Marshall Digital Scholar

Follow

• 

  Oral History Interview: Reverend Raymond Adkins

  Raymond Adkins

  Reverend Raymond Adkins was born on May 15, 1910, in Louisa, Kentucky. His family moved to West Virginia in 1911. Rev. Adkins had many vocations including working in coal mining, teaching, school administration as a principal, participating in politics, and being a member of the clergy. In his interview, Rev. Adkins discusses the characteristics of Appalachia and Appalachian people and culture. He focuses on one room school houses, Marshall College, Kermit, West Virginia, and Mingo County, West Virginia. In the audio clip provided, Rev. Adkins discusses classroom organization and education in a one room school.

• 

  Oral History Interview: William T. Arnold

  William T. Arnold

  William T. Arnold (Bill Arnold), a Native West Virginian, lived the majority of his life in Clay County. Mr. Arnold spent his early childhood on a farm on Galon Mountain. After the death of his father, Mr. Arnold moved with his family to various towns within Clay County. In 1911, when he was eleven years old, Mr. Arnold started his first job in coal mining, working thirteen hours a night as a water dipper. When he was eighteen years old, Mr. Arnold began working as a postman and delivered mail on a route near the New River, between the towns of Nutall and Devide. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Arnold describes delivering mail on his route during World War I. He discusses his wages and the weight of mail delivered to servicemen. In his interview, Mr. Arnold focuses on his life on the family farms, food preservation and preparation, the price of grocery items, and working with livestock.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Bertha May Asbury

  Bertha May Asbury

  Bertha May Asbury was born in 1888 and began attending school in a one-room school house in 1894 at the age of six. She attended school through the ninth grade. She left school at the age of 17 when she began “courtin’” with young men. In her interview, Mrs. Asbury discusses living on Route 4 in Kanawha County, West Virginia. She focuses on food preservation and preparation, planting and harvesting crops, building a new home, going to square dances, and quilting. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Asbury discusses what it was like to attend a square dance. She focuses on how she had to sneak out of the house with her neighbors to attend the dances.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Forrest Atkinson

  Forrest C. Atkinson

  During his interview, Forrest Atkinson reminisces about growing up on a farm in Cabell County, West Virginia. His father was a tobacco farmer and timber cutter. He focuses on food preservation processes and home entertainment, including music and books. He also focuses on changes in technology during his lifetime. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Atkinson discusses raising and selling tobacco.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Fay Ball

  Fay Ball

  Fay Ball was born on March 28, 1904, in Lincoln County, West Virginia. She was raised on a farm and shared most of the farming responsibilities with her family. Mrs. Ball discusses social interactions within the farming community of Lincoln County, including barn raisings and harvesting. She focuses on entertainment during her childhood and explains styles of popular music and games. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Ball discusses how to play games like “Blind Man,” “Aunt Me Over,” and “Nay Hide.”

• 

  Oral History Interview: Ethel Barnes

  Eva Ethel Barnes

  Eva Ethel Barnes, who is referred to as Ethel Barnes during her interview, was born on February 25, 1900, in Ivydale, Clay County, West Virginia. She attended a one room school house as a child. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Barnes discusses her education as a child in a one room school house. She focuses on the classroom schedule and her teachers at this school. During her interview she also discusses preserving and preparing food and soap with her mother.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Callie J. Barnett

  Callie J. Barnett

  Callie J. Barnett grew up in Ohio, but moved to Huntington, WV, in the early 1900s when her husband took a job as the principal of Douglass School, an African American school. In this interview, Mrs. Barnett focuses on segregation of schools in Huntington, and specifically discusses the differences between schools in West Virginia and Ohio. She emphasizes her decision to educate her sons in Granville, OH, instead of in Huntington, WV. She believed they had the opportunity for a better, more equal education in Ohio. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Barnett discusses the differences in the quality of supplies and education in the segregated schools of Huntington, WV. In her interview, Mrs. Barnett also focuses on African American jobs with C & O Railroad, African American churches in Huntington, WV, her father-in-law Dr. Barnett, and Carter G. Woodson, a family relative.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Larry Blackaby

  Larry Blackaby

  This interview is one of a series titled the Veterans History Project. Larry Blackaby was a veteran in the Vietnam War. He discusses: detailed information about basic training; detailed information about his experiences serving in Vietnam; a brief section on snakes in Vietnam, including an anecdote; a story of how he almost died; his experiences as part of military intelligence; R & R (Rest and Relaxation); his family; and other topics as well.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Randy Bowles

  Randy Bowles

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. Mr. Bowles discuses: duties during the war (including cut and point); his experiences during the war; morale during the war; his views on draft resisters; his experiences after the war (including his employment, which included Galpin's Music Company, K-Mart, a laundry, a post office in Charleston, and as a leather worker); as well as the Vietnam Veterans of America Home and its relationship to other veterans organizations.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Irene D. Broh

