Request Material





  Table of Contents

Descriptive Summary
Collection Description
Administrative Information
Related Materials and Subjects
Series Descriptions and Folder Listing
I. Georgia Narratives 2012-2014
FPP-0001 Skip Hulett and Dana Miller 2012 June 22
FPP-0002 Daniel Riggs and Sandra Riggs 2012 June 22
FPP-0003 Christine Packwood and Virginia Schultz 2012 June 22
FPP-0004 Dawn Bennett-Alexander and Jenniffer Jones 2012 October 12
FPP-0005 Dink NeSmith and Marjorie NeSmith 2012 October 12
FPP-0006 Adam Hebbard and Jan Levinson 2012 October 12
FPP-0007 L. Randolph Carter, Litashia Carter, and Rayna Carter 2013 February 08
FPP-0008 Needham Yancey Gulley and Corey Johnson 2013 February 08
FPP-0009 April King and Jake Mosley 2013 February 8
FPP-0010 Dawn Bennett-Alexander and Jenniffer Jones 2013 February 8
FPP-0011 Seth Hendershot and Bob Brussack 2013 April 19
FPP-0012 Bruce Allen and Lauren Griffeth 2013 April 19
FPP-0013 Louis Boyd and Robert Henry Bohler 2013 April 19
FPP-0014 Geneva Blasingame, Renee Donnell, and Laura Duvekot 2013 July 12
FPP-0015 Fannie Jordan, Renee Donnell, and Laura Duvekot 2013 July 12
FPP-0016 Sally Rhoden and Jodi Rhoden 2013 July 12
FPP-0017 Hans Neuhauser and Betsy Bean 2013 July 12
FPP-0018 Bennie Tillman Sr., Renee Donnell, and Laura Duvekot 2013 July 12
FPP-0019 Jill Clement and Louis Boyd 2013 September 13
FPP-0020 Charles Clement and Louis Boyd 2013 September 13
FPP-0029 Louis Boyd and Rev. Charlie Cook 2013 December 6
FPP-0044 Raleigh Saperstein and Callie Holmes 2014 April 4
FPP-0045 Kai Reidl and Jacob Kennedy 2014 April 4
FPP-0046 Jacob Kennedy and Landon Bubb 2014 April 4
FPP-0047 Iva Dimitrova and Christina Cotsakis 2014 April 4
FPP-0052 Paul Van Wicklen and Mary Linneman 2014 July 11
FPP-0053 Frank McGill and Louis Boyd 2014 July 11
FPP-0054 Emogene Williams and Rev. Avis Williams 2014 July 11
FPP-0061 H. Edsel Benson and Alexandra Krier 2015 March 3
FPP-0062 Claude Williams and Chinyere Uziogwe 2015 March 5
FPP-0063 Philip Pollock, Jr., and Shannon Roy 2015 March 5
FPP-0064 Duard Baxter and Tina Dimnwaobi 2015 March 6
FPP-0065 Conulus Scott and Chanice Porter 2015 March 18
FPP-0066 Kirin Thurman and Alexander Stephens 2015 June 19
FPP-0067 Frank Bird and Iva Dimitrova 2016 June 25
FPP-0068 Jan Buley and Iva Dimitrova 2016 June 25
FPP-0069 Dorothy Partridge and Iva Dimitrova 2016 August 29
FPP-0070 Dawn Bennett-Alexander and Jennifer Jones 2016 October 28
FPP-0071 Jack Edmunds and Asa Phillips
II. Americus, Georgia 2013 December 3-4
FPP-0021 George Hooks and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0022 Charles Crisp and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0023 Russell Thomas and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0024 William Harris and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0025 Jane Butler and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0026 Willie Green Cutts and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0027 Milton Raven and Angie Singletary 2013 December 3
FPP-0028 Linda Fuller Degelmann and Angie Singletary 2013 December 4
III. Hawkinsville, Georgia 2014 February 6-7
FPP-0030 Chuck Southerland and Eddie Coleman 2014 February 6
FPP-0031 Butch Hall and Sam Way 2014 February 6
FPP-0032 Sam Way 2014 February 6
FPP-0033 Ed Darsey, John Calvin Hadden, and Emmett Head 2014 February 6
FPP-0034 Henry Cravey, Phil NeSmith, and Chuck Southerland 2014 February 7
FPP-0035 Leslie Sewell, Lee Slade, and Chuck Southerland 2014 February 7
FPP-0036 Emmett Head 2014 February 7
FPP-0037 Carlton Morrison 2014 February 7
IV. Plains, Georgia 2014 February 20-21
FPP-0038 Allene Haugabook and Steve Short 2014 February 20
FPP-0039 C.L Walters and Steve Short 2014 February 20
FPP-0040 Jan Williams and Angie Singletary 2014 February 20
FPP-0041 Sandra Walters and Angie Singletary 2014 February 20
FPP-0042 Jimmy Carter and Sybil Carter 2014 February 21
FPP-0043 Ray Baldwin and Angie Singletary 2014 February 21
V. Beech Haven, Athens, Georgia 2014 April 4-9
FPP-0048 Mike Wharton 2014 April 9
FPP-0049 Jack and Alice Rowland 2014 April 9
FPP-0050 Sam Thomas 2014 April 14
FPP-0051 Katherine "Kitty" Ross 2014 April 14
First Person Project

