This is an oral history interview with Robert C. Freeman, class of 1952, conducted by Maryland's summers on June the fourth of 1999. We're at Mr. Friedman's home and done what he Georgia. 

The subject of the interview is his life in general, his recollections of his uncle, why Frank Freeman and his experiences as a student at Georgia Tech. Mr. Friedman, thank you for letting us be with you today where it's a wonderful day in Georgia. And we're happy to be here on your lovely home to hear your story. And I think the best place, as we said to begin with background in the beginning. 

Well, first of all, I'm honored to participate in this and might say I kinda grew up being a tech person. As old saying goes, I bleed golden white. And my family I guess, is always been a Georgia Tech support. Her brother went to tech. I have several uncles and went to tech. 

History is all Georgia Tech and anything I can do to preserve their memories is why I'm willing to go through this and it's my pleasure. 

Well, we're pleased, sir. 

Tell us a little bit about your background, your dad your parents were born in Griffin, Georgia Griffin. And my father did not go to tech hub, but he was a big supporter of tech over the years. That's where I first was introduced into the tech plan. And then my uncle Frank Freeman was a Tech graduate and my brother went to tag. My uncle it Crouch was a Tech graduate. And I guess cousins Jack Bowen and other and his sons world had one son was a Tech graduate. 

So you can see my heritage is Georgia Tech. 

I have my wife prompted me to say that they can Ferris, who was a cousin of mine, is a big tech support or you might have heard of his scholarship that he currently maintains through Merrill Lynch. 

They can is deceased but he was also he didn't graduate from tag, but he went several years at tech and over the years has been a tremendous supportive of tech. And his brother, which is my first cousin, Pete Farris was under Bobby Dodd play football. 48, 52. We will take at the same time, rich family traditions. Tell me about your family. Tell me about your dad. What did he do for a living? 

Well, my father. Why was he in Griffin, Georgia and have you know, that was a good question. He was started out in the motion picture at a silent films. I guess this was due to my uncle's influence, Frank Freeman. And he started out with two thetas and Griffin at the silent movies. And we'll expand those into the talkies. When the depression hit. And it wiped him out and he had nothing to hang back on. As a result, he loved his health and with two children to support and wife. He had had to struggle. 

And as a result, he came back to Griffin having spent time in a VA hospital for various health reasons. 

Working with my grandfather, who was a crouch where I inherit his name, Rob Bob crouch and he stayed there working with my grandfather, an American TV business. And from there. 

You were born in griffin When make pardon? 

When were you born there? 

I was born in February the 18th, 1930s. 

So you were born right in that depression? 

Well, yeah. I'm guessing I'm depression baby. And my brother was four years old and I was He was ahead of me. And I guess as a result, he lost my father lost his theaters. Do the depression, bank foreclosed. 

But he did go into, as I said, business with my father, my grandfather, and was able to continue on from there. You grew up in Griffin? 

Primarily in griffin. Did a good place to grow up. Oh, very much so. 

We very much oriented as a family and my grandfather and grandmother pretty much raised me because my father did spend some time in the hospitals recovering his health. My mother had to work. 

But in the interim, we were able to make ends meet and go from there. I went to my novel or years in grammar school and junior high in Griffin. I guess maybe my parents so that I wouldn't concentrating enough on my studies. 

I was spending more time skipping study hall and going out to the golf course isn't playing golf and The girls and everything and not putting too much effort into the books. 

And if I wanted to go to Georgia Tech, my father told me, he said You better get on a stick and concentrate on your books part of your life. In which case they saw fit to send me off to perhaps goo. What's cool with that? 

That was McCauley in Chattanooga, Tennessee. And I went for years. They hated the first two years. Did you really years you hated it for two years. I fought him tooth and nail. I wanted to stay at home and Griffin and go with a bolus and have some fun. Have fun and everything. 

But then I realize a sacrifice they will make the send me. And I loved the last two years. And even to this day I have some very dear friends. And my colleagues is like tech is very dear to me. And from the Fleet always knew you were gonna go to Georgetown? 

Yes. Yes, no no question about it. I'm a colleague. 

Brought your grades up enough that you were able to do that then will they say if you graduate from college, they'll get you into any college in the United States. They won't want to go to a ten. And that's a fact. My college board exams were acceptable. Dean George Griffin was an ex coach and professor and McCauley, people didn't know this. 

But he knew that I wanted to go to Tech and he had a lot of influence in mind getting into tech. 

I had no trouble really and truly the first year at Tech was pretty much a duplication of my senior year. My colleague. Oh, yeah, very much so. 

And of course I played away that opportunity and had to bring my point average up and felt like, you know, after the first year, you know, texts per tough, I found out those professors didn't care whether you stay there. Not a matter of fact, I never will forget Maryland. 

The first day of signing into tech. As a freshmen, they had us, I think my class was around 400 students. 

And I never will forget in the auditorium, I guess this is the whole basketball auditor images since been torn down. Heisman problem. 

When I've forgotten who it was the emission Professor, something a person told us that look to your right, introduce yourself, look to your left and introduce yourself because in four years you want neither one will be here. And it was the day to whether it was true, but I think the attrition rate was about half. 

How did you choose textiles? 

Because of the location of where I was born and raised as Griffin is primarily a textual oriented town and I had opportunities for job offers. 

So you knew that would be a good field to pursue. 

