Stanley Walsh Duke, Sr. - Interview of Zakiyyah Ali

Passed away at the hospital, it was possibly in long island.

He had 4 older sisters and each of them took a boy as the one they would take care of. Aunt "Bunch" Miriam took Stanley as her special little brother. Miriam also taught "Mema" Bettie Sue, his wife in grade school. She really liked Mema because Mema had really good handwriting. Because Bunch new Mema, she gave the go ahead of on marriage. Stanley asked Patsye's daughter (LaBonnie) who she liked better between mema and another woman, and the niece said Mema.

Charlie Jr would go from bar to bar to order alchohol and there was a supply house to take the bottles to the bars. Stanley worked in the Supply house. Charlie Jr grew up with Aunt Mary(sister of Martha Williams) raised uncle charlie in New York.

Beverly has a memory of living in Patterson Projects at age 1, and they were getting a refrigerator or washing machine that was big and watch. She kept getting in the way and then he picked her up and put her on his shoulders and she would see what is going on. He said this is my princess. That's her only memory of him.

Stan and Wayne said that he used to take them downstairs to play catch.

Mema said before they moved into patterson they lived in an apartment in Harlem, it was small enough that they had to put Stan Jr in a drawer becasue they didn't have a crib. When Wayne was born they had already moved into Patterson Projects. Back then it was very nice. Building 314 apartment 10A.

He was in the navy during WW2, this influenced Wayne and Stan to go into the Navy. Mom thinks that this was before they were married. At the time, Mema and her sister Vivan were working in the Mint in Washington DC to send money back to Danville so Odella could go to school. Possibly because she was sickly so they wanted her to go to school. Mema really wanted to go to school though too. She attended or wanted to attend Duke university and become a nurse. But couldn't because the family decided to support Odella for school.

Stanley Sr. was the youngest, and Charlie Jr. would 'rib' tease him about it. Quentin was a very good artist. Mom thinks that Stan Jr and Khalil Ali get their art talent from him. Reginald and Wayne have similiar personalities.

There are letters from Stanley Sr. to Mema... looooooveee letters :)