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Veteran's Affairs Plus discusses the issues that veterans in Las Vegas deal with on a daily basis. Your host, David L. Washington connects listeners with relevant community resources and information that they need to help veterans or themselves.
Wesley Knight 0:00
This is a KU NV studios original program. You're listening to special programming sponsored by making moves, life coaching services. The content of this program does not reflect the views or opinions of 91.5 jazz and more the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, or the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education. You
Music 0:35
you can see
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what's going great
Dave Washington 0:49
day Las Vegas. Great day Las Vegas. This is Veterans Affairs plus some 91.5 jazz and more. I'm Dave Washington, your host. I have Mr. And Mrs. Bob Morgan that we'll have on the line shortly. I'm going to make a few announcements, and we'll get them introduced and have a good show. It's two people that marsh and I love. We've known them for a number of years, so appreciate them coming on the show. Once again, Jason always does a disclaimer, and I've got to let you folks know I'm neither Democrat nor Republican, but I can tell you this, I am just wondering, why is ice up in Minnesota a democratic state versus Texas and Florida, which got each one of them have over a million of so called immigrants. So why don't you go there? Well, those states are led by Republicans. I'm sorry, that's probably why. But nevertheless, you need to change your ways. And again, this is Dave Washington speaking. I don't speak for the university birthdays. Again, my wife Marsha, Eddie bunch, and I kind of stumble over Bobby McRoy. Bobby sends me some inspirational things several times a week. So appreciate you, Bobby, and happy birthday. Also. John Edmond. Steve Stowers, a long time friend and businessman in our community, and I always like to express condolences for anyone who may have lost someone over the since we were on air last week, and I'd like to very quickly remind folks that I will be having a birthday fundraiser for my 75th three quarters of a century. I will be and we're doing a birthday party that's going to raise funds for look back cause and organization, also the bill and Cherise Sullivan Foundation here at UNLV and the EDI the Carl homes executive development endowment fund. So just want you guys to be aware of that. Now we got our guest, Mr. Bob Morgan. We're gonna start with you, Bob, what branch of military did you serve?
Bob Morgan 2:53
Involved? Yes, I was in the Air Force for 21 years, and I retired in 1982
Dave Washington 3:01
Okay, so where are you from, Bob,
Bob Morgan 3:05
I'm from a little town called Camilla Georgia.
Dave Washington 3:08
Camilla Georgia, North,
Bob Morgan 3:10
South, about 180 miles south of Atlanta. Okay, all right.
Dave Washington 3:15
You're like me. I'm from Dave, Louisiana, little, small farmer community. In fact, I got a cousin that's been the mayor down there a couple terms. I tell people it's on off of I 20. You head down the road, man, going, going toward Pittsburgh, Mississippi or Jackson, Mississippi. And tell them, by the time you read the sign, you beat them pass through. That's how small it is. So Pearl, how about yourself? Where are you from, and how long you been in Vegas?
Pearl Morgan 3:45
Well, you know what? I'm from the same place as Bob. I'm from Camilla as well. Oh, okay, all right, yes, yes, I'm from Camilla as well. We knew each other in high school.
Dave Washington 3:57
Okay, that is really cool. So you guys got together and then moved to Las Vegas when you were in the military. Bob, or how did that happen? Yeah, what happened
Bob Morgan 4:09
is, I was stationed in in Miami, and I got transferred here to Nourse Air Force Base. I came, I came here in 1977 okay? And well, Pearl came in 77 also, and we've been here since then, and we've been enjoying every moment that we've been here.
Dave Washington 4:31
Right on that is cool. It's kind of, it's kind of odd, but not odd, but it's really a God set of circumstance. I can tell you that Marsha and I are from about 20 miles apart. I mentioned I'm from Dale high she's from Tallulah, which will be about 20 miles east of Dale high, Louisiana, but we met out here. I think she came out when she was about 14. My family moved here when I was three and a half. Had three boys and then had four. Girls out here in this desert. But yeah, man, so what were some of your job functions while in the Air Force?
Bob Morgan 5:08
Well, I was in air traffic control in the Air Force, what?
Bob Morgan 5:11
And, yeah, wow.
Bob Morgan 5:15
For for 2021, years. Man, I take that back. I did it for about 18 years. Two of the other years I did a budget analyst work.
Dave Washington 5:27
Bob, I'm sitting laughing. Man, I'm surprised that you ain't stressed out. Man, because air traffic controllers ain't no joke, we're similar with our dispatchers in the fire service, but not at that. Well, I don't want to compare which is more stressful, because I trust that they both are 18 years as a trap air traffic controller, wow, had no idea. I thought you, I thought you were a photographer.
