Interview with Ann C. Pollard, November 30, 1990

Partial Transcript: We'll start with something real easy. Give us your name and where you were born and...

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about her initial employment with the Council of Southern Mountains and Appalachian Volunteers. She worked as the editor of the organizations magazine and later worked for the AVs as an office assistant. She talks about the early AV field-men.

Keywords: "Mountain Life and Work"; AV field-men; Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Hiring practices; Jack Rivel; Milton Ogle; Tom Rodenbaugh

Subjects: Berea (Ky.); Women--Employment.

Partial Transcript: How would you describe them?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard discusses different Appalachian Volunteer field-men. She goes on to talk about how her house in Berea became like the home base for AVs in Berea after the AVs moved their office to Bristol, Tennessee.

Keywords: Dan Fox; Gibbs Kinderman; Joe Mulloy; Milton Ogle; Relations; Storytelling; Tom Rodenbaugh

Subjects: Berea (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: What do you remember about the split? About the um, the split from the Southern Council?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about the split between the AVs and CSM, including talking about her decision to stay with the AVs.

Keywords: AV field-men; AVs; CSM; Dan Fox; Harry Caudill; Milton Ogle; Perley Ayer; Resignations; Tension

Subjects: Religion

Partial Transcript: So how, how long was your future uncertain before, um, you realized that you had a job and wouldn't have to be supported?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about why she enjoyed working with the Appalachian Volunteers. She also talks about her work conditions, including hours. She mentions Ann Beard Grundy. She goes on to talks about a local AV and VISTA volunteer named Henry Thompson.

Keywords: Ann Beard Grundy; Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Henry Thompson; Salary; Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA); Work conditions

Subjects: Berea (Ky.); Women--Employment.

Partial Transcript: I heard you mention the book project...

Segment Synopsis: Pollard discusses a book drive project that she was involved in as an Appalachian Volunteer, mentioning that the books came in from all over the country and were distributed throughout small schools in eastern Kentucky.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Eastern Kentucky; Milton Ogle; Storytelling

Subjects: Rural schools--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well wasn't Judy the only one who was a field, um...

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about the first Appalachian Volunteer field-woman, Judy Martin.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Brightshade (Ky.); Field-woman; Free school lunch program; Judy Martin; NEA Report; Storytelling

Subjects: Clay County (Ky.); National Education Association of the United States.; Rural schools--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Um, now a great many, I don't remember the percentage of course, but a great many of the VISTAs were women.

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about how summer volunteers often had to adjust to their new environment. She also talks about the AV training programs, mentioning that they trained VISTAs and Peace Corps volunteers.

Keywords: Adjusting; Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Relations; Summer volunteers; Training sessions; VISTAs

Subjects: Appalachian Region; Peace Corps (U.S.); Volunteers in Service to America

Partial Transcript: Did you ever notice any conflict between, um, those--the AVs that were, um, from the mountains and those that were not?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about the relations between local AVs and outside volunteers. She also talks about Lois Combs Weinberg who was an Appalachian Volunteer and the daughter of former Kentucky Governor Bert T. Combs.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Judy Martin; Local AVs; Outsiders; Resentment; Storytelling; Summer AVs

Subjects: Combs, Bert T., 1911-1991

Partial Transcript: Um, well around 1966 and '67, um, the attit--well lets say the strategies of the AVs changed...

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about Appalachian Volunteers being accused of being communists, mentioning two specific individuals, Zi Graves and Bob Messer.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Bob Messer; Communist accusations; Matt Graves; Zi Graves

Subjects: Rockcastle County (Ky.); Social reformers--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: Do you remember, um, any other of the difficult political run-ins that various AVs or field-men had with, um, the local powers?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard discusses incidents in which the Appalachian Volunteers butted heads with local school systems, particularly over closed school board meetings. She goes on to talk about how Joe Mulloy's decision to resist the draft caused a rift between AV field-men after Mulloy was fired from the AVs.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Confrontations; Consequences; Joe Mulloy; Milton Ogle; Opening; Resisting the draft; School board meetings; Shifting strategies; Steve Daugherty

Subjects: Harlan County (Ky.); Rockcastle County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Once the two offices split did your job change very much?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard tells a story about a little girl who was wearing her older brother's shoes and talks about the mentality of the AV field-men. She goes on to talk about an AV named Gibbs Kinderman.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Black eye; Gibbs Kinderman; Storytelling

Subjects: Berea (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: So did the field-men very often date the young AVs and VISTAs...

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about AV men who married AV or VISTA women.

Keywords: AVs; Gibbs Kinderman; Jon Henrickson; Kathy Slesinger; Volunteers In Service To America (VISTA); Women

Subjects: Education--Appalachian Region; Letcher County (Ky.); Rockcastle County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: One thing that, that, some of the other people who have written about the AVs have talked about...

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about the positive outcomes of the AVs involvement in the anti-strip mining movement. She goes on to talk about her connection to the AVs once they moved to Bristol, Tennessee. She goes on to talk about Tom Bethell.

Keywords: "Washington Monthly"; Anti-strip mining; Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Bill Sturgills; Dave Walls; Harry Caudill; Loyal Jones; Publicity; Relations; Tenure; Tom Bethell

Subjects: Social reformers--Appalachian Region; Strip mining--Appalachian Region.; University of Kentucky--Faculty

Partial Transcript: I sometimes wonder, um, how much, um, of their enthusiasm had to do with the times and how much of it had to do with, um, you know, this program.

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about how the Sixties were enthusiastic times and how times have changed. She goes on to talk about the decline of the War on Poverty movement.

Keywords: AppalReD; Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Changes; Council of the Southern Mountains; Dave Walls; Decline in funding; Enthusiasm; Lack of excitement; Milton Ogle; Motivations; Shift in funding; The Sixties

Partial Transcript: So what did you do after the, um, AVs closed down?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about what jobs she had prior to the working at CSM and jobs she had after the AVs closed.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Ernest Walker; Experiences; Influences; Literacy programs

Subjects: Social reformers--Appalachian Region; Women--Employment.

Partial Transcript: So what, what are your fondest memories of those years?

Segment Synopsis: Pollard talks about some of her best memories of her years with the AVs, mentioning she enjoyed her house being the AVs home base. She also talks about her worst memories, mentioning that the split between the AVs and CSM.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Gordon Eversol; Harry Caudill; Milton Ogle; Perley Ayer; Split; Steve Daugherty; Storytelling