And after that first year where it was just pretty easy for you then after that, did you find out it was a challenge? 

I had to knuckle down and started working. Very much. So. I did go out for track for two years on an aristeia and coach Norris Dean. And I had to give up track because there again, my study started. 

It affected him sailing and I said, Hey, if I'm going to get out of here, well, I have to really think about that. The pedal to the metal here. Yeah. 

What was the social life like for you in those days? 

Were talking to late 40s here it was after the war, lots of folks were coming back from the war. 

Well, GI Bill, older folks, how did you find That's interesting that you bring that up because I guess it was the background of returning veterans that really inspired me to make the effort to get out of tick. I was privileged enough to be given a bid to SAE fraternity. 

I was very happy my brother was an SAE, although I did have a lot of friends and cafes and thought else and others and spent a lot of time with those people. 

But at the SEs, we had veterans of men, the mid-twenties, some late 20s. And these guys came back with a purpose in mind. 

And here I just came out of high school, prep school and my big brother, and I won't forget, was Gene Hale more? 

Jane has passed away here about a year or two ago. He kept in touch always with tech. He proceeded to impress upon me the need to get a good education. And he did it physically in with counseling. That's an interesting way to put it. 

Well, it has a pledge. We he was my big brother and he saw my grades, went up the parts and respect. He made it a point to enter dot indoctrinate me and getting them back into B. 

So you are held accountable fan? 

Oh, yeah. These guys were they played hard and they worked hard. 

I can remember some of our veterans who under the GI Bill get that check in at the monthly end of the month and First thing they do would go down stairs until I think Griffin did not know this at the time, but they had a little poker room furnished SAE house and it's still there. 

I think they would get internet and I can remember as a pledge going in, supplying them with coffee and other refreshments if they requested. 

And they will stay there all through Sarah tonight on into Sunday morning, gambling away the GI Bill Mann. Oh, no. 

But then they had to make ends meet so they'd get busy and get out and get part-time jobs and this type of thing. 

But, you know, as a youngster coming into that type of environment and it was interesting to you, we're being exposed to both sides of the world there. They they did a beautiful job in getting us on the right track. 

So you felt that they, in a sense, we're mentoring you, not resenting the fact that they had gone through. Some of them had been through so many life and death situations. 

Certainly matter of fact, I think my big brother, jean was in the Battle of the Bulge and that type of thing, World War II. Those guys came back. They had a purpose in mind. And then two, we had a house mother I'll never forget. Merit. Mother loop. Tell me about your mother. Lu was a terrific lady. What was her responsibility? 

The supervisor running of our home late. And it was no hanky panky Mickey Mouse going on with long as motherly was there. 

And I think what's wrong with some alternatives or possibly the day we don t have that are highly, I didn't realize that until I was asked to come into the essays here several years ago because they had lost their, I think their rights to be on campus. And they got into academic problems and possibly other things and knowing how this E is operating. 

But motherly always we respected her and she lives in the house. She lived in the house. And the big Brother's always so fit that everybody was a perfect gentleman around her. It wouldn't know. That was a cardinality. That was a good life lesson to learn that respect for authority scores for her. And she would see to it that meals were served on time. We had curfews were mat and things of that sort exactly. 

When we have our parties and we have some good part is they will well, it would do it in good taste. We add a few guys went off on a tangent, but then that's to be expected, but motherly realize it. 

We were trying to grow up man, she made a point to steer us in the right direction, made sure that we all attended church on Sundays. Yeah. 

He was a special breed, a woman that had to do that, isn't it? 

You appreciate that type of influence at people like that head on. Yeah. 

So she was providing care I'm rail care. 

Well, she was our mother away from home. And he actually called her mother loop. Not only do you know what a real name was, I'm sorry, I cannot do it. I can't call that Novak. How should know, but I don't. That's an interesting thing. 

Well, you on a daily basis called her mother lose. 

So that's the way she would be remembered. 

How many men boys would have lived in that house at one time? 

Oh, just round numbers mean with a ten or less, I would have to say around 30. As many as 30 who had an upstairs at the time and and later they expanded the home. And why it still standing. I don't understand all there because that thing has gone through battle of life over the years. Yes. 

What's your social life? 

Did it revolve around fraternity and fraternity events or primarily so yeah. Yes. That's one of the advantages. We tech at the time I was there, I was not coeducational. Of course not. 

But it's starting to happen. In fact, the year you left with possibly so, yeah. And but everybody used to. 

So where did you get the women folk for your dancers and such? 

Oh, I guess Agnes Scott was close by. Emory. We had girlfriends like in my case from Griffin. Out of town or out of town knows, yes. And we'd have house parties and that type of thing. That was no shortage of females around Atlanta at the time. 

You know, as always, everybody used to have pity on us not being co-education, but I didn't see that we lacked for the female companion shoots. It doesn't have my kit. What about football season? 

Was that a highlight? 

Oh, yes. That that cost me a minute. Mini grade point drop. Yeah, we had one professor in our textual engineering course over there. Shouldn't know his name, but he had a bad habit on football weekends. Monday morning after the big football game. Always give us a pop quiz of having signed on certain things to go through and read and everything. And then that first thing we're going to scroll down, you would hit us with that queers. And naturally, everyone I was unprepared. And as a result, he didn't mind giving you the failing grades. And economy. We will allow so many cuts. Never will forget. 

