George and Tim Yuda

Yuda Interview 2

0-5min

Discussion of Dick Kassetta and the Carlisle Indian Digital Resource Center at Dickinson College. Tim Yuda’s work experience at the Army War College and the stories he was told by an older colleague about how the Cemetery was moved on the base.

5-10min

Research on the cemetery. Joe Tackett, who was from the Newville area, and was getting ready to retire in the 1970s. Always wore a coonskin cap. Jim Thorpe games a feel good effort by the Army. Apache visitors view the Carlisle Indian School not as a school but a place of confinement. While others feel that it was a school. Graduation rate was very low.

10-15min

Montreville Yuda would have viewed Carlisle as a school. Always thought highly of the school. Proud to have been a part of the school. When Montreville applied for the school his application shows that he was educated in Louisiana. Not clear how he made it to Louisiana from New York. Only a small percentage of Oneida were from New York most from Wisconsin. Montreville’s father was a Oneida while his mother, Stella, was from the Penobscot Nation. Montreville was born at the St. Regis Agency.

15-20min

George Yuda never met his grandparents. Montreville’s one brother who was unaccounted for as of 1908. Montreville did not really speak about his childhood. Only when other Indian School Alumni visited Yuda did he discuss reservation life. 20-25min

20-25min

Fred Cardin. Yuda was living on A Street in Carlisle and going to the Franklin School when Cardin visited and was dating Thelma Flickinger. Cardin lived in Redding, Pennsylvania and was a good musician. George went to see Cardin once in a concert.

25-30min

Carlisle students tended not to speak about their experiences before they came to the school after they left. Year Montreville graduated was the year of the trouble at the school. Senate investigation. Montreville did not talk about the investigation which he began when he went to D. C. Student body elected Montreville to go to D. C. Gus Welch started a petition campaign in the YMCA to consider the school’s condition. Montreville planned to go to law school when he graduated from Carlisle. Instead he eloped with Lillian Flickinger. George still has his law books.

30-35min

A lot of correspondence between Montreville and the School when Yuda was working at the shipyards. Yuda was the foreman. Yuda was recruiting students who had finished their course of study at Carlisle. Dilemma of Carlisle School was kids could not find work because they still looked like Natives so they went back home to the reservations. But Montreville did not. Ended up moving back to Carlisle when Maslands moved from Philadelphia to Carlisle. Ended up working as a foreman for Maslands for 30 years. Maslands Carlisle plant was brand new when Montreville began working there.

35-40min

Montreville always wore a vest and bow tie. Involved in the debating societies in Carlisle. Was a talker according to George. Would like to talk about the Indian School. Wanted qualified students and did not want anyone who would bring shame to the school. Thorpe would stop by and was very depressed. Asked for money. Just the two of them would talk. George was off from school when Thorpe stopped once on his way to New York to give a speech. Once had to dress up in costume and stand out in the school.

40-45 min

Scrapbooks that are now in the CCHS collections were how Tim and his siblings learned about the Indian School growing up. Thorpe very depressed person. Led to drinking. Thorpe burial still not settled. People in family want him to be repatriated to Oklahoma. John Thorpe was at the War College celebration.

45-50min

George Yuda did not see the Thorpe movie when it debuted in Carlisle. Whenever Thorpe would visit Montreville would bring out the bottle and they would both drink. Lillian did not take part. Lillian would play the piano at the store on Garrison Lane. Have jam sessions at the store with Carlisle students.

50-55min

Formal music training at the school. Montreville would sing. George was in the band and orchestra at Carlisle High School. When he graduated he wanted to play music. Montreville told him he was going to Dickinson College. Montreville was strict. Went up to Dickinson to sign in and that was it. Kept playing his horn. In a number of bands around Carlisle. Played jazz music. Jerry Lackey. Tom Landis played alto sax. The Rev. was from Jersey but was a nice person. Play the piano with his drink on the piano. Bill Palmer was their drummer.

55-60min

Played in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania and the next day was Mother’s Day. Wanted to award oldest mother so Bill stood up. Played dance music and the new pieces that were coming out. Still listen to that music. Mount Holly recording studio. Cut 78s at the studio. Jumping at the Fireside was a single on the record and Yuda plays a trumpet solo and someone yells Go George Go. Hard to find Dixieland music now. Just lost his dog.

60-65min

Get attached to dogs. Booker was a golden retriever. George was a hunter. Has a lot of Montreville’s correspondence with the school and superintendents. Says a lot that the people who knew about the school did not talk about it.

65-70min

Lillian Yuda did not have many stories about the Indian School. Helped her mother bake pies. Harry Flickinger would have known what was going on at the store. “Pop” Warner would eat pie and cream at the store. When the Indian School closed the store lost most of its business. Sense that school regulations were more relaxed after Pratt left especially for athletes. Graduation ceremonies would last for a whole week.

70-77min

Flickinger store on Garrison Lane was a shortcut to the school when you were in town. Also where the train came through. Kids ran away via the train. Trolley came right up to the school through the gates. Milk train would come in at 9 o’clock at night. Train took on mail and milk. Lillian Flickinger was one of three boys and two girls. Montreville was welcomed to some extent into the family but not by George Flickinger which was why they eloped but he eventually came to live Montreville and Lillian.