Bob Morgan 5:53
Man, oh, I got my, got my degree in photography, okay? And when I retired from the Air Force. In 82 we opened up our photography studio here in Las Vegas, and that's how I got involved in photography. But actually, when I moved here in 77 I started my photography business out of my house. I converted my garage and I started doing photography then,
Dave Washington 6:21
so, yeah, so you went to school for photography while you while you were still in the military, or after you got out,
Bob Morgan 6:30
yes, while I was still in the military, right? That was a good move,
Dave Washington 6:32
because they say if you got some steady employment, get that steady check coming in, even though, in the military, generally it's once a month least you got something, because I know, Pearl, we're gonna let you be out there not having something to bring into that house to take care of. That's right, absolutely. So Pearl, so Pearl, tell us about your profession and how long have you How long were you involved or involved?
Pearl Morgan 6:57
Well, my chosen profession was in the field of education, and I attended college, actually, while Bob was in the military. And so I went to school and graduated from Albany State University in Albany, Georgia, okay, and before my retirement, I committed 36 years to the field of education. I taught in the states of South Dakota for one year, and then I taught one year in Georgia, and then four years in the Miami area before moving to Las Vegas. Mm, where I did hate it most of my time, okay, and my time here was 30 years, and I served as a teacher, Dean of Students, assistant principal, and lastly, I retired as the principal at Western High School in 2008
Dave Washington 8:02
Western High School, yeah, we had three of our children, yeah, three of our children, yeah, three of our children, three of our children. April, yes, Vernon and Angel all went to Western. And our youngest daughter, she went to Cheyenne Amber. They was,
Pearl Morgan 8:19
but yeah, yes, they did eight. And as a matter of fact, April was there when I was there. Oh, really, yes, April was there during that time.
Dave Washington 8:28
How time flies. Me, me and Marsh was laughing the other day, April, I think, if I'm not mistaken, April is either 54 or 55 and we just started laughing. We are old. Oh,
Pearl Morgan 8:43
that's right, but that's that's a great thing. That's a great
Dave Washington 8:47
Oh, no doubt. And I can imagine that, you know, even as a training officer, I would get excited and feel so good. And I can imagine you as an educator, when someone got promoted, I don't care. It have to be at a high rank. It could be just an engineer, which is a driver of a fire engine. I would just feel so good about that I had something to do with their growth in the profession,
Bob Morgan 9:11
right? Amen. Amen. I
Dave Washington 9:14
can imagine you in the education realm. You taught and touched a lot of young people.
Pearl Morgan 9:19
Pearl, oh, just, just a lot of us, you know, as one of those things, as a teacher, as a teacher, you're pretty much limited to the number of students that you that you have, so, right? And I was at the high school level, so about a total of, you know, 150 students that come through as a teacher, but then as an administrator, you have a whole school, right? And so, yeah, it was really rewarding to be able to touch so many students. So I was there from 2000 to 2008 so I had a lot of students, a lot of family. This come through as matter of fact, there were some families who came through who would say, Oh, I graduated from Western High School. My child is attending the Western High School.
Dave Washington 10:14
Don't you just love it? Don't you just love it? Because I've had, I've had to you as well, Bob. I've had young folks come up to me, Hey, Coach, you know some kids, young folks, you've coached football or baseball, whatever it was, and you like, I don't know who this is, but they know who I am, and particularly when they've done good things. And all, all the young folks that we've you, we've touched their lives. Not all came out, you know, doing well, but we, we never give up on them. We keep trying and and I just love when they call your name is, call you either by your first name or me with my title, either it's coach or or it's cheap. And I, I just started smiling because I'm like, I don't even know who this is, man, it's been so long, but it's wonderful, right? So Bob, let me. Let me say this in particularly to our listening audience, I want you to hear this. When I became the fire chief, Bob apparently had a contract with the city man. He told me in Bob, I've never told you this, but I trust you've seen my book. That is your I probably, I probably owe you money. I didn't even ask if you notice, because some people say, go see when you have the bands like I have on in the uniform for fire chief is five bands. But they told me, we wait, we you got to get down to Morgan's photography. We need a press kit, and we need it now, because people say, Why did you have on only Deputy Chief bands? I say, well, they told me to go get it done, and what was I gonna do? I want them to say, You know what, let's rescind this. Let's rescind we ain't gonna be the fire chief. You don't know how to take orders. I got my butt down to Bob, and Bob got the snapping man, and I really appreciate that man, because you sure made me look better than I actually look in my own opinion.
