Civil War veteran Titus M. Gunn (abt 1826-1889) & Norman Rockwell
Titus M. Gunn is one of the African-American Civil War veterans with a headstone in the Lansingburgh Village Burying Ground.
His name is on the African-American Civil War Memorial in Washington, DC: http://www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-soldiers-detail.htm?soldier_id=f43ab6a3-dc7a-df11-bf36-b8ac6f5d926aOne of Titus M. Gunn's several siblings (possibly a half sibling) was Martin Sylvester Gunn (abt. 1858-1945), father of David Lester Gunn, Sr. (1899-1986).
The David L. and Sinclara Hicks Gunn Home of local NAACP chairman David Lester Gunn, Sr., probably the first Black coach hired at a public school in Berkshire County, is near the site of the Gunn Homestead. The private residence is located at 2 East Street, east side of Route 7, just before the junction with Route 102."Upper Housatonic Valley African American Heritage Trail.” http://www.uhvafamtrail.org/images/AAHTBrochureMap.pdfGaines, Judith. “History of achievement; Trail and guide celebrate the contributions of African Americans, the famous and the ordinary, to the Berkshires.” Boston Globe. September 10, 2006.http://www.boston.com/travel/explorene/massachusetts/regions/berkshires/articles/2006/09/08/history_of_achievement/?page=full
Two granddaughters of David Lester Gunn, Sr. (Titus M. Gunn's great grandnieces) were the models for one of Norman Rockwell's paintings on the subject of civil rights, “The Problem We All Live With," depicting Ruby Bridges being escorted by U.S. Marshalls at the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana.
“The Problem We All Live With” was back in the national spotlight this past summer, when the painting was hung outside the entrance to the Oval Office, where the President can see it from his desk.At President Barack Obama’s request, the Norman Rockwell Museum loaned the painting to the White House to mark the 50th anniversary year of those historic events in New Orleans in 1960.Petrick, Jane Allen. "Lynchburg woman was child model for Rockwell painting." NewsAdvance.com. October 9, 2011. http://www.newsadvance.com/news/local/article_8f72e020-807e-54c5-995c-d18dc8434698.html
Several other members of David Lester Gunn, Sr.'s family modeled for Rockwell as well: http://collections.nrm.org/search.do?view=lightbox&keyword=gunn&db=objectDavid Lester Gunn, Sr., Titus M. Gunn's nephew, was a model for one of the men in Norman Rockwell's "The Right to Know." The text that accompanied the painting follows:"We are the governed, but we govern too. Assume our love of country, for it is only the simplest of self-love. Worry little about our strength, for we have our history to show for it. And because we are strong, there are others who have hope. But watch us more closely from now on, for those of us who stand here mean to watch those we put in the seats of power. And listen to us, you who lead, for we are listening harder for truth that you have not always offered us. Your voice must be ours, and ours speaks of cities that are not safe, and of wars we do not want, of poor in a land of plenty, and of a world that will not take the shape our arms would give it. We are not fierce, and the trust will not frighten us. Trust us, for we have given you our trust. We are the governed, remember, but we govern too."http://collections.nrm.org/search.do?id=314512&db=object&view=full