Ernest Vandiver interviewed by Hal Henderson. Vandiver discusses his early life and education, including his high school activities, and his friends from high school, college, and law school. He also talks about members of his administration when he…
Gussie Davis Phillips is interviewed by her niece, Mattie Davis Hubbard about her involvement with civil rights and community activism. Phillips discusses her brothers' involvement in the World War II effort. She recalls her brothers' fight for…
John S. Candler, II, discusses his lifelong friendship with Dean Rusk. He speaks of their youth and attendance at Boys' High School in Atlanta and later at Davidson College. He speaks of Rusk as Secretary of State and of his involvement in the…
Richard Rusk interviews Frederick Davison about higher education and about Dean Rusk accepting a position at UGA.Frederick Davison was vice chancellor of the University System Georgia (1966-1967) and president of the University of Georgia…
Side 1 of this recording is closed. Side 2 consists of a transcript of the television show “Dean Rusk Visit to Davidson College, 1962.” This recording includes interviews about Rusk’s student days at Davidson College.Frontis Johnston was a former…
Dean Rusk, Richard Rusk, and John Haag discuss higher education, the Rhodes Scholarship, Germany history from 1933-1945, and Great Britain, including British colonies, diplomatic and consular service, economic and social conditions, and intellectual…
Shirley Carver Miller is the wife of former Georgia Governor and U.S. Senator Zell Miller. Her platform as first lady was adult literacy, and she campaigned to increase the number of people passing General Education Development tests. Miller…
Milton Raven was born in Plains, Georgia in 1931 though he grew up in Archery, Georgia as the youngest of five brothers. In this interview, Raven describes his upbringing, college education, work in the Army and his career as a teacher and principal.…
Frank Bird is a teacher in Georgia and he talks about his background in teaching, his teaching philosophy, and becoming involved with the Foxfire teaching program. He also talks about incorporating hands-on learning in his classroom. This interview…
Jan Buley teaches literacy at the graduate level in Ontario, Canada. In this interview, she talks about her early education, her development as a teacher, and her introduction to, and continuing involvement with, the Foxfire teacher workshops in…
Dorothy Partridge is an educator and one of the participants in the earliest teacher workshops offered by Foxfire founder, Eliot Wigginton. She talks about that experience and the Foxfire model as a whole. This interview is part of the Georgia…
Anne Brightwell grew up in the small town of Union, Missouri, outside of St. Louis. She graduated from Lindenwood College, and was involved in social activism relating to race and integration alongside her husband Frank. After moving to Athens,…
Lemuel LaRoche, also known as a Life The Griot, is a poet, community activist, and founder of the Athens non-profit, Chess and Community. He grew up in New York, and moved to Georgia where he attended Gordon College and later transferred to the…
Hattie Heflin was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia in 1954. She grew up on a family farm in Comer, Georgia as one of eleven children. Heflin’s family moved to Athens while she was in the fourth grade. She came to attend the then recently-integrated…
Smothers relates her own educational experiences in traditional schools to her experience at the Freedom to Grow Unschool, an alternative school outside of Athens, Georgia. She discusses the "unschooling" philosophy, how it's applied at Freedom to…
Donarell R. Green III was born in Atlanta, Georgia in 1946. His family moved to Athens shortly after his birth to start a medical practice for Black Athenians. In this interview he remembers the Susan Medical Center, growing up as the son of a…
Michael Middlebrooks was born in Athens, Georgia in 1956 and lived there for the majority of his life. He attended the University of Georgia and later worked for Georgia Power for 40 years. In this interview, Middlebrooks recalls his upbringing, the…
Fannie Smith was born in Oglethorpe County, GA and, as a child, moved with her family to Athens, GA, where she remained the rest of her life. In this interview she talks about integrating Clarke County schools, working through high school and…
Lora Smothers, though not born and raised in Athens, felt compelled to do something about the Black education crisis in the community. Her own experiences in school, college, and graduate school made it clear to her that Black education was becoming…
Julita Sanders was born in Athens-Clarke County in 1974 and was raised by a single mother. In this interview, Sanders shares her experience in school and how it led to working with at-risk youth as an adult. Sanders discusses Juvenile Offender…
LaKeisha Gantt was born in Athens in 1978, where she attended elementary through high school. In her undergraduate years, Gantt knew that she wanted to help people, but wasn’t sure how; through graduate school and upon completing her Ph.D in…
Patricia Clifton was born and raised in Miami, Florida, moved frequently during her early adulthood, and moved permanently to Athens in 1976. In this interview, Clifton shares about her experiences working for Clarke County Public Schools and as the…
Ethel Johnson was born in Athens in 1940, where she grew up and attended West Broad, Reese Street, and Athens Industrial and High School. In this interview, Johnson relates her experiences from grade school to graduate school. She talks about her…
Continuing from her first interview, Ethel Johnson discusses her time in graduate school and from her career. In this interview, Johnson shares her experiences with integration as a teacher and how she became more involved in social services as her…
Jessica Johnson was born in Athens in 1969, where she attended Alps Road Elementary School, Burney-Harris Middle School, and Clarke Central High School. Johnson earned her undergraduate degree from North Carolina Central University and her graduate…
Phyllis Juliette Quick Stewart was born and raised in Greensboro, North Carolina but has spent the majority of her adult life in Georgia. She was a life-long educator, beginning as an elementary school teacher and retiring as elementary school…
Valdon Daniel was raised in Broadacres Homes and attended West Broad Elementary School, to which he walked every day with his older siblings. Daniel loved math, and spent much of his adult career teaching mathematics in elementary school. In this…
Angela Jackson was born in Athens in 1960 and attended several schools around the county growing up. Many of Jackson’s family were educators, and so education became an important part of her life. In this interview, Jackson discusses her experience…