Bob Morgan 12:08
Well, thank you there, but I appreciate you too, even after dealing doing your official portrait, you know you supported me otherwise. You know, other activities in the city, and I appreciated that. Yes, I was the city photographer for four years, five years, and I and Frank Hawkins was very instrumental in me getting that position.
Dave Washington 12:37
Is that right? Yeah. Hawk lifts his head again.
Bob Morgan 12:41
Yeah, the hog lifted his head. They were I had applied for the job and applied for the job, and they wouldn't budge. And then I just happened to mention it to him one day. He said, I'll take care of it. And after that, he took care of it, and we did it for four years, you know.
Dave Washington 12:58
So that's great, but you did. You did a wonderful job. And I'll say this in reference to Frank. You know, Frank came along with a program that said, we're going to do 25 30% of other folks outside of the main ethnic group, white. And I followed that suit. In fact, we had only one black guy that I was aware of, that even did, he didn't do the big fire engines, but he did boots, helmets, axes, those kinds of things. And one of my folks say, oh, Chief, he's 15% more than if we go with this other vendor. I said, Well, we going with this person because he can't compete with the big vendors, but we got to give them an opportunity to make some of it, make some of this money. These are tax dollars, and I think you got to spread it around. So I'll remind thinking next time I see him say, man, so you were the ones instrumental, getting get involved in to do some work for the city for a number of years, but you did great work. Man, I can tell you that.
Bob Morgan 14:01
Thank you. And you know, I've always had people say every time I go into City Hall, every picture up there, I see that little word down there, Morgan. That's right, yep, my motto has always been that I may not have been the cheapest photograph in town, but I know one thing, I was the best.
Dave Washington 14:18
Oh yeah, the quality. Quality is quality everybody
Bob Morgan 14:21
can't afford Neiman's democracy, only those that can. You know, I consider myself the Neiman's and Marcus of the photography world.
Dave Washington 14:29
Man, that's great. Man, I can tell you, my wife always gets on me. She said, You need to stop being so cheap. It broke down because you should have spent more money on whatever it may be. I just, I just laugh. You need to stop being cheap, man. I said, I'm frugal. What are you talking about? So Pearl, yeah, so pearl. So I'm asking you, How long have you guys been married, if I may ask. And you know, we're on radio, and I'm some people say you ain't supposed to be asking. And certain things. Well, well, I'm not a journalist, I'm a talk show host, so all the journalists don't apply to me.
Pearl Morgan 15:09
Yeah, well, well, we are blessed and grateful for 62 years.
Dave Washington 15:14
You know what? I figured, you know, me and Marsh are coming up in June. We'll have 54 and I didn't want to speculate. That's why I say, I better ask point blank, because I say, I think they've been married longer than me and Marsha and you have been well, God bless you guys, man. Because Thank you. Yeah, God bless you guys. Because I know, and people ask me, What's the secret? I say, ain't no secret. You know one thing for sure, you got to communicate. Don't be getting mad to the point that you right because sometimes, because sometimes, and I'm putting it out, she probably gonna talk about but sometimes Marcia give me the silent treatment. And fellas don't like no silent treatment, man, you know.
Pearl Morgan 15:55
But yeah, yeah, sometimes you don't like it. Sometimes it's deserving, right right there. But yeah, we, we had many years we were actually high school sweethearts,
Dave Washington 16:05
as we were, and, you know, some and to me, it's about you have pitfalls, you have peaks and valleys. Because I tell people, it ain't just been all hunky dory, if you think that's the case, the thing that the sad part today is they quit too quick. They'll fall out after a year too. And one thing I learned too, you can't change people. And we, me and Marsha, got to the point where we stopped trying to there's certain things that I do that she don't like, vice versa, give it up, right? 53 years, let it go. It ain't happening exactly.
Pearl Morgan 16:44
And then when you've been together, as long as you and Martin are more much as father and I, you just learn to accept and appreciate and move on.
Dave Washington 16:52
Yes, yes. Well, we admire you guys. And you guys have been certainly a role model as a couple for for the world to see, not only here in Las Vegas, but I think, once again, it's admirable for people to stay together, because the easiest thing to do is just throw up your hands and walk away. That's the Amen. That's the truth. So Bob, so what's Go ahead?
Pearl Morgan 17:18
No, I was just saying you got to have some of that, what they call stick to it.
Dave Washington 17:23
That's right, absolutely, absolutely. So what's going on in you guys's world today?
Bob Morgan 17:30
Well, we're retired, enjoying our grandchildren and great. We have a great grand now.
