00:09:55,370 --> 00:10:13,040
Speaker 2: Yeah, there was a there was a full time manager at the farm
named Roy And I, I was he was my boss and his boss was the agricultural
department of the school.
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00:10:13,070 --> 00:10:17,840
Speaker 1: So in high school, you made a decision to go into the Navy?
85
00:10:18,500 --> 00:10:21,110
Speaker 2: Yeah. After when the war broke out,
86
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Speaker 1: right.
87
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Speaker 2: And they, I was going to get drafted and I said, No, I'm not
going to get drafted and I joined the Navy.
88
00:10:29,370 --> 00:10:30,360
Speaker 1: Where that take you?
89
00:10:31,725 --> 00:10:42,315
Speaker 2: It took me, this is so subject with me, Dennis. I, I've got
bad memories of my wartime.
90
00:10:42,000 --> 00:10:45,810
Speaker 1: We will not talk about it.
91
00:10:47,910 --> 00:12:03,120
Speaker 2: I went from I went from Tarawa. I was in Tarawa psych ban. I
was in the Battle of the Philippines from there we took on we went to
back. Go ahead and we went to Okinawa. But in the meantime
I was I was in Korea. I was in Korea in 1940 in 1944. In 1944, or
beginning in 1945. We went into Korea, South Korea and picked up a bunch
of spies and then brought them out. And that was that was
that was Harry. We we wore life jackets. 24 seven. He was We was in
battle gear 24 seven.
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00:12:04,200 --> 00:12:07,920
Speaker 1: So after you were in the Navy, you came back to Tulare?
93
00:12:08,610 --> 00:12:49,440
Speaker 2: Oh yes. I came back to Tulare and I got a job working from my
one of my old bosses that A.M. firrea family down Tipton. And I worked
there for, I don't know, a couple, two or three months
and I went back to school, got my high school diploma. And then I got a
while I was doing that. I had a job selling cars for herb Evans.
94
00:12:49,770 --> 00:12:50,280
Speaker 1: here in tulare?
95
00:12:50,480 --> 00:15:06,710
Speaker 2: here in tulare. And I got a job selling cars and then after I
got done Got my education. Then I had a chance to buy a milk truck with
milk cans. And I bought a milk truck at $4500 that i
borrowed I didn't have a dime. I did not have a dime I had a man trusted
me. And he loaned me the money to buy that milk truck for $4500 he owned
the rich cafe. Wonderful man Louie Louie kudos It was
his name. He loaned me the money to buy my milk truck. And after I've
after he loaned me the money to buy my milk truck. Mr. Jorgensen, the
dairy men's from the manager of the dairy men's Co Op query
and clarity. He called me in one day, said George, we're going to we're
going to Expand and we're going to go more modern and we're going to get
rid of these milk trucks. If you've got a chance to
sell your milk truck you better sell it, because we're going to go into
milk tankers. I'll tell you What? He told me this, he told me this on on
Wednesday afternoon I'll never forget. And on Thursday
morning, yeah, I went to the bank. I had a few dollars. I put my truck up
for sale. And I sold it Friday morning. And then, and then I went back to
school, went to and studied real estate law. And
when I got my real estate license as one of the youngest real estate
brokers in the city, In the state of California, I got my real estate
license. I just barely 22 years
96
00:15:07,250 --> 00:15:11,930
Speaker 1: 22 Wow. And how was that experience?
97
00:15:12,110 --> 00:15:38,780
Speaker 2: Good, very good. Very good. I had a real good experience. I
was in the in it I sold real estate and and insurance and and then I I
also had a Portuguese radio program.
98
00:15:38,930 --> 00:15:39,500
Speaker 1: did you?
99
00:15:39,680 --> 00:15:40,610
Speaker 2: Yes, I did.
100
00:15:40,700 --> 00:15:41,330
Speaker 1: Wow.
101
00:15:44,000 --> 00:16:07,640
Speaker 2: A Fellow fellow who lived here in Tulare. Well go back farther
go back a little ways. And it was a we've always involved in all the
activities of the Portuguese community And as a
Portuguese commentator in a sentence.
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00:16:07,670 --> 00:16:08,240
Speaker 1: Yes Sir, Pisgha.
103
00:16:08,240 --> 00:16:09,980
Speaker 2: Pisgha, Pisgha.
