Keith Arnold, February 22nd, 2012

Keith Arnold, February 22nd, 2012

In this interview, Keith Arnold tells his story of growing up in Buffalo, until he found a deep love for Detroit. He eventually made the journey to the city, where he started and raised a family.

Detroit Historical Society

Detroit Historical Society

en-US

Keith Arnold

Keith Arnold was born in 1943, and lived in Buffalo, NY until he was 21. After helping his cousin move to Detroit, Arnold fell in love with the city and decided to pursue a life in Michigan.

Ashley Turner

Detroit, MI

2/22/2012

52:38

Ashley Turner: Okay. The name of the interviewer is Ashley Turner. The name of the interviewee is Keith Arnold. Today's date is February 22nd, 2012. The place is Detroit. Listen, I am Mr. Arnold's home, and I went over the confidentiality and consent form. I read to you. You know, the confidentiality. And you know, when I'm doing this, when you sign the consent form. Do I have the consent? Yes. Okay. Okay. I want to start off the interview by asking you, how are you doing today?

Keith Arnold You're doing real good. After.

Ashley Turner: Okay. All right. So you had to go to dialysis today? Yes. How was that?

Keith Arnold Well, it's not as bad as we want to be, but I have to deal with it. You live.

Ashley Turner: Yeah. Okay, So I'll just want to go into. I want to go to the interview. First of all, where are you originally from?

Keith Arnold Buffalo, New York.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Um, so you were born there? Yes. Around when were you born?

Keith Arnold On April 5th, 1943.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Can you tell me a little about. A little bit about the time and how it was when when you were when you were born in New York? By the time like the time frame and how things were going on around. Do you know any of any of it.

Keith Arnold Not when I was born?

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you never heard any stories or anything about what the Times were like?

Keith Arnold No, not really. Okay. Maybe a little later in life.

Ashley Turner: I never heard about the 40s later in life.

Keith Arnold Yeah.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So. Did you. Did you grow up in New York.

Keith Arnold Till I was 21 or 2.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So can you tell me about what it was like growing up there?

Keith Arnold It was a fun place. Had a lot of friends, and maybe was my neighborhood. And my best friend lived next door to me in a house that was owned by my grandmother, grandfather. And it's like a duplex, like not a duplex, but another home that belonged to the home we lived in and had a bunch of friends on the street. We play all kinds of games and basketball and baseball and swimming and things we used to do, like go to the slaughterhouse and fish chickens and bring em homes and cook. Our parents would get mad becasue we were bringing home roosters. We didn't know that there.

Ashley Turner: Was a.

Keith Arnold Rooster here. Yeah. One day I tell the story.

Ashley Turner: Yeah, go ahead.

Keith Arnold One day I was out there. I fell into a whole chicken mess, if you know what I'm talking about.

Ashley Turner: Some chicken poop?

Keith Arnold Yeah. And I had to get on the bus to come home.

Ashley Turner: So. So you had. So you pretty much had fun growing up?

Keith Arnold Yes, I had a ton of fun. In the wintertime, we used to play King of the Mountain because we had so much snow in Buffalo that when the church pushed it to the side, you got to house when you get into the streets or we call them king, we call the mountains. So we got to go to the top of that mountain so you could stand around without getting thrown off.

Ashley Turner: Without sliding off of them.

Keith Arnold Not getting thrown off by your friends.

Ashley Turner: Oh, your friends would throw.

Keith Arnold You on the king of the mountain where you get out there and stay longest.

Ashley Turner: Oh, okay. So it was. It was more like a like a challenge or like, fight or something.

Keith Arnold Yeah, like, a fun game.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold Look, on the back of cars in the winter slide down the street, there were no dangers around thing to do. But we did it anyhow, you know? I didn't know I never got hurt, but it was a stupid thing to do.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold Then after that, I do. A lot of sport things, you know, a lot of competition like that. Trying to run track and track when I was in school. Was pretty good. And I do. I do a lot of sports as well so that everybody in neighborhood and do a lot of sport things stay active. Yeah.

Ashley Turner: So I know you mentioned before you said something about your friends and your best friends. Yeah. How did you how did you meet your friends and what were they like?

Keith Arnold I said, my best friend, he lived next door in a house that was a part of our house. So kind of a do that.