Dave Washington 17:37
Yeah, yeah, congrats,
Bob Morgan 17:40
and doing a little traveling. You know, I still have one photography contract with the lady out of Atlanta, Georgia. Her name is zanona Clayton,
Dave Washington 17:52
yeah, yeah. She used to do the big function here every year, yeah. Man. What a wonderful person she Yeah,
Bob Morgan 18:00
and I had opportunity to travel all over the world
Dave Washington 18:04
with her, man. So, great lady.
Bob Morgan 18:07
That's the only job I'm doing now, right now. So,
Dave Washington 18:09
and how
Bob Morgan 18:10
is she? How is she doing? She's She's fine. She's nine or five years
Dave Washington 18:14
old. I knew she was up. Yeah. We
Bob Morgan 18:17
had her birthday. What was the pearl
Pearl Morgan 18:20
last year? Last year, August is her birthday. So every August, she celebrates her birthday somewhere.
Dave Washington 18:28
Well, next time you speak to her, go ahead.
Pearl Morgan 18:32
No, just gonna say last year she was in Tampa, Tampa, Florida, okay.
Dave Washington 18:37
Well, next time you guys speak to her, please tell her, Dave Washington, out here in Las Vegas, said, Hello, because, yeah, I certainly remember her, because we used to go to the different functions that she had, and we were, we were so pleased to be on the quote, unquote, a list. Because, you know everybody, you know what? That's the thing that me and Marcia have never concerned ourselves about. You know, why were you at someone's party? We wouldn't invite,
Bob Morgan 19:02
right? Thank you. We ain't mad.
Dave Washington 19:05
We, man, some people get upset, right? Y'all should have been no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. There are a B there are a list, and here b list, we were probably on the B list, and it's okay, exactly.
Pearl Morgan 19:20
And that's it. People invite who they want to invite at that time to whatever event they have. And that's kind of how Zanoni is. You know, she has contact with so many people that each time she has an event, she pulls from different lists to invite different people, right?
Dave Washington 19:44
And that's good, so that's it, because you get a variety of thought. And it ain't just one little right, one little niche of people, if you will. Yeah, they were always, when she was hosting it here was always very, very. Be very nicely done. And God bless a 95 huh? So that's the Go ahead, Pearl.
Pearl Morgan 20:12
No, go ahead and finish yours.
Dave Washington 20:13
No, I just, I just gonna ask Bob about that being the only contract. And so how often are you working with her? Is it an annual basis or, yeah, we
Bob Morgan 20:24
annually, once a year, we get together, you know, yeah, I, you know, I closed up my business and just had enough. Man, we did school photography, we was doing advertising, and that just come a time where you just have to call it quits, you know. And I'm 80 years old, in my 81st year on this earth. So, wow, coming up.
Dave Washington 20:48
You know what I'm time to relax or rest? You know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna maybe we get together for lunch sometime, because I got a granddaughter, she she dibbles, and Dave was in it, but she's doing so many different name, Destiny, we keep telling you need to you need to settle on something, maintain, you a job, to pay your bills. But as far as photography and any other thing that you may want, because she also is into design and a lot of different things, there's nothing wrong with having a passion. But by the same token, when you become an adult man, you got to handle your business. Yes, indeed. Well, you guys are such a wonderful couple, man, and I am so pleased that I was able to get you guys on, particularly in a in a very short notice. Is there any closing remarks that you'd like to share with young folks or others that that know you and love you out there in our listening audience.
Pearl Morgan 21:45
Well, I think the only thing I would just like to share with young folks is is very simple. Is what is kind of like my mantra that I have used through my education career, and that's just two words and that stay focused. Wow.
Bob Morgan 22:01
That's pretty and I would like to also add to that and say, put God first in your life. Wow, and stay focused, and everything will work out for you.
