James Barnhill discusses his time in the United States Army during the Cold War. In particular, he comments on his being stationed in Germany, the things he loved about living there, the types of cars, the food he enjoyed, and the pressures of being in the Army. He also details what he believes cilivians should know about military life.
Andrew Mencin discusses his twenty year career in the Air Force, and his current service in the Reserves. In particular, he discusses his path to becoming a leader, the ways he helped his people prepare for deployments, the mental struggles of deployments, and his experiences with other cultures.
Angel Lewis discusses his enlistment in the Army, his thoughts on serving, his job and position while enlisted, as well as the best and worst aspects of life in the service.
Glenn Rogers discusses his experiences with being drafted into the Army during the Vietnam War. In particular, Rogers comments on being injured, his experiences with Agent Orange, as well as his expereinces as a Prisoner of War and the effects it had on him after he returned home.
Joe Estes discusses his experiences while growing up and living in both Estill and Madison County. Interview topics include farming and farm life, local oil, timber, and coal booms, and an extended conversation over living and working near the Kentucky River. Other topics include his education, changes in healthcare, and a 627 page monograph he…
Billy Cooper discusses his experiences while growing up in Estill County on a mountain farm. Interview topics include extended conversations about mountain life, including home remedies, farming, raising hogs, gardening, canning, logging, preserving meat, and the social importance of fairs and festivals. The remainder of the interview addresses the…
Melvin Higgins discusses growing up on a farm in Magoffin County. He also comments extensively on Berea, which is where his parents moved their family so his siblings could have better access to schools. Interview topics include discussions about farm life, his family history, military service and work histories, and Berea College's social and…
This interview with Maudie Tyra is the second of a two part series. Interview topics include discussions over transportation (railroads), her home life while growing up, and the importance of mission work in the area. An extended conversation over the ways that the Dessie Scott Children's Home in Breathitt County helped shape her upbringing takes…
John Parks shares his experiences of growing up on a farm in Madison County. Interviews topics include discussions about farm life, churches, home remedies, raising livestock, education, discipline, crime rates, and the excitements he felt when attending Court Days, festivals, and fairs.
Mattie Mastin, born in Crystal, Kentucky discusses growing up in the Estill/Madison County area. Mastin comments extensively on her family history and the major changes in transportation, education, and healthcare that she has witnessed in her lifetime.
Virginia Yeager discusses growing up in Estill County during the early 20th Century. Being the oldest child in her family Yeager took on a great deal of responsibility at a young age; she eventually became a school teacher at 17 years old. Other interview topics include her education, local church histories, changes in crime rates and industry, and…
Douglas Browning discusses his eventful life after being raised in Mount Sterling, Montgomery County, Kentucky. Browning concludes that after leaving Montgomery County, where his family had resided for over 14 generations, he traveled the country and worked at approximately 45 jobs and moved 40 times. Other interview topics include his education…
Mary Elizabeth Clay discusses growing up and living in Berea as an African American in the early 20th Century. Clay comments extensively on her home life, education and career as a maid, and Berea College's overall influence on the area. She also details the current needs of senior citizens.
Edward Drake discusses growing up in Irvine, Kentucky as the son of a railroad worker. Drake details his early childhood and his eventual employment in the same line of work as his father. Drake comments extensively on his education and work history, as well as relevant changes and the constants in Irvine, such as high unemployment rates. He…
Harvey Robinson discusses growing up as an African American in Clark County. Robinson worked in the tobacco fields before moving to Ohio for a short time, only to return to the Winchester area to work for the American Tobacco Company in the winter and, before it shutdown, the C & O Railroad for the remaining months of the year. Robinson comments…
Elmer Combs discusses growing up on a farm in Perry County near Hazard, Kentucky. Interview topics include discussions about coal mining, farming and farm life, self-sufficiency practices, molasses production, and other related changes from the times of his youth to the present.
Isaac Bruton Sr. discusses his life experiences as an African American carpenter, farmer, and railroad worker. He comments extensively on race relations, growing up and working as an African American, and the role that community, hard work and compassion have played in his life. He concludes that the country way of life kept families and…
Emma Woosley discusses growing up in Estill County, where they moved frequently and made do with little money. Woosley also comments extensively on the role that neighbors, religion, education, and, more generally, the community has played in the lives of past and present Estill County residents.
Helen Davis Walker discusses growing up as the daughter of an African American sharecropper and domestic worker. Walker comments extensively on the differences between living in the country as a young girl and later in Winchester KY as a teenager and adult. Walker also comments on changes in race relations, schools, and, more generally, economic…