  Irene D. Broh

  Irene D. Broh was born on November 20, 1880, in Cincinnati, Ohio. Through the influence of her mother, a suffragist who worked with Susan B. Anthony, Mrs. Broh joined the suffrage movement and helped women earn the right to vote. After marrying Ephraim Broh in 1909, she moved to Huntington, WV, where she organized a suffrage club in 1915. Mrs. Broh became the first woman to vote in Cabell County, WV, in 1920. In her interview, Mrs. Broh focuses on her work for women’s suffrage. She describes how she organized her club, the voting facilities in Huntington, and her experience voting for the first time. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Broh discusses the suffrage question and being the first woman to vote in Cabell County. She describes the legitimacy of a woman’s vote. She focuses on her experience at Kessler’s Garage when she was ready to place her vote in the ballot box. In her interview, Mrs. Broh also mentions living during the Depression and the world wars, as well as, the flooding of the Ohio River and its tributaries in 1913 and 1937.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Frank Brooks

  Frank Brooks

  Frank Brooks was born in Fayette County, WV, but grew up in Carter County, KY, in the early 1900s. He attended a one room school house through the third grade. Mr. Brooks began working in coal mines with his father in Borderland, WV, when he was 13 years old. In the audio clip provided, he discusses his first time in a coal mine. He focuses on how he tried to appear bigger than he was in order to be able to work. In his interview, Mr. Brooks compares and contrasts the labor conditions in the mines before and after unionization. He discusses the mental and physical demands of being a coal miner. He describes using script in the company store and focuses on receiving a ‘red card’ that barred him from buying groceries. Mr. Brooks also focuses on his wages while working in the mines and discusses mine strikes in the 1940s.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Perry Campbell

  Perry Campbell

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. In this interview, Perry Campbell discusses: his childhood experiences leading up to his military service; some regrets he has about military service; his thoughts on the draft and military service; serving in Germany (including getting shot at for helping East Germans escape to West Germany); his experiences as a weapons tester with various types of firearms; his experiences in Vietnam; his thoughts on the war; the VVA organization (Vietnam Veterans of America); wounded soldiers; his employment; psychological problems from the war; Walter Reed Army Hospital; an incident where he was reported dead; and other topics.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Robert Cassell

  Robert Cassell

  At the time of the interview, Robert Cassell was working for the Veterans Administration in Charleston, WV. He discusses his background, his military service, his studies at Marshall University, President of the University Roland Nelson, student activism, newspapers, a book he was writing, and several wars (including ones in colonial times, Korea, and Vietnam).

• 

  Oral History Interview: Bob Chapman

  Bob Chapman

  Bob Chapman was born in Louisa, KY. He grew up on Homemade Holler in the coal community of McVeigh, KY, located in Pike County. His father worked for the Eastern Coal Corporation as an explosions miner. Mr. Chapman attended a two-room school house for a short time in the 1940s, but continued his education through high school in the McVeigh school system. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Chapman discusses a typical day in a coal community and the class system within this community. In his interview, he also focuses on the integration of Belfry High School in 1957, and his church community and the role of religion in his life.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Maurice Clark

  Maurice Clark

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. At the time of the interview, Maurice Clark was assistant vice president of Huntington Federal (bank?). He discusses: his personal history and his family; his service in Vietnam; contracting malaria in Vietnam; his views on the Vietnamese people; his experience returning to America after the war and his employment; and pursuing a degree at Marshall University.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Burl Collins

  Burl Collins

  Burl Collins was born on October 25, 1903. He was raised in McDowell County, West Virginia. When he was 15 years old, he started his first job in a coal mine. He worked in this mine for 33 years. Mr. Collins married and had 11 children, including eight girls and three boys. He discusses the social, economic, and technological changes during his lifetime. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Collins discusses his wedding and marriage.

• 

  Oral History Interview: David Conley

  David Conley

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. Mr. Conley discusses: his views on the Vietnamese people; relations between African-American soldiers and white soldiers; drugs and alcohol in the war; the protest movement; how veterans were treated when they returned home; his views on draft resisters; the effects of Vietnam on his life; other Vietnam veterans; how the Vietnamese treated American soldiers; and a brief mention of Jane Fonda.

• 

  Oral History Interview: John Sherman Cooper

  John Sherman Cooper

  In OH64-208, Senator John Sherman Cooper discusses his childhood, his education, community life, his political career, his legal career as a circuit judge, running for governor of Kentucky, his military career during World War II, the Marshall Plan, Congress, NATO, the United Nations, Communism, the Vietnam War, and serving as Ambassador to East Germany. He also discusses various political figures including Alban Barkley, Happy Chandler, chief Justice Frederick Vinson, Harry Truman, Joseph McCarthy, Dwight Eisenhower, Lyndon Johnson, John F. Kennedy (and his assassination), and Barry Goldwater.

