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This post is part of a pilot student project created for the University of Florida class, Raising History from the Grave: Primary Historical Research in Literary Analysis and Public Humanities taught by Dr. Leah Rosenberg.  The students focused on members of the Black Caribbean diaspora who worked on the Panama Canal or in the Canal Zone, the U.S. territory that surrounded the Panama Canal for much of the 20^th century. These employees were originally classified as Silver employees because they were paid in silver currency as opposed to the Gold employees who were American citizens paid in gold currency. The term is still used today by both the community and scholars. The students worked with Pan Caribbean Sankofa, a community organization dedicated to preserving the history of Caribbean people in Panama, who identified community leaders as subjects for the project. Students consulted a wide array of archival materials in the Panama Canal Museum Collection and other institutions and learned how to use these resources to highlight individual accomplishments and connect lives to their larger communities through the digital humanities. For other posts, see Raising History from the Grave.

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Childhood and Education

Sidney Adolphus Young was born in December 1898 in Kingston, Jamaica, to Thaddeus Augustus Young (a cabinet maker) and Sarah Elizabeth Young (a farmer’s daughter). He and his parents moved to Panama in 1906, but his parents sent Sidney back to Jamaica for education. He attended West Branch Elementary School from 1908 to 1911, pursuing private studies in Classics and Social Studies (“Sidney Young” 1-2).

West Branch Elementary was “if not the foremost, one of the foremost schools in the Island” (“Mr. A.L. Walcott” 6) in Jamaica.  While Sidney was in attendance, West Branch was under the leadership of A.L. Walcott and had “a first class position” as well as the “largest [attendance] in the island” (“An Honoured Son of the Soil” 8). The school held concerts, competitions, and celebrations, both for the cultural enrichment of the pupils and the benefit of the larger community (“West Branch School” 11, “West Branch, Kingston” 9). The fact that Sidney went to school here speaks to the socio-economic status of his family and explains why he was sent to Jamaica for schooling.

While the school Sidney attended was quite exceptional, the elementary educational system in Jamaica was less than ideal. The pupil-teacher system, where teachers would apprentice students, led to a lackluster standard of education. These apprentices, often around 13 years of age, would observe teachers and eventually teach younger students in the hopes of becoming elementary school teachers one day. This system neither provided adequate training nor produced effective teachers. Teachers were authoritative, and the curriculum was mainly comprised of rote memorization of the 3 R’s: reading, writing, and ‘rithmetic (Jeffrey 202-3). Additionally, the schooling system was fraught with racial and class divisions. Lower-class black children were taught less material than middle-class children (the social group to which Sidney Young’s family belonged). 

For the lower class, elementary schooling was more a method of social control than a way of instruction. Their education was intended to occupy them and discourage them from criminal activity (228). The education of upper-class children was designed to infuse them with loyalty to England and “intellectual, cultural, and technological orientation to the mother country” (200). Middle-class children like Sidney were caught in the middle. He would have been treated better than his black peers and thus be instilled with a sense of superiority. He would also have been suffused with loyalty to England and all that entailed, but he and his family were still far from the upper class in regard to power and wealth.

Career Before Journalism

In his teens, Sidney Young returned to Panama. He worked in the canal zone as a messenger, his first and only job in the canal zone. In 1916, he apprenticed at a printing business as a printer’s devil. He also worked for both a mercantile company and a bakery (Putnam, Sidney Young 2). He was also heavily involved in civic life in the West Indian community. He was for instance, a  Boy Scout. Throughout his life, he remained a staunch supporter of scouting in Panama. He became a scout leader, and later on, he even made a space for the regular publication of scout-related articles in the Panama Tribune’s weekly “Scout Corner” when he founded his own newspaper (Putnam, Sidney Young 2, To Study the Fragments 624). 

