Arizona Highways Article on the CCC

My lovely friend Elson Alvarez, former CCC enrollee and LEM, was interviewed by Arizona Highways for an article on the CCC, just out in the March 2013 issue. I was fortunate enough to be able to set up the interview and then be there to hear his stories--I've heard them many times but never tire of hearing them and spending time with him. He speaks very highly of his CCC days, and based on the wonderful person he is, it's reasonable to assume that he derived a lot of good from his time in the CCC. The Table of Contents for the magazine is at http://www.arizhwys.com/newsstands/contents.asp
Along with Elson's stories, the article has an overview of the history of the CCC and some lovely photos.

The Boys Tell Their Stories

I'm preparing a paper and a presentation for the 2013 Arizona History Convention, to be held in April in Las Cruces, NM, on the camp newspapers entitled "The Boys Tell Their Stories." As we lose the CCC enrollees and their voices are silenced, these newspapers and the stories the CCC boys tell in these publications become even more important. Some of the common features of the newspapers are jokes are the enrollees' love lives (real or imagined), poems (many of the enrollees obviously saw themselves as poets), and words of wisdom. Here are some tidbits I've enjoyed "listening" to:

Life’s battles don’t always go

To the stronger or faster man;

But sooner or later the man who wins

Is the man who thinks he can!

(Oasis, St. David, AZ)

"From a Longer Term to a Rookie," by Chester Watkins. 

What’s the matter bud? You’ve been griping a lot these last few days. Don’t let this place get you down. You are a man now. So why not take things as they are handed to you—do that to the best of your ability. Here if you take advantage of the educational o9pportuniteis offered you, the practical experience and the opportunities of making many friends, you will profit in the end. It is a good old world after all. (The Live Oak, Nogales, AZ)

CCC BOYS PRAYER

Now I lay me down to sleep,

I praise the Lord my clothes to keep.

They were issued me to keep warm,

I know they take them but mean no harm.

So, if my clothes from me they take,

I hope I die before I awake. (Basil Brand, 3840 News, Patagonia, AZ)

“Tommie Gavagen says he is going to take his bed with him next time he goes to Phoenix. When he came home the other day, the boys in barracks four had removed the springs that held the mattress, and put strings instead.”  (The Veteran, Madera Canyon, AZ)

The 2013 CCC Recognition Day flyer is available here

http://www.wordhunting.com/2013_CCCRD_Flyer.pdf

Please share with anyone who's interested!

I've been researching the CCC camp newspapers for a presentation I'm giving at the Arizona History Convention in April. These newspapers were an important part of the CCC program, helping teach literacy to the enrollees and building camp spirit. Best of all, they were written by the CCC boys themselves, so they offer a valuable glimpse into their lives as told from their point of view. I'm having fun seeing some of the names they choose for their newspapers:

Arizona nightingale (San Simon)
Bonita Canyon echoes (Douglas)
Graham kracker (Willcox)
Sandblast Echo (Bowie)
You Name It (Fort Huachuca)
Cactizonian (Tucson)
Cactus Bites (Safford)
Desert Dreamer (Fort Thomas)
Rocklayers Herald (Duncan)
Lone Beaver (Flagstaff)

National History Day and the CCC

I spent the day last Monday with my delightful CCC enrollee friend, Elson Alvarez. I was contacted a few months ago by some middle school students who were working on a presentation about the CCC for National History Day, a nationwide contest where students conduct research on a historical topic and then present their work in regional and, ultimately, a national competition (see http://www.nhd.org/Contest.htm for more details). The students who contacted me were doing a performance about the CCC. I was able to arrange a meeting with Elson, thanks to his lovely children, and the girls and Elson spent several hours talking to each other about the CCC. It was a wonderful thing to see the legacy of the CCC continued, and I believe that the girls were thrilled to meet Elson, who is a living history treasure. The girls will be giving their presentation on the CCC at CCC Recognition Day at Saguaro National Park West on April 13, 2013 (http://www.wordhunting.com/CCC_Recognition_Day.html).

Fourth Annual Civilian Conservation Corps Recognition Day

The Fourth Annual Civilian Conservation Corps Recognition Day will be held on April 13, 2013 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Saguaro National Park West in Tucson, AZ! This year is the 80th anniversary of the CCC, and Recognition Day honors the significant achievements and enduring legacy of the CCC program and the CCC boys. The event will feature presentations by CCC historians, information tables staffed by organizations and individuals knowledgeable about the CCC, photo displays, and living history presentations. A schedule of presentations and events will be forthcoming in January. For more information, contact Sharon at sharon@wordhunting.com.

Video of CCC Co. 3840, Camp SCS-19-A, St. David, AZ

Elson Alvarez was an enrollee and LEM (Local Experienced Man) with the Civilian Conservation Corps at the camps in St. David and Patagonia. He was and is a talented photographer, and while he was in the CCC at St. David he took a video of the camp. He re-visited this area 50 years later to see how it had changed. The video is available for viewing at YouTube at
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fmVEoBoKSMA