104
00:16:09,980 --> 00:16:10,430
Speaker 1: Yes Sir.
105
00:16:10,640 --> 00:16:34,250
Speaker 2: He was he was there and there was another fellow that was also
there. His name was Guss semas. Gus Semans, was he he was a agent for New
York Life. And he had a radio program every morning
at six o'clock. And all the Portuguese people would listen to that
Portuguese program.
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00:16:35,120 --> 00:16:36,770
Speaker 1: And it was here in Tulare?
107
00:16:36,890 --> 00:16:42,620
Speaker 2: No, I know. Yes its in Tulare. KCOK.
108
00:16:42,650 --> 00:16:43,070
Speaker 1: Yes.
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00:16:43,570 --> 00:17:57,460
Speaker 2: Yeah. He had a stroke. And I turned into the radio show, and I
couldn't find him. And so I call the radio station to find out what
happened. Well, Mr. Anderson, who is the manager and the
owner of KCOK, told me that Gus was in the hospital in bad condition. He
had a stroke. I did not know anything about radio broadcasting or
nothing. I had no I never, I had never been it. So I told Mr.
Anderson, I said I'd go there. I'd be there in the morning and make that
radio program. I picked up my stuff. I went to the radio station. And we
got everything came over teletype. In those days when
there was no, not like today. Everything was coming in on teletype. I
came over there I grabbed the teletype machine, and I would read the
news. In Portuguese, I would translate it from English.
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Speaker 1: automatically
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Speaker 2: automatically. Just looking at Just looking at it
automatically read it in English and speak it in Portuguese.
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I kept that I kept that real but I kept it for about six months. And then
with that,
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Speaker 1: was there a name to the program? Was there the program have a
name to the radio program have a name or just
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Speaker 2: yeah. Voice of the Azores.
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Speaker 1: Voice of the Azores.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, voice. voz dos azores.
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Speaker 1: What year was this? More or less? You remember the more or
less?
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Speaker 2: 19 in 1948.
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Speaker 1: 1948.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, by 1948. I got married in 48. And this and I had this.
This was before for you. This is more or less in the 47 48. Yeah. And and
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Speaker 1: so you kept the show for six months?
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Speaker 2: Yeah. Yeah, yeah, about that. And then I had and I was always
looking for greener pastures and always looking for something to be. I
was quite when I was in the younger years, I was quite
involved in the Portuguese, lodges. APPB and the SES.
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See, that's something.
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Yes, I had I had those. I was quite involved in those two lodges. And
till I moved to Los Angeles, in the 50s. But, uh, I, that's where I
learned to, to speak and read and write Portuguese.
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Speaker 1: So you taught yourself?
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Speaker 2: Yes, yeah. In these Portuguese lodges. How is the little kid
Have you got about 14 years old? These grown men, grown grown men
Portuguese doers, the movers and shakers of those years so I
thought I was quite a cat you know, because I was always willing to learn
more and do more and and they always watch over me they made sure they
take me in and if they'd show me how to write a show me
out, if I didn't see didn't say something, right. They tell me. You don't
see it that way. You see it like this? And he says, You got to watch what
you say because some words one way mean something in
some ways they mean the other that's what I did so right. But I learned
to speak and write Portuguese, probably as well as anybody that came over
from the old country. In those years. I could speak in
Shell yet today. I have a I have a sorrow in my heart where I did not
have a chance to go to the old country. That's one of my is one of them.
I consider that one of my lifelong failures in life was
not being able to go to the old country. But I'm a proud I'm a real proud
Portuguese individual. The pride of Portugal just oozes out all over me.
I was not the Dennis. I was not born there. But I
have a dedication of being proud. Portuguese, and I couldn't stop in
stand up to Anybody that comes from over there, I could stand up and talk
Portuguese to them as well. And I could talk to English
of anybody. And then I did it. I did it like
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Speaker 1: and when you so when you left your radio program you said
you're looking for greener pastures?
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Speaker 2: I went out to Los Angeles
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Speaker 1: you moved to LA.
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Speaker 2: Yeah, we went to Artesia.
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Speaker 1: How was Artesia the 1950s still dairies there?