In 1924, Sidney Young led a group of 17 scouts to the Scouts Imperial Jamboree at the Wembley British Empire Exhibition. A newsreel by Topical Budget entitled “Greatest Jamboree, Wembley”, depicts the celebration. On his trip, Young was part of a parade of 640 scouts who were greeted by and congratulated by King George V for their appearance and discipline. In his speech, he communicated that being a scout makes a boy a better citizen of the empire and that the children would learn more in one week at the exhibition than one year back home. The Chief Scout, Sir Robert Baden Powell, spoke after him. He encouraged the boys to learn as much as possible about England, taking home the good parts and keeping the bad parts to themselves (“British King Addresses Over Seas Boy Scouts” 1, 8). The entire purpose of the British Empire Exhibition was to reinforce colonial racial hierarchies. Through the education of youth, they hoped to strengthen trade ties and build connections within the empire, enhancing Britain’s hold over their colonies (Ryu 55).

Journalism Career

According to Lara Putnam, Young’s journalism career began in 1924 with Central American News, where he worked as a proofreader and an assistant manager. In 1925, he switched to being a reporter in the Panama Star & Herald where he remained until 1926. He also got married to Mita Spencer in 1926. They had a son, David Antonio Young, as well as an adoptive daughter, Claudia Wilson. After working at the Panama Star & Herald, he became the cable editor of the Panama American and the chief editor of the “West Indian Page.” Young was the person who suggested the Panama American should have a “West Indian Page” and insisted they create one for the newspaper. Young was also involved in the management of the Panama Times’ “West Indian Page,” of which he was the editor from 1926 to 1927 (Sidney Young 2, 3). 

During his time at the Panama American, Young published Isthmian Echoes in 1927. The book was a compilation of articles from the “West Indian Page” of the Panama American. This means that Sidney Young personally edited and picked these articles himself. He also added articles from his column “Sid Says,” where he expressed his opinions about the West Indian communities in Panama and their treatment to all his readers.

SID SAYS

In this particular section, we are able to find many of Young’s political views. After seeing “El Ch*mbo es un engañadizo y todo el mundo lo engaña.” written on a building (Translation: “The West Indian is a fool and all the world fools him.”), Young wrote “Engañadizo” in response. In this editorial, he agrees that West Indians are foolish, but he redefines the phrase to prove a point about economic solidarity in the West Indian community. Young states that West Indians spend all of their money on useless trinkets and raffles from people outside of their community rather than spending it on people in their community. He claims that people, “Nordics, Jews, Chinese and Hindus,” are infiltrating their spaces and may even begin taking businesses from them (224). Young calls for West Indians to spend their money more wisely and to go out of their way to support West Indian businesses rather than disparaging them. He later includes in his newspaper, The Panama Tribune, “BE READY TO BUY PANAMA TRIBUNE STOCK For Community Progress and Personal Profit” which emphasizes his belief that the community should literally be investing in West Indian Businesses to support them. In this way, West Indians would support only the people that support them and cycle money throughout their community

“On the other hand let any ambitious West Indian, willing to start from the bottom up, display a like enterprise and he would be spurned by his own people with the remark that ‘Him want to get rich quick.’”

– Isthmian Echoes, 224

Young has another editorial named “Pastures New,” which expresses his worry about what will happen to the West Indian community if their most talented youth all leave. This was following the writer Winslow Gaskin’s departure. He claims talented and skillful young people abandoning their hometowns leave their communities stagnant. Young, nonetheless, wishes Gaskin the best and says he knows he will be a valued writer in New York. This displays Young’s focus on creating progress for his people. Young wants to help his people progress politically, socially, and culturally.

“I do not know what will happen to our community, friends and countrymen, if all out talented youngmen leave the old homestead for pastures new and greener fields”

– Isthmian Echoes, 232, 233

In “The Federation of West Indians,” Young writes about a possible federation created to unite the islands in the West Indies. He supports the idea and believes that this unification will be a step towards progress. This assertion demonstrates his belief that people across the British West Indies should come together and fight for their rights and move towards progress as a unit rather than divided. He expressed his disappointment in West Indians on the Isthmus who continue to be jealous and insult one another and acknowledged that these prejudices would make it difficult to create a federation, but held strongly that it would be the path to a better future for British West Indians. From this editorial, we know that Young disapproved of island rivalries and believed in a cohesive front against the oppressive powers.

“Federation would bring about a uniform system of government, education, customs, tariffs, closer commercial interchange and social intercourse, which without the slightest shadow of a doubt would redound to the prosperity and progress of the islands”

– Isthmian Echoes, 291

His editorials give you a very clear look into what Young thought about his community and how he envisioned progress would look like. Overall, they focus on the betterment of the people and cooperation with one another that he called for. He called for West Indians to uplift each other rather than feeling like they were competing.