I've forgotten, I don't know what it is today, but we've allowed like for cut a corner or something like that of a class. And we would always make a point to use those cuts in class come Monday morning after football game. With the time. What ball was a big part of our life at Tech. As I said, track was wouldn't be. I was too late to play football. I ran the half-mile. At that time. Georgia Tech's track team was, I think, in contention for the SEC Championship. 

And as a freshman coach, Dean would use me as a you might say a I would have to run with Johnny's towers who was a 440 yard SET SEC champion at the time and Johnny was fast as a deer. 

And all coach Dean would tell me to do is just try to keep up with him for 220 0 as in your pacing, like a pace car in and erasing and Annapolis or somewhere. And I send a dust there for a whole year before I was able to give it back to some of them. 

But that was part of a growing up experience. You mentioned that Dean Griffin had some influence on bringing you into school or whatever. Did you personally ever come across him on campus? 

Many times. It was a part of your life. In addition to running track, I went out for cross-country coach. Dean Griffin was coach cross-country team. And we used to run around though Atlanta waterworks system, I guess. 

I don't know whether they still do that or not, but that was a big S the only place we had to run at the time. And he was our coach. I stayed with him for two years. Told him I finally went into him as a coach. Ammo have to give up cross-country and track two. I said my grade point averages so low, I'm going to have to really work. I want to get out of here. And he said, Don't quit on me Freeman. He I said Coach, I either got to make decision as I came here to get an education. I will let, you know, run, cross-country, go from bio. And I said My folks are making a sacrifice. And at that time, my junior year, to make ends meet, I worked for riches downtown. That's another part of life story. How was able to get a part-time job in riches through coach Griffin in his context. And I kept up with him, he kept me my senior year, so forth. 

Matter of fact, he tried to get me into the navel in ROTC at the time, but I couldn't qualify because my eyes. 

But I got into the army ROTC and as a result, I got my commission. What's your memory of Dean Griffin as correct? 

To me as Mr. Georgia Tech, you have a warm memory. I don't think anybody else. I guess. He was probably more in tune with the students and their needs and more down to earth. Tech, I've always thought was very unique. They didn't coddled you, babysit you anything. You went there for a purpose to get an education. And those professors could care less whether you made it or not. And you said some, go over some of my background with some of the professors. I'll just give you one instance of where Dr. 

Roth, who was in charge of our organic chemistry department and textile engineering that we had to have a quarter forgotten. One-quarter guess it was organic chemistry. And to me it was strictly a memory lesson. And I hated and Dr. Rosser knew I hated it. And as a result, he made it tough on me. 

And the other guy's coming out of the textile department because we didn't do things his way and he put it to us at times. 

But I know what forget our fail Organic Chemistry honor, Dr. off. 

And as a result, it caused me from not having to graduate on time, should have gotten down and 52, but I had one extra corridor during the organic chemistry for you. And I know what forget. That led me going into working part-time down at riches to make ends meet. I needed the money. 

So I go back in the next quarter, sign up for this class and take some extra courses as well. 

And I said, Well, by golly ammo sign-up, get this course out of the way and stay with it in the morning, part of things. 

So I signed up and I go into class. 

The first day. I walk in, I'm sitting on the front row layer and I look up and who should walk through the door. 

But Dr. Roth, he looked at me. I looked at him. He said Freeman, you in my class. Again, I said Yes, sir. 

But would you please sign my slip to locate me? 

So I had him do it. 

I got up right before the whole class and everybody thought, what is this guy's crazy? 

But I said Dr. Roth, I say you and I, we just don't Jihad. He said, Well, I'd hate to think I had another quarter having to put up with you. 

And I said, Well, you won't if your slant signage release slip because I'm going to get somebody else and I did. 

So that was a story there and I finally got out of organic. And then shortly thereafter flown over to Korea. They need a second lieutenants over and career and was hastily flown over. Although in the interim, I'm going out to the West Coast. That's where I spent some time at my uncle, why Frank Freeman. 

And from there, I don't know whether you are interested in picking up that part of it, but then that was interesting. 

I am, Let's let's make sure we've covered everybody you want to comment about at Georgia Tech First though, can you think of any other professors, specifically in textiles who was the most influential textile professor? 

Oh, Maryland I the names do not come back to me. I wish they did. 

What about DME? 

Did you ever take the emperor class? 

I had him as a freshman and math in back of my mind. 

Now we'll forget that one of his quizzes, I never will forget something stuck, stuck in my mind that he gave those smokestack on the tech premises, which are still there. 

Something about the quiz is how many bricks were to calculate the number of bricks and that smokestack. 

And boy, I tell you that just through half of us for a loop course, we had some people that I guess came and he knew exactly who he knew. 

He had calculated, how did you find him to be a warm, friendly person? 

So many people have commented that he was very warm to them. Very much so. I think he was intent on making sure that the students understood math and calculus. 

And he, he, he taught it in a way that say, I wasn't under his tutelage at much just as a freshman, if I remember correctly. And I have I have respect for Dr. Smith? 

Yes, I certainly do. I will tell you the story. Don't know whether you want to keep this on your tape or not. 

But then we had an interesting situation as either a freshman or sophomore. 

And this goes back to the veterans that we had at school, which predominantly our population was veteran or hate it. 

