Interview with Amelia Ligon Harkey, May 16, 1991

Partial Transcript: --I would be a representative, I don’t think. My first year, I was a wild little girl.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey briefly describes her freshman year at the University of Kentucky. She mentions not necessarily liking home economics and liking journalism more. Harkey discusses her experience with the home economics major. She goes over professors, the practice house, and even not wanting to be in the major at all. Her mother persuaded her to go into that field.

Keywords: Bachelor of Science; College freshman; Faculty members; Home economics; Introduction; Journalism; Mothers; Practice houses; Professors; Sixteen; Sororities; Universities

Subjects: College buildings; College department heads; College environment; College freshmen; College majors; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; College teachers.; Greek letter societies.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Home Economics

Partial Transcript: And of course it's interesting that you had mentioned before we started taping...

Segment Synopsis: Harkey talks about the different places in Kentucky that she has lived and her father's role in where they lived.

Keywords: Ashland (Ky.); Fathers; Horses; Lexington (Ky.); Owensboro (Ky.); Principals; Summer schools

Subjects: School administrators.; School superintendents

Partial Transcript: How would you describe your father to somebody who hadn't met him?

Segment Synopsis: Harkey describes her father and the laid-back style of family involvement that she had growing up. She also briefly explains why she resents her mother. She talks about how her mother invested in the stock market successfully. She discusses their house being built near the University of Kentucky. Harkey tells fond memories of her dad. She explains a time where he played along with a ghost story being told and of a time he ordered candy for her and her siblings. Harkey describes the lack of a relationship she had with her mother due to her many responsibilities outside of the home.

Keywords: Births; Businesswomen; Candy; Children; Family; Family history; Fathers; Friends; Homes; Houses; Housing developments; Mother-daughter relationships; Mothers; Patterson Hall; Resentment; Stock market; Stocks; Stories; Taverns; Teaching; Universities

Subjects: Ashland (Ky.); Childhood; Families.; Family history; Gender roles; Lexington (Ky.); Teaching; University of Kentucky; University towns; Youth.

Partial Transcript: Tell me again, uh, now that we got the tape recorder on, uh, you said you n--you couldn’t remember a time when you didn't know the Donovans.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey talks about different families, including her own, that are close to them and buried at the Lexington Cemetery.

Keywords: Cemeteries; Deaths; Faculty members; Family; Journals; Professors

Subjects: College teachers.; Families.; Lexington (Ky.); Universities and colleges--Faculty.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: So when, when you got ready to go to co--how--you went to high school here Lexington.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey briefly describes her time in high school.

Keywords: Graduating; Henry Clay High School; High schools; Students

Subjects: Childhood; Education; Lexington (Ky.); Youth.

Partial Transcript: And one--two summers I went to Transylvania.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey talks about failing chemistry and getting help in it at summer school at Transylvania University.

Keywords: Chemistry; Home economics; Physics; Sciences; Summer schools; Transylvania University

Subjects: College students--Conduct of life.; Summer; Transylvania University. Department of Chemistry; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture and Home Economics

Partial Transcript: And so then it came time for me to have physics. And Uncle Donnie was president of Eastern.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey describes and compares her Aunt Nella and Uncle Donnie. She also compares her Aunt Nell to her mother.

Keywords: Aunts; Children; Dances; Dates; Donovans; Dr. Herman Donovan; Eastern Kentucky University; Family; Mothers; Nell Donovan; Uncles

Subjects: Childhood; College administrators; College presidents; College students--Conduct of life; Families.; Family history; Gender roles; Lexington (Ky.); Universities and colleges--Administration.; University of Kentucky; Youth.

Partial Transcript: Mother could not stand the Roosevelts.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey tells a short story of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt visiting Maxwell Place.

Keywords: Eleanor Roosevelt; Family; First Lady; Mothers; Roosevelt family; Stories; Teas

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; College presidents' spouses; College presidents--Dwellings; College stories; Families.; Family history; Lexington (Ky.); Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Anecdotes; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: And, uh, I remember going to some teas and some receptions...

Segment Synopsis: Harkey describes her university life. She goes into how she partied, was in a sorority, and lived at home.

Keywords: College housing; Fraternities; Homes; Kappa Delta; Parties; Sorority houses

Subjects: College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Greek letter societies.; Student housing; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: My daddy was very satisfied to take the low road. He was not an ambitious sort of person. Now Uncle Donnie was. He was a hustler.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey describes the difference in ambitions between her father and Uncle Donnie.

Keywords: Ambitions; Dr. Herman Donovan; Family; Fathers; Students; Teaching; Uncles

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; College students--Conduct of life; Families.; Family history; Universities and colleges--Administration.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: So when you were--when you got into the home ec program--

Segment Synopsis: Harkey describes her plan for her degree in home economics. She discusses simply wanting to be a homemaker.

Keywords: Ambitions; Degrees; Home economics; Homemakers; Homemaking; Jobs; Marriage; Plans

Subjects: College environment; College majors; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Marriage.; Teaching.; University of Kentucky; University of Kentucky. College of Home Economics

Partial Transcript: Mother and I, uh, were--our dispositions I guess were similar.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey talks about her relationship with her own kids and mentions her poor relationship with her mother again.

Keywords: Children; Daughters; Family; Mother-daughter relationships; Universities

Subjects: Childhood; Families.; Family history; Gender roles; University of Kentucky; Youth.

Partial Transcript: And it's unfortunate that they no longer have a father, but I had been married for forty-three to forty-five years when my husband decided I had a friend that he liked better than he liked me.

Segment Synopsis: Harkey describes the end of her marriage and why she went back to Lexington from Tennessee.

Keywords: Divorces; Family; Husbands; Infidelity; Marriage

Subjects: Families.; Family history; Lexington (Ky.); Marriage; Tennessee