Panama Tribune

In 1928, Sidney Young founded the Panama Tribune, a West Indian Newspaper, as a response to racist Panamanian policies being passed at the time and to receiving unequal pay in comparison to his white counterparts while working at the Panama American (Corinealdi 32). He wanted this newspaper to empower the black community in Panama. However, the reach of the Panama Tribune was much greater than just Panama. The paper managed to make its way to the US, Jamaica, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and Peru (Corinealdi 35). It also became the “longest-running Black Newsweekly in Central America” (Corinealdi 1).

This paper was also unique in that it was staffed by immigrants from the Caribbean and their descendants (Corinealdi, 31). The newspaper was made by Caribbean immigrants and for Caribbean immigrants. This allowed the paper to cover the news from Panama and black diasporas worldwide that West Indians in Panama wanted to hear about (Corinealdi, 30). Only one page devoted to West Indian affairs like the Panama American was insufficient due to the lack of space and could not cover both local and international news. Through these papers, the African diaspora could connect and keep up with each other. Communities within Panama also had the opportunity to be spotlighted in the paper (Corinealdi, 37). More minor news regarding local occurrences pertaining to the West Indian community was added, which further let these communities connect with one another. Readers could also send letters and be published regardless of whether they agreed with the paper or where they were from. If they could send it to Panama, there was a chance it would get published. Young spread news, educated and helped those who read his paper connect with one another. This created a sense of community between everyone and helped empower people across the diaspora.

Panama Tribune Exhibit

(All images of the Panama Tribune were taken from the Library of Congress)

Pages one through five are typically general stories that could focus on a range of topics, for example, Panamanian significant issues, international news, and noteworthy events within the African diaspora. These stories have no specific trend, unlike those in other sections. Some examples of headlines include “Tinker Asks Cabinet Decision On Rights Of Criollos To Vote,” “Crown Prince Of Abysinnia Visits London,” and “Lindsay and ‘Governor’ Rile Folks At Wake”

Pages six through seven are called “Around the World of Sports.” Some sports mentioned were baseball, track, boxing, tennis, horse races, and cricket. The newspaper will also sometimes choose to highlight an athlete in a mini section called “In Limelight of Popularity.” If you look below the word Around, you will see an image of one of these athletes. They also include a section called “Today’s Races.” Races here refer to horse races. They include the horse name, weight, jockey, time, and pool for the race that week and the prior week.

Page eight is called “Editorial Comment and Opinion.” This largely echoes his column Sid Says since this would be where he added his political and social views. Some titles from this include “Dark Days Are Upon Us” and “Free Publicity.”

The next page is “Special Articles and Features.” This page has a few rolling topics. They seemingly always have “Health Hints” and “Thoughts of Readers.” In the latter, they publish letters sent to them by readers. Their letters could stretch out as far as New York or be from Panama. This demonstrates the paper’s reach at the time of printing. An example of one of the sections that came and went would be “Our Weekly English Lessons.”

Page 10 is referred to as “Of Interest to Women.” Some articles found in this section were “Aids to Beauty,” “How to Make” (recipes), “Household Hints,” etc. This page largely concerns parenting, beauty, housekeeping, and style. While this seems stereotypical, we see this newspaper highlight the accomplishments of Black women around the world, for example, the potential Olympic entrance of a “colored” girl (Tribune, 10).

Page 11 is called “Atlantic Side Pars” and appears to be about what is happening around Colón. This would make sense since Colón has Panama’s largest African descendent population (Corinealdi).

The 12th page contains the “Happenings in the Canal Zone Towns.” The subsections here are referred to by the name of the towns they are talking about. They talk about meetings, news, balls, etc., in Gatun, La Boca, Silver City, Paraiso, and Red Tank villages.

Page 13, with no heading at the top, usually contains a continuation of “Health Hints” and “Thoughts of Readers.”

Page 14 was called “Scout Corner.” This seems to be general club meetings and community affairs, not all having to do with Boy Scouts.

