Wallace DeCuir
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Wallace DeCuir’s mother attended college at Leland University in New Orleans and had Wallace a few years after graduating, in 1922. Wallace’s father was killed in a construction accident just before Wallace was born, but his mother remarried and her second husband became a father to him. The family lived in an integrated area of Los Angeles, on 27th and Hoover, where they became close to their Jewish and Italian neighbors. Wallace attended school at Nevin Avenue Elementary School, McKinley Junior High School, Los Angeles Polytechnic and City College before studying engineering at California State University, Berkeley. He attended university during WWII and, like other educated Black men, was turned down for serving with the armed forces. He also tried to sign up for the V-12 Navy College Training program, but was advised to volunteer at the Naval Air Technical Training Center in Memphis, Tennessee where he stayed for a year. After being discharged, Wallace took various civil service exams before deciding to become a Fireman while also finishing a degree in engineering at USC. Wallace and other Black firemen were being segregated to one unit and denied the opportunity to transfer and move up in the ranks. They sued the city of Los Angeles for denial of economic opportunity and the courts ruled in their favor, stating that a city’s hiring practices should reflect its population. Wallace was then transferred to an integrated unit with firemen who were being disciplined. Despite facing hostility and racism, Wallace was determined to be civil and polite to the other members of his unit, eventually gaining some close friendships. Wallace talks about the influence of his mother and the importance of listening to the wisdom and guidance of elders in the community, who always held him to a high standard. He advises young people to make the most of the circumstances they are given and to keep trying.