Interview with Tom Parrish, April 1, 1991

Partial Transcript: Well, we'll start with a kind of biographical question. Uh, just tell me who you are...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish discusses how he got involved with the Council of Southern Mountains, where he was hired to work on a publishing project.

Keywords: Annual conference; Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Ford Foundation; Publishing project

Partial Transcript: I went on with what--developing some things for, uh the Ford Foundation publishing project.

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about his involvement in publishing Jack Weller's book "Yesterday's People". He talks about the success of the book in that era. He also talks about other publishing projects he worked on through the Ford Foundation grant.

Keywords: "Yesterday's People"; Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Jack Weller; Training VISTAs; University of Kentucky Press; Use

Subjects: University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: You said you were, you were interested in doing a public service, community service program...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the cultural differences between Richmond, Kentucky and Berea, Kentucky which are both two cities in Madison County, Ky. He also talks about his awareness of the War on Poverty.

Keywords: Awareness; Cultural differences; War on Poverty

Subjects: Berea (Ky.); Berea College; Richmond (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Talking about the Council in those, those--that first year when you first got there. What were they doing?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the organization and loose philosophy of the Council of the Southern Mountains when he initially got involved with the CSM.

Keywords: Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Francis Hutchins; Perley Ayer; Philosophy

Subjects: Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: You weren't really operating out of any kind of, uh, official program or...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish continues to talk about the configuration of the Council of the Southern Mountains, mentioning that the Council was an umbrella organization that included many different programs. He goes on to talk about the Appalachian Volunteers and their relation to the Council.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); CSM; Founding; Organization; Umbrella organizations

Partial Transcript: How did the, how did the local people react and how did the local politicians react to the Council in 1963-64?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish discusses the local community's reaction to the Council of the Southern Mountains, mentioning that they looked at the Council's programs with skepticism.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Community reactions; Council of the Southern Mountains; Public health people

Subjects: Appalachians (People)--Kentucky--Social conditions

Partial Transcript: What about the Community Action Agencies? What happened when, when they began to be formed?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the beginnings of Community Action Agencies and the influence CAAs had on community organizing.

Keywords: Board makeup; Community Action Agencies; Community meetings; Grants; Influence; Maximum Feasible Participation

Subjects: Community Action Agency (U.S.); Harlan County (Ky.); Welch (W. Va.)

Partial Transcript: What did these community action agencies do in this early stage?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish discusses what Community Action Agencies did early in the War on Poverty. He goes on to talk about the decline of CAAs due to their political fights with local politicians.

Keywords: Community Action Agencies (CAA); Conflicts; Decline; Direct funding; Focus; Green Amendment; Involvement; Local power structure; Political fights; Public money; Training

Subjects: Community Action Agency (U.S.)

Partial Transcript: Who ran these early Community Action Agencies, before the Green Amendment? How'd they operate?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about who ran Community Action Agencies prior to the Green Amendment. He goes on to talk about the financial situation of the Council of the Southern Mountains.

Keywords: Al McSurely; CAA leaders; Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM/Council); Defunded; Head Start programs; James A. Cawood; Maximum Feasible Participation; Sit-ins; Training

Subjects: Community Action Agency (U.S.); Economic assistance, Domestic--Appalachian Region; Harlan County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Then, then this, this prop, proper representation of the poor...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the representation of the poor on the board of Community Action Agencies, mentioning why it caused problems. He also shares his opinion on the genuineness of OEO officials.

Keywords: CAA; Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); De-funding; Head Start; Intervention; James A. Cawood; Maximum Feasible Participation; OEO

Subjects: Harlan County (Ky.); United States. Office of Economic Opportunity.

Partial Transcript: Wou, would it have been possible--again prior to the Green Amendment, to, to, to get, you know...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the makeup of the Community Action Agencies board.

Keywords: Cooperation with authorities; Green Amendment

Subjects: Community Action Agency (U.S.)

Partial Transcript: What role did the AVs have in these early programs?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the evolution of the Appalachian Volunteers and their split from the Council of the Southern Mountains.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Community Action Agencies(CAA); Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Evolution

Partial Transcript: Did these early programs have any impact?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish discusses whether or not he thinks the War on Poverty's early programs were successful. He goes on to talk about relationship between the Appalachian Volunteers and Council of the Southern Mountains, mentioning that he believes their split was not over ideas.

Keywords: Appalachian Volunteers (AVs); Community Action Agencies (CAA); Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Different approaches; Influences; Relations; Success

Subjects: Social reformers--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: You said the, the OEO recruited the Council? Why, why do you think they did that?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about OEO's recruitment of the Council of Southern Mountains, the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964's lack of focus on economics, and the split between CSM and Appalachian Volunteers.

Keywords: EOA (1964); Focus; Reason for split

Partial Transcript: You said earlier that af, after the Community Action Agencies became instituted...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about why Community Action Agencies declined, mentioning that the he believes that the government wasn't going to let the CAAs undermine the local authorities. He goes to talk about job training programs like Happy Pappy.

Keywords: Community Action Agencies (CAA); Criticisms; Government; Happy Pappy program; Job training; Office of Manpower Automation and Training (OMAT); Opposition; Undermining

Subjects: Community Action Agency (U.S.)

Partial Transcript: Do you know anything about the, uh, the, the AV sedition trial and the KUAC?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the Kentucky Un-American Activities Committee. He goes on to talk about the potential motivations behind the sedition arrest in Pike County, Ky.

Keywords: Alan McSurely; Drew Pearson Letters; Gordon Ross; Maragret McSurely; Motivations; Thomas Ratliff

Subjects: Kentucky Un-American Activities Committee (KUAC)

Partial Transcript: You mentioned earlier about these things that are now the, the offsprings of the community action agencies...

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the legacy of Community Action Agencies. He also reminisces on the water district project that was attempted in Pike County, Ky.

Keywords: Community Action Agencies (CAA); Edith Easterling; Legacy; Water district project

Subjects: Community Action Agency (U.S.); Pike County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Anything that could have been done differently in the War on Poverty that could have changed the outcome?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish discusses what could have been done differently in the War on Poverty. He also talks about the relations between locals and volunteers.

Keywords: Economic Opportunity Act (1964); Insider/outsider dynamic; Jack Rivel; John Fetterman; Legacy; Locals; Relations; Shortcomings; VISTA; Volunteers

Subjects: Appalachians (People); Volunteers in Service to America

Partial Transcript: Do you think people's perceptions today have altered in anyway because of the War on Poverty and its focus on the mountains?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the effect the War on Poverty had on the public's perception of Appalachia. He also mentions the mule incident with Louie B. Nunn.

Keywords: Mule incident; Public perceptions

Subjects: Appalachian Region; Nunn, Louie B., 1924-2004; Pike County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Wh, what was the Coun, uh, Council's responsibilities at Cumberland Valley?

Segment Synopsis: Parrish talks about the Council of the Southern Mountains takeover of the Cumberland Valley Community Action Program. He goes on to talk about how he views the War on Poverty, mentioning that community organizing is one of the main legacies of the War on Poverty.

Keywords: Community Action Programs; Community organizing; Council of the Southern Mountains; Cumberland Valley; Legacy; Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO); Personal perceptions; Pritchard Committee

Subjects: Floyd County (Ky.)