“News From the West Indies” appeared on page 15. This makes sense since the majority of the Panama Tribune’s readers are typically from the West Indies and likely have family there. The “News From the West Indies” section can include death notices and reports of local occurrences in West Indian islands. Page 15 also sometimes includes “Jottings from Port Limon,” which similarly documents local occurrences within the West Indian community in Costa Rica, where Port Limon is. 

The final page contains continuations from the first page.

Timeline

Legacy

After a long career devoted to West Indian journalism, Sidney Young died in Panama City in 1959 at the age of 61, leaving behind a rich legacy. His reach was incredible, and it is no wonder why he is still talked about to this day. He described himself and those working with him as people who would “ bring light” to help their communities move towards “progress” (Corinealdi, 29). He did this through fostering a strong community with his newspaper.

Sidney Young has had an incredibly large impact in Panama with a park named after him with a bronze bust in Rio Abajo. The park and bust signify his lasting impact in the black diaspora in Panama. The dedication he showed to his community throughout his life lives on through the beneficial impact this park has had on the citizens in Rio Abajo.

There is also a community center in his name called el “Centro De Desarrollo Comunitario Sidney Young.” This center can be rented out for parties, hosts cultural festivals, and even has free classes for children and adults. A mural was recently painted on the side in 2022 where young kids helped a painter to create a beautiful quetzal.

It is very apt for this center to be attached to his name since his feelings around the importance of community rang loudly in his writing. His articles around West Indians in Panama called for a tight knit community that worked for the interests of everyone and the Panama Tribune played a large role in pulling together and informing the West Indian community. This plays a larger part in the empowerment of black people all over the world since the Tribune made it to black diasporas around the world. The sharing of information across the world allowed communities to feel more connected to one another. He brought light to communities that were largely ignored by white audiences and pushed for them to help themselves.

Works Cited

“An Honoured Son of the Soil.” Jamaica Gleaner, 6 Apr. 1897, p. 8.

“British King Addresses Over Seas Boy Scouts.” The Workman, Vol. 13 No. 2, 23 Aug. 2024, pp. 1–8. DLOC.

Brennan, James William Charles. “The New West Branch School.” Jamaica History, https://jamaica-history.weebly.com/west-branch.html. 11 April 2024.

Corinealdi, Kaysha. Panama in Black: Afro-Caribbean World Making in the Twentieth Century. Duke University Press, 2022, https://doi.org/10.1515/9781478023128.

Howells, Katherine. “‘A Vast Window Display’: The British Empire Exhibition of 1924-5.” The National Archives, 23 Feb. 2022, https://blog.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20speople-a-vast-window-display-the-british-empire-exhibition-of-1924-5/.

Jeffrey, Duncan. EDUCATION ECONOMY AND CLASS IN COLONIAL JAMAICA 1700-1944. 1980. McMaster University, https://macsphere.mcmaster.ca/bitstream/11375/7659/1/fulltext.pdf. macsphere.

Kingston. Marriage Records 1892 • FamilySearch. familySearch, 22 Dec. 1892, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-95JB-9SLW?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AKP1W-MXT&action=view.

Martin, Henry. ‘One, Two, Three, Four, Colon Man a Come.’ 28 Sept. 2014, https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/focus/20140928/%E2%80%98one-two-three-four-colon-man-come%E2%80%99.

Mgpp .::. The Marcus Garvey and UNIA Papers Project, UCLA. UCLA Africa Studies Center. https://www.international.ucla.edu/asc/mgpp/sample07. Accessed 1 Mar. 2024.

Mojica, Yaritza. “Recuperarán Parque Sidney Young.” Panama America, 16 Jan. 2008, https://www.panamaamerica.com.pa/nacion/recuperaran-parque-sidney-young-370261.

“Mr. AL Walcott: A Character Sketch.” Jamaica Gleaner, 17 Oct. 1901, p. 6.

“Mural Street Art Con Daco Paint.” Cultura, Municipio de Panamá, cultura.mupa.gob.pa/mural-street-art-con-daco-paint/. Accessed 2024.

