By Claudia Houston, New Bern Historical Society
Veteran’s Day is November 11. Last year in honor of Veterans Day, American Legion Post 539 identified and cleaned the headstones of every veteran buried at Greenwood, a historical Black cemetery. The New Bern Historical Society joined forces with them and has been researching family histories and writing short biographies for each veteran buried there. Sixty-five veterans were discovered, and 27 were identified as WWII veterans. We would like to share the story of one, Eugene Donaldson.
Eugene Donaldson was born 12 November 1917 in Jefferson City, Tennessee, the son of Marjorie and Charlie Donaldson. On his draft card, completed when he was 22, Eugene noted that he was working for the Tennessee Valley Authority at the Cherokee Dam in Jefferson. According to his 6 Mar 1941, enlistment papers at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, he was single, a private, had one year of college, and in civilian life was an oiler of machinery. We have not been able to obtain his complete military service records and have not been able to determine his unit of service. But we do know that he served in the US Army as a Tech 5 and was discharged from service on 11 Jul 1945. The Tech 5 grade was a rank of the United States Army from 1942-1948. The rank signifies personnel who have technical skills as opposed to combat skills, such as infantry men or artillery men. Eugene’s employment at the dam translated into technical skills needed during the war. The T/5 insignia of a letter “T” below two chevrons was established and was placed underneath a corporal stripe.
So how did Eugene end up in New Bern?
On 26 Dec 1948 Eugene Donaldson married Annie Day Smith at St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church in New Bern. Annie’s family was quite well known in North Carolina; in fact, there were among the most influential Black families in New Bern during that time. Annie was the daughter of Isaac Hughes Smith Jr. and Annie Day Shephard Smith. Her maternal grandfather, Dr. James Edward Shepherd, was a founder in 1910 of North Carolina College which became the current North Carolina Central University. Her paternal grandfather, Isaac Smith Sr., was an influential state legislator, educator, real estate agent, developer, banker, and philanthropist. Her father, Isaac Jr. continued in those businesses with much success.
Included as witnesses at Eugene and Annie’s wedding were Carrie Rhone Smith, the second wife of Isaac Sr, and her sister, Charlotte Rhone. The Rhone sisters were well-respected entrepreneurs and civic and humanitarian activists working for the improvement of conditions in New Bern’s Black community.
The couple may have met while both attended school in Atlanta. At the time of their marriage, Annie was a graduate of the North Carolina College at Durham and the Atlanta School of Social Work, as well as a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority. After serving in the Army, Eugene was in his senior year at Morris Brown College, a private Methodist historically black liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. Founded January 5, 1881, Morris Brown is the first educational institution in Georgia to be owned and operated entirely by African Americans. The couple planned to honeymoon in New York City and live in Atlanta.
Per the 1950 census, Eugene and Annie were residing in Atlanta while Eugene finished college and Annie was teaching school. The family returned to New Bern in the early 1950’s and resided at 601 Johnson Street. Eugene Donaldson was a teacher, and Annie was employed at the Craven County Department of Social Services. They had two daughters.
Eugene died on 14 May 2006 at the age of eighty-eight. Annie died on 20 Sept 2008 at the age of eighty-two. Both are buried at Greenwood Cemetery. Annie’s parents and paternal grandparents are buried at Greenwood as well.
This Veteran’s Day we remember and honor Eugene Donaldson and his service to our nation during WWII, along with so many others who answered the call of duty.