First Person Project

Descriptive Summary

Title: First Person Project
Creator: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Inclusive Dates: 2012-2018
Language(s): English
Extent: 71 interview(s)
Collection Number: RBRL324FPP
Repository: Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies
Abstract: The First Person Project collects personal narratives and oral histories documenting life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Interviews are usually between two friends or family members and typically focus on personal stories such as relationships and family histories. Interviews also touch on larger historical and cultural themes such as racial identity, religion, gay rights, the death penalty, and life in Athens and in Georgia.

Collection Description

Historical Note

The First Person Project was launched by the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies in 2012 to record and preserve stories of life in post-twentieth century Georgia. Modeled roughly on StoryCorps, the First Person Project is smaller in scale but similar in concept--an oral history program designed to capture the stories of everyday Georgians. Interviewees are self-selecting. Pairs of friends or loved ones register to participate in the First Person Project on a designated day, and the conversation (up to forty minutes) is facilitated and recorded by Russell archivists.

Scope and Content

The First Person Project collects personal narratives and oral histories documenting life in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. Interviews are usually between two friends or family members and typically focus on personal stories such as relationships and family histories. Interviews also touch on larger historical and cultural themes such as racial identity, religion, environmental history, gay rights, the death penalty, and life in Athens and in Georgia.

Organization and Arrangement

Interviews are arranged chronologically by date of recording.


Administrative Information

Preferred citation

First Person Project, Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

Copyright Information

Resources may be used under the guidelines described by the U.S. Copyright Office in Section 107, Title 17, United States Code (Fair use). Parties interested in production or commercial use of the resources should contact the Russell Library for a fee schedule.

Finding Aid Publication

Finding aid prepared on: 2013.


Related Materials and Subjects

Subject Terms

Oral histories.

Related Collections in Other Repositories

StoryCorps Collection in the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress


Series Descriptions and Folder Listing

 

I. Georgia Narratives

28 interview(s)



FPP-0001 Skip Hulett and Dana Miller

( 40 minutes )
Skip Hulett talks with Dana Miller about his relationship with Mitchell Terry Mincey, a death row inmate who was executed in Bibb County in October 2001. Hulett, a newspaper reporter before coming to work at UGA, had known Mincey since covering Mincey's murder trial in 1982.
Skip Hulett audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0002 Daniel Riggs and Sandra Riggs

( 25 minutes )
Sandra and Daniel Riggs discuss racial identity, education, and religious faith.
Sandra Higgs audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0003 Christine Packwood and Virginia Schultz

( 29 minutes ) Access Online
Christine Packwood interviews Athens native Virginia Schultz. Schultz talks about her experience growing up in Normaltown in the 1930s and 1940s, working for the University of Georgia and General Motors, her family, and her religious life--particularly her involvement in Beech Haven Baptist Church.