Ashley Turner: Like it was connected.

Keith Arnold It wasn't connected, but it belonged to that house. So it was like a back in the days, like maybe the we had a big house and they had a little house. Like it could have been like something from the south where they had a few houses for the servants and the maids and stuff, and then the big house for the people around owners.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold Kind of like.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So what were they like? I mean, what were your friends like growing up?

Keith Arnold Oh, my best friend Dale is kind of a big time operator here. He's got a big company that produces wheels for General Motors.

Ashley Turner: Here in Michigan. Mhm. Oh, okay.

Keith Arnold Yeah, I was in Flint and I might have moved since. You know, I say my last is.

Ashley Turner: He's still living.

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: So how was he when you guys were growing up. Was he was pretty outgoing like he is now.

Keith Arnold Yeah, he was. He was a brain guy. He was very smart, the.

Ashley Turner: Smart.

Keith Arnold Books and stuff. And he went to college, got some degrees and opened up a business. A business, You know, you got married here and opened up a business. Yeah.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So is that who you pretty much spent most of your time with?

Keith Arnold Yeah, when I was younger. Then there was a couple of more kids that I went to school with, and we used to, like, spend the night in each other's house. You know, I'm black and they were white. And we. We had a good communication with each other.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So I hear you say that you you're black. Were all your friends white?

Keith Arnold No.

Ashley Turner: That's just a.

Keith Arnold Mixture.

Ashley Turner: How was that? How was it as far as race growing up, isn't it Sounds like that there was it.

Keith Arnold Didn't have any problems as children with that race issue. I have plenty of white friends and plenty of black friends and different nationalities, too. You know, friends. They didn't believe in that stuff back in the days like they do now. Well, at least in Buffalo, they didn't at that time. There was no race hatred. And, you know, people being down for the color of their skin and stuff. Okay. Yeah, we have real nice friendships.

Ashley Turner: So that was nothing that you ever had to deal with?

Keith Arnold No, I do.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold Matter of fact, I never dealt with racism until I got to Detroit.

Ashley Turner: Oh, okay. So when you were growing up in New York, who did you who did you live with as a kid?

Keith Arnold There were my mother, my grandmother when I was a baby. If you know, I live with my mother, father till I was about six year old. And my mother and my father separated. And I lived with my mother and my grandmother. She raised me all the way from then on, you know.

Ashley Turner: Your mother and your grandmothers and.

Keith Arnold For a minute I live with my mother, my stepfather. She had married a year ago. And I think that I was around 13 years old. That was that. You know, I went back to my grandmother.

Ashley Turner: After your mom got remarried. Yeah. You went back to stay with your grandmother? Yeah. Where did you go back to stay with your grandmother?

Keith Arnold Well, we didn't get along to good.

Ashley Turner: You and the stepfather at first.

Keith Arnold Then we did, but we didn't. It just confused them because they didn't have any children.

Ashley Turner: Oh, yeah. So it's a little bit different for him to adjust to having a kid. Mhm. How did that. How did it make you feel?

Keith Arnold Oh i liked them, I didn't have a problem actually with them. Well we used to go fishing together and hunting together and he showed me a whole lot of thing he worked for. Air. Air for. Their airplane company flying over the bell aircraft. And, you know, he was kind of intelligent. Smart, too. It was like he wasn't an engineer and he was close to it. Mhm. Okay.

Ashley Turner: So what was your mom and your grandma like growing up?

Keith Arnold I would love to be a grandmother. She was a stone. She had a little grocery store and I used to go to work for help and stuff like that. Her and my grandfather. And. Working there for a while. Make a little money, go places, do things that were very nice and no problems. I was mischievous. Whatever, you know.

Ashley Turner: Okay. All right. So, so far, when I got from you that you were born. In the early 40s in Buffalo, New York. You had you had mixed friends, mixed races. You didn't really have to worry about too much of race issues back then. It was just all fine growing up with your friends and.

Keith Arnold And.

Ashley Turner: And you live with your your mom and your grandmother.

Keith Arnold I'm a grandfather. I'm sorry.

Ashley Turner: Oh, your grandfather, too? Yes. What was he like?

Keith Arnold Uh, he was. He was Indian. He was very, very quiet. He never said much. Talk much. But if he did start talking in that way, you see?