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Speaker 2: Yes. Oh, yeah. Florida in Artesia. I went down there, I got a
job. I got a job working for Ketner truck lines out of San Francisco with
a with an office in Los Angeles. And we moved to a
little town of Artesia outside of LA there and in the end, I moved there
because of the Portuguese people and I stayed there and
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Speaker 1: how long did you live there in Artesia?
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Speaker 2: There back 12 years about 12 years. Then I made back, came
back to Tulare and I was I sold insurance and real estate in Artesia and
I drove cattle truck for Garibaldi, livestock and for
freight cost and livestock and sold insurance and real estate you know
all the time there and then then I then I may I move back to Tulare. for
health reasons I was sick. I moved back to Tulare and
all my children were that I have four children born in Los Angeles, two
of them born into Tulare, four in Los Angeles, and moved back to Tulare.
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Speaker 1: So you moved back to Tulare in the 1960s?
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Speaker 2: Yes, yes, I moved here. I was going to buy out I was going to
buy out led better insurance company. I came to Tulare with the intention
of buying out led better insurance company. And when
got here then politics got involved in the sale. And I couldn't compete
with it. I couldn't compete with the politics. So I just gave it up. And
I got a job driving a truck for Kings County truck lin
s. And I worked there for 40 years,
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For Spike Mancebo
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spike mancebo I spike. I work for spike for 40 years. For him and his
family. I work for 40 years. Wonderful, man. everything I own today Oh,
spite my TiVo and his family, they give me they put me on
they put me on the right road, the road.
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Speaker 1: Now here in Tulare in the 1960s.
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Speaker 2: Yes,
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Speaker 1: we started seeing, especially especially in the 1960s. A
little bit in the 50s. In the 60s, we started seeing some new immigration
come in from Azores.
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Speaker 2: Yes
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Speaker 1: that didn't come in 40s or the 50s when you were grown up.
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Speaker 2: Yeah.
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Speaker 1: How was that different in the community? How was the community
different? When you were like a teenager? 14 or 16. To when you came back
in the 1960s already grown man?
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Speaker 2: Yeah. It was different. It was different. Yes. Because the
fact that then the younger generation of the Portuguese people in the 60s
and the 70s and 80s. They came over they had their own
ideas. And this is one of the things that I think plagues the Portuguese
community or the Portuguese nationality is that I find they're a very
jealous bunch of people. We have here Tulare back in
1930.In 1930 1920 years back we had the two party system here in Tulare
we have the IDES Hall. It's where the lenders, hardware and tractor
company is today. That used to be a big dance hall, a big,
nice facility owned by the Portuguese owned by the Portuguese people.
Then they got
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Speaker 1: that was the IDES?
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Speaker 2: that was the IDES. Yes. And then the Tulare, then a fraction
of people also had a little Hall in Tulare called the TDES hall.
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Speaker 1: That started later.
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Speaker 2: And that started that started in later. And then the fractions
broke up and times got times got hard. And they lost the IDES hall
because of political infighting and everything in the end,
and in the people got behind the TDES hall and that's what we have today
is a TDES Hall. But that was the outgrowth of the old IDES hall There was
people all the old timers Jopie Louise, Invieques
Cardoza, mem Costa from Visalia. The These are some of the movers and
shakers of our time. Frank Lucio FL Lucio out west of town, Joelle Rocher
who was the field man for dairy mens Co Op Creamery in
Tulare, as one of the movers and shakers of our time, and they were
involved in a lot of Tulare activities that
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Speaker 1: you you remember when you were growing up? I know your dad
passed away quite young, but you remember some of the festas that were
there?
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yeah, what are these two? I was an
older boy. I serve mass in the old Tulare church on F Street. And Father
of brat is a Portuguese priest was Portuguese. Yes. We
had mass on it today. I I was living it at that time we were living in
town. We was living in town. And I would serve. I would serve mass on
Sunday and go to Tipton and say mass down there with Father
brannis and E He wanted to send me Father brannis wanna send me to
seminary school? And I almost went but my mother, she was a widow. never
married. She never remarried. Yeah, years years later she
did but I was already grown and had children my own when she married
another man. That's a different story. But I had I had I had a morning
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Speaker 1: so you remember some of those early festas?
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yeah, here in Tulare.
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Speaker 1: braids and everything like
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Did clear back then. Yes, yes, yes.