But we add an English professor down where I guess where the tech Colosseum is located the day we had classes in trailers down then. It was down here, the Rose Bowl field. 

That would have been because the population increased so dramatic, but it's coming back in and take just didn't have facilities. 

So they built their lives. 

Yeah, we had trailer just like they do in some high schools, you know, that trailers attached and this time we add an English course there. 

And English was not looked upon too much by an engineering school at the time, but then we had to have it in order to graduate. 

So those of us that went there, professor and I don't know his name, but you might say his viewpoints on this nation and relationship we had in trying to help free world was a little bit contrary to our thinking. He, he was kind of a radical. 

And he preached what we thought, we students though was a little bit on the communistic side of things that actually came forward to the point that some of you veterans who in his class, they're not like this, having been through **** and high water, you know. They wait. Laid him one night. No, forget it. 

The story I get way laid him going over to the apartment where he was over in front of the main administration building that's quadrangle. 

Put a Kroger Sacco is head and tied him to the flag pole pair one weekend and left and they overnight. I don't know who did it, but I could just about tell you that this is true. This is true. 

And lo and behold, the next Monday morning, we found out this professor had resigned and left Georgia today, so they ran him right out of their mouth. 

Well, I can imagine that grown men that sacrifice put their lives on the line in South people sacrifice their lives would have been pretty touchy about their patriotism. 

And we will all that way and what isn't a time for radicals to come? 

Yeah, I'm not so sure he was all that wrong. And the fact was he was just expressing his own freedom of choice. 

But you didn't do it in front of these guys, not after they've been shot at. And so their buddies killed and this type of thing. They weren't boys. They know, they will man and grown man. Yeah. 

I'm glad to hear you say that they were warm and receptive to you as a boy though because you still were a boy? 

Yes, ma'am. Sir. Were you involved in the ROTC program? 

Certainly was. 

You mentioned that tell me about how you got involved that wasn't compulsory at the time, were all having gone to a military school, prep school, it was natural that I went ahead and sold the advantage of getting a commission. Felt like I needed it. And in lieu of the Korean situation coming on board. And was able to see that our ROTC, you could already see that that was going to happen? 

Yes. Oh, okay. 

So you were in the program for all four years to where it certainly wasn't. 

Tell me about your experience there, who was in charge of it and how did it get run? 

I cannot tell you who the officer the kernel was in charge. I had wanted to go into then ROTC. Whoa, my family have been Navy already. 

But as I said, my eyesight prevented me from passing the exam. 

So I got into the army ROTC as result. Which which branch? 

Which signal or not? 

Ordinance. Ordinance. 

So you are working out with rifles? 

Oh, yes. And I carried it through into the regular military career. I was in the army ordinance over there. 

So Commission came with graduation? 

Yes. 

To the point that the day I got my commission that I got my order saying that I was needed over to Korea and they wanted to fly me over. 

Then we got to be honest with you in Maryland, I never got a chance to walk across the stage to get my diploma at Tech. I got it in absentia. Other things we're calling they will call me. 

And once I got the commission, they immediately said, Hey, you've signed up, you're going well, like I said, when I got my commission and my diploma at the same time, the next thing I knew I was given notice to proceed to Travis Air Force Base in California to fly. From there, I went over to Japan, spend some training time over there and then go into Korea. 

But I took advantage of that opportunity to go out to California where Mark or why Frank Freeman was now living in Hollywood. He at the time was vice president in charge of Paramount Pictures. And he was in charge of all production arrangements for Paramount. 

And some of the background information on him was that he was probably one of the youngest graduates of Georgia Tech at the time. He got out of tech. 

I don t think if memory than failed me that he probably I think he was admitted IT ticket like 17 years of age. The little town of Greenville, Georgia. I don't know whether he had a high school. He had some grandmas Google that. 

But he was extremely brilliant in mathematics. Mathematics and the sciences. Had a knack for those two part of the curriculum. And I was told that he probably got out of tech quicker than anybody at that time. 

I think he went through a four-year I don't know whether electrical engineering or mechanical and electrical engineering. 

And he was able to get through those four years and something like three years or something because he went around the clock and went through the sunlight as well as the regular school term. And from there, he didn't know how he got involved in the motion picture industry. Yes. I think I remember some of the history there. 

When he graduated from Tech, he was offered he threw his wife, who was a Harris here in Atlanta, Margaret Harris. And the Harris family was closely connected to the Woodruff Bob Woodruff family. 

And, you know, the history of Bob Woodruff and his brother, brother George, who is a big benefactor of tech today, I think the word family itself has always supported tech indirectly. I know Emory's a big recipient of their benefits, but he was given an opportunity to go with Mr. Woodruff when Coca-Cola was coming out. When Mr. 

Woodruff bulk the rights to Coca-Cola was selling the stock, I think on the street corners for like $5 a share, something. 

I tried to persuade Marco to go in with him because he recognized in my uncle the good business sense type of individuals. 

And my uncle was toying with the idea when the motion picture industry was going into the talk is, as I mentioned, that my father was involved in and lows grand the Rialto and the Paramount Pictures was owned by a gentleman who I cannot recall his name right at this point, but he was, I guess he was involved in establishing the motion picture industry in the state of Georgia. He recognized my uncle. They are again, here's a guy that I would like to have on my team to expand. 