Ashley Turner: So was he. Would you say he was strict?

Keith Arnold No, he wasn't strict because, like I say, he never did say much.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold But when he did, he meant what he said.

Ashley Turner: Now, what do you mean by that? You say he went when he said something. He meant.

Keith Arnold What? I mean, he was never tell you things to do or not to do too much because he ran up to my mother and my grandmother. But if he did say don't or do, he meant it. Yeah. He was a nice person, too.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So was your dad. Was he in the light? Because I hear you say that your parents split up when we six.

Keith Arnold Yeah.

Ashley Turner: Were was he around after that?

Keith Arnold He was around, but not often. Not like they ever lived together or anything, you know? I lived with them for a little while, too.

Ashley Turner: Okay, So you did stay with them while you were still in New York? Mm hmm. Okay. So how long did you stay with him?

Keith Arnold Most of the time with was like during the summer months when I was at school.

Ashley Turner: So you visit for the summertime?

Keith Arnold Yeah.

Ashley Turner: And so he was still pretty much a big part of your life when he was a kid. Mm hmm. Okay.

Keith Arnold Yeah.

Ashley Turner: So is there anything else that you remember that stood out about your childhood growing up in New York? Anything major happened while you were there?

Unidentified I made sure that I could think.

Keith Arnold I just had a few. You know, I'll take a little over some of the jobs that I work things to, you know, get myself prepared for manhood.

Ashley Turner: So you did work where you lived in Raleigh?

Keith Arnold Yeah.

Ashley Turner: Okay. You say. You say. You say that like you worked a lot. Well, I worked.

Keith Arnold At my grandmother's store. I worked at a place called Nathan Brothers. Transportation company. I worked at a place called Atlas Plastics, and I worked at a garage when a friend of mine tried to build up there. And I. It was the best feeling that. We were on cars and stuff. and we did pretty decent we were so young that things that were not too good for us that we didn't know the business aspects, that stuff like that. But.

Ashley Turner: You know, so you have a quite a few jobs over there. Yeah. Um, what was the purpose of you guys? Having so many different jobs.

Keith Arnold all of them than I did. Oh, well.

Ashley Turner: What was the purpose? If you have them, if.

Keith Arnold You know you have a job and you get laid off or you find something better with sweets and then when you get into your own trying to set up your own business, you leave the rest of that, you know, alone to set up some business for yourself. And we were adventurers, so we had set up this garage and business worked out pretty good for a while with the business aspects weren't to good because we weren't that, you know, mature enough that mature to take care of business the way it should have been taken care thinking more about. Young people stuff, you know.

Ashley Turner: So how old were you when you started working at your grandma store?

Keith Arnold About 12. When I first started working with him, yeah, I mostly helped him out at that time just because I'd be around.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Now, was there something that was normal for kids to start working that young back then?

Keith Arnold In a way, as big as it was in that, um, or, or where everybody needed to help if they wanted to do things for themselves, they needed that earned their own money and keeps those who had little part time jobs and the things they did to, to bring a little bit of money to go to shows and escape and different things like that.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you weren't really you were never required to have a job? Oh, no. It was just by choice. They wanted to do. So sounds like you. You had a pretty decent childhood. Is that correct?

Keith Arnold Yes. pretty decent. if I could do it all over again.

Ashley Turner: If you would do it all over you.

Keith Arnold Was one of them.

Ashley Turner: So far we have that. You know, you had a pretty decent childhood growing up. You have a lot of friends. You were. Active in sports. Worked as a child by choice. Um. Did you contribute to any of the finances in your home?

Keith Arnold No, I didn't

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you didn't have to pay any bills or income? Okay, so all the income made from your job is strictly like your pocket money?

Keith Arnold Yes. I mean, I might give something, but it wasn't required.

Ashley Turner: All right. So did you say that that pretty much sums up some of the, you know, your childhood growing up in New York?

Keith Arnold Well, as far as my childhood, I would say yes. That's how I got to my early teens. I mean, yeah, late teens. I like to swear on his.

Ashley Turner: Late teens, early 20s.

Keith Arnold When I got married.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So tell me a little bit about that. How old were you when you got me?

Keith Arnold Well, the first time.