FPP-0004 Dawn Bennett-Alexander and Jenniffer Jones

( 40 minutes )
Jenniffer Jones interviews her mother, Dawn Bennett-Alexander, about her early life in Washington D.C., including Bennett-Alexander's experiences during segregation and her memories of attending the March on Washington in 1963. Bennett-Alexander also discusses race and diversity and her career at the University of Georgia.
Dawn Bennett-Alexander audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0005 Dink NeSmith and Marjorie NeSmith

( 45 minutes ) Access Online
Henry "Dink" NeSmith interviews his mother, Marjorie NeSmith, about her early life, living in Putney, Georgia, and later in Baker County. Marjorie talks about being in college at Georgia Southwestern State University when the US entered World War II, working for Dupont in Alabama and for the US Maritime Commission during the war, falling in love with her husband, and the birth of her children and growth of her family.



FPP-0006 Adam Hebbard and Jan Levinson

( 38 minutes ) Access Online
Jan Levinson interviews Adam Hebbard about early life, growing up in various locations throughout the Southeast and in Australia. Topics include Hebbard's parents' backgrounds, family vacations, holidays, and Hebbard's relationship with his siblings.



FPP-0007 L. Randolph Carter, Litashia Carter, and Rayna Carter

( 31 minutes ) Access Online
Rayna Carter, age 9, interviews her parents, Raymond and Litashia Carter, about her birth and their family.



FPP-0008 Needham Yancey Gulley and Corey Johnson

( 35 minutes ) Access Online
Yancey Gulley and Corey Johnson discuss the development of their relationship over the past decade, finding a balance between career and family, and their community involvement and activism in Athens.



FPP-0009 April King and Jake Mosley

( 21 minutes ) Access Online
April King and Jake Mosley discuss their relationship, from meeting at a Drive-By Truckers show at the 40 Watt Club to their upcoming nuptials in South Carolina.



FPP-0010 Dawn Bennett-Alexander and Jenniffer Jones

( 38 minutes ) Access Online
Jenniffer Jones interviews her mother, Dawn Bennett-Alexander, about first loves, how relationships change and grow, and "the gender of love."



FPP-0011 Seth Hendershot and Bob Brussack

( 35 minutes )
Bob Brussack interviews Seth Hendershot about Seth's involvement with the music scene in Athens in the early '90s, jazz in Athens, and Seth's experiences in the business world including founding Hendershot's Coffee Bar.
Seth Hendershot audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0012 Bruce Allen and Lauren Griffeth

( 39 minutes ) Access Online
Lauren Griffith interviews Dr. Bruce Allen, Honorary Consul of Liechtenstein to the South, about his early life, his family, his interest in foreign service, his memories of UGA (including the Snack Shack), and the role of public diplomacy.



FPP-0013 Louis Boyd and Robert Henry Bohler

( 37 minutes ) Access Online
Louis Boyd interviews his friend and neighbor Robert Henry Bohler about his transient childhood growing up in the Great Depression and his experiences at Berry College and at Fort Sill in Oklahoma during World War II. Bohler also talks about meeting his wife, attending Georgia Tech on the G.I. Bill, and his career at Georgia Power.



FPP-0014 Geneva Blasingame, Renee Donnell, and Laura Duvekot

( 37 minutes )
Geneva Johnson Blasingame discusses the Linnentown, also known as Lindentown, community and Black neighborhoods in Athens, Georgia. She recalls the University's efforts to push out black communities in 1962. Blasingame comments on the children attending the Union Institute, working in the garden before school, and making soap with her mother. She describes how the neighborhood has changed from "the place to be," to a bad neighborhood, and presently to a good neighborhood. Blasingame recalls picking cotton with her mother and buying shoes from the kurd (flea) market. She recalls attending the Honor Grove Baptist Church, meeting her first husband on a dare, and finishing high school in 1964. Blasingame reflects on demonstrating in downtown Athens when the University of Georgia was integrated, and going to jail as a result. She discusses the jobs she's held, including at a sewing factory, the poultry plant, and at a Creation Windows off of Cleveland Road.
Geneva Blasingame audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0015 Fannie Jordan, Renee Donnell, and Laura Duvekot

