Norman Gilyard, a Baltimore native, was a Buffalo Soldier in World War II and was sent with the 92nd infantry in 1943 to push Germany out of Northern Italy. After Gilyard?s death in 1996, his grandson, Leon Bean, donated his uniform shirt to the Maryland Historical Society along with other WWII memorabilia to tell his story.
“Even though the shirt belonged to my family, I felt like it should be in a museum,” Bean said, “I wanted to tell his story. Some of my family didn?t even know what he did.”
Bean said he was very proud of his grandfather, who was the last surviving Buffalo Soldier from his unit and later worked in an auto shop and taught at Frederick Douglass High School.
According to Nancy Davis, Deputy Director of the museum, the donations were “so compelling” that they decided to open a new exhibit series called “Tell Us Your Stories” which features objects from Maryland?s history and the stories behind them.
With the help of a grant from Baltimore City and the research of Towson University students, the exhibit, “Buffalo Soldiers: One Man?s Story,” opened in January and attracted so many visitors from across the country that the exhibit will be extended into September.
Buffalo Soldiers was a name given to black soldiers during the Indian Wars in 1866 to honor their bravery and fighting skills. In WWII the title Buffalo Soldiers was revived.
The exhibit features Gilyard?s wool shirt with a buffalo patch, a photograph of him in uniform, a history book with a photograph of his regime and his original discharge papers.
Viewers can also listen to an interview with Gilyard that Bean conducted in 1987 for a black history project.
The crackling tape allows viewers to hear Gilyard?s first-hand account of fighting in Italy and serving as a private and later a staff sergeant.
According to Bean, Gilyard “didn?t speak about his experience very much but always said he would do it again if he was able.”
Gilyard reflected positively on his experience and “never showed prejudice or spoke negatively about the way he was treated as a black soldier,” Bean said.
The highlight of the exhibit for Bean was seeing his grandfather recorded in history in the book, “Pictorial History of the Second World War.”
“I hope it will teach peopleto be proud of the job they have,” Bean said, “I think my grandfather exemplified that.”
Kristi Halford, Director of Public Relations and Marketing for the museum, said the exhibit has been “very popular because it tells a unique story, and people are fascinated by the objects.”
More information
» “Tell Us Your Stories” Baltimore?s Buffalo Soldier exhibit through Sept. 3
» Where: Maryland Historical Society, 201 W. Monument St.
» Admission: Adults $8, Seniors $6
» Info: 410-685-3750