Keith Arnold I was 21. 21.

Ashley Turner: So tell me a little bit about about your marriage. How did you meet? How did you meet your.

Keith Arnold First day of school?

Keith Arnold The school we grew up boyfriend and girlfriend. Going to school.

Ashley Turner: Like high school, sweetheart?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: So you were 21 when you got married. So would you say that this is the start of your adult life?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Okay. So,you got married you were still in New York.

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So how did the marriage go about? Did you propose to her or did you guys.

Keith Arnold Something like that.

Ashley Turner: something like that. Yeah. Rain.

Keith Arnold Do I have.

Ashley Turner: Did you have one?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you. So you kind of asked her to marry you or. Okay. All right. So what happened after that?

Keith Arnold Well, we had three children.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you had three kids with your first wife? Mm hmm. How old were you when you had your first your first kid

Keith Arnold I think I was, I cant really remember, 20.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you had your baby before you got married?

Keith Arnold Yeah. Okay.

Ashley Turner: How was that?

Keith Arnold It was rough.

Ashley Turner: It was rough? Tell me a little bit about that. Why was it?

Keith Arnold Well. Well, you know, first hand being very different is. At first we didn't. We weren't living together or anything. It was kind of difficult. But once we got married and got together, it was pretty nice.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So what would you say was difficult specifically about it? I hear you say that you weren't living together. So does that mean that you have the baby by yourself? Oh.

Keith Arnold No. It's just it was a difficult position because we weren't together, I guess, you know, being kind of young. Is this an awkward position? I guess.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Mm hmm. That is various aspects of parenthood. How was that like as far as financially taking care of the child?

Keith Arnold Oh, that was hard because at the time, jobs weren't very, very plentiful. But, you know, the sort of jobs that would keep you going, but they wouldn't really puts you over the top because I didn't have a college education or anything like that, usually. Hmm.

Ashley Turner: So would you say that college education back then was very important?

Keith Arnold Well, education, though, has been important to people. You know, like I said, my best friend, he went to college and he became very successful. He opened a business, but he had the knowledge to keep it together, which we didn't because we didn't have that education, that smarts. But we were really willing to try anything to make it successful, but it just didn't work.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So after your childhood, after, say, your your teen years, you had a baby. Mm hmm. You got married? Mm hmm. And then you had two more kids after you that married. Mm hmm. So how was that after you were married? I heard you say that it was difficult because you weren't married. So when you got married, was it better?

Keith Arnold Oh, yes. I hope because we were together, we could do things together and take care of kids together. Mm hmm. We don't have to go to find her house, see her, or I mean, to see me, stuff like that.

Ashley Turner: Okay, so having both parents in the same home made it easier to raise the kids.

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Than. Than it would if it was just one parent in one home and the parent in another home.

Keith Arnold Right. Would have made a big difference. Mm hmm.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So. When did. Why did you migrate to Michigan? Why did you. When did that spark. And you hear that you want to migrate to.

Keith Arnold Well, I had a cousin who came from here from Michigan to Buffalo, and he asked me if I wanted to. You know, help him drive back to Michigan. I told him I would help him. And when I did, I kind of fell in love with the place. And job opportunities were very, very fluid. You know, you could get a job almost anywhere back in this in the early 60s and tell my family everything. And I applied for a job and I got it just like this. Matter of fact, I got two. So I just stayed, you know?

Ashley Turner: Okay. So I hear you say that you fell in love with Michigan.

Keith Arnold Mm hmm.

Ashley Turner: What do you mean by that?

Keith Arnold I mean, the city of Detroit was very booming and it was popular there. And, you know, they had other industries in the valley at the time, and it was just a bigger city than Buffalo. And, you know. Buffalo and Buffalo was not Detroit. At that time, it had like maybe a million and a half. I have a lot of people here. But soon faded away. But yeah, I liked it. I got a job at Ford Motor Company. I worked there for 43 years, and. I don't regret that.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you said that you had a cousin that lived here. Mm hmm. He came to visit you in Buffalo. Mm hmm. And then asked you to help him drive back. Yeah. And right then is when you said that that's why you wanted to. To move to Michigan.

Keith Arnold Once I got back. Yeah.

Ashley Turner: Once you get back to New York.

Keith Arnold Once I got to Michigan.