( 37 minutes )
Fannie Jordan discusses being born in Athens on Hull Street in 1922 and subsequently moving to Church Street, Finley Street, and Hancock Street. She reflects on playing basketball in school and attending a two-story school on Finley and Reese Street. Jordan recalls spending her time skating and participating in Girl Scouts. She comments on the neighborhood being connected like a family and describes how her house has changed since she's lived in it. Jordan discusses her two marriages, her experience in Athens during the Civil Rights Movement, and her time attending West Broad Street School.
Fannie Jordan audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0016 Sally Rhoden and Jodi Rhoden

( 47 minutes )
Sally Brown Rhoden recalls growing up in Monroe, Georgia. She discusses seeing plays at the Fox Theater, her family, and social life. She recalls participating in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade with the Monroe Drum and Bugle Corps. She reflects on her involvement in the Shelter Occupancy Research Project through the University of Georgia in 1963, a project that simulated bomb shelter conditions by keeping about 30 participants underground for two weeks. Rhoden explains the application process and the tests administered before going underground. She remembers eating K-rations, sleeping on a concrete floor, and drinking chlorinated water. Rhoden recalls the researchers sending food smells into the chamber and obsessing about what she would eat once she got out. Rhoden recalls being elected "social chair" by the group and occupying the time by planning social discussions, experimenting with hypnosis, and celebrating every single holiday during the two-week span. She discusses keeping a daily journal in the bomb shelter, buying a typewriter and stereo system with her compensation ($500) for participating in the project. Rhoden recalls the events of the Civil Rights Movement in Monroe, including fights breaking out on Main Street, colored water fountains in public places, and the Moore's Ford lynching in Walton County.
Sally Rhoden and Jodi Rhoden audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0017 Hans Neuhauser and Betsy Bean

( 39 minutes )
Hans Neuhauser discusses his early life and his decision to attend the University of Georgia in 1964. He recalls his decision to work with the Coastal Plains Conservancy in Savannah in 1972 and explains what sparked his interest in the Georgia coast. Neuhauser explains how the Junior League of Savannah teamed up with the Georgia Conservancy to start a chapter to protect Georgia's coast. He recalls redeveloping Tybee Island's beach and finding the connection between harbor channels and beach erosion. Neuhauser comments on the Kerr McGee proposal to drill for phosphate mining in Chatham County and Governor Maddox's request for help from the University System of Georgia. He discusses the Coastal Marshland Protection Act of 1970, preservation of the Okefenokee wilderness area, and Cumberland Island. Neuhauser explains his role in preservation of calving grounds for right whales.
Hans Neuhauser and Betsy Bean audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0018 Bennie Tillman Sr., Renee Donnell, and Laura Duvekot

( 43 minutes )
Bennie Tillman discusses his early life, family, education, and career. He recalls working for contractor J.W. Davis, Snelling Dining Commons, and for St. Mary's Hospital as a cook. Tillman reflects on living in Rocksprings, raising and keeping chickens, and growing a garden. He also comments on enjoying golf, hunting rabbits, and moving to his current house in 1948. Tillman discusses the development Athens underwent in the 1930s and 1940s and his pastimes as a youngster of swimming, fishing, and playing football.
Bennie Tillman, Sr. audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0019 Jill Clement and Louis Boyd

( 28 minutes ) Access Online
Louis Boyd interviews Jill Clement. Clement talks about her early life in Massachusetts and her decision to attend Piedmont College in Demorest, Ga., where she met her husband, Charles Clement (see FPP-0020). Clement discusses her decades of involvement with the Presbyterian Church, where she advocated for more leadership roles for women and became one of the first female deacons and elders in the church. Clement briefly touches on her time as a missionary in Everett, Kentucky--deep in the heart of coal-mining country--where she attended a church with a congregation that handled snakes.



FPP-0020 Charles Clement and Louis Boyd

( 44 minutes ) Access Online
Louis Boyd interviews Dr. Charles Clement. Clement discusses the background of his family, who settled in Indian territory in Oklahoma before moving west to Moscow, Idaho. He talks about his father's experience in a one-room school house where he learned geography by "bounding" the states--memorizing the states that bordered a particular state. Clement talks about moving with his parents to Georgia and his time in the Air Force. He remembers meeting his wife at Piedmont College at the end of World War II (see FPP-0019) and his career as a professor at Piedmond College and the University of Georgia. Clement also mentions working on an economic impact study of Cumberland Island commissioned by the National Park Service.