As a result by Mark decided, hey, I see more of a future into the motion picture entertainment field and jumped on the opportunity to go into that. 

And he was under the two liter that Jim on who I cannot recall the name off for a number of years, was able to. 

Paramount in the meantime, came into the picture through the association of this gentleman who had the rights for the motion picture business. They're in Georgia indices to Jordan. And so in Mark. 

Here's a up-and-coming executive and they persuaded him to go in for Paramount Pictures, seen him to the West Coast to head up production facilities. 

At that time, the president of paramount with Bonnie ballot by n and Hulu made his office in New York City. 

Well, uncle Frank went out to the West Coast and the meantime, he married the same Margaret Harris and they went out. 

They had one son, little frank, we call him Frank Junior, who are Tech graduate, and was also went with his father was into the motion picture and as a producer, tried to Frank, unfortunately, I never did much, possibly with opportunities he had, I think he played away a lot of it. He was a naval ROTC graduate on time out of tech and went into the Navy. 

But what I'm leading up to is that unfortunately my cousin that an early age, I think Look, Frank must have Nike passed away something like in his early 40s or something. Do the badhealth. 

But when I want to give them my orders, go to Korea. Marko says come on out and then spend a week with me. I'd like to see you. 

And I said, this will be a wonderful opportunity in which case I did go out and took advantage and was able to really get to know him and appreciated getting to know a relative that I didn't really know until I heard a lot of body and got to see him occasionally and this type of thing. 

But while I was there, He gave me the opportunity to look into the motion picture industry and I was able to meet various stars and starlets and found out that's a high, high living type of area. They have a lot of money was made, a lot of money was lost. He was a very much of a businessman. He put up a no nonsense. He would go to work. 

He would remember as the house guests of living in a paramount bungalow as it call it, attached to the Hollywood Hilton, not there. 

He would get up at 04:00 in the morning having breakfast at 05:30 and he'd be at the studio at 06:30 or 07:00 and it would work all day. And I never will forget being in his office one day. As his guests to the studios. We were was in his office when his secretary said Mr. Freeman, Mr. Lewis, and Mr. Martin here to see you over some arrangement. 

So something like yet, it was Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. And they were just becoming new until the motion picture industry becoming getting established. 

I don't know whether they wanted to contract with Paramount at time, but I never will forget Jerry Lewis b. And he's crazy. He's always been, came in and said, walked in and said Mr. Freeman, I'm in here to get a raise. And you haven't been paying me enough to what I'm worth. 

And opposite in the background and my uncle pull out is drawer of his desk and he had a roll of pennies and he took opinion, flipped it on his desk as this is your race and about all your worth. He was he wasn't impressed by them then. 

He didn't had out there to make money for a big conglomerate and he did a beautiful job he had, he was dealing with some tough characters out there. That was not an easy business to run. You one of the gun constantly, lot of competition in law. 

And there were a lot of smart people are willing to take your job if you faltered in a minute, but I'm very proud of him. He was very dedicated, very successful, extremely successful, acquired some Oscars. Two Oscars to the best of my knowledge, one, the gene Herschel Humanitarian Award. He was never one to make his being well-known. He kinda was the power behind the scenes. He did not like a lot of fanfare. He didn't want it, he didn't crave it. He was more interested in making paramount successful as a motion picture producer. He wasn't there for the vanity part of No none whatsoever. And eating put up with it. 

Matter of fact, he told me, I asked him one day, I said Uncle Frank, I said of all the actors and actresses that you are affiliated with and you've come in. Who are, who are the ones to impress you and that's most sincere. It really genuine. He said dark limo. And oh gosh, he's on tip of my tongue. Danny Kaye. 

So he had had special affection for them because you said they were there because they did more with their lives. They move of their ability and everything and he would have more sincere. 

And course I met a lot of the producers at the, at the time he gave me pretty well freedom to roam around and to look and see and do things I saw the filming of the real one. Does Jimmy Stewart and Grace Kelly. Part of that scene. 

So that at the time and it left a lot of she was a lovely person. Grace Kelly was I got to meet her. Very glamorous, more hard work when you got behind the scenes. 

It well, it's gives you a false sense of what goes on out there and the word you go to a state and you see it's just the front. 

But then the way the cellulose and makes it appear to the public is that you're adding. It's interesting how they do things. And I never will forget one of my fondest memories that day. 

Well, I spent my uncle was having lunch with Cecil B. Demille, who I thought was probably the best and most outstanding producer that Hollywood period. 

And he, he asked me, he said, Lieutenant, you are you headed overseas? 

I said yes, I'm going to Korea and he said, Well, I want to wish you the very best. 

He says, I have just returned from overseas in the Holy Land and Israel and the Palestinian areola and Egypt, them in the Ten Commandments. And he went into detail how you did that. And it was quite interesting. I'm sure why. I'm expound on it. Paramount produced the Ten Commandments. 

At that time, uncle said that he was scared to death because that was the biggest budgeted picture that paramount had ever put forth on at the time. It was highly successful, but it could have lost. 

So it was a risk. It's always the retina. We have business, so he was a risk-taker. 

Did you have an opportunity at that time to talk about your family, about your grandfather and things of that Did he never did too much. He was interested in the family, but his philosophy in Maryland was that I made it on my own. You may get on your you got you got the benefits of a good education. It's out there if you want it. It's up to you to proceed from there. He was always supportive of Georgia Tech and he was actually President of the Alumni Association. 

