Mr. James A. Been, 100, a Hennessy Cognac in hand, celebrated July 4th with a backyard barbecue that included friends, family and elected officials in the Bedford-Stuyvesant brownstone he has lived in since 1926 when his parents bought the property.
Been celebrated his centenarian birthday last month on June 19, which is also Juneteenth, the American holiday celebrating when the last American Black slaves were freed in Texas. In his life, he has experienced pandemics, wars, riots, new neighbors and businesses, but has always remained loyal to his Bed-Stuy roots and his brownstone home.
“I was part of the 93rd Division of the U.S. Army, only one of two Black divisions that fought in World War II. We went to the South Pacific to fight the Japanese. I was a radio operator,” recalled Been, who although slow in walking is remarkably lucid with a thin but wiry and toned frame. “We were known as the Harlem Hellfighters and the division was dispatched to Guadalcanal, one of the Solomon Islands in the South Pacific.”
Been recalled how he was born at Long Island College Hospital on Columbia Street in Cobble Hill and grew up in the Bed-Stuy house attending PS 93 and Alexander Hamilton High School – not the Bay Ridge school, but when it was l0acted on Albany Avenue and Bergen Street in Crown Heights, and later became Paul Robeson High School.
In civilian life, Been was a trolley operator for the old Brooklyn–Manhattan Transit Corporation (BMT) line, which ran from Brooklyn over the Williamsburg Bridge to Manhattan. Later after the BMT merged with what was then called the Board of Transportation, prior to being called the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), he drove a bus and retired after working as a driver for more than 30 years.
Among his bus routes was one that to0ok him past Ebbets Field, home of the Brooklyn Dodgers baseball team and he recalled with pride Jackie Robinson, the first Black Major League baseball player and how he once shook his hand. Jackie lived on the other side of Bed-Suy towards East New York, Been said.
“I used to run the coach bus down Franklin Avenue in Prospect Park,” Been said. “It was a pleasure to see Jackie Robinson hit home runs. He was very enjoyable to watch and drew large crowds in Brooklyn.”
Been also recalled Lena Horne, going into Girls High School in Bed-Stuy before it combined with Boys High School and became Boys and Girls High School. “There was very few Black people going to that school in those days,” he recalled.
In regards to dance and music, Been said he learned English style ballroom dancing and then recalled how the Lindy Hop dance craze erupted when he was still a young boy.
Been said both he and a cousin were given piano lessons when he was young by an aunt so they would have a well-rounded education and that he always appreciated music. Among the musical artists, he recalled was singer Ella Fitzgerald and singer/trumpeter Louis Armstrong.
“Louie Armstrong was very popular and I remember him singing for the president of the United States and he lived in Queens. I always loved to hear him sing,” said Been.
Also joining in at the barbecue was U.S. Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-Central Brooklyn) and Assemblywoman Tremaine Wright (D-Bedford-Stuyvesant), who both presented Been with proclamations, while Kings County Supreme Court Judge Robin Sheares, who lives in the neighborhood, also stopped in to enjoy the celebration.
Longtime community activist and fellow veteran James Caldwell, who was also at the barbecue, told Jeffries how Been has not been able to go to the veteran’s hospital and obtain other veterans services because the Veterans Administration had lost Been’s records. Jeffries promised he would have his staff follow up on this right away to ensure Been gets all the veterans services he needs.
But in the meantime, it was a glorious backyard Independence Day barbecue with great food, drink, and conversation with Been, family and friends.
Been spoke lovingly of his late wife of over 70 years, Christine, while his granddaughter, Monette Been, played a gracious host. Been also has one grandson, Zerry Bean, and one great-granddaughter Sherry Been.