FPP-0029 Louis Boyd and Rev. Charlie Cook

( 39 minutes ) Access Online
Reverend Charlie Cook was born in Greer, South Carolina. As a child, Cook's family moved around the southeast, which resulted in Cook's exposure to different churches. Cook preached as a pastor at Wilson Presbyterian Church, Washington Presbyterian Church, Trinity Presbyterian Church and other churches in Georgia. In this interview, Cook talks about his call to ministry, his concern over racial issues growing up, his attempted integration of the Presbyterian Church, and the integration of Georgian schools.



FPP-0044 Raleigh Saperstein and Callie Holmes

( 39 minutes ) Access Online
Raleigh Saperstein talks about her involvement with the farming and local food scene in Athens, including her work with the Athens Farmers Market and Wholesome Wave outreach.



FPP-0045 Kai Reidl and Jacob Kennedy

( 39 minutes ) Access Online
Kai Reidl talks about the music scene in downtown Athens, including Hot Corner and the Slingshot Festival. He also discusses economic development, collaboration, and the community.



FPP-0046 Jacob Kennedy and Landon Bubb

( 22 minutes ) Access Online
Jacob Kennedy describes his experience as an undergraduate at the University of Georgia, including his developing interest in music and seeing shows downtown.



FPP-0047 Iva Dimitrova and Christina Cotsakis

( 33 minutes ) Access Online
Christina Cotsakis talks about how her study abroad experience in Costa Rica changed her outlook on her life and studies.



FPP-0052 Paul Van Wicklen and Mary Linneman

( 31 minutes ) Access Online
Paul Van Wicklen talks about his career with UGA Libraries, starting in periodicals, then becoming a stacks supervisor, and finally moving to the new Special Collections Library. He talks about his mentors and other staff at the library. He also describes his love for racing.



FPP-0053 Frank McGill and Louis Boyd

( 52 minutes )
Frank McGill talks about growing up on a family farm in Tifton, Georgia. He also talks about his career with the UGA Extension Service, becoming a specialist in peanut production. He talks about the effect of the peanut economy on small towns in Georgia and the international expansion of peanut production worldwide.
Frank McGill audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0054 Emogene Williams and Rev. Avis Williams

( 65 minutes )
Emogene Williams talks with her daughter Avis about her early life and family, growing up during the Great Depression in Covington, Georgia. She talks about what life was like for African Americans in rural Georgia, describing her memories of the KKK and interactions between whites and blacks.
Emogene Williams audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0061 H. Edsel Benson and Alexandra Krier

( 54 minutes ) Access Online
Edel Benson was born in 1921 in Athens, Georgia. Benson attended Athens High School and the University of Georgia. He served as a Second Lieutenant over the 48th fighters squadron in WWII. In this interview, Benson talks about his time in Europe and Africa during WWII, his most memorable moments from the war, the use of atomic weapons on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and his thoughts on the Cold War and current international relations.



FPP-0062 Claude Williams and Chinyere Uziogwe

( 60 minutes )
Claude Williams audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0063 Philip Pollock, Jr., and Shannon Roy

( 60 minutes )
Phillip Pollock was born in Joliet, Illinois in 1923. Pollock was drafted into the Army in 1943, where he began his infantry combat career in the European Theater of World War II. Upon his return home, Pollock earned both an undergraduate and master's degree in political science and history from the University of Iowa. In this interview, Pollock talks about his basic training and wartime experience, homecoming, his opinion on US national security and international relations, and the development of the United States ballistic missile program.
Philip Pollock, Jr. audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0064 Duard Baxter and Tina Dimnwaobi

( 69 minutes )
Duard Baxter was born in Madison County, Georgia in 1924. After graduating high school, Baxter volunteered for the Marine Corps, serving in the Pacific Theater during WWII under the 6th Marine Division. Upon his return to the United States, Baxter went to dental school in Georgetown, Washington after which he practiced dentistry in Winder, Georgia for a total of 25 years. In this interview, Baxter talks about his experience as a Marine in WWII, his reflections on war and the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, his transition to civilian life, and his opinion on the current state of world affairs.
Duard Baxter audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0065 Conulus Scott and Chanice Porter

