Profiles and Interviews: Don Colaw

(Don Colaw, left, and Harold DeWitt.)

Don Ray Colaw was born in Burner, WV in 1912. After moving to Crellin, Md. (Garrett County), his father got a job managing the company store at Cray Coal Co. and the younger Colaw went work in the mines. He served in the U.S. Navy in the early 1930s and then re-enlisted at the start of WWII, sailing on the USS Carter Hall, an landing ship dock (LSD) that participated in amphibious assaults. “Dad was shaky when he returned home from the war,” said Don “Toby” Colaw, his son.

Colaw went back to work as a miner and joined the United Mineworkers in an unsuccessful campaign to organize workers in the Crellin mine. He was evicted from his company-owned house, went to work in another mine and, finally, got a job working on the county roads. “Dad was a powerful guy who worked in the mines when they brought the coal out in cars pulled by ponies. He liked Mail Pouch tobacco and snuff. He liked to sit on stumps and play cards and loved baseball and football. He would have a ballgame on the radio and one on TV at the same time,” said Toby Colaw.

“Dad never talked about what the issues were on the job. But I know he spoke with Alvah Lewis [Western Maryland AFL-CIO] about organizing,” added Colaw.

Toby Colaw followed his father’s example and tried to organize his co-workers at Browning’s Foodland with the United Food and Commercial Workers. After being threatened with discharge if he continued his efforts, he went to work as a meat cutter at a unionized A&P store in Petersburg, WV.

Toby Colaw drove from Petersburg to Oakland on August 4, 1970, bringing clothing and shoes for the strikers’ families. He joined AFSCME supporters on the town parking lot to oppose the commissioners’ plans to bring strikebreakers through the picket lines. He joined AFSCME members taking over the bus the commissioners had rented for that purpose.

“Dad had gotten sprayed with pepper spray or tear gas at a sit-in during the strike at the county courthouse,” said Toby Colaw. “He was on the picket line every day.