Alvah McSwain

I, Alvah Jay Mc Swain, am from a large family of 19 children, I am the 15th child born to Allen And Winona Mc Swain in Clinton, Tennessee June 12,1941. I am the eighth child to live to be grown. The babies of the family were Triplets, two girls and one boy.

I started to school at the age of 6 in August 1947 at Green Mc Adoo Elementary School. Ms Theresa E. Blair was my first teacher, she taught me from primary class to the 4th grade. There was no kindergarten. It was primary class. Mr. Clifton A Moore taught me from 5th grade to the 8th grade, until I graduated. In 1949 my father and mother started a family gospel-singing group, the Mc Swain Gospel Singers. We traveled one end of Tennessee to the other end, we traveled to Kentucky and Virginia. In 1950 I joined Mt. Sinai Baptist Church, Rev O.W. Willis Sr. was the Pastor.

In August 1956 I became one of the Clinton 12. In Amy 1957 the family moved to Los Angeles, California for the safety of my grandmother and the younger brothers and sister. When I moved to Los Angeles I went to John C Fremont High in the 10th grade. My grandmother, Lela G. Worthington got real sick and I had to quit school to help my mother, Winona Mc Swain take care of her. When my grandmother got well enough that I could go back to school, I had to go to night school and I talked my mother in to going back to school with me. In June 1963 my mother and I graduated from john C Fremont high school together. That was one of the happiest days of my life.

I am not an indoor person; I chose to be a driver for my career. For over 10 years. I drove a 10-wheeler dump truck, and then I was a non- emergency medical driver until I had to take a Medical retirement in 1995. I got married October 22,1961 To Carlton Lambert. I have 3 daughters, Lela Winona, Jamandawa & Jofaye Peaye and 2 sons, Felix LaFayette & Rodney Lee and 1 stepdaughter Andrea Veronica, 17 grandchildren and 15 great grandchildren.