Hanford by seeing you today, Larry Tipton, yes.
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Speaker 1: This was already a traditional back
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Speaker 2: Yes, yeah, yeah, the surface is already traditional at that
time back there.
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Speaker 1: And as you as you grow as you got married and you had your
family and I know your daughters or sons Did you we although been born
here, were you able to keep some of the traditions alive in
your own family?
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Speaker 2: Oh yeah, I still do. I still do that today. We still have we
still my wife, my wife, Dorothy. She still makes the old Portuguese
masses rather.
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Speaker 1: homemade
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00:31:46,280 --> 00:32:15,560
Speaker 2: homemade. She hasn't made it for years because she's already
grown and and we've got commercial bakers now that make it is we used to
make it but she when I got When I got married she was a
young girl growing up in her family, but she already had quite a
responsibility for cooking in and
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Speaker 1: she's a Portuguese you said, just from Portuguese families
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Speaker 2: you oh Yes, yes her mother and father were born in the old
country too. But they were born at the Seder on the on the village of the
Moscow
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Speaker 1: What was her maiden name?
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00:32:32,590 --> 00:32:39,220
Speaker 2: Armande nickname good things. Good things getting a little
kiddies Yeah.
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Speaker 1: Yeah. And tell me the story. As you mentioned your father had
brothers here. Tell me the story of your uncle that was in the morgue a
little bit if you don't mind telling me that.
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00:32:51,020 --> 00:34:00,050
Speaker 2: I don't know much about Mack my my uncle all I know that he
was a beekeeper over there. And I did get to see him a several times when
my father had fallen, my mother had a big falling out
with my Uncle Joe. And my Uncle Joe and my father was in the hospital
with it. The malig and the malig, malignancy on the leg. They want to cut
his leg off. Because I guess there's no cure with the
osteomyelitis. And at that time, there was no cure for nowadays they got
penicillin and that takes care of that. But my mother never consent to
cutting his leg off. And consequently it went to
gangrene and my father died. And my Uncle Joe never forgave my mother and
my mother kept us away. And the Family Feud you know, and Portuguese
being the way they are with you
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Speaker 1: But he had he had something to do within Azores
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. I don't know. I don't know much about that. Other
than that he, he owned that. And he told me himself. My Uncle Joe told me
himself.
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Speaker 1: So Joe Joe lemon.
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00:34:19,170 --> 00:34:43,620
Speaker 2: Yes. He told me himself that the government took his land for
the airport. He says they they, I had to sell it. They watered it I had
to sell. My Uncle Joe told me that it's a screen actor.
He is given the
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Speaker 1: so he he is land. He own some land where today is the airbase?
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00:34:50,080 --> 00:35:12,610
Speaker 2: Yes, right. Yeah. And, and, and as far as I know, Dennis,
they're still high I did not I have not been able to research that. But I
have a son that's in the real estate business. And maybe
someday he should I don't know.
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Speaker 1: What, to what extent as you look back, you know, you're still
young man. At least another 25 or 30 years to live. But to what extent in
your opinion, being Portuguese American, being a
Portuguese background in America shaped who you are and who you became as
a man?
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Speaker 2: What?
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Speaker 1: To what extent being Portuguese shaped you to make who you are
as a man as a person? Was that always an important part of your life?
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Speaker 2: Yes, yes. It's always been a part of my life. Because I always
been a proud I was, it was so Probably one of the bad characteristics of
my life is being proud, Prosser as they say in
Portuguese, you know, a prosser ..... But I'll tell you what. I loved it.
I love the Portuguese people. I love the Portuguese land. And like I say,
I only had the only read that as I can say, in my
lifetime will be one of the failures of my life was not being able to go
to the old country and visiting,
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Speaker 1: but even though you've never been there, and your mom and dad
came a very young age here, you feel that you're an American, but you're
also Portuguese.
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes. Oh, yes. Yeah.
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Speaker 1: And you're able to kind of pass that on to your family.
Weren't you?
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Speaker 2: Oh, yes, yes, yes. Yeah. Yeah. Always, always remember the
roots. Always remember your roots.
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Speaker 1: Thank you Mr Lemon.
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Speaker 2: Yes.
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Speaker 1: That's a wonderful way to end it. Always remember your roots