53832 research outputs found
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OH118 Kathleen C. Outland Oral History
Full text linkKathleen C. Outland recalls her youth in Calloway County, Kentucky during the 1920s and 1930s. She describes tramps visiting her parents\u27 farm looking for food and a place to sleep during the Great Depression. She discusses how she spent her days as a young child and her early education. She remembers that on Trade Day she and her friends skipped school to catch the event. She reflects upon her life involvement with church and her professional career. She mentions that her church would host all day revival meetings called dinner on the ground where they had a community dinner and sang gospel songs. She states that during the Great Depression there was plenty of food from the family farm, but that the family had no money. She expresses her thoughts on Presidents Franklin D. Roosevelt and Harry S. Truman and recalls listening to President Roosevelt\u27s fireside chats. Outland recalled President Truman visiting Kentucky when the dam was being constructed at Gilbertsville. She also spoke of how farms were taken by imminent domain before the dam was built
OH133 Lizzie Ratcliff Oral History
Full text linkLizzie Ratcliff discusses her life as African American in southwestern Kentucky during the first half of the 20th century. She describes attending rural public schools in Marshall County, Kentucky and residing in a predominantly white community. She recalls playing baseball and attending neighborhood parties and dances. She mentions race relations within the community and that between black and white families frequently socialized with one another. She provides a description of her neighborhood, family friends and nearby communities. She reflects on the importance of the church, the profession of midwifery and her experiences in Paducah later in her life
OH127 Dow Wilson Oral History
Full text linkDow Wilson describes his experiences as an African American during the first half of the 20th century in rural McCracken County, Kentucky. He mentions attending segregated schools and churches, sharecropping and working for the Illinois Central Railroad Company. He discusses the effects of the Great Depression and Second World War on the black community and the development of the Tennessee Valley Authority in western Kentucky. Wilson also describes the 1942 fire that destroyed the Washington Street Missionary Baptist Church in Paducah and the religious services that were briefly held at Lincoln High School
OH130 Emily Wilson Wolfson Oral History
Full text linkEmily Wilson Wolfson, a native of Henderson County, Kentucky, discusses her experiences on a poultry farm during the 1920s. During the Great Depression, her father sold the family farm and ventured into business of insurance while her mother taught in public schools. She describes high school, church events and social activities in rural western Kentucky during the 1930s and 1940s. She mentions her academic career at Murray State University and Indiana University during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s and her career as an artist in the 1970s and 1980s
OH239 Addie Chinn Oral History
Full text linkAddie Mae Chinn discusses segregation and being a student at Lincoln High School in Paducah, Kentucky during the 1920s. She mentions the teachers who most influenced her and her chosen career as a teacher and missionary. She recalls her experiences at West Kentucky Industrial College in the early 1930s. She offers insights on the Civil Rights movement decades after she had completed her education and provides her opinions on the positive impact of desegregation in school systems and the expansion of opportunities for younger generations of African Americans
OH255 Robert Larson Oral History
Full text linkRobert Larson began the interview by describing his early life in Paducah, Kentucky. He recounts his teachers, coaches, and classmates at the Garfield School and Lincoln High School in Paducah. He explains the changes in Paducah since his childhood in the 1920s and 1930s in terms of education and housing for African Americans. He discusses his reasons for approving affirmative action. He tells of the evacuation and relocation of Paducah residents during the Flood of 1937 and how the experience was an adventure for the youth. He mentions attending West Kentucky Vocational School during summer sessions. He feels that discrimination and prejudice toward African Americans will be improved due to continued racial integration in education. He cites his experience in the United States military during World War II as teaching him how to be flexible and adapt to being in environments with people from different cultures. He ends by describing the value of the education which he received in his youth in Paducah and the teachers who helped to shape him
OH224 Joe Pat Ward Oral History
Full text linkJoe Part Ward discusses his employment as head mail clerk for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) during the construction of the Kentucky Dam. He describes the living conditions and lack of industry in the region prior to the building of the dam. He recalls working on the family farm, the Great Depression, being hired by the TVA, work conditions, salaries, duties he performed, work related accidents, race relations, and the benefits of the dam to the region
OH079 Stafford Curd Oral History
Full text linkSanford Curd discusses events told to him by his father, Lander Curd, about the Night Riders and the criminal trials associated with the group at Murray, Kentucky. Lander Curd was a strong association man who only sold within the association and was never directly affected by the Night Riders
OH208 Thelbert Joyce Oral History
Full text linkThelbert Joyce describes life in Trigg County, Kentucky prior to the construction of the Kentucky Dam and his years of employment with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). He describes his duties during the dam\u27s construction prior to and after his service in the United States Navy during the Second World War. The topics discussed include working conditions, unions, hiring practices and the economic and environmental impact the dam had on Trigg County and the surrounding areas. Joyce also mentions his military service in the Navy, the administration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Night Riders, racial and class discrimination in Trigg County and the effects of the Social Security program
OH207 George P. Jessup, Jr. Oral History
Full text linkGeorge P. Jessup, Jr. describes his father’s, George P. Jessup, Sr., involvement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) during the construction of Kentucky Dam from 1938 to 1944. He provides a biographical sketch of his father’s life prior to working for the TVA and details his father’s employment on the Kentucky Dam. He also mentions his father’s interactions with TVA engineers and other employees. Jessup concludes with recollections on his father’s opinions on labor unions, racial relations, supervision of employees and the hierarchical structure adhered to by the TVA