Ashley Turner: Once you get back here helping him drive. Yeah. Okay. How did how did it go as far as your family in New York? Like your kids and you? Well.

Keith Arnold First it was good, and then it kind of went sour.

Ashley Turner: So did you leave them behind?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Can you tell me a little bit about that? After you you dropped them off here. You you filled out job applications while you were here? Mm hmm. And then you went back to New York after that?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Can you tell me a little bit about that? Like as far as your your transition from moving to from New York to here permanently?

Keith Arnold Well, after I filled out the application, I came back to Buffalo. Okay. I did. I got some offers. So I went back and filled in checked in two. And actually, I got hired. At this stage, because once I got hired, it was a very, very decent job. Good job. And. Yeah, I stayed with my cousin. The cousin that brought, you know, that wanted me to. He was an older person. Mm hmm. But I stayed with him for a while until I got on my feet, and I. You know, we moved out.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So your cousin was pretty stable.

Keith Arnold Oh, yeah.

Ashley Turner: He was living here so he could help you out. Yeah. Area.

Keith Arnold He worked for Kelsey Hayes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. How long did you stay with him before you get on your feet?

Keith Arnold Three, four months.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So the reason for you moving to Michigan is because of that one time visiting job. Are you in job opportunities? So that's how you kind of got turned on in Michigan. Before that, did you have any any thoughts of moving here at all? No, not at all.

Keith Arnold No. I had been here before when I was a child, but I never thought about living here.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So tell me a little bit about. Your your family and your your migration to Michigan. How did how did that go once you decided that this is where you want to be? How did that go over with the family and how did it turn out? What was the journey for that?

Keith Arnold I didn't turn out too good because we split up. And stayed in Buffalo. I stayed in Detroit. Didn't work out too well.

Ashley Turner: Why do you think it didn't work out too well?

Keith Arnold Well, being young and stupid, I would say to me.

Ashley Turner: You say you were being young and stupid.

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Why would you say you were being young and stupid?

Keith Arnold Well, I was doing things I shouldn't have been doing.

Ashley Turner: Do you think that moving to Michigan was stupid?

Keith Arnold No. It was a great move.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold Move. I don't think that was okay.

Ashley Turner: So you still to this day think that you made the right choice?

Keith Arnold Yes. Oh, yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Now, before you moved to Michigan, was there anywhere else that you considered moving to the U.S. or anywhere? No. No. So once you. So you went straight from Buffalo to Detroit and there was never anywhere else that you.

Keith Arnold Married in my mind? No.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Had your mind made up after that?

Keith Arnold No. Okay. And being an only child, I didn't have. Many options. My brothers and sisters living in different places. A lot of families living in different places would have to visit and get to, you know, meet people or run around or whatever.

Ashley Turner: So was Michigan the only place the only other place besides New York that you have family?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold So the first thing that I knew, I might have family in the South, but I didn't know that.

Ashley Turner: Okay. All right. So so for me that you're born in the early 40s in Buffalo, New York, you had a great childhood. You know, your parents were loving growing up, your mom and your grandmother. And even though your mom and dad split up, he was still a part of your life. Mm hmm. Once you you got married, you had you got married and had children, and your cousin came and asked you to drive back to Michigan with him. Mm hmm. And you sat there, and you fell in love with Detroit City. Mm hmm. And you got a job, and you stay here. And you've been here ever since.

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. After. After your. Your moving to Michigan and you splitting with your wife. What happened after that? What was next thing of life And.

Keith Arnold Then a friend of somebody else fell in love with them and got married. Remarried.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So then you got a second wife? Mm hmm. Okay. So tell me a little bit about that. How did you guys meet?

Keith Arnold A friend of mine introduced us. And we took off from there. Hmm.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So this was. So she's from. She was from Michigan, too.

Keith Arnold She was from Alabama, But she lived in Michigan.

Ashley Turner: Okay.

Keith Arnold Oh, Alabama. Put it that way.

Ashley Turner: Okay, so you guys had a mutual friend? Mm hmm. Yeah. Okay. So what what happened after. After you met your second wife?

Keith Arnold Mm hmm. And we just did pretty good in their homes and then together raised another family.