I think if you go back and check your records, he was the first was indeed he was the first president of the Alumni Association. Yeah, just quite extraordinary that he took an interest right off the bat. He was still a very loyal to Joy detecting the day he died. He appreciated what Tech did for him. 

And he, whenever the football team would play UCLA or USC, he always had the team, Bobby Dodd and all the coaches and families to come out and to a paramount, he had done a farm and all that. 

So he was there to entertain whenever they came to the West Coast. And George Griffin. Griffin was always there with them. He made a point to have been Griffith. He had different come with. It ends up being a Georgia Tech had a Hollywood Connection didn't cut. Quite an extraordinary thing to have happened. 

Well, let's go on with what was happening to the young lieutenant who was facing Korea. 

What were your thoughts at that time? 

Well, I wanted to happy and my mother was I left toe and her sick bed having had an operation at Emory. Them weren't too happy about that. I had wanted to stay with her, but Uncle Sam said, No, you we need you. And so I had to make it I couldn't get out. 

But I was able to go, spend some time in the Far East and never want to go back. I've had all that fun and games I can have. And it woke me up to realities of his world. Believed me when if people listen to me, we're living in the best country in this world. No if ands or buts without folds. 

But I have seen a little bit of the other side and I don't want any part of it. I got I'd never got into combat. I was over there during the armistice. Saw what was able to see. Maryland, spent about a month training in Japan's. And before we left to go to Korea, they took us to Hiroshima. And Nessie that was in 53 were to plot. I picked three years. And Hiroshima was destroyed in 45, I think. Yes. 

So in that period of time, that place looked like it had yes, terrible. 

So we don't want to ever get into atomic warfare situation. That certainly wasn't democratic style. That was impressed upon me. I'll never forget it. Was. 

Let us off the train right at ground zero at the train station, whether the bomb was targeted for the station there. And the only thing was there was these melted girders, steel girders. 

So you figure that out. 

The place reminded me very much of a city like Chattanooga, Tennessee and a valley that a big giant hand and just come through and wipe it clean. 

It was hardly anything left and aware of structure and people still suffering him at the time I was there, We went to well received. 

And yet many of our veterans tell us if we had not had that, we would have lost close to 1 million men. Yeah, invading the island of Japan. The islands of Japan over and over, we've heard that easily. Probably still going over. How long did you stay in active duty? 

I spent I think it was 14 months in Korea. My company commander, our reserve officer, not not permanent. They call regular army. 

And my company commander was West Point and he wanted me to stay in get my RA Commission, which would have been permanent arrangement there and give me an opportunity to climb the ladder wherever I wanted to go in the military. I told him, I said Kevin Kevin Hansen was his name. I said I've been in the military school since age 14, 23. I said I've had all the military on I won't lifetime, I'm ready, get out. And I've seen things that didn't quite like the military changed in Korea. We had guys over there that loss respect to the officers, officers had no respect for the men. We had we had problems not just fighting the North Koreans and the Chinese. We had problems with eating those troops that we had on jurisdiction. We spend half our time court marshaling our own people rather than trying to get things done. 

So I got out. 

And you came back to came back to the States, spent about a year of looking around, taking my time, was got an opportunity through my tech degree to get on with a new company called Kim strand cooperation. They hired me as a textile engineer, sent the Pensacola, Florida and that's where I met my my bride. She was working for Kim strand at time. 

We met and kept noticing her at lunchtime I was working shift work and occasionally I see her and and through affiliations of friends of mine. 

Another Tech graduate fellow by the name of ln Middleton out of Thomas feel, Georgia, who knew Jessie, My wife, to be and introduce me and took it from there. Full Court Press, courtship, marriage, my ear. Did you get married? 

That was in November 1957. Aspirin. I was hired in Kim strand and 55.57 found out she was the University of Alabama graduate. 

But then I've, I've, I've since changed our thinking too. She goes crazy more so than I do with these tech games. We attend. A forgave her for that area. And then what happened? 

Did you both stay with Kim strand? 

Yes. 

So well, at the time she retired because the policy of the company said that you couldn't have two people married being members of the company and management. She was a member of management and personnel department. And so she had to give it up. 

I think she's ready to anyway, having spent a year or so teaching out of Alabama and then coming down to the colon and working there but Amsterdam. 

And we had one too long before we had a child on the way, and it was our daughter, margaret, we call a canny. 

She unfortunately was born with some problems and she's handicapped today, issues in a group home here in Dekalb County. And we will advise to have another child. And we did and turn out to be a lovely boy. And he was unfortunately handicap. 

So we make a long story short here. Both of our children autistic related, don't know why that is. It was just that we were told that we will one couple out of 7 million that this could happen to me. I don't understand those odds, but then we have accepted this and we'd gone forth. I guess a learning lesson has evolved around all this. I had looked upon people with disabilities a different light. I don't criticize a person for their looks, their inability. Some amber like heck of a lot smarter than I am and some are not so smart. 

But I don't, I don't criticize people there because as we've learned a lot from our children, Maryland over the years. And we're happy to say that we're still learning and we love them. And unfortunately, our son had wanted to go to Tech, couldn't do. So. When did you move to the back to the Atlanta area? 

