Frederic John Paxon (1865-1939)

Frederic John Paxon

Paxon, a merchant and banker,  was born in Philadelphia, PA on July 22, 1865.  In 1887 he was working for the American Baptist Publication Society in Philadelphia.  He was made the general manager of it's southern territory located in Atlanta. 1n 1901 he became secretary/ treasurer of the Davidson-Paxon-Stokes department store.  He later became involved in several banking firms in Atlanta.  He also was very active in religious organizations, philanthropy, and politics.  He served as Chief of Staff under Gov. John Slaton.  He was also president of the Atlanta Chamber of Commerce

As with most of the photos here, this picture of Mr. Paxon was in a scrapbook that my grandmother kept between 1910 and 1918.

Eugene J. Bullard (1895 - 1961)

I just learned about a hero from my home state of Georgia.  I am ashamed that I had not heard of him before now.

Eugene Bullard was born in Columbus, Georgia during a time when African-Americans were terrorized.  At the age of 11 he ran away from Columbus searching for freedom and a better way of life.  He stowed away on a German Freighter bound for Scotland where he found work as an entertainer and boxer.  He eventually made his way to Paris.  

When WWI broke out Bullard enlisted in the Foreign Legion.  In 1916 he volunteered for the Aéronautique Militaire.  When the US entered the war Bullard tried to enlist in the U.S. Air Service but was rejected.  He returned to the French Air Corp.

After the war he was a successful businessman owning a nightclub (Le Grand Duc), an American-style bar (L’Escadrille), and operating an athletic club.  

When the Second World War broke out Bullard became a machine gunner in the 51st Infantry Regiment.  He was wounded and returned to the U.S. settling in the Harlem district of New York.

Life in post-war New York was hard for Bullard as it was for most African-Americans.  Historians use the term "Racial Discrimination" to describe the terrorist acts that were committed against African-Americans.  During this time many men and women were beaten and killed sometimes by the police officers and officials who were sworn to protect and uphold the law.  This happened to Eugene Bullard on several occasions.  The most notable was at infamous the Paul Robeson concert in Peekskill, New York where many including Bullard were beaten by police officers.  You can see video footage of this beating in the documentary The Tallest Tree in Our Forest and the documentary Paul Robeson: Tribute to an Artist. Also, the image can be found here  and in The Whole World in His Hands: a Pictorial Biography of Paul Robeson by Susan Robeson. Bullard's last job was as an elevator operator in Rockefeller Center.  He worked at this job unknown or recognized for his service until 1959 when he was interviewed on the Today Show.  He wore his elevator operator uniform on that interview. He died on October 12, 1961 and is buried in Flushing Cemetery in Queens, New York.

He was awarded 

Légion d'honneur

Médaille militaire

Croix de guerre

Croix de guerre

Croix du combattant volontaire 1914-1918

Insigne des blessés militaires

Médaille Interalliée 1914–1918

Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1914-1918

Médaille commémorative de la guerre 1939–1945

Insignia for the Military Wounded

Read more about Eugene J. Bullard

http://blog.nasm.si.edu/aviation/eugene-j-bullard/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Bullard

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=6157

All photos can be found on https://commons.wikimedia.org/

Mike's photos

My brother was a world traveler, an artist, and he had a good eye for photos.  As I am going through his photos I will be sharing my favorites with you.  I am afraid that Mike never had the time to label his photos so I can't pinpoint the locations.  Some are from South America, some are from Africa, and some are from Morocco.

More to come.

Postcards from Denmark

Amalienborg Palace, Copenhagen, Denmark

 These postcards are from the mid to late 1950's.

The Royal Danish Theater

The Round Tower

Alexander Stephens Clay

Alexander Stephens Clay was born in Powder Springs, GA on on September 25th, 1853.  He was elected to the U.S. Senate in
1896 and served until his death on November 13, 1910.  He was the chairman of two interesting committees: Committee on Revolutionary Claims (Fifty-ninth Congress) ; Committee on Woman Suffrage (Sixty-first Congress).  He is buried in the Marietta City Cemetery in Marietta, Georgia.

Postcards

Liege, Belgium

Pompeii, The Civil Forum

These postcards date from the late 1950's when my father was stationed in Denmark.  

Danish Bathing Machines

This postcard is from Denmark.  My parents lived in Copenhagen in the late 1950's.  As a kid I loved this postcard.  Mom told me that the horses pulled these machines into the water while people were inside changing into their swimsuits.  Then you were able to get directly into the water.  It was more discreet I guess,  I don't know why my brother's name is written on the card.  Maybe he was the one who wanted to buy it in the first place,