The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte
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| Repository: | The HistoryMakers |
| 1900 S. Michigan Avenue |
| Chicago, Illinois 60616 |
| (312) 674-1900 |
| info@thehistorymakers.com |
| http://www.thehistorymakers.com |
| Interviewer: | Larry Crowe |
| Videographer: | Scott Stearns |
| Title: | Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte |
| Dates: | July 09, 2003 |
| Abstract: | (ABSTRACT) |
| Quantity: | 7 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. |
| Identification: | A2003.151 |
| Language: | The interviews and records are in English |
Successful entrepreneur William Bonaparte, Jr., was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December 11, 1942. Growing up in the South Side neighborhood of Princeton Park, Bonaparte was inspired to achieve by his seventh-grade teacher Barbara Sizemore. While in school, Bonaparte was also active in music, playing in the Bobby Blue Band, a local jazz ensemble. He went on to attend Wilson Junior College, and then to Chicago Technical College.
Bonaparte went to work for Illinois Bell in 1963, becoming the first African American PBX (Private Business Exchange) installer ever hired by the company. While with Illinois Bell in 1968, Bonaparte was promoted to foreman of operations in the Loop, Chicago's busy financial district. By 1971, he was working in a management role, and in 1976, he graduated from the Milwaukee School of Engineering with a degree in electrical engineering. In 1984, Bonaparte left Illinois Bell for AT&T, where he was area manager of Chicago south services.
Bonaparte went into business for himself in 1986, capitalizing on the court-ordered breakup of Bell Telephone System. He formed Bonaparte Connections, a wiring company, to fill the void left by Bell. In 1991, Bonaparte founded Bonaparte Corporation, an electrical contracting firm. Since then, Bonaparte has watched sales steadily climb, grossing more than $8.5 million in 1996. In 1999, he founded Bonaparte Properties, a restoration contracting firm.
Bonaparte is active in the community as well, serving on the executive board of the Electrical Contractors Association, the board of the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce, and as chairman of Rotary/One Chicago. He is also a member of the Chicago Minority Business Development Council, the Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, and the Executives Club of Chicago. He has received the Cosmopolitan Chamber of Commerce and Kennedy-King College Small Business of the Year Award, the AT&T Keystone Award for Excellence, and was a finalist for the Ernst & Young LLP Entrepreneur of the Year Award for High Technology.
Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®
This life oral history interview with William Bonaparte was conducted by Larry Crowe on 2003-07-09 in 1455 S. Michigan Ave., Chicago IL and is recorded on 7 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include William Bonaparte's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.
Restrictions on Access
Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.
Restrictions on Use
All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.
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| This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms. |
| Contributors: |
| | Bonaparte, William |
| | Crowe, Larry |
| | Stearns, Scott |
| Persons: |
| | (PERSONS) |
| Corporate Bodies: |
| | (CORPORATE BODIES) |
| Family Names: |
| | Bonaparte |
| Places: |
| | (PLACES) |
| Subjects: |
| | (SUBJECTS) |
| Document Types: |
| | Video oral history interview |
| Titles: |
| | The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte |
Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.
Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.
The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, July 09, 2003. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 1, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:29:09.
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| William Bonaparte shares many quietly emotional and poignant insights about his family history and his upbringing in Princeton Park. He remembers his grandfather, Papa, who survived life as a slave and the lessons he imparted to a young Billy. Bonaparte also discusses how his parents escaped the sharecropping life in rural Arkansas. William Bonaparte Sr. hoboed with his brother along the railraod as part of the Great Migration to prosperity in the North. William and his older brother, Matthew, were born in Chicago to two extremely hard-working parents, whose limited education and skills shaped the way young William perceived life. The segment closes as Bonaparte begins reminiscing about his favorite elementary school teacher. |
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 2, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:28:14.
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| William Bonaparte recalls his teenage years in Chicago during the late 1950s-early 1960s, including attending the new (in 1958) Harlan High School--an experiment in integration with the races nearly evenly divided--and his experiences playing drums in a band with blues legend Bobby 'Blue' Bland. After high school, greatly disappointed that his family could not afford to send him to college, Bonaparte gets a job and then joins the Army. |
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 3, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:30:02.
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| Telecommunications entrepreneur, William Bonaparte, recounts several anecdotes of racist encounters, beatings and discrimination he faced after joining the army in 1961. Living in Chicago did not prepare him for the level of racism in the South. In an extended story, Bonaparte relates how he and several fellow black soldiers were arrested while driving through Kentucky. Bonaparte also served in Vietnam in 1962 as an advisor, where he saw things which still shake him to his core today. Upon returning from the service in 1963, Bonaparte joined in the picketing of area industries which refused to hire blacks for anything other than menial positions. He was hired for a communication apprentice position with Illinois Bell, which would put him on track to become a telephone installer. As one of the first black members of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Bonaparte blazed trails, and endured a physical attacks and arrest from Chicago Police who could not conceive a black man could be a telephone installer. |
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 4, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:29:42.
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| This segment opens with William Bonaparte sharing another story of physical abuse in the workplace when he was a Journeyman. Eventually, he worked his way into the executive offices of Illinois Bell which coincided with the political rise of Harold Washington. When Washington became mayor of Chicago, area businesses, like Illinois Bell, began to make a more concerted effort to adhere to affimative action efforts. As an executive, Bonaparte was able to start programs which created pools of eligible black employees for Illinois Bell. Bonaparte details the massive changes during the divestiture of the Bell systems he faced as an employee and opportunities the divestiture offered. |
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 5, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:29:54.
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| William Bonaparte details his decision to strike out on his own after the breakup of Illinois Bell. He seized an opportunity to provide wiring services for businesses after realizing the new Bells were not. Bonaparte also discusses in detail the challenges he faced during his first years on his own, which included being fired from the first company he started by its board of directors. Undaunted, he formed the Bonaparte Corporation in 1991. There are several lessons Bonaparte learned in those early years, including the importance of networking, mentoring and being mentored. |
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 6, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:30:25.
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| William Bonaparte reflects on the changes he's been part of during his adult life and how diligently he's worked to provide opportunity for others. He's worked with several Chicago elementary schools to upgrade their computer labs and libraries. Bonaparte reflects upon his career and offers some insights on his success as a black entrepreneur. He also speaks of the changes he's observed in race relations over the decades. Finally, Bonaparte shares what he wants his legacy to be: that he triedto work hard an help others. The segment closes with 20 photographs from Bonaparte's early years. |
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Video Oral History Interview with William Bonaparte, Tape 7, July 09, 2003, TRT: 00:12:02.
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| This segment contains 23 photos of William Bonaparte and many notable politicians, businessmen and entertainers and his 7th grade teacher Barbara Sizemore. |