Interview Transcript, Henry Revell Interview, August 1, 2010 Novak Digital Interview Collection: Experiences of the Civil Rights Movement INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT—HENRY REVELL Interviewee: Henry Revell DOB: April 13, 1932 POB: about three miles north east of Selma, North Carolina Interviewer: Noah Purcell Interview Date: August 1, 2010 Location: Home of Henry Revell Interview No.: 08.01.10-HR (audio digital file) (Approximate total length in minutes: 42 minutes) Transcription by Ge’Vonda Baker/Dena Scher Summary: Henry Revell began playing baseball with his family at age 9 and loved it "more than food to eat." He learned how to pitch from his father, and used to play three innings during his lunch break from farm work. During his four years of high school, the only person to hit a home run off of one of his pitches was George Altman, who became the first black player for the Chicago Cubs. Mr. Revell hadn't seriously considered attending college, but after a day-long try-out with a North Carolina A & T coach, he was awarded a baseball scholarship to A & T, where he majored in agriculture. He entered the service after graduation and played ball there as well, doing his best to focus on his technique while facing discrimination as the team's only black player. He says, "It’s just been a beautiful experience and I wouldn’t trade it for anything." Subjects: African American men -- Biography African American men -- Case studies Baseball players Negro leagues – History TRANSCRIPT Note: Counter index corresponds to track times when loaded into iTunes 0:00 NP: Interviewer is Noah Purcell. The Interviewee is Henry Revell. The date is August 1, 2010. The place is Mr. Revell’s home in Greensboro, North Carolina. We’ve reviewed the purpose of the interview. And the consent forms have been signed. Mr. Revell, have you agreed to this interview. HR: Oh, yes I have. NP: Ok, thank you very much HR Let me apologize for being a little late NP: Oh not, not HR: Had church, we served communion at my church today, I’m one of the deacons there, though I had a meeting that we didn’t know about (laughter) NP: Not a worry, not a worry. NP: Why don’t we. Why don’t we start, I think the best way to introduce baseball. How did you come to the game? 1 Interview Transcript, Henry Revell Interview, August 1, 2010 HR: Well, believe it or not, I come from a family who played baseball in the country. Bout nine years old age I was playing baseball. So I’ll been in baseball, I played baseball about 40 years. And I stayed very busy. Loved it, more than food to eat. We used to work on the farm and at lunch time we’d play three innings of baseball during the lunch hour. So, I was sort of embedded in the baseball program itself. My father was a pitcher. My uncle was a catcher and he went to Ferris State as a baseball player. Matter a fact he was trying to go pro. It’s been so long I don’t even remember who he was going with. He used to catch and used to hit my father in the head and knock his cap off and throw the man out at second base, that’s what I was told. I never saw him throw as a catcher but I saw him play. Ah, but I learned how to pitch from my father and a lot of people don’t believe it but. And I didn’t believe until I saw that man that did it. He was playing a team in the adjoining county of where we lived in Johnston County North Carolina. Which is the town, the township is Smithfield, Smithfield North Carolina that’s the county city. HR: But, we lived about 30 miles north east of Selma and huh on a old country road right now it’s called the Revells road because I guess you might say ten fifteen years ago the rural roads had big numbers but what they did in terms of changing the roads numbers they went to names of people that lived on the roads the longest. So the road we live on right now down there the home place is really the Revells Road. And we’re a part of the highway program down there. HR: But, in spite of all this my baseball experience started right there on that farm. Ah, we had a team called the North Selma Black Sox And we played out there in the county and we use to have people lined up from the highway all the way up there, at that time it was a dirt road playing baseball. And, I remember paying as a pitcher. I played in every position except first base in my life time. And ah. But my real suit was pitching. After college I did more catching then I did in high school. But in high school I only had one person hit a home run on me my four years in baseball and that was George Altman I don’t know if you heard of George Altman or not but George Altman went with the Chicago Cubs he was the first black to go to the Chicago Cubs. He also played against me at A&T when I came to A&T on a baseball scholarship. I was just talking to a gentleman in my church today that played baseball with me at A&T who ended up becoming the vice chancellor there and after he became the vice chancellor he became the president of South Carolina State. His name is Al Smith. Al Smith played baseball when I came to A&T for my try-outs. I just left the home of the catcher they called ace pitcher against me Blakely was my catcher, was, mmm oh my goodness I just left his house he died they are getting ready to bury him on Wednesday. Bud Matters, was the catcher, the ace catcher at A&T when I came in 51 and ah the Ace pitcher gave up one hit and I gave up one. But, Carl Blakely caught me. He was from Chicago, I got back home they had written a letter for me to come to A&T on a baseball scholarship. But prior to all of that it’s amazing how you get hands to hold and help you on the way. The county agent at my home county was Leroy Johnson and Leroy Johnson was that caption of the 2 Interview Transcript, Henry Revell Interview, August 1, 2010 basketball team at A&T State University. At that time we did have the money for a big university, so at that time the baseball coach and the basketball coach was the same person and his name was Mr. Filley. 5:00 Earl Fred Filley was the basketball and the baseball coach at that time. And he told him about me playing baseball down in Charleston County where he worked as an agriculture expert. And they had what you call the classic basketball program that goes on in the Washington area. I don’t know if they have it now but they had it and that’s how he got a chance to tell the coach about my baseball paying. So, he just send him on up there so we worked out an arrangement to get me up there matter a fact my father even came with me. Matter a fact we played that day and I went on back home the next day. Oh and I pitched I forgot how many innings but I gave up one hit and he gave up one, and the paperwork came the next week or the next two weeks and I had a scholarship to come to A&T. Prior to that I was good enough to play pro so I wasn’t even thinking about going to college. NP: Right. HR: But after getting there I found that I had a lot of things going for me that I had gotten out of high school that some of the other players that I played with did not have. HR: I had people on the baseball team that at that time couldn’t even write a decent sentence. And here I am a high school graduate and can throw asmutabules across the plate at 90 miles a hour, I saw how well off I was compared to some of my team mates so learned to adjust to the baseball season at A&T during that period. NP: What was the season like? What was a normal day during the baseball season like? HR: We went to class but at 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon we were in practice or playing. I went out there as a pitcher. I stayed in the pitcher’s role until they found out that I could play other positions. Remember the guy I was telling you about? Georg eAltman he apparently played with North Carolina Central at that time and we were playing them in what we called the CL double A conference. HR: George Altman ran into our catcher in a game and knocked his shoulder out of place and that when I started catching and pitching. And that’s when my catching really started at A&T I had caught some in high school. But my cousin he’s not living now was a young man that caught me in high school.