Ashley Turner: So you have more children? Yeah. Okay. So how did that. How did that go for you? I know you. Were you guys married first this time? Yeah. Okay. So how did that go? I know before you were saying that it was a little difficult with your first child because you weren't married to your child's mother.

Keith Arnold They lived together.

Ashley Turner: And lived together. Yeah. How was it the second time around when you were living together?

Keith Arnold Oh, yeah. Different. I was really wonderful. Really?

Ashley Turner: Okay. Mm hmm. So how was it different as far as this time around? What would you say was different?

Keith Arnold Well, I had a decent job. We had a home around the knot of our own, but, you know, we rented a home. Very different things. This is like ordinary house and wife, housewife and husband work and taking care of family and stuff like that.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So the second time around, would you say it was different because you had a stable job, whereas before you didn't have a stable job. You were kind of through going from job to job.

Keith Arnold True.

Ashley Turner: Okay. And you guys had a home. You were all in one home this time around. Okay. So where are you? So where are your children? With your second wife? Were they all born in Michigan?

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: How many children did you guys have? I have five kids. Okay. So did you. Would you say that you liked parenthood?

Keith Arnold Yes. You.

Ashley Turner: All right. So why don't you tell me a little bit about your new line of work?

Keith Arnold Well, at first, when I first started, I was a metal finisher. That was my classification. At the time, I think making $2 and 2000 $0.68 an hour. At that time, it was in 1965, zero nine.

Ashley Turner: $2.65 Was good money back then.

Keith Arnold Yeah, $2.50.

Ashley Turner: $2.68 an hour.

Keith Arnold And I had a classification that I never even did, but that was because of my background in the automotive industry when I was in Buffalo working on cars. And then later on I got into skilled trades and I stayed in school since about 30, 30, 33 until I retired.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So when you moved from as you can, you got this job here at the motor company and you've been there ever since.

Keith Arnold Yes, I was.

Ashley Turner: Okay to.

Keith Arnold Have a time.

Ashley Turner: To retire.

Keith Arnold 2.08

Ashley Turner: Okay. So to $2.68 since I was I was. Was there more than minimum wage back here? I was way more than minimum wage.

Keith Arnold Oh, yes. That was a very good salary back then.

Ashley Turner: Do you remember what the minimum wage was back then?

Keith Arnold I don't remember, but I know it had to be probably less than a dollar.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So you guys were definitely living above the poverty line, would you say?

Keith Arnold Yeah. Really? Really Well. So that was considered home. Matter of fact, through the years I worked there, they paid very real well, especially skills training that made real good money.

Ashley Turner: And that was your, uh, your position after the. The metal.

Keith Arnold Finishing.

Ashley Turner: Metal Finishing? Mm hmm. Okay. And you've been in the skilled trades ever since you left the metal finishing.

Keith Arnold Right.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So was that a job that you say you enjoy working for all those years?

Keith Arnold I did. I very very much.

Ashley Turner: What did you like about it?

Keith Arnold It was challenging. It was. When I worked I worked on the midnight shift most of the time. And it was kind of weird because you could I hate to say it now, but I didn't have to sneak off at times of my own thing. And it was very challenging. And to get machines and stuff ready for morning runs and after once you got it ready you on your own. It was just speaking forman didn't bother you as long as it said I was ready to stop. And a whole. Lot of fun.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So how was I know? I heard you say you working at night. How was that? How did that go as far as raising your family? Did that conflict in any way?

Keith Arnold Not really cause my wife didn't work. It worked out pretty well. Afterwards I first and I did instead of love. And I didn't want to go to school.

Ashley Turner: She didn't like to work midnight at first.

Keith Arnold No, no at first I didn't

Ashley Turner: Why not?

Keith Arnold Since the late hours I was a night person. I like to sleep and you kind of have to get adjusted to it but once i got adjusted to it. I didn't want to do no other stuff.

Ashley Turner: okay, You end up loving your shift and you end up loving your job. Yeah. Would you say that that's what kept you here in Michigan?

Keith Arnold Probably had a wife and children.

Ashley Turner: Was there ever a point in time where you where you thought about moving back to New York?

Keith Arnold no.

