George and Tim Yuda

0-5min

Introduction of George William Yuda (Muddy Waters). Father was Montreville Yuda a student at the Carlisle Indian School. Montreville was an orphan early on in his life living in Mount Vernon, New York. His parents were Montreville K. Yuda and Stella Yuda. Stella was a Ponobscot whose Nation is from Old Town, Maine. Montreville Yuda was born Vernon Village, New York in the St. Regis Agency that was run by the Mohawks. Bureau of Indian Affairs was consolidating everything. Discrepancy on application with birth year as it was listed as 1886 while his WWII draft card and grave stone list his birth year as 1889.

5-10min

Montreville Yuda did not talk about his life very much to George. When Thorpe came to visit was the only period when Montreville opened up. Montreville Yuda went to school in Louisiana until fifth grade. Had a living brother in Louisiana. Montreville smoke like a stove. In 1914 Montreville lived in Boyd Avenue in Carlisle a year after he graduated. Was looking for work after graduation and after he was married they moved to Camden, New Jersey. Then they came back. Moses Friedman the Superintendent, question about bank accounts and interest.

10-15min

Raised questions. Montreville was the individual who took the petitions from the Carlisle YMCA boys down to Washington to give them notice about what was happening at the Indian School. Very different then what the publicity was. Gus Welch was instrumental in getting the ball rolling. George heard about Gus Welch from his father quite a bit but never met them. Welch was very successful outside of the Indian Bureau in Virginia. Montreville Yuda, Gus Welch, Jim Thorpe, along with other footballers were the exceptions for most of the students. George would learn of most of the Indian school students from photographs. Montreville Yuda decided to stay in Carlisle to protect the name of the school. Yuda and Friedman at odds.

15-20min

Eventually seven students went to D.C. to testify including Yuda. George Yuda's mother Lillian Flickinger was a local Carlisle girl. Parents owned a store and sold pies to Indian boys. Harry Flickinger would deliver pies to the school in a basket. Store was on Garrison Lane. Walk right through the Carlisle Barracks gates. Pop Warner would sit in the kitchen and eat hot apple pie and cream in the Flickinger store. Lillian played the piano there and the boys would bring their instruments and they would play music together. Lillian and Montreville eloped. Montreville asked George Flickinger for Lillian's hand and was turned down. They eloped and moved to New Jersey. Around 1914 or 1915. Montreville went to work in the shipyards. Worked there until the end of the war when he decided to come back to Carlisle. George Flickinger came to live with Lillian and Montreville.

20-25min

Montreville was instrumental in getting Carlisle students to come down to Hogs Island to work. While working near Philadelphia, Montreville learned about Maslands and when they moved to Carlisle, Yuda followed and worked as a supervisor as he had charge of 500 workers at the shipyard. Quite a bit of money coming into the school through athletics and this not administered by anyone but Warner, Friedman, and Siceni Nori. The people who Montreville Yuda knew including Jim Thorpe, Nellie Robertson or Nellie Denny who was almost running the school by the time Yuda was attending the school. Montreville was ready to go to law school but when he married Lillian that was the end of law school. Montreville used his status as a graduate to make his way. Was always glad to be part of the school.

25-30min

When Thorpe would come they would sit down and talk about the good and the bad times. George Flickinger had a run in with Lone Star Dietz. Dietz lived on the school grounds and raised wolf hounds. Flickinger raised hound dogs and Dietz would take his dogs on a run twice a week behind the Flickinger house and yard which had a gate. Someone left the gate open one day and Dietz's dogs and had a big fight. Flickinger had to go up to Dietz and talk to him about paying the bill. They eventually came to an agreement. Dietz was then an assistant to Pop Warner. Madrano was one of the boys who visited the Yuda household quite a bit. George Yuda was born on East Street at his house.

30-35min

Playground equipment in the woods on the Carlisle Barracks. George wrote a notebook when Montreville was alive that detailed some of the items about Montreville's life. Montreville was able to meet Thorpe on the baseball team. Yuda was the shortstop and Thorpe was in left field. That was how they got to know each other. The team was called the Outlaws. Yuda also played clarinet in the band and was on the track team. Thorpe and Yuda were very good friends. George was able to met him and shake his hand. George was in medical school when the movie premiered at Carlisle. Was able to meet one of Thorpe's grandsons John Thorpe at the Thorpe days at the Carlisle Barracks. Jack and Bill were at a parade in Carlisle.