( 73 minutes )
Conulus Scott was born in Madison County, Georgia in 1920. He farmed and worked at a sugar mill before being drafted by the military in 1942. He served in the Medical Corps in Europe during the war. After the war, he became a plumber and continued to work in the sugar mill. In this interview, Scott discusses his experience in the military, describing segregation, guarding German troops, and working in hospitals.
Conulus Scott audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0066 Kirin Thurman and Alexander Stephens

( 53 minutes )
Thurman talks about his experience growing up as black kid in Panoramic City, a neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. He talks about riding VMX dirt bikes with his older brother. Thurman talks about his process of becoming race conscious while growing up in a very white county as one of a handful of black students at the schools he attended. He credits his family's move out of Los Angeles as transforming his and his brother's lives by taking them out of a racist environment that he characterizes as being very alienating. He talks about his frustrations about the way white people respond to race and racism, but also talks about his marriage to a white woman and recounts the story of their first date. Thurman reflects on the Charleston church shooting on June 17, 2015, which occurred just two days before the date of this recording, and expresses frustration at the way that violence permeates U.S. culture.
Kirin Thurman audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0067 Frank Bird and Iva Dimitrova

( 68 minutes ) Access Online
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.



FPP-0068 Jan Buley and Iva Dimitrova

( 36 minutes ) Access Online
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 Clayton, Georgia.



FPP-0069 Dorothy Partridge and Iva Dimitrova

( 43 minutes )
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.
Dorothy Partridge audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0070 Dawn Bennett-Alexander and Jennifer Jones

( 41 minutes ) Access Online
In this interview, Dawn Bennett-Alexander talks about her work in order to attend the 2012 Democratic National Convention, the importance of the convention to her, and her experience at the DNC.



FPP-0071 Jack Edmunds and Asa Phillips

( 76 minutes ) Access Online
Jack Edmunds and Asa Phillips from Hart County, Georgia talk about their experiences participating in the economic and community development program administered through the University of Georgia Archway Partnership.
 

II. Americus, Georgia

8 interview(s)
Series II. Americus, Georgia, interviews were recored in Americus, Ga., at the Lee Council House in December 2013. Interviews were made possible through a partnership between the Russell Library, the UGA Archway Partnership, and the Americus Downtown Development Authority.



FPP-0021 George Hooks and Angie Singletary

( 29 minutes )
Georgia Hooks was born in Americus, Georgia in 1945. He grew up in Americus and served five terms in the Georgia House of Representatives. Hooks later served in the Senate, where he worked in the Appropriations Committee along with other senate committees. In this interview, Hooks talks about his childhood, his work in historic preservation, and his political career.
George Hooks and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0022 Charles Crisp and Angie Singletary

( 38 minutes )
Charles Fedrick Crisp grew up in Americus, Georgia in the 1960's. He is the great-great grandson of Speaker of the House, Charles Fredrick Crisp (1891-1895). In this interview, Crisp talks about his family's connection to the Bank of Commerce, his work in the Historic Preservation Commission, and the businesses and events in Americus.
Charles Crisp and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0023 Russell Thomas and Angie Singletary

( 26 minutes )
Russell Thomas Jr. was born in Baltimore, Maryland in 1934, though he grew up in Americus, Georgia. He graduated from Auburn University in 1956 with a bachelor's degree in agricultural administration and served as mayor of Americus for fifteen years. In this interview, Thomas talks about his family history, his work as mayor, the revitalization of Americus, and events that occurred in Americus.
Russell Thomas and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0024 William Harris and Angie Singletary

( 14 minutes )
William S. Harris was born in Tampa, Florida in the late 1930's and was raised in Americus, Georgia from the age of five. He attended Americus High School and later South Georgia Technical College. He joined the Navy for two years after which he moved back to Americus, where he worked for Glover Wholesale Company and in the banking industry. In this interview, Harris talks about his life history, the history of Glover Wholesale Company, historic preservation, and changes to the Americus community.
William Harris and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0025 Jane Butler and Angie Singletary