The Panama Tribune, vol. 8, no. 9, 17 Jan. 1932, p. 1-16. Library of Congress

The Panama Tribune, vol. 8, no. 10, 24 Jan. 1932, p. 1-16. Library of Congress

The Panama Tribune, vol. 8, no. 11, 31 Jan. 1932, p. 1-16. Library of Congress

The Panama Tribune, vol. 8, no. 12, 7 Feb. 1932, p. 1-16. Library of Congress

The Panama Tribune, vol. 8, no. 13, 14 Feb. 1932, p. 1-16. Library of Congress

The Panama Tribune, vol. 8, no. 14, 21 Feb. 1932, p. 1-16. Library of Congress

Port Royal. Birth Registers 1899 • FamilySearch. familySearch, Jan. 1899, https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:9Q97-YS89-MTXM?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AXNM9-NX9&action=view.

Putnam, Lara. “To Study the Fragments/Whole: Microhistory and the Atlantic World.” Journal of Social History, vol. 39, no. 3, 2006, pp. 615–30.

Putnam, Lara (2014) Sidney Young, the Panama Tribune, and the Geography of Black Belonging. In: American Historical Association Annual Meeting, January 2014 – January 2014, Washington DC. (Unpublished)

Ryu, JIyi. Visualising and Experiencing the British Imperial World: The British Empire Exhibition at Wembley (1924/25). 2018. The University of York, https://etheses.whiterose.ac.uk/21902/.

Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Photographs and Prints Division, The New York Public Library. “Sidney Young, publisher, Panama Tribune” The New York Public Library Digital Collections. 1930. https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a7d0e925-f8c4-eff6-e040-e00a18060357

“Sidney Young, Publisher, Panama Tribune.” NYPL Digital Collections, created 1930, https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/a7d0e925-f8c4-eff6-e040-e00a18060357.

Sidney Young Travel Documents (April 4th, 1946). https://www.ancestry.com/discoveryui-content/view/2530446:8842?tid=&pid=&queryId=e1474f80-8e32-4daf-95f0-6f3b90822de2&_phsrc=zzI1&_phstart=successSource. Accessed 26 Feb. 2024.

“West Branch, Kingston.” Jamaica Gleaner, May 29, 1908, p. 9.

“West Branch School.” Kingston Gleaner, 8 Nov. 1906, p. 11.

Young, Sidney. Isthmian Echoes: UFDC. printed by Benedetti hnos., 1927, https://ufdc.ufl.edu/aa00014955/00001/images.

—. “The Panama American, West Indian Section.” Panama American, 915th ed., 21 Apr. 1928, p. 6. dLOC.

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This post is part of a pilot student project created for the University of Florida class, Raising History from the Grave: Primary Historical Research in Literary Analysis and Public Humanities taught by Dr. Leah Rosenberg. The students focused on members of the Black Caribbean diaspora who worked on the Panama Canal or in the Canal Zone, the U.S. territory that surrounded the Panama Canal for much of the 20th century. These employees were originally classified as Silver employees because they were paid in silver currency as opposed to the Gold employees who were American citizens paid in gold currency. The term is still used today by both the community and scholars. The students worked with Pan Caribbean Sankofa, a community organization dedicated to preserving the history of Caribbean people in Panama, who identified community leaders as subjects for the project. Students consulted a wide array of archival materials in the Panama Canal Museum Collection and other institutions and learned how to use these resources to highlight individual accomplishments and connect lives to their larger communities through the digital humanities. For other posts, see Raising History from the Grave.

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Why We Remember

Joseph French spent most of his career in the Panama Canal Zone townsite known as Gamboa or Santa Cruz. The community uses both names to reference their beloved hometown as well as a few other nicknames, ‘Gambo’ and ‘Gyambo’. As the city grew larger, a tight-knit and loyal community blossomed. In 1936, the relocation of the Panama Canal’s dredging division from Paraiso to Gamboa was an important moment in the expansion and development of the town. A larger population meant robust infrastructure, schools, community centers; and of course, leaders. Joseph French embodied a leader in every aspect of his character. His many years of teaching, coaching, and uplifting the community of Gamboa have left an unrivaled legacy. His integrity, compassion, and work ethic live on in those he touched, and serve as an inspiration for those familiar with his character.

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Interview with Innis, Rex. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014.

An oral interview with Innis Rex references a “Mr. French,” as one of Gamboa’s leaders; he is likely referring to Joseph French.

