Espy, Fredrick Lewis, Commander, 2000 November 03

This is an Oral History interview with Fredrick L. Espy conducted on November 3, 2000. Marilyn Somers conducted this interview. Mr. Espy was born in Decatur, Georgia in 1944. His family was very poor and his father made one dollar an hour. Mr. Espy attended segregated schools that were much more disadvantaged than the surrounding white schools. A white doctor that Mr. Espy’s mother worked for paid for both him and his older brother to attend college at Morehouse and later Georgia Inst of Technology. From the time he was a small boy, Mr. Espy has always wanted to be a pilot or a physicist. Since Morehouse was a liberal arts school, Mr. Espy was happy to transfer to Georgia Tech when the opportunity was opened to him. Georgia Tech was a very difficult school, so Mr. Espy had very little time for social engagements. Mr. Espy joined the Naval Reserve while still at Georgia Tech and also applied to attend officer training school. After graduating from Georgia Tech, he finished Officer Training school and later attended Flight School. In 1969. Mr. Espy was sent to Vietnam. After retiring from the Navy, Mr. Espy became a Naval Science Instructor at Southwest Dekalb High School. Mr. Espy got married at 36 years old. He and his wife have three children, ages 17, 13, and 9.