You stayed in Pensacola. Are in Florida. How long have we moved from Pensacola? 

Charlotte, North Carolina. I don't know. Six years or so there I didn't move to Greenville, South Carolina. I was in marketing, always moving with Kim strand. 

Well later, Kim strand was brought out by Monsanto Chemical Company. And the marketing side of the picture. 

I was moved around, was lucky enough to stay in the South, did not have to go to the headquarters in New York City or later St. Louis, and was able to then transfer it back here to Atlanta where retired. 

So it worked out fairly well. You and your Dr. your brown patch ended up where you began. And you had a good career with Monsanto very much so it wasn't 30 years of my world. Hey, I'm straying Monsanto. Did you ever have to do organic chemistry? 

You know, that's that's a great question. And assets. Yes. You did. 

Well, with Camp strand, we were producers of synthetic fibers that was taken petroleum. Petroleum came out of the oil fields. 

And the cracking process produce cyclohexene from cyclohexane with addition of nitric acid and ammonia we made now. And this Getting, get us back into the chemical for you locally. The various subject guy hated the most and there you were. Shades of Dr. lot. Yeah. I never forget him. 

And I didn't have to work with your formulas and all that, but I had to know something about the process. 

Yes, it came back to haunt me interests and because when you are selling a product, you better know the background of your product goes to your customers probably nine times out of ten know more about it and you do. 

And we will primarily in the synthetic fibers end of it, a main competitor with DuPont, which is a pretty stiff competitor, yes. And we were dealing with the same customers primarily in the Carolinas, Virginia. I used to I was in the technical sales troubleshooting and before going into marketing. 

And I used to have to travel all over the Eastern Seaboard into the part of southwest part of the country, and later into the West Coast area. 

But you've got to be knowledgeable on your product. You're fine. Yeah, I'll quickly, but I thought we did very well. We can't strand was a fabulous company. When they were bought out my Monsanto, we had an esprit de corps. Second to none, we played hard and we worked hard. And as I say, Dupont was like competitive. We had to work. And we respected our competition. 

But I think we made a dent and I had over the years expecting a competition as a healthy thing, isn't it? 

Did your tech degree prepare you? 

Very much so. It taught me how to stand on their own 2 ft. You'll be faced with a lot of decisions out there that you'll never get out of a book. Common horse sense is probably comes into play here. Great deal tech taught you to think on your feet. 

Certain add-in use, a lot of the math that was thrown at you and all the sciences and stuff, but it evolved around and getting your brain to vote to methodically come up with solutions. Solve the problem. Solve the problem, yeah. 

And in a position where that you didn't know how to solve it, be honest with yourself and with the person you're working with, say, Hey, I don't know, but I'm willing to tackle it and come up with an answer. 

So many people are scared to say no. You get a confidence in yourself. That gives you enough integrity to say yes, Exactly. I've met my match. Let me research it. Exactly. Yeah. Still what they teach today. 

Well, no underlying that are married, but check the thing that I missed. We had all the sciences, the math, chemistry, some of the social studies. 

But the thing I missed, if I had it to do over, I would go through the engineering part of it, apply myself, but but I think we, as graduates needed also what they have at their disposal the day. And that is a business course. 

That's kind of like putting icing on the cake, strategic planning quality, it gives you more of knowledge, is to how to cook. 

If you want to go in Venice, we save how to conduct that. 

You had all the background information, known sciences and stuff like that, but you needed that business and I've toyed with the idea of getting my masters degree through Emory or through George state. 

What I stayed with the company and I was hired by and did not use my GI Bill showed here, but that's yeah, that's I insights. 

But as I'm glad to see, the curriculum has broadened over there. Oh, very much so. Businesses and integral part of what's being taught now. Why all the entrepreneurs come from? 

So many of the guys that I grew up with. School who, who struggled like I did to get out. 

But later in life of extremely successful in the business for you. 

I guess they had to struggle enough to know that there's a certain effort you have to put forth and being brilliant and always make the successful person. I guess Tech did more of that for me in anything. Mr. 

Freeman, lots, lots to tear a few more of these recollections is story that you have a good old days well, maryland seminar, I'm, I'll be glad to go into possibly detail others, I guess I bet not because we are back in my initial days there. Being a member of a fraternity as a pledge, we had to go through what we call **** week. And I don't know whether they do that now not hope to. Probably more constructive effort put forth, but we're 22 pledges and I pledge class. 

I remember that specifically in one of our assignments at the beginning of **** week and I didn't realize this was like on a weekend amount, if I can. I think it was a Saturday night. Somewhere in the back of our big brothers mine. They found out the Atlanta debutante ball was to be held at the Biltmore Hotel. And we would to be the entertainment part of the of the debutante ball. I didn't realize that half time. 

What does entail was they got all 22 of us in three cars, stripped us down negative j burj, and took us up there and waited to the animation of the debutante ball in here is Atlanta is fine as being society, right? 

And all of a sudden these cars pull up and we were told to get out. And that I'll close with Beckett fraternity. 

So helped me and one of the low hand towel was thrown out to us. They use those officers who were shy enough to want to use it. I remember jumping out and hitting the pavement and I don't remember. 

I must have broken the Mao record of getting back to that, to turn to that actually, I tell you, I think my friend, Toby car from Statesboro, Georgia grabbed a towel and I laughed at him but trying to grab it because that was a joke. And I remember I went back through the back streets around the Fox Theater. And we could have been putting in jail easily, you know, that type of foods. And then of course, we all got back safe and sound. Thank goodness. 

