Interview with Paul Hensley, November 28, 1978

Partial Transcript: This is an interview with Paul Hensley for the oral history project, Frontier Nursing Service, by Tony Horowitz at approximately 9:00 a.m. at his office on November the 28th. In Hyden, Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Paul Hensley discusses buying the newspaper Thousandsticks News from the Mendel family in 1967. He talks about the articles and editorials the newspaper normally runs, and discusses some of the special editions they occasionally put out. He talks about the paper's pro-coal stance.

Keywords: Centennial celebrations; Circulation; Coal industry; Coal operators; Editorials; Election coverage; Mendel family; Mining regulations; Newspaper owners; Offset presses; Pro-coal; Special editions

Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Leslie County; Journalism--Kentucky.; Newspapers--Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: And do you work with coal outside of what you do through the newspaper?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley discusses his role as the executive secretary of the Kentucky River Mining Institute, and talks about what the organization does.

Keywords: Congressional committee meetings; Executive secretaries; Kentucky River Mining Institute; Legislation; Regulations

Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Law and legislation--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: Back to the newspaper for a minute, um, what are your feelings about the role of, of a newspaper in a, in a small town like Hyden, and in a county like, uh, like Leslie County?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley talks about the role of a small town newspaper, including reporting on community issues and providing coverage of local politics. He talks about whether the paper ever endorses political candidates, and whether the paper influences elections.

Keywords: Community; Democrats; Development; Endorsement of candidates; Governor Carrollton; Influence; Judge Muncy; Small town newspapers

Subjects: Elections; Journalism--Kentucky.; Kentucky--Politics and government; Leslie County (Ky.); Newspapers--Kentucky.; Political campaigns--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: And, uh, well maybe you can tell me a little bit about what you know of, of the history of the paper.

Segment Synopsis: Hensley talks about the history of the newspaper Thousandsticks News, which began in 1898. He talks about the types of presses which were once used, and why they switched to a newer press.

Keywords: Businesses; History; Letterpress; Offset press; Typeset

Subjects: Journalism--Kentucky.; Newspapers--Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: And what led you to, to, to get involved in the newspaper business?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley talks about his experience working on the school newspaper and yearbook in high school and college. He talks about working as a teacher before buying the Thousandsticks News. He talks about his paper's competition with another newspaper, the Leslie County News.

Keywords: College newspapers; Competition; High school newspapers; Hobbies; Leslie County News; Mendel family; Newspaper editors; Political issues; Teaching

Subjects: Journalism--Kentucky.; Kentucky--Politics and government.; Newspapers--Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: Well, has the paper ever had funnies or puzzles or anything like that?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley talks about whether the paper has tried adding new sections over the years. He talks about the revenue from advertising, and where most of the money comes from. He talks about a special edition of the paper focused on coal.

Keywords: Coal; Competition; Competitive; Legal advertising; Money; Newspaper sections; Reporters; Special editions

Subjects: Advertising.; Journalism--Kentucky.; Newspapers--Kentucky.

Partial Transcript: And, and you said you spend a lot of time in Washington. What's your, what's your feeling of the future of, of coal in this country and in Leslie County?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley shares his predictions for the future of coal in Leslie County. He talks about the regulations put on the strip mining industry and why he believes they will change within a few years. He briefly mentions the competition between eastern coal and western coal.

Keywords: Competition; Eastern coal; Future; Landowners; Permits; Restoration; Return on investments; Sampling; Western coal

Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Leslie County; Coal mines and mining--Law and legislation--Appalachian Region; Strip mining--Law and legislation--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: And what is the labor situation like? Is, is it gonna be quiet, you think, for, uh, for awhile?

Segment Synopsis: Hensley gives his opinions about why Leslie County mines are not unionized. He mentions the fights over unionization in the 1950s in Hyden. He talks about other industries in the area that are affected by the coal industry, and talks about where the coal mined in Leslie County is taken.

Keywords: Coal trucks; Corporations; Deaths; Locally owned; Tipples; UMWA

Subjects: Coal miners--Labor unions--Kentucky; Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Leslie County; Labor disputes--Kentucky; Logging; United Mine Workers of America

Partial Transcript: And--okay, and what, what are some of the bigger companies in Leslie County that--

Segment Synopsis: Hensley talks about the small, locally owned coal companies being bought by larger corporations, and gives his opinion on the practice. He briefly mentions his family history in Leslie County. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Blue Diamond Coal Company; Buyouts; Expansion; Standard Oil of Indiana; Stansbury Coal Company; Wages

Subjects: Coal mines and mining--Kentucky--Leslie County