An oral interview with Innis Rex references a “Mr. French,” as one of Gamboa’s leaders; he is likely referring to Joseph French. Both the interviewer and Mr. Innis explain that living in Gamboa was like being part of one big family where everyone looked after each other. The interviewer interjects to say, “that in a sense we were all children to almost everybody, all the big people. I mean, we had our direct parents, we might have had our biological parents, but we had a sense of caring and parenthood throughout the community.” This statement again reinforces the idea that Gamboa was an incredibly tight knit community and that Mr. French was one of its prominent leaders. 

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

Interview with Cornelius Gilling. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014.

Click here to read more from an interview with Cornelius Gilling, a Gamboa Resident. Mr. Gilling provides details about what the environment of Gamboa was like.

When asked about what it was like to move to Gamboa from Paraiso, Gilling replied “we were right in the middle of the jungle”. The interviewer replied “Middle of the jungle?” to which Gilling said “But, it was made out like a city. Remember? We didn’t have to worry about anything. We had the [inaudible]. We got the clubhouse, we got the ship, we got the school.” The interviewer said “So it was a good place to live?” and Gilling said “Exactly. Everything was perfect.” This shows how important schools and the social aspect of living in Gamboa were, and both of these things are areas that Mr. French had an impact on as a teacher and a coach.
If you’re interested in listening to the oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Firefighting

Scenes from Colon, Panama After Fire. Panama Canal Museum Collection. Gift of Joy Maale, 2000.011.001.003

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Interview with Homer Welch. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014.

In an interview with Mr. Homer Welch, Mr. Welch speaks about the difficulties in finding work outside of employment related to the Panama Canal, and how it was very difficult to get a job as a fireman. This helps us understand some of the struggles that Mr. French may have gone through in his career as a firefighter. Through this story, it is clear that leaders such as Mr. French helped children across Panama towns achieve better lives. 

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Interview with Cedric Gittens. Conducted by Pan Caribbean Sankofa. 26 August 2020.

Click here to read about this interview with Cedric Gittens. Mr. Gittens talks about how he had worked in Silver City as a store man (someone who took cargo from box cars as they arrived at storage and then broke them down into units before shipping them to commissaries). He later became a firefighter, and he details the physical work that went into the job as well as the racial hierarchy that existed within the Fire Department at that time.

We know that Mr. French worked as a firefighter for at least a while (although the length of his firefighting career remains unknown to us), so this interview is helpful in furthering our understanding of what Mr. French’s experience was probably like during his time serving the Fire Department and what struggles he likely faced while working there. Moreover, Mr. Gittens’ explanation of what it was like living in Silver City provides us broader insight into the community atmosphere.

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Interview with Theophilus Peterkin. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014.

Click here to read about this interview with Mr. Theophilus Peterkin. It gives us a glimpse into what it was like becoming a firefighter in Gamboa and, in a similar manner to Mr. Gittens, describes a racial hierarchy that existed within the Fire Department.

“I always thought, if you can get a job, take a job. I was lucky enough that I got a job at the Fire Department and that was like a success story.” Talking about what the job was like, he said “They’re gonna make it tough for you. The white man is not going to be happy about you taking jobs from the white man. That’s the white chief telling all this. He says, they’re going to call you n*, they’re going to call you son of a bitch, they’re going to call you asshole, call you all this stuff. He says that is allowed by our standards. The standard is to belittle the black man. If you can put up with that, take the job. We took it, we put up with all that stuff. And the white people were a little taken aback because they figured black people, what they hell did they know, you know? But then when there were fires, we performed better than the white man himself. And the thing about a white man is that when they go to fire, they walk away from it. And then the quartermaster, what they used to call the quartermaster. How would you call it now, in America? Clean up crew. They were sent a crew to clean up. The white fireman put out a fire and they’re done. But with us, when we put out a fire, we were the clean-up. [Inaudible]. And we did a better job than the guys with the quartermaster. White people began to appreciate us, and they started putting in a good word for us.”

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Teaching and Coaching

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As a coach, French discovered a new outlet of community outreach: sports. Thus, French’s day-to-day life changed when he became an instructor and coach, but he remained focused on improving his community.