And I never forget next Sunday morning paper and the society column, this is what some type of return to Georgia Tech proceeded to have that pledge is stripped down and go negative out in front of the debutante ball. And course being Griffin get involved. He was he was in charge of all the fraternities at the time, so he knew exactly who it was. His son page Griffin was a number of the essay. And I'm not so sure page didn't think this up. 

But that was one of the stories and of course there were others taker if it's been a lot of time bailing you guys out of things. Dean Griffin, save this. Ys. We would have gotten off they were written us off campus long time ago, Believe me. 

But he he had he could not show partiality because he was in charge of all the opportunities and we would give we were lucky. You were early strikers, weren't you? 

That's the beginning, I guess so. I want to proud of that my mother heard about it. She bought kill me, but I had no choice if I wanted to become a player in a member. 

But actually happened. 

And then we had some, I think the Beta house, my my main assignment concern bill hatcher from Jacksonville, Florida myself or assign. We had two big brothers gave us two dead macro. And then we'll finish up by a long day. They will rhonchi, they were pretty good. And I hope the Betas will forgive me for saying this. 

But at the time we always looked upon the Betas. It's been kind of goody two shoes guys. 

And my assignment was to take and builds assignment was to take these two macros and install them within the nice open fireplace that the Betas had in their living room where they could not be found. 

And it was up to us to use our brains is to how to do it because the Betas are going to be there and we had to do it one night, Pacific night. 

So Bill and I got a heads together with these two fish and we climbed the fire escape of the Beta house, got on that slate roof. I remember almost fall and breaking my neck. Got up there. We plumb bob a string through the chimney. We knew that this was a standard fireplace like four foot in height. We went all the way down till we hit the bottom of it, and then we redrew. 

For feed off the cord and an extra foot or so and entire deficient on there and drop them down in an unsecured it to the top of the chimney into our mission was complete and the Betas never knew anything about it until a week later they had to call exterminate his hand because it was atrocious and nobody knew anything about I guess I'm the guilty culprit and then Bill Hetchy. 

But that was some of the little harmless fun other than the fact you could have broken your neck follows That's right. 

Rob them, play your math skills to come to that conclusion that the blade is one too happy though they figure it out. I think that the essays were guilty of it. If one essay, ease of ideals. People actually spent their time trying to think up these little tricks for you to carry out. I don't know where who've spent thought of them, but they came up with some dailies. I tell you that crazy and it makes for wonderful memories now that I can think of full of Calloway. He was the third I don't know whether the student centers named after him. He's deceased. 

I think Fuller took his life and knowing and I was associated myself Cato the following, we will in the same pledged not he was dealt and I was an SAE and we ran around and get out. 

I had a lot of friends in fraternities at a coming out of perhaps goo and I'm got to know and ran around with and I helped him on his mission night there and they will forget that he had to get I don't know, he fired else with crazy is this ease and they had to go out and his mission was to get a lady of the night wrapped in a Confederate flag, bring it back into Cotonou. I guarantee you, you try doing that. One person. We all teamed up the replay, just helpful on in his group. We kinda pinched it and helped each other. 

But he did that. Accomplish that? 

Yes, he did. I won't go into too many details. He was able to do that. 

Jane Griffin going up that stay as red now with all of us holding that above I his growing up the steps after the fight outhouse with it delivery but also SAE. You were delivering the lady has right. It's no wonder doing Griffin got gray here early on. He really had his work cut out for him, didn't he? 

Well, I got to mention this too. I'm allowed to sign off here. I was there when the magazine, the yellow jacket was published. It was published I don t think it's today being published. And you know why that wouldn't be unpublished? 

Tell me. I remember. We always had fun with a yellow jacket and he had a lot of interesting articles and everything. 

But this one came out during the Valentine's, February the 14th issue and had a beautiful lace Valentine on them, on the kebab. Everything. We asked them unique, industrious editors of the yellow jacket at the time. 

And they will make, they had this picture of this lady who was Georgia Tech's Valentine clean on the front page? 

Well, to look at it, you say I'm not so sure and she qualifies as a young lady to be at Georgia Tech. And of course we students. The name Hildegard came out. 

And I don't know whether these ladies would know anything about that, but you might have heard the name and she was the Valentine queen of Georgia Tech on that issue. And course, when the administration heard about it, this got beyond the MC. And the word I got back was that the editors were fired. Everybody else who kicked off in the magazine for having put her. She was quite popular around the text. That was, that was the end of that. Hildegard. It can clue. I, I pretty well wraps up my storage. 

Well, they're wonderful stories, they're hilarious. And they make rich memories of what life was like. It was a happy life, wasn't it? 

It was happy. 

As I said, we play it hard and we worked hard despite the fact that we were coming out of one war and quickly going into another situation that was negative. The fun fun made up for the hard work? 

Well, yes. And you have to be have a sense of humor and get through it all. 

You got to, you know, you can enable yourself to study has all your life, but you gotta, you gotta take time to get out and smell the roses. Enjoy life a little bit, is to show Mr. Freeman thank you so much for sharing with us today. We really, really enjoyed your stories and we thank you for your support. 

Well, you always will have it. And I thank you.