Amos
My name is Amos Gaines and I came to Rochester in the early 50’s. I got a job with the Amalgamated Union for a while, and I left there then I went to Consolidated Vacuum for about 15 years. From there, I've become a bus driver for the City of Rochester. As I should have told you, my home, I came from Carolina—Anderson, South Carolina. And I would say that coming to Rochester was one of the greatest things I ever done.
I had help along the way and I couldn't have made it on my own. I had a helping hand. After I left RTS [Regional Transit Sertice], I have a plaque which is taller than I am and it said Amos Gaines is one of the best employees that ever come through the door. But I didn't let that bother me because that's the way my parents brought me up. Whatever you do, do it right and don't look down on nobody unless you're going to pick them up. That's the way I do.
Now, I love flowers. I love kids. I had to raise about 16 head of kids. Some come, some don't. I expect that because they have their life to live.
Almeta
And you did the best you could.
Amos
Now, my wife, she's a beautician. When we moved here, I says to her, “You take care inside and I'll take care of the outside,” and it's been wonderful. And this is my favorite spot right here.
But the younger peoples coming up, be obedient, learn, listen. We don't know it all, but through us to get together, we can make a difference.
My grandmother said to me one time, I asked her some personal questions about her family. I won't go into detail what it was, but anyway, she looked me dead in the eye and I knew it was coming. She said, “What did she tell you?” “She ain't told me nothing.” “But I ain't gonna tell you nothing.” She said, “Mind your own business and you get places.”
But the young generation, y'all have a responsibility and a place in society. You're gonna have to step up and make the difference. We all are getting old and we can't get around like we used to. As I said, I could go to work, but age plays a part in how you determine. I used to jump up and run out to the garage, now I got to take my time.
But I love flowers and grass. And if you look around and if you ever want to plant a flower, come by sometime in the summer, I'll give you a shoot. You see all around? Those are called Rose of Sharon, in bloom. I knew exactly what I wanted and I achieved it.
I have great kids, great grandkids. Everybody has been wonderful, but I didn't do it all on my own. I had help. Through Rochester Transit, Amalgamated Union, Consolidated Vacuum Corporation, they was the help. I was not able to get an education. I had to go to work at early in the morning and I grew up in Anderson, South Carolina on the plantation, and would pick cotton, peas, whatever. But it was a slippery stone. And I enjoyed it, and I learned down the years that some of my relatives was important people and movie stars. Like, the guy in the Black Panther, that's my cousin.
Almeta
Get outta here.
Amos
I didn't know that until here about six months ago. He passed away and so did his brother, but his mom and dad still living in Carolina.
Almeta
Yeah. When were you born?
Amos
When?
Almeta
Yeah.
Amos
November the 22nd, 1934.
Almeta
Oh my goodness.
Amos
My next birthday, I'll be 90 years old.
Almeta
Mr. Amos, I wish I had a picture of my daddy.
Amos
Me too.
Almeta
Because my daddy, he was born—no, I have it at home, I wish I had it on me. You look like you could be my father's brother. He was born in Vicksburg, Mississippi.
Amos
I found down the years, stop and listen to the other person. Don't go in and try to take over the conversation. Listen. So when you can't say what we did, and see, what I don't allow, nobody comes and discusses your problem or somebody else's to me because it's not right. If a person likes toast, you don't, well eat what you want to eat. Let him eat what he wants to eat. And that's the way I do.
Almeta
Thank you so much
Amos
And I'm proud of you guys. They might laugh at you, but don't worry about that. At the end, you'll see the harvest.
Almeta
You are the icing on the cake, we knew we were coming here to hear four ladies and here you are.
Amos
Well…
Almeta
And it's like oh are we blessed, or are we blessed?
Amos
I never was able to get an education that I wanted. We had to work and that works. You go to school, and you pick cotton or something else in the afternoon. I remember when we was growing up, I think it was three of us to a bed. It was six boys and five girls, but some still here, some passed on. But, the one that was obedient is still here.
Almeta
Thank you. Right in this chair.
Amos
I have another brother. He's older. He's 96.
Beverly
He'll be 94.
Amos
Well, I was close. And I would say, she's [Beverly] been a good help.
Almeta
Mm hmm. I can tell.
Amos
She picked me up and, we made it.
Almeta
And y'all worked together.
Amos
We don't argue. Right, now, sometimes she might say something. I say, “Who do you think you're talking to?” She say, “You.” I say, “Well, I just want to know.” But I don't do that. I don't abuse my children. I don't allow anybody else to abuse them. And I tell them if they do something, stand up and say I did it. Don't throw no-
As I said, I take care of the community. I try to help the people in the community here to better everybody. And, don't want anybody to say that I've done anything to defend them. If you come to me, talk like a person with some sense, I'll hold your conversation. Before the news, I don't have time for that. I don't. I never do. And, honesty…
Almeta
Yes.
Amos
That I came when I was born, we were coming up, we were not allowed to tell a lie.
Almeta
We call it telling a story.
Amos
And, my grandmother, she hit like Joe Louis. I was not able to get an education that I wanted, but I had help along the way and when I went to Consolidated Vacuum, I got high marks. When I went to transit, I got high marks. I could have stayed. I had completed my tour of being a bus driver of 31 years, but they brought me back to work in charge of the bus delivery. You don't do that no more because everything is delivery. So, I said it's time to go.
And I've been spending my time here, and this is where you'll find me if I'm not in the yard. So other than that, I'm fine. My wife has been wonderful, my kids and grandkids. My daughter married one of the guys, George Warren. He worked for the city school district, George Warren.
Almeta
Oh, yes.
Amos
Well, that's my son-in-law.
Almeta
Oh, well, yeah. You got a good son-in-Law.
