European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 16, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 20 the stars and stripes Friday september 16,1977 son of roots ill Haley is the son of roots. More specifically he is staff sgt. William Alexander Haley 31, the Only son of Alex Haley whose pulitzer prize winning Book roots has sold 1.5 million copies is Stul Selling and has been called the most meaningful account of the Black experience in the television adaptation of roofs Alex Haley s Bur rowing into his family s past attracted the largest Audi ence in television history and was called by Vernon e. Jordan jr., executive director of the National Urban league the single most spectacular educational experience in race relations in an estimated 180 Mil lion americans Black and White watched at least part of the week Long Saga. So what of the son of Alex Haley in what must be regarded As one of the most Fortu Itous strokes of enlightened Job assignments in Mili tary history sgt. Haley a former paratrooper with the 101st airborne division has been working i the army s human relations department at it. Dix specifically in programs designed to educate soldiers of varying backgrounds in one another s racial and Cul Tural histories. I teach race relations in other words explained sgt. Haley a career military Man like his father before him in an interview the other Day. He is very Good at it and by now he estimates he has spoken on the subject to thousands of military students and a total of 300,000 to 500,000 people on and off this the . Army he believes is Light years ahead of the civilians outside units indoctrination attitudes and techniques. He went on musing about it roots might Deal wit social issues of slavery but it really did t Deal with the guilt of slavery. It deals with a proud family but he implied it was hardly typical of the general Black experience in America. Once the Haleys got their feet under them in Tennessee the Early trauma passed and they did it Deal sgt. Haley Felt with the role of Black Southern churches and their ministers whose teachings supported and perpetuated slavery and con firmed the roles of masters and slaves and whose visions were of a segregated heaven. But the so Falex Haley believes that the historical essence of roots was truthful. Sgt. Haley was born nov. 19, 1945, in Beaufort n.c., his Mother s Home town and spent his earliest year there. His idol was his Grandfather Simon Alexander Haley a teacher a patriarchal figure and one of the moving forces behind Alex Haley s search for his past. The Grandfather taught in new Jersey at Cornell University in Ithaca n.y., in Arkansas and in Florida. He was the Cornerstone of our family sgt. Haley remembered he was a staunch Christian. The worst word he Ever said was Gas darn it he talked to me about life what Are you doing with your life he had Hopes and aspirations for me and Felt Fine about my aspirations in 1973, the army sent sgt. Haley to the defense department s race relations Institute in Florida and says this graduate of Georgetown University in Washington,d.c., it was probably the Best education i Ever got. You learn to Deal with yourself you learn to Deal with others you learn about racism and sexism How to identify it and How to fight it. Most of the people i be dealt with Are committed to stopping racism and sexism wherever they find it. Now i m at peace with sgt. Haley is a Chunky Man with a single Blaze of Whiten has Black hair he is easy and relaxed in manner inside the classroom and outside it. He lives at it. Dix in a neat House with his wife Gwenevere Jenrette a medical specialist at the it. Dix Hospital and his 12-year-old son William Alexander Haley who s really into following his Grandfather. He collects articles about him from eve sgt. Haley has read roofs three times and digested the dense heavy Tome. I had to. People in my classrooms and lectures outside got into asking me a lot of when doubts were raised about its historical accuracy his father uses faction a combination of fact and fic Tion to describe the Bookie said i could Call up dad and ask him questions based on areas i was t too sure the sergeant has one copy of roofs. Another Auto graphed by his father was stolen. The inscription read to Fella an affectionate nickname the first male of " roofs might Deal with social issues of slavery but it really did t Deal with the guilt of slavery. It deals with a proud family " the eighth generation from the Ancester kunta Kinte sgt. Haley is ambivalent about roofs. I Olav use it As a kind of sketch he said. Roots transcends history. It is the history of a family and not a history of Blac people. It is True that All of us came from some place in Africa. But roofs skirted some very significant things As Bill Haley was growing up his Sisters and his parents lived in san Francisco and in Harlem it was a pretty decent apartment with enough room bordered by one of the worst neighbourhoods in Harlem he said. He was a Mascot for a Street group called the sports after a while he said they began to do bad things and people were getting his father was Home every night from coast guard duty took wedding pictures As an extra Job and wrote in his study. And he was kind to his family. He protected them As sgt. Haley remembers. They would go on automobile trips and could not get hotel rooms because they wer Black. He fronted for us said the son. He would say hey would t it be fun to Camp out tonight we parked off the Road and slept. Some restaurants would t sell us anything but Chili and Beans. My father would say hey in t this Good it was years later before i realized what had actually happened what a Burden it was on his sgt. Haley said his father who spent 20 years in the coast guard was gone a lot when he was in the service. I always thought he Felt bad that he did t spend More time with me. Then he was trying to make it As a writer one of the hardest professions there new York times i teach race relations sgt. Bill Haley Center with dad Alex Haley and son William. By Erma Bombeck Atwi Tsend i Don t know what a new Bike did for the kid who stole it from my son. But i know what it is doing to me and Idon t like it. I find myself looking with suspicion into the eyes of every child who rides a Brown Schwinn 10-Speed and thinking if i stare at him Long enough he will find myself rehearsing speeches in the bathroom Mirror that Pat o Brien us a Irish priest gave to the prison inmates 20 years ago. I accost perfect strangers in the supermarket and on buses and without so much As an introduction say Myson had his bicycle stolen and launch into the entire sordid Story Oxbow he got of at 4 . Every morning to deliver papers and Bow be now gets hernia from carrying them on his Back Etc. But worst of All i find myself guarding the new replacement Bike like the contents of the louvre. My husband compares it to the new baby anxiety Complex where you get up five times a night to see if it is still where you left it. At least three times a Day i Check the Bike to see if anyone has been tampering with the tires stolen the Light lifted the gears or swiped the Book rack or the Basket. If there is no Moon i bring it into the House and Park it by the dining room table. If it sleeps out in the garage it is secured by three chains and two locks. The other night As i was oiling the bicycle locks and testing them my husband said look we Veall Bee pretty Busy and under a Strain lately. Why Don t we grab a weekend and go camping and who is going to Bike sit i asked. Maybe the Walthers could keep an Eye on things he offered. Hah they Don t even bring their Bicy cles in when it Rains. Not on your Sweet tin you can t go through life mothering a bicycle said my husband patiently. These things happen. You Are beginning to regard that Bike As something human Don t be ridiculous i said. To me a bicycle is just a couple of tires held together by bolts and nuts Rustand that s better he said. Let s go Intlehouse and plan our As i heard my son drive the Bike into the garage i ran to the door and yelled out hysterically Don t forget to lock you brother j i la get Over it. It just takes time. C Field enterprises inc