( 17 minutes )
Jane Wilson Butler Abernathy was born in Americus, Georgia, though she has lived the majority of her life in Leslie, Georgia. She graduated from Georgia Southwestern State University and The Military College of South Carolina in 1972 and 1978, respectively. In this interview, Butler talks about the history of Leslie and her family, the Antique Dogwood Festival, and the Georgia Rural Telephone Museum.
Jane Butler and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0026 Willie Green Cutts and Angie Singletary

( 30 minutes )
Willie Green Cutts talks about being raised by his grandmother and helping his grandfather with farming rather than finishing school. He discusses working as an entertainer, his experience as a farmer, and how he acquired his land. Cutts also shares some of his most valuable life experiences and lessons, such as being invited to sit in on a Senate committee meeting and a spiritual awakening.
Willie Green Cutts audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0027 Milton Raven and Angie Singletary

( 21 minutes )
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.
Milton Raven and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0028 Linda Fuller Degelmann and Angie Singletary

( 54 minutes )
Linda Fuller Degelmann was born in Birmingham, Alabama in 1941. While in her thirties, Degelmann moved to Americus, Georgia with her husband Millard Fuller and their three children. While in Americus, Degelmann lived on Koinonia Farms before she eventually founded Habitat for Humanity, and later the Fuller Center for Housing, with her husband. In this interview, Degelmann talks about her time at Koinonia Farms, the integration of Sumter County, leaving Habitat for Humanity, and starting The Fuller Center for Housing.
Linda Fuller Degelmann and Angie Singletary audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online
 

III. Hawkinsville, Georgia

8 interview(s)
Series II. Hawkinsville, Georgia, interviews were recored in Hawkinsville, Ga., at the Hawkinsville Dispatch & News building in February 2014. Interviews were made possible through a partnership between the Russell Library and the UGA Archway Partnership.



FPP-0030 Chuck Southerland and Eddie Coleman

( 29 minutes )
Chuck Southerland and Eddie Coleman live in Hawkinsville, Georgia. In this interview, Southerland and Coleman talk about their canoe trip on the Ocmulgee and Altamaha River from Hawkinsville, Georgia to Two-Way Fish Camp in Brunswick, Georgia.
Chuck Southerland and Eddie Coleman audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0031 Butch Hall and Sam Way

( 31 minutes )
Butch Hall and Sam Way live in Hawkinsville, Georgia. Butch is the son of Mark Hall, a notable community member from Hawkinsville. Both Hall and Way spent much time on the Ocmulgee River as children and later as adults. In this interview, Hall and Way discuss the legacy of Mark Hall, the cleanup of the Ocmulgee River, the community boat club, and historic preservation in Hawkinsville.
Butch Hall and Sam Way audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0032 Sam Way

( 11 minutes )
Sam Way lives in Pulaski County of Hawkinsville, Georgia. In this interview, Way talks about the history of Hawkinsville and historical landmarks.
Sam Way audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0033 Ed Darsey, John Calvin Hadden, and Emmett Head

( 45 minutes )
Ed Darsey, John Calvin Hadden, and Eddie Coleman grew up in Hawkinsville, Georgia, by the Ocmulgee River. In this interview, Darsey, Calvin, and Coleman discuss fishing, hunting, and boat-racing stories from on the Ocmulgee.
Ed Darsey, John Calvin Hadden, and Emmett Head audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0034 Henry Cravey, Phil NeSmith, and Chuck Southerland

( 25 minutes )
Henry Cravey, Phil NeSmith and Chuck Southerland live in Hawkinsville, Georgia. In this interview, Cravey, NeSmith, and Southerland discuss their trip to Old Town, Florida to view the City of Hawkinsville shipwreck.
Henry Cravey, Phil NeSmith, and Chuck Southerland audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0035 Leslie Sewell, Lee Slade, and Chuck Southerland

( 43 minutes )
Leslie Sewell, Lee Slade, and Chuck Southerland audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0036 Emmett Head

( 35 minutes )
Emmett Head audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0037 Carlton Morrison

( 61 minutes )
Carlton Morrison audio and interview index in OHMS Access Online
 

IV. Plains, Georgia

6 interview(s)
Series II. Plains, Georgia, interviews were recored in Plains, Ga., at the Plains Historic Inn in Febuary 2014. Interviews were made possible through a partnership between the Russell Library, the UGA Archway Partnership, and the Americus Downtown Development Authority.