Amos
He got a good job now with somebody else .
Almeta
She picked good. He picked good.
Amos
He's good, he's nice.
Almeta
I have a question about one of your fellow bus drivers. His name was Eddie Brown. They called him Skinny Brown.
Amos
What was the name?
Almeta
Skinny Brown. Ed.
Amos
Ed brown? Yeah, I remember Ed. I thought he passed away, didn't he?
Almeta
He did.
Amos
Well, there's a lot of them.
Almeta
Yeah.
Amos
At one time, I thought it was an epidemic. So many dying. As I said about honesty, I remember one morning I went to work and so the boss told me to take this bus and go to make a change off. So when I got there, the bus had been in an accident. So I go back. I said, “The bus had been in an accident.” He said he told his assistant, “Go find out who wrecked this here bus.” “Well, who last had it?” He said, “I didn't ask you that. I said, find out who wrecked it.” Well, anyway, he went way out in Webster. He found out who wrecked it. So he come back and told me. So the guy got fired. He turned to me and said, “Amos, how you get such a hold on the boss and you didn't do nothing?” I said, “I just told you I didn't do nothing. He knew I don't lie.” If I may lose my job, I wouldn't lie. That's the way I was growing up. Be man enough to sign up and take your responsibility and learn with it. I don't know what they're gonna say the day I leave here. I know what the good master gonna say. So he's not wondering what they say because they don't hold my feet.
Almeta
Well, you know they're gonna say good things about you.
Amos
Oh, yeah.
Almeta
Yeah, they are. I'm just meeting you for the first time. I can talk about how good you are.
Amos
Oh, well good. I appreciate it. See a lot of people think that I just take to be abusive to people. No. I have a little old lady walking all the way to the Tops. The bags fall apart. You lend them a helping hand. Don't say, “Well, that old woman ought to know a better.” No, you don't do that. If it means taking my wheelbarrow, then bring it back, or I'll take it home for you. Well, that's the way we are. If anybody ever asks you about Amos Gaines, some of them gonna call me a bum. But I'm still Amos Gaines and it make no difference what they say. The good Lord must have had something for me, I've been here all these years.
Almeta
Yeah we're learning from you.
Amos
You remember that James Cleveland song?
Almeta
Come on now,
Amos
I Don't Feel No Ways Tired.
Almeta
I've come too far from where I started from. Nobody told me that this road would be easy. I don't believe he brought me this far to leave me.
Amos
That's right. My wife and I, we have an understanding and I said we're going to settle down. I'm going to take care of the outside and you take care of the inside.
Almeta
Beautiful.
Amos
And I said, now, the only time I want to question you about anything, when I get a done in the mail. Then I have no question. But other than that, as long as my food is on the table, I'm not going to complain, and bills paid.
Almeta
So, no dones this house. No dones.
Amos
No, no, no. But, I have a son, my older son. He's, oh, he's 70, 60 some years old. He's here to be a lawyer and he's doing pretty good.
Almeta
Is he here too?
Amos
Yeah, he's here. He's just got an assignment. to take up a program with some place on South Avenue.
Almeta
Oh, good.
Amos
And I have one son in Buffalo. I got one in Florida. And I got a sister on Earl Street and a brother. I have a brother, 96. Well, you know, Freddie Nash, right?
Almeta
Oh, please who don't.
Amos
He married my brother's oldest daughter. And Linda Nash was his wife. She passed away.
Almeta
So many of us.
Amos
The Gay Brothers, they were here for a bunch of them. The Gays, the Gammels, and the Simpsons all came from Madison.
Almeta
Yes and that was the high school that a lot of the young Black boys went to because you could learn a trade. And when graduate, you could go right into a job.
Amos
Well, it's out there. I tell all the young boys and girls, get an education. Don't get me wrong now, I didn't get an education, but the job was much harder than if you had an education. See they give you arithmetic and all that stuff. I don't know about all that stuff. One truth people—
Almeta
Don't be singing Sam Cooke, “Don't know much about…”
Amos
But honestly, truth is a good policy. Because see, in my time you don't tell no lie. You get punished bad. And you guys, if you come to my house, you become my responsibility. When my kids got a tannin, you got one too. Now, you couldn't let your parents find out about it. You can't go home and tell it, you gotta let me tell it. Then they called me a liar, Oh my goodness. Don't do that, you in for it. Now, like I was telling, you know, as I told the guy in the Black Panther, his mom and dad still live in Anderson, South Carolina. Yeah, right down the street from my brother. We had a few-
Almeta
Celebrities.
Amos
In my family. Yeah, Jim Rice, the ball player, that's my cousin.
Almeta
No, wait a minute. Not Jerry Rice. Jim Rice.
Amos
Jim, the baseball player.
Almeta
Okay, because there's Jerry Rice, the football player. Yeah.
Amos
Ain't nobody running on me with a football. Knock him out.
Almeta
Yeah but Jim Rice.
Amos
But it's been good and I have no hard feelings toward anybody. I served the community, the town. I'm well known. And, I didn't take that to-
Almeta
It didn't get into your brain, didn't get you big headed as we used to say. You just you. You just yourself.
Amos
That's the way I am. And it's like I say, I had downfalls. I got up one morning, I had to rush to the hospital. I had prostate cancer and I had to go in and have an operation. That set me back a while but it didn't stop me. I was able to stay out for six months and then return. And, I can sing that old song now, that James Cleveland song. I don't feel no way tired, I come too far, and I'm not going to turn around.
Almeta
So is that the last thing you want to leave us with?Because that's a perfect ending.
Amos
Well, I think if anyone absorbed that and hear what I said, it came from the heart.
Amos
Thank you so much, Mr. Gaines.