Xernona Thomas was born in Athens in 1969 to a loving home in which she admits she was spoiled by attention. She was the first Black student to be enrolled in Athens Academy, but she finished her education within the Clarke County school system. In…
Melvin Stroud was born and raised in Athens and has worked in the city for decades. Stroud attended Union Baptist Institute and Athens High and Industrial before furthering his education at Fort Valley State University. In this interview, Stroud…
Aurelia Scott was born and raised in Linden, New Jersey before moving to Athens, Georgia. Scott has devoted her life to being an educator and an active member of her community. In this interview, Scott discusses her childhood in New Jersey, her…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Barbara Barnett was born in Athens, Georgia in 1950. Barnett is an active member of the Athens community who has dedicated her life to working with youth. In this interview she remembers her early…
Barbara Barnett is an active member of the community who has dedicated her life to working with the youth. Barnett has served as a Program Director of Rites of Passage, an organization focused on empowering Black youth through Black history…
Charles Stroud was born in Athens in 1939 to a tight-knit community. Stroud describes many of the neighborhood figures of his childhood as cousins, uncles, or aunts, even if they weren’t related by blood. Stroud was an educator in Macon and Athens…
James Fair was born in 1946 and grew up in Broad Acres Public Housing in Athens. After graduating with a business degree from Southern University, Fair worked in the Housing Authority, but was well known for coaching youth football and becoming…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Tony Rucker was born near Commerce in 1953 and grew up playing piano and saxophone. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate and masters’ degrees before attending Florida State…
Charles Worthy was born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama. He attended Alabama State University in Montgomery, meeting his wife during his time there, and later moved to Athens for work. In this interview, he talks about his journey from a youth in…
Content Warning: This interview contains racial slurs.Mildred White was born in 1947 in the Rabbit Eye community of Athens near the current Oconee Heights area. In this interview, she discusses growing up in a rural community, her education, and the…
Annie Mildred Sims Lyle was born in Athens, Georgia in 1944 and was raised in the Eastside. In this interview, she talks about her experience of earning an education amidst many obstacles. She describes how she was treated as a result of her becoming…
Janice Turner Roundtree was born in Athens, GA in 1942 and raised in the Timothy Road community. She worked in the Athens-Clarke County School System for over 28 years and now enjoys retirement with her husband of 57 years. In this interview, she…
Danny Ronell Davenport was born in Athens, Georgia in 1965 and was raised in the Pauldoe/Jack R. Wells Community. In this interview, he details a history of his life, from childhood to his long-standing career with the Athens Housing Authority,…
William James Breeding, Jr. was born in Dalton, Georgia and spent his youth there. He experienced how the schools in Greene County handled integration, and found success in athletics there and beyond at the University of Georgia. In this interview,…
Deryl Bailey, born in 1960 in North Carolina, was raised by a single mother and his grandparents. He attended the University of Virginia, among other institutions. In this interview, Bailey reflects on his academic journey, from disliking school as a…
Earnest Thompson was born in 1935 in Charleston, South Carolina. He was raised through the Great Depression and gives a look into what childhood was like in that era. In this interview, Thompson details his life, his career, and his views, providing…
Gwendolyn Stevens was born in Athens, Georgia in 1961. She is currently enjoying retirement after a long career in education. In this interview she discusses her upbringing in Athens, including her experiences with desegregation in elementary school…
Arthur Hinton, Jr. was born in 1957 and grew up in Aliceville, Alabama. He went through the school system there, starting at a small country school run by his family and graduating from Aliceville High School following integration. He continued his…
Dr. James Washington, Jr. was born in 1950 in Perry, Florida. In this second interview, Washington talks about his life post-high school, and remembers his time at Florida A&M University, where he majored in mathematics. He also talks about his…
Dr. Frankie Hill was born in 1950, and was raised in Florida alongside a large family. In this interview, Hill tells her story, beginning from entering first grade at an early age to serving in administrative positions in the Clarke County School…
Dr. Cshanyse Allen was born in 1973 and was raised in Athens. She went through school in Clarke County and graduated from Cedar Shoals High School before enrolling at Florida A&M University. She completed her Bachelor’s degree at Clark Atlanta…
Gloria Little was born in Athens, Georgia in 1932, and grew up on John Street in East Athens. In her youth, she attended historic Athens Black schools like East Athens Elementary, Reese Street School, and Athens High and Industrial before enrolling…
Hull was born in Athens, Georgia where he was first introduced to music through the Hill Chapel Baptist Church. Hull has worked with music his whole life, though his degree is in Education and Family Development. He currently works as the Clarke…
Jean Walker-Harps was born in 1939 and grew up on a farm in Glenville, Georgia. She attended Morris-Brown College and in 1961, she moved to Griffin, Georgia where she worked as a teacher at Fairmont High School. During the Civil Rights Movement,…
Curtis Jones grew up in Griffin, Georgia during segregation. As a child, he was one of the first students to integrate into Sacred Heart Elementary and later was one of the first to integrate into Griffin High School. Jones attended West Point…
Charlotte Eady was born in Blackshear, Georgia, and grew up during mandatory integration, being one of first three African American students at her high school. Eady works as an associate professor of education leadership at Jacksonville State…
Walter Pyron was born in Griffin, Georgia and attended Anna Shockley Elementary during the years of segregation. Pyron additionally worked as the band director for Griffin High School before becoming the assistant principal of Futral Road Elementary…
Reverend James Williams is the Church Historian for Mount Pleasant Baptist Church. He grew up in El Paso, Texas before moving to Elbert County, Georgia at age ten. In this interview, he focuses on his education. He compares his integrated school in…