FPP-0038 Allene Haugabook and Steve Short

( 34 minutes ) Access Online
Allene Haugabook was born in Plains, Georgia in 1929. Her mother was a piano instructor and served as one of her earliest musical inspirations. In this interview, Haugabook talks about music in her family, growing up and living in Plains, and her education experience.



FPP-0039 C.L Walters and Steve Short

( 37 minutes ) Access Online
C.L Walters was born in Plains, Georgia in 1948. After serving in the Army, Walters graduated from Georgia Tech in 1957. He later returned to Plains, where he bought the family grocery store. In this interview, Walters talks about growing up in Plains, his time in the Army and school, jobs he held, and stories from the community.



FPP-0040 Jan Williams and Angie Singletary

( 36 minutes ) Access Online
Jan Williams was born in Athens, Georgia, though she grew up in Sumter County, Georgia. After getting married, Williams moved to Plains, Georgia. In this interview, Williams talks about growing up in Sumter County, her time in college, her experience teaching and watching over Amy Carter (daughter of President Jimmy Carter), and her current relations with the Carter family.



FPP-0041 Sandra Walters and Angie Singletary

( 35 minutes ) Access Online
Sandra Walter was born in the Concord Community of Sumter County in 1939. Sumter moved to Americus, Georgia at the age of fifteen where she graduated from Americus High School. Walter currently lives in Plains, Georgia after her husband, C.L Walters bought the family grocery store. In this interview, Walters talks about different jobs she's held, the impact that the election of Jimmy Carter had on the community, and her reflections on the Plains community.



FPP-0042 Jimmy Carter and Sybil Carter

( 34 minutes )
Former President of the United States Jimmy Carter was born in Plains, Georgia. In this interview, Carter talks about historic preservation in Plains, his childhood during the Great Depression, his grandchildren and family events, and reflections on his presidency.
FPP-0042 Jimmy Carter video and interview index in OHMS Access Online



FPP-0043 Ray Baldwin and Angie Singletary

( 47 minutes ) Access Online
Ray Baldwin was born in 1937 in Americus, Georgia where his family owned and operated the Americus Baking Company. Baldwin attended Georgia Southwestern State University, after which he came to own an insurance company called Baldwin Company. In this interview, Baldwin talks about his childhood in Americus, his work as the owner of Baldwin Company, businesses around Americus, and his interactions with Jimmy Carter.
 

V. Beech Haven, Athens, Georgia

4 interview(s)
Series V. Beech Haven, Athens, Georgia, interviews were recored in Athens, Ga., through a partnership between the Russell Library and Dr. Cari Goetcheus, College of Environment and Design, UGA.



FPP-0048 Mike Wharton

( 47 minutes ) Access Online
Mike Wharton has worked for the Athens-Clarke County Government in the Leisure Services Department for approximately 30 years. In this interview, Wharton talks about the construction and planning of Beech Haven Park, future plans for the park, the contributions of important families around the community, and opportunities for those who would like to assist in the funding and resource management of the park.



FPP-0049 Jack and Alice Rowland

( 113 minutes ) Access Online
Jack Rowland was born in 1926 Cochran, Georgia; Alice Rowland was born in 1962 in Athens, Georgia. The Rowland family owned the property called Beech Haven, which would later be bought for Beech Haven Park located in Athens, Georgia. In this interview, Jack and Alice Rowland talk about the history of the future Beech Haven property, growing up in rural Athens during the 1930s, and stories of the people who worked on the property.



FPP-0050 Sam Thomas

( 35 minutes ) Access Online
Sam Thomas works at the T.R.R Cobb House located in Athens, Georgia, though he grew up in Montreat, North Carolina. Thomas talks about the restoration and transportation of the historical house, the creation and history of the Beech Haven property, and the town of Montreat.



FPP-0051 Katherine "Kitty" Ross

( 70 minutes ) Access Online
Katherine Ross was born in Richmond, Virginia in 1924. She frequently visited Beech Haven of Athens, Georgia while growing up. Ross is the granddaughter of Charles Rowland, who owned the Beech Haven property. In this interview, Ross talks about the time she spent on Beech Haven, stories about her family members, the history of Beech Haven, and her wishes for the future of the property.