35-40min

Grace Thorpe came to Carlisle quite often. Very active in keeping Thorpe's name alive. Yuda had a picture of Thorpe's first wedding at St. Patrick's Church in Carlisle that he gave to John. Yuda often saw Dick Kasseta or Richard Kasseta at Carlson's pool hall. Dickinson College recently made a documentary about his life.

40-45 min

Kasseta inherited the Bellaire property along the creek. Yuda use to fish bass up at Bellaire. There was quite a crowd up there. Short distance by canoe from Cave Hill to Bellaire. [00:41:24.28] interruption.

Start to look at pictures from Montreville Yuda's scrapbook. Photo of Howard Foreman. Winneshiek had a band in Reading, Pennsylvania. Montreville would drive up to Reading on the weekend. Photo of George Yuda in the center with two Indians who graduated with Montreville. Stoped to see Yuda one day and they wanted George to dress up to take a picture.

45-50min

Taken in front of the house on Hamilton Street that Yuda still lives in. George never went up to St. Regis to enroll. Montreville did not keep in touch with relations in St. Regis. George was always in school. Couple that visited the Yudas were driving an old Ford. Montreville had a lot of Thorpe memorabilia.

50-55min

The football gear worn by the players was not much. Frick Hendricks wearing one of the famous Carlisle sweaters. News clipping of Thorpe losing medals. Montreville was always a vest and bowtie guy. Photo of Yuda with Indian School students at the shipyards and Yuda is the only one with a vest and bowtie. Yuda's graduating class was in 1913. The school went another for five years. Yuda did not come back until after the school closed.

55-60min

Six Oneida members in the graduating class. Montreville was not much of a letter writer. Children were required to write letters home at one point during the history of the school but by the time Yuda was a student a number of the requirements had lapsed. 1913 class motto was perseverance. Montreville did not met General Pratt as far as George knows. Photo of Alex Arcasa a Colville Nation student. Photo of the Thorpe wedding. Photo of William Winneshiek in the band. Chief Winneshiek's band was the band the Yudas would go see in Reading.

60-65min

The athletic feats of the students must have been so important to the school. Operetta performed in downtown Carlisle. Yuda was the lead in the play. Played the part of Myles Standish. Graduation exercises took a week. Most of the photos came from a chest that Montreville had packed full of photos.

65-70min

Photo of the Lutheran Church steps. Montreville attended St. Patrick's Church. George and Tim Yuda both went to the school at St. Patrick’s. Lillian was not Catholic before she married Montreville. Montreville never discussed his early life.

70-75min

Montreville was a social guy who applied to all of the clubs in Carlisle. Turned down. Lins Bar on East High Street next to Bixlers. Had a number of friends due to working at Maslands. Montreville and Dick Kassetta were the only native people in the community. Dick was a lot younger than Montreville.

75-80min

Kassetta not really a student at Carlisle but showed up at the Indian School and was taken care of. When Yuda was in the service they sent him back to school. Two years at Dickinson, one year at Texas A&M, and then came back and graduated at Dickinson. Montreville would walk around tie with his bow tie and cigar. Montreville would drive a big Studebaker and would barter eggs and other things. Only thing he bought was tobacco, sugar, and coffee. Had chickens, ducks, and pigs. In Plainfield before they moved to Hamilton Street. Lived there for four or five years while Montreville worked at Maslands. Drove Studebaker to Maslands. Was a big car for Montreville. Lillian would tell him how to drive. Attended Plainfield two room school. Had class years five to eight on one side and on the other side was one to four.

80-85min

Discussion of Dick Kassetta. Often thought Montreville should have written a book after leaving the school. Clear up a lot of questions. Must have had a lot pride in the school. George was a musician and a good student. Montreville asked George what he was going to do when he left high school. George replied that he did not know and that he might get a job. Montreville told him that he knew what he was going to do and that was to go to Dickinson.

85-92min

When he finished at Dickinson he went to medical school. George Yuda met his wife because they were both working at Maslands. First date began at the pool hall in 1947.