Interview with Barney A. Tucker, May 17, 2000

Partial Transcript: Uh, well maybe you could just start by giving me a little background on yourself in terms of when and where you were born, and your professional life.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about his formative years in east Tennessee. He discusses the military service of several family members in the union army during the Civil War. He also discusses the War of 1812 and Cherokee War.

Keywords: Civil War; Cumberland Gap; Militia; Prisoner of war camp; Union soldiers; War of 1812

Subjects: United States--Civil War, 1861-1865.

Partial Transcript: Now, now let's move--fast forward a little bit and tell me how you got to Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about his early education and his studies in elementary education.

Keywords: Elementary education; Great Depression; Teaching; University of Tennessee

Subjects: Education.

Partial Transcript: So what about after school, what did you, what, what did you--what was your work when you graduated?

Segment Synopsis: Tucker tells how he moved to Kentucky to work for a fertilizer company. He talks about meeting a woman and receiving a draft notice.

Keywords: Conscription; Fertilizer company; Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)

Subjects: Draft.

Partial Transcript: So that must have been quite an adjustment when you came home. Wha--when did you come back to Kentucky?

Segment Synopsis: Tucker discusses his life after returning to Kentucky at the end of World War II. He talks about getting married in New Mexico while he was stationed briefly in El Paso Texas.

Keywords: Camp Atterbury; Council on Higher Education; Marriage; Weddings

Subjects: Demobilization; World War, 1939-1945--Veterans.

Partial Transcript: I'm, I'm just curious to know your professional path that brought you to be involved with the Council on Higher Education.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about the beginning of his involvement in Kentucky higher education through his businesses in marketing fertilizer and tobacco warehousing.

Keywords: Kentucky Independent College Foundation; Tobacco market; Tobacco warehouses

Subjects: Tobacco.

Partial Transcript: You, you were working in industry but you continued a real interest in education it sounds like.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker tells how a teacher with poor grammar influenced his interest in education and teacher training.

Keywords: Methodist Women's Auxiliary; National Security Agency; Public schools

Subjects: Education.

Partial Transcript: --(cough)--Well, I'm interested to hear a little bit more about, uh, your getting more involved in higher education.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about the institutions associated in the Kentucky Independent College Foundation.

Keywords: Bellamy College; Berea College; Centre College; Council on Higher Education; Cumberland University; Junior Chamber of Commerce (Jaycees); Kentucky Independent College Foundation; Kentucky Wesleyan College; Transylvania University; Union College; University of Pikeville; Wendell Ford

Subjects: Education, Higher--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well, so obviously the, the council had a, a--it was a standing procedure to put together committees or task forces to work on certain initiatives.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about how the Council on Higher Education worked through committees and outreach programs. He talks about the formation of the original Prichard Committee.

Keywords: Outreach programs; University of Kentucky Hospital

Subjects: Education, Higher--Kentucky; Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Did you know Prich before you--had you, had you met Ed Prichard before?

Segment Synopsis: Tucker discusses his early acquaintance with Edward Prichard.

Keywords: Department of Transportation; John Y. Brown, Jr.; Kentucky State University; Segregation; Tobacco

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence; Prichard, E. F., (Edward Fretwell).; Tobacco.

Partial Transcript: What would you say that you all as a committee, this large, 30 people, pretty big committee, even--okay, so you were subdivided but even so in terms of the, the committee...

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about people he knew who served on the Prichard Committee. He says the original name was the Committee on Higher Education and Kentucky's Future.

Keywords: Al Smith; Bob Sexton; Comment on Kentucky; Spindletop

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: And, uh, you know there's a lot that's written, if you look you know there's this little history that, uh, someone wrote of the Prichard Committee.

Segment Synopsis: Tucker lists the various educational institution boards on which he served.

Keywords: Bob Sexton; Council on Higher Education; Kentucky State University Board; Sayre School Board; State Board of Education

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Well tell me this, going back--thinking back to that first year to when you all were making that shift, I mean you told me you were spread pretty thinly...

Segment Synopsis: Tucker talks about the sources of funding for public education.

Keywords: Bob Sexton; Education reform; Kentucky State University

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Partial Transcript: Is there anything about this issue, about this issue of the Prichard Committee and its relationship to educational reform...

Segment Synopsis: Tucker says that the committee could have had more impact on the Kentucky Education Reform Act except that the act did not adequately address teacher education.

Keywords: Fidelity Bank; Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA)

Subjects: Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence