(bright music) - [Jim] Remembering the late Bob Kramer, master puppeteer who entertained generations of St. Louisans doing his life's work.

- And it wasn't something I thought, "oh, puppeteer, I should do that".

It just is part of me.

- [Jim] We stop in at a place where pressing print looks like this.

- It just engages so many senses and it's so much richer.

- [Jim] The new appeal of the old ways.

The story of what happened at this place on the riverfront, why it's important, and how we know it actually happened.

And the day thousands of Civil war veterans lined the streets of St. Louis to pay last respects to the man they called Uncle Billy.

It's all next on "Living St. Louis".

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - I am Brooke Butler.

There are a lot of beloved institutions around our city and many people who have made it their life's work to make St. Louis unique.

One of those people was Bob Kramer and his marionette theater.

For nearly 60 years, Bob and his partner, Doug Feltch, have brought joy to both kids and adults alike with their hundreds of handmade puppets.

Just a few weeks ago, Bob Kramer tragically died in a fire that destroyed their Central West End theater.

Doug survived with serious injuries, but has lost not only his life partner, but all of their puppets in their home that was located above the theater.

My friend Adam Reese with Parkside Productions shared with us his 2012 documentary about Bob Kramer's marionettes to take a look back at the creative impact Bob made in our community.

- Oh my goodness, hello there.

I'm Marvin the Moose, and I'll be your master of ceremonies.

I'll be introducing all my friends who'll be coming out and entertaining you.

Now to get things started... - Well it's hard to define what the art of puppetry really is because it involves so many different things.

It's drawing, and it's sculpture, and it's movement, getting your movement into your sculpture, and also your drawings.

There's mechanical stuff because you have to figure out how, first of all, how the puppet's gonna move and work.

And then you have your controls, which are just crazy.

But then you have your dance and your movement and you have your voice giving your voices, and singing, costuming, and lighting.

And so that's all included in what you do.

And it's someone who does all that work is really a master puppeteer.

But I don't know, I always think of that as someone being old, ancient, I don't know.

But other people say that about me (inaudible) (bright music) (applause) (audience laughter) Everybody says "why did you start doing this?"

Well, it's just part of what I do.

I get up and I just work on the puppets.

I received lots of different marionettes when I was three years old and I made my first marionette when I was five, and started doing puppet shows, actually six and seven years old.

And it wasn't something I thought "oh, puppeteer, I should do that".

It just happened.

It's something I do all the time.

It's part of me.

- For Bob and I, it was just a perfect melding of personalities.

Him being very quiet and very into the work, I love building the puppets, but I adore performing.

Keeping your options open and developing yourself to the fullest potential.

That's what life and creativity is all about.

And I think that's what Bob does with his puppets.

He's able to express himself.

He a great observer.

Bob carries a sketchbook wherever he goes because he never knows when he's going to see an interesting face, a plant, or a tree.

And it goes into the sketchbook and he has it for a reference.

- [Bob] You have to have the same thought when you're doing a character.

You can't just like depend on your pattern and think that's gonna be it.

You have to know how it's supposed to look and keep working on that until it's finally done.

And you have to have your size, the size of the head and the body.

And sometimes what you're drawing, a little sketch doesn't always work out.

So you have to adjust all that stuff.

- We sculpt it out of clay, then make a plaster mold.

Then we put a material in the mold called Silastic.

It's like paper mache, but it's much stronger.

It's cloth and plastic rather than paper and glue.

And then we leave a hole in the back of the head so we can reach inside the mold and put the last pieces together.

- It's the movement.

When you get the strings on there, make sure they're all gonna work and the eyes are gonna work.

If the string breaks, that's broke now, the mouth's not gonna work.

How you gonna fix that?

So you can't have the head sealed off completely.

So we have it hinged in the back.

So we can just go basically inside, put the new string on in a couple minutes, and it's all ready to go.

- The puppet's head is painted.

We'll have up to 10 coats of paint on his head before we're done.

And we have to make a wig because puppets are not very good at growing hair.

When you have the marionette, you've created the character physically, then you create him emotionally.

- Then when we work them, we have to figure out where we're going to be physically and the puppet's going to be and how can we get around each other and that sort of thing.

And sometimes we hand puppets off to each other.

Sometimes we have to work around each other.

And so that has to all be rehearsed, but it takes three to six months at least to make one puppet.

And then we have to do costuming after that.

- Projecting those feelings down the strings into the puppet.

It's not just jiggling a puppet.

Anybody can jiggle a puppet.

Like an electrical circuit, starting in your mind and imagination, going into the control, down the strings into the puppet, and then being sent out to the audience.

And then the circuit is completed as it comes back.

- So here we go with Betsy D. - One reviewer actually said to me "how can you call this live entertainment?

It's puppets."

And I said "as long as I'm pulling those strings, that puppet is alive" because I'm putting a life force into it.

I'm putting me into it, or a part of me into it.

You can make a vase out of pottery, you can make a painting, but you make a puppet, you're not done.

Then you bring it to life.

And that's where the magic is, is who is this and where are you from?

And just let that flow.

Nine out of 10 times we get the question, how did you do that?

How did you work the puppets?

Or how did they move?

Or how did they talk?

It's your interpretation of that perfection.

You made it more perfect in your mind.

This is our gift, it's our creativity, and the mind, the imagination is the screen.

- Oh my goodness.

Well we are coming to the close of our show.

Have you enjoyed it?

Well we've had a wonderful time performing for you and you've been a terrific audience.

So until we see you again, be careful, be excited, and most of all, remember we love you very much.

Bye-bye everybody.

- [Crowd] Bye-bye.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) - [Jim] It's Black History Month, and that sent us to track down a story that happened late one night in St. Louis 168 years ago.

- This is one of the most interesting and important historic spots in St. Louis.

It's also one of the least accessible.

It's north of downtown on the Riverfront Trail.

Hard to get to, and there's a reason for that.

- But people have to remember that the slaves didn't go to a populated area to escape.

- [Jim] We talked to Angela da Silva last fall at the Mary Meachum Freedom Crossing Celebration, an event she helped to create to raise awareness of this spot and to bring people here.

It was here that Mary Meachum, on May 21st, 1855, organized the escape of a group of nine enslaved people.

A newspaper report said they had been hidden in Mary Meachum's home before coming to board a boat to cross the Mississippi River to Illinois.

The report said police had been tipped off and five were captured on the Illinois side.

Four got away.

Mary Meachum was arrested as the organizer.

The fact that one particular escape didn't come off as planned is what gives you the documentation here, is that right?

- That is it exactly.

And I think because of the people who the owners were.

- [Jim] The newspaper said a woman and two children trying to escape belonged to Henry Shaw.

Another to the Sheriff.

Mary Meachum and her husband, John Berry Meachum, who died a year before the escape, were former slaves who dedicated their lives to the black community, educating children, purchasing enslaved people who could then work and buy their freedom, and taking great risks by using their home as a waystation on the Underground Railroad.

The Merry Meachum Freedom Crossing Site on the North Riverfront is now part of the National Park Service's Underground Railroad Network to Freedom program.

It was off the beaten path in 1855, and it still is, at least for motorists.

And I imagine while there are people who ride by, there must be other people who seek this place out.

People who do appreciate the history, want to see it.

- We have seen a rise in national tour companies that this is on their itinerary when they visit St. Louis.

So it is out there.

And all we wanted to do was to build a constituency for the site.

And that seemed to have worked.

- [Jim] The annual celebration is growing as well, sharing the story of Mary Meachum and those who broke the law and fought for freedom.

- The designation of February as Black History Month came about in the second half of the 20th century.

Its predecessor was Negro History Week, which got it started in 1926, but considering the first enslaved Africans reached the Colony of Virginia 400 years ago, black history and the study of it is a relatively new concept in this country.

Joining us to talk about the current state of black history is Dr. Christopher Tinson.

He's an Associate Professor of History at St. Louis University and Department Chair of African American Studies.

Welcome Dr. Tinson.

- Thank you for having me.

- Well my first question is what is the state of black history, especially given recent headlines that might suggest it's actually under siege?

- Sure, I think it's controversial because it's been marginalized in our mainstream history for so many years, and our school systems haven't really appreciated the full contribution of African people to the Western Hemisphere, much less to the United States.

We haven't fully appreciated that and so therefore we haven't fully integrated it into our school instruction at the history and social studies level.

So there's a great gap in our general civic knowledge of African contributions.

And so because of that, it's a constant battle to include more facts of history, facts of African American history, into our mainstream curriculum so that we can influence the general citizenry.

- What kind of response do you get, say from first year students at the university?

Are they really eager to soak up new information?

- Absolutely.

They're constantly asking "why don't I know this already?"

And I tell them, just like you go into your sociology class or your biology class, you don't know what's going on in the first day.

Just the same thing in African American studies, African American history.

It might be an area that's new to you, but it's an area that if systematically and rigorously studied, you'll come out feeling a better sense of yourself as a citizen and a better sense of our sense of democracy and the practice of democracy.

- You have researched so many aspects of race and how it affects what goes on in this country.

What has fascinated you the most?

I know race and sports is one area.

Is that a favorite of yours?

- It is a favorite, but I think in general terms, I think just the story of resilience and the story of resistance to just laying down to the conditions that you found yourselves within.

And understanding that the history of African people in the Western hemisphere of which the United States is a part does not begin and end with enslavement.

And so there's a lot of stories that predate enslavement that include African people as well as the experience after enslavement and how African Americans have helped recreate society in a more democratic fashion, contributing positively in many areas of life including politics, sports, health education, medicine, and of course education itself.

- And that encompasses so much.

As an educator, how do you get your hands around that?

- In your opening, you mentioned one of our earlier predecessors, Dr. Carter G Woodson who created Negro History Week that got turned into African American History month to Black History month in 1976.

His organization that he created is called the Association for the Study of African American Life and History, ASALA for short.

It's been meeting every October for over 100 years.

And that's where historians of the African experience, they're not all people of color, but many of them are, historians of the African experience gather every year to share their research, share new findings, share new archives that students can go and dig in and find new stories to write about.

It's a professional organization and the longest running professional historical organization for African Americans.

- I think our audience may just assume that when you're looking at a Department of African American studies that everyone that is teaching that is African American.

But I know of several people who are white and that is their specialty.

What draws them to that?

- I think a commitment to knowledge in a very general, but also specific sense, a sense that you can learn about the history of humanity through looking at African people.

And so it's not just studying African people, it's studying humanity, but just using African diaspora communities as that kind of testing ground to understand what has gone through their lives, what they've experienced, et cetera.

So I think their commitment to justice as well.

A sense of everybody having their history represented and the fact that there's so much that we don't know that I think it's very much interesting to scholars who are not of color to study the African experience.

- Do you have any specific goals for what you would like to accomplish in your department in the coming year or so?

- I think modestly, I'll say that we want to be a first rate site of research and teaching and mentoring in the Midwest.

When we think about African American studies, we want you to think about St. Louis University, but that's gonna determine what kind of students that we can recruit, what kind of faculty that we can recruit.

And it helps us to shine the light on the kind of students that we produce already who are going on to graduate school, going on to professional degrees, going on to entrepreneurial stations.

So we train folks to do rigorous research and we train you to think critically.

We train you to teach and read and write critically so that any job that you decide to take on, you'll be ready for.

- I know one of the things that I've learned, and this like through the History Museum was how much civil rights history there is here.

When did you find out?

- Probably in high school.

I had a wonderful teacher coming from Los Angeles public school systems, and we were during the time before there was such an emphasis on testing.

And so our professor was able to put the textbook aside and have us read the autobiography of Malcolm X.

This was 10th grade and I still have that copy of the autobiography of Malcolm X.

That was my first time reading that.

And it basically changed my life.

And I think people who read that text in particular have that same story.

But one of the texts that I use in class most often is "The Souls of Black Folk" by W E B dubois written in 1903.

And that book is really a chronicle of the life of African Americans after reconstruction and during and after reconstruction where I argue that new forms of state oppression, violence, and also African American resistance to those things were really prominent and necessary.

They created organizations, churches, independent societies, benevolent societies, et cetera.

And also educational institutions, including HBCUs, which are in the news a lot these days.

- We're gonna have to have another conversation real soon.

Dr. Tinson, thanks so much for joining us.

- Thank you for having me.

- And now you can forget about Command+P because there are no shortcuts in this business.

Brooke Butler shows us an organization that really performs well under pressure.

(upbeat music) - [Brooke] When Gutenberg changed the world with the printing press in the 15th century, he probably wasn't predicting it would one day become a trendy hobby.

But in our increasingly digital world, for some, there's a desire to go back to the basics.

The major increase in sales for vinyl records, the resurgence of film cameras, and as we found out at Central Print, the art of printmaking.

- I can print a flyer on my computer in a couple of minutes or I could spend eight hours setting type and putting some ink on the press and really engaging with that equipment and the process.

It just engages so many senses and it's so much richer.

- [Brooke] Marie Oberkirsch, alongside other St. Louis letter press enthusiasts, created Central Print in 2014 to promote and preserve the historic art of printmaking.

Through workshops, classes, and programs, the nonprofit allows others to engage with the same machinery used over 100 years ago, and in a shop right down the street from where the local printmaking industry first took off.

- This district, these two blocks on North 14th Street were renovated to preserve the historic integrity and character of the street because it's one of the few areas where all the original buildings were still standing on the facade here of the mall.

As you stand out in the center of the street, you can look down to the arch grounds and a lot of the equipment and type that we have here would've been produced by all of the foundries on that very riverfront property.

So we love that relationship of St. Louis, the letter press industry, and our location here in Old North St. Louis.

