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Coach James Carr
Coach James Carr was born in Grantville Georgia, November 20, 1937. Graduated from central high school in Newnan, Ga. 1956. Moved to Atlanta, Ga. attended Atlanta Area technical sc...view moreCoach James Carr was born in Grantville Georgia, November 20, 1937. Graduated from central high school in Newnan, Ga. 1956. Moved to Atlanta, Ga. attended Atlanta Area technical school for two years he transferred from the electrical appliance repair class to the electronic class at Dekalb Area Technical school. Out of 300 white students and 25 black students he was the student body president. He met Gena, his wife to be, Friday November 13, 1959. They got married March 19, 1960.
In 1963 he became the first black man to be employed by western union telegraph company in a position other than janitor or messenger. He was not welcomed by the white employees, after 135 years in business they had never worked with a black man. He worked in the installation dept for eight years, during this time he had the opportunity to work in 30 different states. In 1970 he was offered a promotion in Richmond Va. from Equipment Installer to Assistant Equipment Inspector. He and his wife moved from Richmond to Falls Church, Va. In Falls Church he was promoted to Plant Layout Supervisor. He was in charge of routing and re-routing circuits for the president of the United States, "HOT LINE" phone and the uninterrupted power for the White House. Circuits had to be routed from three different directions (states) every 30 days. He also helped to engineer all of the original circuits for MCI telephone co. from Florida to New York. In 1979 he was promoted to Director of Project and Materials in Upper Saddle River NJ at Western Union national headquarters, on his way from Atlanta (installer, level 6) to Upper Saddle River (level 28), he retired 1986. He and Gena celebrated their 54 anniversary March 19, 2014. They are now back where they started in Newnan, Ga.view less