Ashley Turner: So once you were here, you were here. Content. Mm hmm. So, so far. Just to recap everything that we talked about that we have, that you were born in in Buffalo, New York, in the early 40s. You. You had a lot of friends, but you had a lot of different friends of different races. Their race. Race was not an issue. The New York Times. Did you know of any times where it was an issue? I mean, as a kid. Did did you hear about other places where it was an issue?

Keith Arnold You mean other cities?

Ashley Turner: Yeah.

Keith Arnold Or I heard about other cities. Yeah, but we did have that problem. I didn't have that problem.

Ashley Turner: So you didn't know of it, but you just never had to do that. We had to do it. And so you had different friends and, you know, you were into sports activities growing up. You pretty much had a good childhood. You said. Your parents split when you were. When you were really young, you were six years old. But they were both still a part of your life, along with your grandmother and your grandfather that you mentioned. Once you marry when you were 21 and you had you had kids. Your cousin came to Michigan to I mean, your cousin came to New York to visit and ask you to help him drive back to Michigan. How long was the drive from New York to Michigan, do you know?

Keith Arnold Four and a half.

Ashley Turner: . So was was that long to you?

Keith Arnold No, that was young. 24.

Ashley Turner: So it was it was. Would you say it was like a road trip or.

Keith Arnold Yeah, that's a road trip.

Ashley Turner: Okay, so let's approach.

Keith Arnold It with the older person and I guess and realize that having them.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Well, because I heard you said it was fun. It was kind of fun to me.

Keith Arnold Yeah. Okay.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So once once you once you get back to Detroit, Michigan, with your cousin, you you want to stay, you like the city. How did you come to like the city? Well, we've sparked your attention to the city. And now you say that you like them. You like the people you like, that have a lot of people and things like that. But how did you even come about finding out about the city?

Keith Arnold They took me and my cousin took me around different places to see different people in the family. Everybody that I've met I've seen was trying to take me somewhere else, you know, to show me what the city was about. I loved it, too. And I had to go to a lot. Of places like. Football games and stadium and baseball games. We didn't have those things in Buffalo. Stadium we had a stadium with. The proteins and stuff like that. They had a hockey team, baseball, football team, basketball teams, everything. And they try to, you know, participate in and they didn't have those things in Buffalo. Very few. And that was fun.

Ashley Turner: So I didn't have any pro sports in Buffalo?.

Keith Arnold they didn't have professional semi-pro so my profession.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So. So your cousin showed you around when you came to visit? How long were you here when you visited? For the first time.

Keith Arnold For maybe a month or so. Okay.

Ashley Turner: So he asked you to drive him, help him drive back. And you end up staying for a month?

Keith Arnold Yeah. Okay.

Ashley Turner: And then once you got here, he introduced you to people. And then those people wanted to take you to places as well to show you around. Mm hmm. And after that, you just kind of. It was that when you made up your mind? Or was it when you got.

Keith Arnold When I got to have the job application. For those. That's what I feel like made I'm the man. Find out how much I will. Be making this stuff. Well, let me go here and.

Ashley Turner: All right, so then after you get a job, because when you met your second wife. And then you started having more kids in your life and you just you said it was better. Oh, yes. In a way that you were stable financially. You had a consistent job and you were making more than, you know, minimum wage. You're making pretty decent money. And you were able to live in one household with your kids, whereas before you were in a different household at first and it was a little difficult. So after, you know, after your kids. Can you tell me a little bit about your life after your kids, like how it was with them growing up? Was there anything that was a challenge for you as far as them growing up?

Keith Arnold I really put my finger here. I'm pretty good kids. They all went to. I finished high school. When they went to Cardiff.

Keith Arnold And then we're not traveling around. I never had. Any problem with them. They never were in jail or trouble or stuff like that, you know? They never ended getting. They were good kids. Well their not kids Now.

Ashley Turner: They're grown now. Yeah. Okay. And then as far as your line of work, you loved your job.

Keith Arnold Yes.

Ashley Turner: You said. You started off doing one thing and then you ended up kind of being promoted, would you say?

Keith Arnold Oh, yes.

Ashley Turner: So when you moved from the metal.

Keith Arnold That I and the.

Ashley Turner: Skill set to the.

Keith Arnold Skills trade.

Ashley Turner: Trades, did you get an increase? Like a pay?

Keith Arnold Oh, yes.

Ashley Turner: Okay. Yeah. Was it a significant increase?

