Caesar Dudley transcript, 2015-12-18

Item

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

In this oral history interview, Caesar Dudley, a long time D.C. resident, discusses his experiences moving from Sandersville, Georgia, to Washington, D.C. He discusses his upbringing in Sandersville, his reasons for moving north, and the cultural differences between where he grew up and D.C. He also reflects on Sandersville, the South, and the cultural shifts that took place in the District over decades.

Dates

Creation: 2015-12-18

Creator

Dudley, Caesar, -2018 (Person)
Bayliss, Michael (Person)

Language of Materials

English

Biographical / Historical

Caesar Dudley was born in Sandersville, Georgia, and was his parents’ only child. His father was a farmer, and his mother was a domestic worker. When Mr. Dudley graduated from high school in 1941 (the Black high school in Sandersville did not go beyond the 11th grade), his parents send him to live with relatives in Washington, D.C., where he studied accounting and business at Cortez Peters Business College. Mr. Dudley then joined the military and served in the Army for three years (1943-1946). While in the Army, he served overseas and visited places such as France, Germany, the Mediterranean, Japan, and Korea. Upon returning to the U.S., Mr. Dudley continued his education with the help of the G.I. Bill. He also married in 1949 and had two sons. He then worked for eighteen years at the Department of the Army and another seventeen years as a courtroom deputy clerk for the U.S. District Court. Mr. Dudley retired in the 1980s, and passed away in 2018.