  In OH64-208A, Cooper discusses the Vietnam War in depth. The interview also includes sections on President Eisenhower, World War II, President Kennedy and the Cuban Missile Crisis, President Johnson, senator Fulbright and other member of Congress, and President Nixon.

• 

  Oral History Interview: William Allen Cross

  William Allen Cross

  In his interview, William Allen Cross discusses Prohibition and bootlegging in Huntington, West Virginia. Mr. Cross was a theater manager for the Keith Albee Theater (referred to as the State Theater) in Huntington, WV. Although he did not make moonshine, he was a buyer during Prohibition. He discusses how bootleggers sold their whiskey and provides locations for stills. Mr. Cross also focuses on how to make moonshine, whiskey, and wine. He reminiscences about “the Strip” between 10^th and 11^th Streets in Huntington, WV, that served from 1925-1945 as a red-light, gambling, and bootlegging district. In the audio clip provided, Mr. Cross discusses using a “party system” to purchase moonshine. He also focuses on the social ramifications of buying and consuming moonshine.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Fred Donovan

  Fred Donovan

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. Dr. Donovan was a Vietnam veteran who was drafted in 1969 while he was a University of Iowa graduate student studying clinical psychology. He lost his leg in the service. At the time of the interview, he was working at the Shawnee Hills Mental Center in Charleston, WV. He discusses: going back to school after returning from Vietnam; disapproval towards the war and how people related that to him; Agent Orange; the VVA (Vietnam Veterans of America), VFW (Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States); Ernestine Thornton (who was a combat nurse also interviewed for the Oral History of Appalachia program); and other topics.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Dave Evans and Rick Richards

  Dave Evans

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans, and is conducted with both Dave Evans and Rick Richards. At the time of the interview, Dave Evans was the president of the West Virginia Vietnam Veterans of America, and Rick Richards was a member of the board. They discuss: individuals such as John Kerry (U.S. Senator), Danny Johns, Charlie Hamilton, Roy Hamilton, General Westmoreland, Ellsworth Bunker, Pol Pot, Jay Rockefeller, Randy Horn, Arch Moore, Gary Rogers, Jack Moon, & David Alistone; their experiences and views on the Vietnam War; other officers; other members of the military; draft resisters; discrimination against Vietnam veterans; being wounded in Vietnam and other wounded soldiers; Vietnam Veterans of America; several veterans-related committees they've dealt with; relations with the news media; politics relating to the war; some mention of the Sandinistas; the anti-war movement; and other topics.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Bill Fox

  Bill Fox

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. At the time of the interview, Bill Fox was an employee of Bailey and Thompson (Accounting?). He discusses: his family (including relatives who fought in the Civil War); his education; his employment; enlisting in the military; his training in the military; his experiences in the Vietnam War; anecdotes; weapons they used in the War; a very brief section on skin diving & fishing; returning to America; his views on big business; reenrolling in college and his experiences there; his marriage and divorce; working in the Owens Illinois glass plant; and discrimination against Vietnam veterans.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Mildred Brown Gallion

  Mildred Brown Gallion

  Mildred Brown Gallion was born in Charleston, WV, in the early 1900s. During the 1930s and 1940s, Mrs. Gallion served as a nurse for the African-American schools in Kanawha County. Much of her work with children at this time occurred outside of the schools. She investigated and reported overlooked medical issues of school-aged children throughout rural Kanawha County. Mrs. Gallion advocated for equal medical treatment, equipment, and facilities for African-Americans. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Gallion explains how she vocalized her dissent of inadequate medical equipment to serve all of the children of Kanawha County. Mrs. Gallion continued to serve the Kanawha County African-American community as a public health nurse for St. Francis and Charleston General Hospital.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Josephine R. Gorby

  Josephine R. Gorby

  Josephine Gorby was born on February 24, 1908. She began her teaching career in a one-room school in Wimmer, McDowell County, WV. In 1931 she began teaching in Lawrence County, OH. Mrs. Gorby’s interview focuses on growing up on a farm near Proctorville, OH, her experiences as an educator, her family’s experience during World War I, and the 1937 flood of the Ohio River and its tributaries. In the audio clip provided, Mrs. Gorby discusses the impact of the 1937 flood on the school house in Athalia, OH. During her interview, she also focuses on the construction and use of the balcony of the Rome Methodist Church. According to Mrs. Gorby, the balcony served to segregate the African-American community from the white community of the church.

• 

  Oral History Interview: Glen Hager

  Glen Hager

  This interview is one of a series conducted concerning West Virginia Vietnam veterans. At the time of the interview, Glen Hager was a staff member of the Veteran's Outreach Center. He discusses: the history, function, and duties of the Center; his service in the Navy during the Vietnam War; alcohol abuse during the war; his interactions with the Vietnamese people; suicide; his discharge from service; enrolling at Marshall University after the war; student protests to the war; his counseling degree; bureaucracies; the relationships between Vietnam veterans and veterans of other wars; and his work with mentally ill patients.