William T. Alexander oral history interview 3, 1992 Spring

Description

In this last of three interviews, Charlotte native William T. Alexander describes his early career in the 1920s-1930s working in several places across the United States as well as his time in the U.S. Army during World War II. Mr. Alexander talks about how he did not want to be a farmer, so he sought out other employment outside of his family's farm. He recalls working for Retail Credit Insurance Service, which sent him to Raleigh and Asheville, North Carolina for work, and encountering people with guns in rural parts of the mountains around Asheville while investigating insurance claims. He talks about working for Auburn Stoker Company starting in 1935, which sold coal fireplace stokers, then starting the William T. Alexander Company with family members several years later. He started another business venture, Alexander Tank and Equipment Company, which manufactured fuel oil tanks as demand declined for stokers in the late 1940s. Mr. Alexander then recounts joining the U.S. Army in 1942 during World War II at the age of 38 and completing training in South Carolina and Mississippi. Mr. Alexander concludes the interview by mentioning that he was nearly sent overseas but his deployment was cancelled.