French directed several organized sports leagues in the early 1950s and encouraged many successful careers in sports. French coached many young athletes who would eventually travel to the United States to play Major League Baseball. His significance as a coach is resounding; he created a sports infrastructure that encouraged many youths to become stars. According to the Baseball Almanac, 10% of Panamanian-born MLB players were from the ‘Silver Town’ of Gamboa. The Baseball Almanac is the official baseball history website, and it can be accessed here.

Interview with Earl Holder. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014. 

Click here to read more about this oral history with Earl Holder, who played for the Detroit Tigers. He tells of his experience as part of the first class of the Gamboa schools. When asked about the games that he played as a kid, he said that he always loved baseball.

“When I came up in my—during teenage years, I played everything. Basketball, baseball,
track and field, softball. The only thing that I never did participate in was soccer. Because I really didn’t
know that soccer was a game that has these techniques. I thought you just kick the ball and run down
and kick the bill. I didn’t understand that game – kick the ball, running behind, and kicking, and so on.
Baseball was my love. That was my love, baseball. Baseball, see? Because I remember – my team from
the major league, the Detroit Tigers – I remember when I retired, it brought tears to my eyes when they
presented me a large eight-by-ten photo with the then-manager of the Detroit Tigers, Sparky Anderson.
They told him about me, I’m an ardent Detroit fan, and he sent me a big autographed photograph and
wished me well on my retirement, so on and so on, some time ago. And so, but I remember at my
retirement, when they handed me the keys, I couldn’t help it, I just broke into tears.”

This interview emphasizes the influence that baseball had on the community of Gamboa, and thus how important Mr. French’s impact was on the community. 

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Interview with Theophilus Peterkin. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014. 

Click here to read more from an oral history with Mr. Theophilus Peterkin. Mr. Peterkin doesn’t reference Mr. French directly, but he does talk about how important baseball was to the community.

Mr. Peterkin named many memorable players, demonstrating how decades later sports continues to be an important part of his memory of Gamboa.

“Gamboa was a unique, a very unique community. In the sense that everybody—people like a family. One family, it was just one family. Like I said, you fight today and tomorrow you’re shaking hands. You’re hugging and kissing and sitting and drinking beer, and eating an ice cream. Gamboa was so unique. All the Canal Zone holidays, the picnics were held in Gamboa. Every one. Because Gamboa had everything in one place.”

This interview is paramount in our understanding of how important baseball was to those living in the community and thus how Mr. French impacted the community of Gamboa, and more specifically, the sports community. Mr. French’s success in teaching young athletes who went on to become professionals is reflective of his incredibly impressive coaching abilities. Mr. Peterkin was also a fireman, which allows us to have a better idea of what Mr. French’s time as a firefighter might have been like.

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Rod Carew

To Rodney Carew, Mr. French was so much more than a coach; he was a guardian. Long before his successful Major League Baseball career, Mr. Carew was a victim of domestic violence. In his memoir One Tough Out Mr. Carew describes his relationship with Mr. French. He was an uncle, a coach, and a father figure whom Carew could actually trust. 

Mr. French confronted Carew’s father, Eric, about the boy’s injuries. He wasn’t able to stop the beatings, but he was able to provide the fathering that he knew this boy deserved.

As Mr. Carew got older, French played an instrumental role in making the most of his athletic talent.

Carew’s story demonstrates the multi-faceted nature of Mr. French’s impact on the community. He wasn’t just a great coach, but a fierce protector and an empowering presence.

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One of his former students who played on the women’s basketball team, ‘Gyambo Girls’ recalls Mr. French Fondly. Photo from the Gamboa ‘Silver Town’ Reunion website.

“He went beyond the ‘authority’ of the Canal Zone ‘Silver/Local Rate’ governance to secure physical training equipment (usually ‘hand me downs’ from ‘Gold/U.S. rated’ schools) for Gyambo kids. And he was more often than not successful in negotiating with Panamanian private enterprises to sponsor local teams that competed in sports events throughout the Republic’s terminal cities and surrounding towns. It was a badge of honor to qualify to make his teams. Making meant that you met his criteria for personal character, discipline and sportsperson skills. Many of us will remember that he bought an old truck, remodeled it with back seat benches to carry local teams wherever he could ‘negotiate’ a friendly competition with locals and bring us safely back home. He widened our horizons beyond the limited plane of ‘Gyambo’s isolation.”

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Community Work

Interview with Sylvia Perryman. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014.