This is what we would call a clamshell press because it has a clamshell action as it operates, and this one is hooked up to a treadle.

You can look it up to a motor, but I kind of prefer the control that you have with the treadle.

So like an old fashioned sewing machine, you can push on the pedal and the roller is getting ink off of the disc, on their way down, they put ink on the type and lockup that's right here on the press.

And if I load a piece of paper, it's now gonna come in contact with the lockup to make a print.

What we're seeing and we really love seeing are a lot of graphic designers getting reengaged with letter press.

All the terminology and things that you use in Photoshop, you might do some kerning or set your leading, but here it's actual pieces of lead.

So we'll take the metal pieces and put those between the lines to determine the width and the distance and the setup and lockup on the press.

Mixing ink colors, you'll choose a color from a Pantone book and on the computer it's a click, but here you've gotta get out the yellow and the magenta and maybe add a little bit of transparent white to get just the tone you want.

And that connection to the supplies, the equipment, the paper, and being able to control every minute detail really makes for a richer production experience for an artist.

So yeah, let's go ahead, and if you have an idea of what you want to do, let's bring it out and show it to the class and let's talk about it a little bit.

Or if you're not sure, then we can discuss and find a direction and then I'll do a little demo to show you guys how we're gonna transfer the images to the block, and then we'll start carving.

- [Brooke] There are many classes that allow participants to get hands-on experience in the various aspects of printmaking.

This particular program shows the process of creating wood block prints, but Central Print also partners with organizations like the Art and History Museums so that the public can get the same experience without even visiting the shop.

- So an introductory level might be a one session workshop.

Stationary printing is a fun one that I teach.

You'll come in and print 20 stationary pieces using custom set type and one of our cuts.

And it's so much fun to go through the collection and choose some of those old typefaces and really unique printing cuts, which are images that are usually copper or wood to set up on press.

- Can I try it?

- Oh my gosh, yes please.

I'd like you to put ink on first.

And this has a little bit-- - [Brooke] And I think maybe it's social media, but I see a lot of people on TikTok going back to the basics.

Do you think it's been an increase and why?

- There has been.

It's pretty wonderful to see.

Anymore I opened my car hood and I can't even see what the motor does, but I remember my 1976 Nova, I could go in there and make adjustments.

And it's the same with these presses.

I can't fix the printer that's taking a cartridge of ink in my office, but on this press, I know just where the ink goes and all the parts are exposed.

You're hired.

Even how people like to engage with a book.

We can all look electronically on our pads and read, but cracking open a book and getting a whiff of the glue and the ink and feeling the paper, hearing the sound of the pages as they turn over.

It's a different experience.

And the same with printmaking.

(upbeat jazz music) - [Jim] This week in history.

February 21st, 1891.

The body of general William Tecumseh Sherman arrived by train in St. Louis to be buried in Calvary Cemetery.

He had died in New York at the age of 71, but St. Louis was his adopted home, even if he kept being pulled away.

After the Civil War, he did come back to command the US Army west of the Mississippi.

And Friends helped him buy this imposing home, which is now gone.

While they were here, Sherman and his wife bought a family plot in Calvary Cemetery.

For Sherman's funeral, the newspapers devoted pages of coverage to the events.

The prominent guests who came to honor the man, who along with Lincoln and Grant, was considered one of the great heroes of the Civil War.

Before his casket was put on a train to St. Louis, it was drawn through the streets of New York.

And then thousands turned out when the funeral train came through Columbus, Ohio.

After arriving in St. Louis, Sherman's casket was put on a case, pulled by four black horses.

It was followed by dignitaries and veterans marching behind, including some Confederate veterans.

Crowds lined the streets all the way to Calvary Cemetery.

Sherman was not a religious man, but his wife was a devout Catholic, and one of their sons became a priest and conducted the graveside services.

Sherman's Civil War tactics, The March to the Sea, helped win the war, but continued to be debated today.

And Sherman's a controversial historical figure.

But 132 years ago, St. Louis was saying farewell to a man considered a national hero.

The Post Dispatch said 10,000 people came out and called it the greatest funeral pageant ever seen in the West.

Sherman is still honored today in St. Louis.

Members of the Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War gather every year for a Remembrance Day in Calvary Cemetery, where William Tecumseh Sherman was laid to rest.

This week in history in 1891.

(gentle piano music) - And that's "Living St. Louis".

Have any suggestions for stories you'd like to share?

Connect with us on our social channels or by visiting ninepbs.org/lsl.

I'm Brooke Butler.

Thanks for joining us.

(upbeat music) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) (upbeat music continues) - [Announcer] Living St. Louis" is funded in part by the Betsy and Thomas Patterson Foundation, and the members of Nine PBS.