Lorenzo Felder

LORENZO "BUS" FELDER was born in Saint Petersburg, Florida, on August 15, 1922, to the late Reesie and Nola Felder. In 1938, Bus, his mother, and his sister, the late Lareesa Clark, relocated to Baltimore whereupon his mother married the late William A. Chatmon, Sr. who had two children, Gabriel and William. All four children became very close. They resided in Baltimore at 1537 West Lanvale Street. Shortly after his family's arrival in Baltimore, they joined the church of his new family, Union Baptist Church and became members of the Gertrude Neal Circle.He attended Booker T. Washington Junior High School and graduated from Frederick Douglass High School in 1942. Following graduation he enrolled at Morgan State College which he attended briefly until he and his friends decided that as a joke, he would attempt to enlist in the Marine Corps which he and his friends believed was not accepting blacks into that branch of service. Bus recounts his story in the book Answering Their Country's Call: Marylanders in World War II, edited by Michael H. Rodgers, The Johns Hopkins University Press, 2002."During my freshman year at Morgan State, I began working at the U.S. Post Office to help pay for my schooling. It was just before Christmas and I was hanging out with some of the guys talking about girls, school, the war, and what people we knew who had joined the service and the probability of getting drafted too. We started playing around with the idea of me going down to the Marine Corps recruiting station just to see the look on their faces when I walked in the door and said I wanted to be a Marine. As far as we knew, no black had ever been accepted......It would give me, my friends, and even the recruitment officer a good laugh..."Bus was assigned to the Black Marine boot camp at Montford Point in North Carolina. Following three years of service he received an honorable discharge in December 1945, having received the rank of Platoon Sergeant. He returned to his studies at Morgan and graduated in 1949. Bus enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1950 and when he left that service he joined the Army National Guard, retiring in 1982 with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. He worked as an Education Specialist, Evaluation Directorate, at the U.S. Army Ordnance and Chemical Center and School located on the Aberdeen Proving Grounds of Maryland. For outstanding work in this field, he received numerous commendations. Bus was married to Norma Elizabeth Lewis in 1950 and they were married for 52 years; Norma went to her heavenly reward on October 3, 2002. For 30 years, Bus was devoted to Norma who had been paralyzed by a stroke. He provided constant care and devoted attention.In addition to being a devoted husband, Bus was actively engaged in numerous educational, civic and social activities, chief among them his involvement with the National Alumni Association of Morgan State University. In this association, he was a life member as well as a life member of the Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity of which he became a member 56 years ago. Another of his great loves was the O'Nose, a social organization of which he was a charter member. Bus served in prominent positions of leadership in each of these organizations. When he was not in an official leadership role, he was always sought out for his advice. He provided guidance to his two nieces Jackie and Kim who looked to him as more of a father figure than an uncle. Bus was particularly proud of Jackie's recent doctoral pursuit and Kim's selection to Colonel in the U.S. Army. He was highly respected by his peers and friends. Bus always had a good word of advice. He adored the young folk and they adored him. He was always "Uncle Bus" to all the little children, family and friends alike.One of his great joys was cooking at which he was an expert. It is impossible to count the number of times the Felders entertained during summer cook-outs, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Eve.His awards include numerous commendations from the Army and the State of Maryland; Alumnus of the Year, 1989, from Morgan State University; National Scholastic Honor Society of Morgan; and Awards of Merit from the Boy Scouts of America.Bus leaves to mourn, devoted nephew and wife William and Madeline Bayton; two devoted nieces, Jacqueline H. Williams of Baltimore and Kim R. Leftwich-Blocker of Mitchellville, Maryland; two nephews-in-law, Iglehart Williams and Guy Blocker; sister-in-law Evelyn Chatmon; half sister, Carolyn Byfield, of Ocala, Florida; cousins, Christine Moore Daniels of Delrand, New Jersey, Betty Stark of Glendale, Wisconsin, John Neal of Gainesville, Florida, Zenobia Oyenuga of Silver Spring, Maryland, Allie Harper of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; and a host of other relatives and friends.

Tributes

Lorenzo Felder

August 15, 1922 - December 8, 2005