Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, November 3, 1994 TAG: 9412230070
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: S1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY SPECIAL TO THE ROANOKE TIMES & WORLD-NEWS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For some, such words ring hollow. But when 73-year-old Franklin Riles speaks, a certain sincerity pervades his expression.
There's a lyrical quality to Riles' delivery. He composes and sings spiritual and patriotic music as an avocation.
Riles' convictions are clear. His devotion to God is unwavering. His allegiances to the United States of America, to the commonwealth of Virginia and to the city of Roanoke are inspiring. And, his respect and appreciation for family go far beyond conventional standards.
Riles has written "30 or 40 songs," nearly all of them of a religious or patriotic bent, and he believes he has more music within him.
He has his own "one-man band," a creation where he can sing and play several instruments at the same time. He switches the instruments around, depending on whether the piece calls for a keyboard, harmonica, tambourine or drum.
In 1976, as the nation celebrated its Bicentennial, Roanoke officials invited Riles to sing at Victory Stadium. In 1992, Riles released a cassette tape. It has not sold well, but he admits he's given away most copies.
"If I had an agent or a manager, I think I could do much better." But Riles seems more concerned with speaking his mind than with achieving commercial success.
The worldwide celebrations of the 50th anniversary of D-Day last spring inspired Riles, who served in World War II, to write his latest song, a salute to the American flag.
My joy, said Riles, "is seeing that we are enjoying the freedom of which our men fought and died for.
"One nation, under God. That's his theme song,'' 22-year-old Johnny Taylor said of his grandfather.
Riles, a Birmingham, Ala., native, was ``a mess boy in the Navy,'' stationed in Annapolis before the outbreak of World War II.
Although he is loyal to his country and was proud to enlist, Riles says his military experience was different than he anticipated.
"Their slogan is 'Join the Navy, and See the World,'" Riles said. "Well, I joined the Navy, and they showed me a dishpan." His tone is not bitter or malicious, merely factual.
"I did what I was told to do," Riles said.
While in service, Riles started to sing. A fellow serviceman helped him write his first song, "We Love the Trees That Bear the Roses."
"That was a long title," Riles said.
After the war, Franklin and Elizabeth Riles settled in Roanoke, where he went to work at Henri Kessler as a porter. He now works as a furrier three days a week at Hertzberg Furs, Kessler's successor.
The Rileses met on a Greyhound bus between Washington, D.C., and Roanoke nearly 55 years ago when they were going to their respective homes to attend family funerals. They had three children.
Feeling they could do more as parents, they decided to open their home to children who didn't have a strong family environment. Since the early 1960s, more than 70 foster children have lived in the Rileses' home. Five of them were adopted by the Rileses.
Some of the children have been here long range,'' Franklin Riles said. "Some stayed three days.
"Some people don't like you to know. Many of the children even today call me Daddy. Many wave when I drive down the street, but go their own ways.
"Most of them have turned out well, and some of them are in trouble right now. But, we love them all, still."
But, said Riles in a soft, muted tone, "things have changed. You have to follow the rules and regulations of the law. You can't chastise children as you used to be able to.
Although the Rileses receive government assistance for taking in children, "we don't do it for financial gain," he said "You can check my bank account; I ain't got nothing."
James Booker, 32, came to live with the Rileses when he was 8. He became a prominent athlete at Patrick Henry High School, starting as a middle linebacker for the Group AAA state runners-up in 1979 and winning a district title as a 185-pound wrestler.
Booker, who works for the Roanoke Redevelopment and Housing Authority, visits the Rileses nightly.
"They raised me good," Booker said. "I can appreciate right from wrong. They were there for me. I'll always be around for them."
"I don't know what we'd do without James to check on us," Elizabeth Riles said.
Five foster children now live with the Rileses. The youngest, Marcus Mattox, 8, came into their home in early September. Marcus is 40 years younger than the Rileses' oldest child.
"There's no end,'' Franklin Riles said. "Oh, I guess there's an end somewhere, but I just keep moving."
by CNB