Daniel McClure

“I’m 96 years old. Would you believe it?

“This will tell you how old I am: I was one of the first black machinists in Chicago … I mopped floors at a canning company, and the owner’s son was a really nice guy. He taught me how to use a drill press in secret. No one would have allowed me to do that in those days.

“Now there was a [machinist] there who was a drinker, so he’d show up drunk or sometimes he didn’t show up at all. When that happened I would make sure I was near the boss. I wouldn’t say anything but I would just make sure I was nearby. So one morning when he didn’t show up the boss finally asked if anyone could do the job. That’s when the son pointed at me.

“Let me say I got some mean looks … but they gave me the test and I passed.

“… it’s sad to know many of those jobs are not here [anymore].”

Daniel McClure
Chicago, Illinois