Friday, December 12, 2008

Uncle Louis and car





Another photo of Louis and his car. This one was taken in front of the Johns-Manfield Company where Uncle Louis worked in the 1950s. I believe the factory was located near Zion, Illinois, and it manufactured asbestos tile.

Louis served in the South Pacific theater in World War II, clearing airfields. He brought back a bloodied bayonet that he later gave to his nephew James, my father, along with the tale of using the bayonet to chase and kill a Japanese soldier in a cave. This story has merit as there are several stories of Japanese soldiers hiding out in caves on the captured islands of the Pacific during World War II.


After the war, Louis went to school at Ole Miss on the GI Bill with intentions of becoming a lawyer. However, he eventually wound up moving to Illinois. When Uncle Louis retired in the early 1970s, he and Aunt Maggie moved back to Fulton.

The photo at right is of Uncle Louis walking down the street in Illinois, probably Chicago. The slim build is typical of the Robinsons although my father did not inherit this trait, hence his nickname "Peewee."



2 comments:

Anonymous said...

John Manville Company was in Waukegan, IL. That is the county seat for Lake County, IL and it is south of Zion, IL by about 8 Miles. They were best known for the manufacturing of asbestos roofing shingles.
Teri

Mona Robinson Mills said...

That's sounds about right, Teri. There were several Itawamba transplants in the Zion and Waukegan communities. Thanks for posting!