San Diego Free Press

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What You Don’t Know About Me (As If You Cared)

by

By Ernie McCray

Shannon and Me in 1983

Shannon and Me in 1983

I like facebook. For me it’s been a nice way to get snippets, sometimes daily, of what’s going on in the lives of both new and old friends: students of mine from over time, some of my children and grandchildren, ex-colleagues, fellow actors and writers and activists – interesting people all.

Occasionally one of them will suggest a game for me to play and I usually don’t take part in such online activities because it’s too easy to spend too much time on social media without the temptation of getting involved in diversionary attractions of any kind.

But lately a number of my friends have been revealing a number of random things about themselves that no one knows or bits of information only a few people are in on and if you profess a “like” for or make a comment on what they have exposed they assign you a number and you’re to make a list of unknown facts about yourself equal to that number. I was given the number 8 by one of my favorite students of all times, Shannon, who disclosed that her name is really Shanna in keeping with the idea of the game.

Thinking about the great times she and I and a few others from Fletcher Elementary had in the 80’s I thought I’d give the task a shot, making a rule for myself, on the spot, that I would share the first eight things about me hardly anyone knows that came to mind.

For whatever reason, maybe the fact that I was listening to music in the moment I began, I thought about the time I once sang with a quartet, the “4 G’s,” who appeared on a show headlined by Chuck Berry and we ended up on Tucson TV and walked around for days like we were all the rave.

What a pleasant memory.

With music on my mind, I remembered an evening I spent with Louis “Satchmo” Armstrong, particularly when he said to me, in that famous raspy voice of his, as he reached in his coat pocket for some happy weed, “Want some of this, young man?” and I truly saw “trees of green, red roses too” and I thought to myself “What a wonderful world” and soon we were singing and scatting “How High the Moon” and I was so enjoying hanging out with such a grand man that I thought I would swoon. That memory, going back to when I was about 20 years old will never go out of tune.

Then I recalled a moment in my basketball days when I was running down the court, clearing from one side to the other, having messed up the play, and Oscar, the “Big O,” Robertson, just as I crossed a little behind the free throw line, hit me with a snazzy no-look pass and I was up in the air scoring the most amazingly easy shot I’ve ever made anywhere, just another great pass in a legend’s history.

Race pretty much was obliged to surface in my brain and I reflected on the  many occasions I’ve been told “We don’t serve Negroes” while I wondered “Who in the hell wants to eat a Negro?” Leg of Bubba would be a tough cut of meat.

I had forgotten that I was, at the time, in 1971, at age 33, the youngest principal ever in San Diego City Schools, ten years removed from the time I would become the principal at my friend Shannon/Shanna’s school.

Here’s a question my friends should, without knowing, easily answer: Who was the first black basketball player to graduate from the U of A?

Ernie McCray.

Now, I own a record at Arizona that many know about, the 46 points I scored against a team in a rout but I’m sure nobody remembers or knows besides me that I once held the Tucson YMCA Pancake Eating record which I wouldn’t wish upon anyone. I looked like I was twenty months pregnant and I sweat Pillsbury flour for a week.

My eighth and final disclosure is: I got my first job at the age of five. Why? It seemed that every time I asked my mother for some money I had to listen to how “money doesn’t grow on trees,” and “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” so I had to enter that large world of employees.

I helped Osea, a beautiful old black man, shine shoes on a street corner. I can still hear him: “Shine the shoes, son, not the socks. Now, you want this job, don’t you?”

Sure did and I’ve been working ever since.

And some of the most fun I’ve had working is putting this little piece of what is unknown about me together. But that’s enough games for me for a while.

Ernie McCray

Ernie McCray

I was raised in a loving and alive home, in a black neighborhood filled with colorful characters in Tucson, Arizona. Such an environment gave me a hint that life has to be grabbed by the tail as tight as a pimple on a mosquito's butt. With no BS and a whole lot of love. So, from those days to now I get up every morning set on making the world a better place. On my good foot*, and I hope my writing reflects that. *an old black expression

Comments

  1. I visited Louis Armstrong’s house in Corona, Queens which is now a museum. Louis’ wife, Lucille, decorated and redecorated it herself as Louis was always on the road and seldom home. It gave her something to do. They bought the lot next door and opened up the duplex to make one large house. The furnishings and decorations are pretty spectacular, and the museum featured Louis’ favorite product, Swiss Kriss, a product he recommended as good for whatever ails ya.

  2. I just wonder how many others could come up with 8 unknown fascinating facts like you did Ernie. The old adage ” . . . gee, I hardly knew ya” comes to mind. The nice thing is that I bet your could come up with 8 more that would equally as fascinating!

  5. Ernie- I enjoyed the magnificent 8! I am inviting you to the next all you can eat pancake breakfast.

    • I got cut before the season started but I had a good time. Oscar’s brother tried out to and, in this senior moment I can’t think of his name, he was pretty good, smaller than his brother, a dashing and cutting kind of player. It was the first time I had ever not made a team but I saw the handwriting on the wall. In a pre-season game I had 15 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists in less than a half of play and the coach never made a sound. But then I got to do what I really wanted to do: teach.

    • Ain’t they a kick and that’s one of my favorite shirts of all time; I wore it until it evaporated.

  8. WOW! What a surprise to see this. I feel very honored and special to not only be mentioned, but pictured in your article. I don’t know how many people can say they are friends with their elementary school principal, but I can! 30 years later, I have as much admiration and respect for you as the day this picture was taken. I love you Big Ernie! XO

  9. When I was stationed in Korea from March 1963-March 1964, Louis Armstrong was the first performer to be hired at the Walker Hill Resort. Louis Armstrong performed on opening night and there were between 20-25 people in the audience.

    To say it was embarrassing and pathetic would be an understatement. However, “Pops” performed as though he was playing at the London Palladium. On his second night, attendance was even worse.

    If memory serves me correctly, Walker Hill paid him for his remaining five nights. It was fortunate Lucille was traveling with him, which may have eased the pain. I have often wondered where the Armstrongs went the next five nights until his next booking.

    I’ll never forget that after his first set, instead of disappearing behind the curtain and returning to his dressing room, Mr. Armstrong walked into the “audience” and pulled up a chair at one of our tables. All of us had a chit chat with “Pops” until his second set. He was so friendly and very knowledgeable about virtually every topic we discussed.

    One would have thought that Walker Hill would have had someone on their staff to provide free ducats to the Korean community and the U.S.Military for that week. That could never happen anywhere today, as they have soft openings in an attempt to remove the glitches.It was embarrassing and pathetic.

    Ernie, great thanks for bringing back memories I have never forgotten. Please see “Louis Armstrong and his band playing in Clover Club during . .”

    • “He was so friendly and very knowledgeable about virtually every topic we discussed.” That I found to be very true. He was up on the world. Super bright as most geniuses are I guess, huh?

  10. Very much enjoyed visiting at these corners and crannies of McCray Memory Lane. Thanks for sharing!

  11. #9– McCray mentioned that he’d like to see his single game points record broken (which is the mark of a true sportsman who loves the game…for the game).

    I read this list with much respect, Sir.

  12. Brian Brady_

    #9
    Nearly every athlete says they want their record(s) to be broken. As all of of us know, that is simply spin! Ernie McCray, a student-athlete-educator-administrator- educator, is one of the very few who really means it. After all, his record has only lasted nearly 54 years, which is 2 years older than another guy who scored 100 points.

  13. Ah, Ernie, I knew a few, learned a few, if I could write like you I would be a happier man. Thanks for being a friend!

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