Click here to read more from an interview, Ms. Sylvia Perryman as she details her memories of the Gamboa community.

Ms. Perryman talks about how everyone acted as family to each other and looked after others’ children, recounting specific anecdotes about conflict resolution, housing, and difficulties of having family working in the Canal Zone.

“I like Gamboa. It was—to me it was like a home…A home with a home. Because the neighbors look out for you and your kids. They don’t think that their kid’s better than that and, I mean, used to go fighting with them, but still they love each other.”

Ms. Perryman’s stories about the Gamboa community provides broad insight into what Mr. French’s impact may have been like and how this impact lives on in his legacy.

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Interview with Arthur Wade. Conducted by Gamboa Reunion Group. 2014.

Click here to read more from In an interview with Mr. Arthur Wade. Mr. Wade talks about the tight-knit community in Gamboa and how it was really the people that made the place. There was a profound sense of pride and respect for others that radiated through the community that Mr. French was such an influential leader of. Wade asserts that the values community members learned in Gamboa have traveled with them as they have moved to the United States and elsewhere.

“I would say we had one of the best close communities there. People encouraged you, man. People – they took advantage of the opportunity that we were – we had a proud community, let’s face it. Our parents and our forefathers were hard working, and they were – The kids, we grew up with a lot of respect for our family. I would think, to me, the heritage and respect and work ethic and, I would tend to think, encouragement. I would think Panama – Gamboa – was a town of family, decency, and caring, and people were close-knit. I would think that is one of the things we can say. We weren’t neglected.”

In many of the comments on Mr. French’s photos and community maps posted by the Gamboa Reunion Group, it is said in some way or another that for parents in Gamboa, it took this entire village to raise their children. Stories like that of Mr. Wade amplifies our understanding of the culture, dynamic, and community values of Gamboa. 

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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Joseph French Honored for his Community Work

Joseph French received the Meritorious Son award on August 18th, 1977. He is shown in the picture above receiving the award from Panama City Mayor Diomedes Concepcion. Joseph French won the award for his efforts in molding baseball stars such as Rod Carew and Rennie Stennet. City Council awarded him a scroll during his ceremony.

On a local level, the Gamboa Schools honored him with their own field day when he retired. On May 25th, 1984, the school held a field day to honor Mr. French. They played softball, basketball, bridge, quadrille dancing, and many other activities to Corregimiento de Ancon in Paraiso. This event gathered proceeds from refreshment sales to donate to Centro Medico de Paraiso and the Pedro Miguel-Paraiso Nursery in Mr. French’s name.

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Inteview with Leatha and Louis Sprauve. Conducted by Gamboa reunion Group. 2014.

Click here to read more from an interview with Leatha and Louis Sprauve. Mrs. Sprauve said “Gamboa was unique. Everybody look out for each other’s child. You couldn’t get away with nothing in Gamboa.” 

Later in this interview, Mrs. Sprauve directly speaks about Mr. French and the impact that he had on the community, particularly youth sports. She says, “I would say [who] helped keep us off the streets was Mr. French with his involvement…of every sport. Every sport come in and teams were formed to keep us busy, like it or not, you know. That gym was never closed… He worked it eight hours and he stayed there. He formed four teams – Front Square, Church Square, Dust Bowl, and Parallel, volleyball teams. And we had the volleyball team going and get the trophy—we got the trophy for [inaudible], you know, you get
something like that.” Mr. Sprauve says Mr. French “dedicated his whole life.”

This statement reinforces the fact that Mr. French offered community guidance to the youth. He steered them in directions that followed their talents and dreams. 

Without men like Joseph French, children like Leatha and Louis Sprauve may have had a different path in their lives. Testimonials like hers continue to show the influence that French had over the children in Gamboa and the Canal Zones to receive such high praise and admiration from his community.

If you’re interested in listening to the entire oral history or reading the transcript, please click here.

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An Enduring Legacy

The process of researching Joseph French was itself inspiring. As we acknowledge the legacy that French created, we are inspired by his unshakable commitment to his community. Extending respect, compassion, and attention towards others is important, and few figures are more emblematic of that than Joseph French.

Thank you to Mr. French’s family for sharing materials about his life with the class so that we could learn about the tremendous impact he had on the community.

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