Keith Arnold Yes, I think. Other than to an die in electricians, we were the highest paid. And then the classification that I had was a.whats it called. Well the fix to repair. I'm not a welder, but a welder fix to repair. We fix. Welding machines. You know, the ones that produce cars. Like there. Welding there's a different thing. Well, you know, Yes, we we we will fix machines. And they call. Well, to fix repair people. You know, we made more money than any of us have except electricity and sooner than that. So. And we did a lot of overtime if you wanted it. Mm hmm.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So is there anything else that you know that you that you wanted to elaborate on or anything else?

Keith Arnold Oh, I see. When I got 6 to 5, I got ill. I have. My kidneys went out. I had to get on dialysis. I been on dialysis ever since. And that's something I've been wanting to do. I but it kept me living, so I had to do with.

Ashley Turner: So how many years was that? I know you say you that only way you were 65. How many years have you been on it now?

Keith Arnold But about four. Close to four.

Ashley Turner: Almost four years. And how did that how how is that for you? And then you say something that you didn't like, but it could be living is terrible.

Keith Arnold Truthfully, I messed up. I think I have hypertensive hypertension casued the kidney failure. I really didn't get the hypertension under control like I should have. That's what made my kidneys go out.

Ashley Turner: Okay. So is this something that you say is a struggle for you at times?

Keith Arnold Because once you're on that machine and you get out of it, it takes a lot out. You can barely make it home. And then once I get 2 or 3 hours of rest, I feel completely different and better. And.

Ashley Turner: So I know you should. I asked you before I asked you if there was anything else that you would that you would like to talk about or elaborate on to you. Brought up dialysis. Would you say that that's something that's a major part of your life? I give him a big effect on you.

Keith Arnold Oh, yes. That's a big part of my life. Now, like I said, I can't do without it and I hate it, but something I have to do to survive.

Ashley Turner: Is there anything that it keeps you from doing physically?

Keith Arnold Lots of things. Lots of things. As the only one I know is one. Is, you know, which is you're right out of everything and every night take things from you that you normally do with your right hand. If they put the the graft or the other thing in there, then you can't use it because, you know, you live things up to five pounds. And it was hard to keep it free most of the time. Yes. Yes. Difficult. But I guess to become a person, two out of two, you know, what you got to do to keep going.

Ashley Turner: I heard you say earlier that you didn't do what you were supposed to do to keep your hypertension in control. What would you say you could have done differently?

Keith Arnold I went to my doctors and follow their advice, took my medication like I supposed to, and that I didn't do. And then I did go out. So that was my fault. I can't blame you if I have to do it all over again. I know I would change my ways and I would take that medicine, do the right thing, keep it down, casue it ain't no joke when you got no kidneys. it ain't no fun. No fun what so ever.

Ashley Turner: That's that. So that the whole dialysis and everything is definitely had an effect on your life recently.

Keith Arnold You're growing for the people around me. I don't have make it as happy so weak and draining and tired when I get off the machines. Ooh. I feel terrible. But like I said, a few hours of rest is sometime my body comes back together and I feel kind of decent.

Ashley Turner: Now you say if it wasn't for the people around you.

Keith Arnold Like my kids and my wife and grandkids.

Ashley Turner: Now, what do they do to to to help you?

Keith Arnold What are the different things? They take me to the hospital. Sometimes they used to come. What? It used to be around all the time when they could help with the cooking and cleaning up and stuff, who helped me in many, many, many different ways.

Ashley Turner: Because as you said, it's a little more difficult for you to do things with which.

Keith Arnold Are you have the room.

Ashley Turner: You can't lift anything over 5 pounds.

Keith Arnold with one arm.

Ashley Turner: With one arm. Okay. So I just just did a summary of, you know, your career. You're moving from Buffalo, New York, to migrating to Michigan and your new family. Would you say that the the summary was pretty much on point? Yeah. So which is just great. Okay. So I know you said your dialysis. Was there anything else that you would like to elaborate on before we wrap things up?

Keith Arnold I don't think I can think of anything.

Ashley Turner: Mm hmm. That's pretty much it. Okay. Well, thank you. And then you and. We're going to go ahead and wrap up now.

Keith Arnold Thank you. Thank you.