Dave Washington 22:14
Let me. Let me tell you something, both of those, both of those statements, are so true because I can tell you, you know, when I became fire chief, first of all, I don't care if it was a secretary, you don't have to be people in the field. But the first thing I told him, we're gonna do when someone's promoted, we're gonna have prayer, we're gonna bring in a chapter. If anybody's off, anybody's you can leave the room, and we ain't, we ain't gonna feel no one way or the other about you. And guess what? Guess what? Nobody ever left the room. Another thing I did was, and I always should tell him, keep God first. I've always, I found that keeping God first, and I used to be in Marshall, would tell you, I used to be jealous. Why you always talking about God? Man, you better keep God first. And I tell people all the time, keep God first, because when you leave your job, someone may only remember your name and don't care nothing about you. And see to me, it is so important to have that, that grounding, if you will, because when it's all said and done, your God and your family is all you gonna have, and the mother folks forget you. So that's something that I always impress upon people. And then the other thing that I did, God, rest her soul. I know you guys probably know Pastor Eva Whaley, well even, oh yeah, we'll see she came on as a chaplain for me and see one thing that people, oh, you know, we have a groundbreaking for a fire station. I either have one of the chap, because we had three, even had a Jewish one. As low as the population of of Jewish people are on our department. I say, if y'all interested, find me one. So they found rabbi. Heck. So anyway, one guy ease up to me say cheap. She shouldn't be saying nothing about Jesus Christ. I said, Well, I said, let me explain some of you. First of all, now I know this from what little training I have. First of all, she wasn't a trained chaplain, because if you listen to a trained chaplain, they go non denominational. They don't, they don't, they don't, they don't go one way or the other. They stay in the middle. She wasn't, I said she, she ain't trained as no chaplain. So her really, her religion is Christianity. She, she follows Jesus. And guess what? Well, you know, and you shouldn't be seeing God when you go before, thank God, when you go before the city council, and when you know Mayor Oscar Goodman is Jewish, he never said a word to me and none unrest. Y'all got to be who you are. Stop being afraid of people because they have a position Exactly. If you believe in God, you better stay believing it, because I'm telling you, it's. Sometimes that's all you got, but I am, that's right, that's right. So, so anyway, they left me alone, because when each time she came in, you know, and prayed for us as we open up a new fire station, nobody said another word to me, because I said, let me explain to you, a trained Chaplain handles things a little bit different when they are trained to be a chaplain. And we've had a couple trained chaplains on our fire department, but she wasn't one. And I say I'm not telling a woman nothing to say she could do Hey, y'all we are doing well with time. And I know I just get the rambling sometimes, but I think it's these are important things. For a long time, married couple like you as well as us are it's important. And this is Black History Month, man. Let me tell you something about and we got, we got four minutes yet. There's a couple that I wanted to get on, but they have some things going on that they that they weren't willing to do. But I want to get Bob, dimons. He's a retired and he was the first African American to be fire chief in the city of San Francisco. San Francisco, he and his wife probably right along the lines of you guys in terms of how long they've been married. So I wanted to get them on me and Marsh, and we'd be in the studio here, and we talk about the trials and tribulations that they've gone through as we served as fire chief, and there are some things that there was reason why they wouldn't, didn't want to do it, and I understand, so it's cool, but again, for you guys to be on and just to talk about the things that you've come through, through life, and then, and I'm jealous, man, because we ain't got no greats yet. We got grandchildren. We got no greats like in time at God's time. So once, once again, we got a few minutes yet. So anything else you'd like to share with our listening audience, and again, I appreciate you guys more than you ever know, not not only because of you coming on the show, but the role models you have been for people like marsh and I the long time married couples like the Christians and the Hogans. There's a number of people that I that I can, that I can call their names, and they will say, yeah, they're Morgans. Man, they kind of set a tone for our butts.
Bob Morgan 27:20
One thing Dave that I'm excited about, and always been excited about, is that I've always tried to carry myself in a way that I I never tried to look down on anyone. I've always been happy about having a business, and not just only blacks utilize my services, that's right, but the whole city, yeah, when you get, you know when you get and that was a blessing to me, and I see people write today. Mr. Morgan, you did my wedding 30 years ago. Mr. Morgan, you know, you did my senior portraits 30 years ago. That makes me feel good. I know that
Dave Washington 28:07
pearl, you got any remarks? Go ahead, Bob, finish up. And I was
Bob Morgan 28:11
about to say, and Pearl is the same. You know, everywhere we go, somebody know, go ahead, Pearl.
Pearl Morgan 28:19
Well, I didn't have a lot. Well, but one thing I'd just like to share with you, Dave, I think we may have a little connection. There's two, and that's through the Dr Bill Sullivan's center there. Yes, yes. So I spend some of my time. I do part time, actually, two days with the upper bound program there at UNLV. That's how I got to know Wes because he holds my intern students that come there to the station.
Dave Washington 28:51
Oh, cool, excellent. Wes get some kudos here from Miss pearl.
Pearl Morgan 28:56
Yes, he gets a kudos for my internship students. You know he's
Dave Washington 29:00
nodding, he said. He said, thank you very much. All right, guys. Well, we've had the mortgage on and I hope that everyone will appreciate what you had to offer. We love you so much this community to include Marsha and I. So thank you very much. Once again, this is Veterans Affairs, plus on 91.5 jazz and more, signing off. And once again, thank you.
Dave Washington 29:19
Wes, yeah, we love you Guys, too. Bye, bye. Now, hello.
Music 29:40
All the smoke
Music 29:53
in the air feel the hate when they stare.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai