Interview with George Logan, May 29, 2013

Partial Transcript: My name is Nieta Wigginton. I'm here with Mr. George Logan. We are at the Lexington Public Library on Main Street on May the 28th, 2013.

Segment Synopsis: George Logan is introduced. He talks about growing up in Stanford, Kentucky with his parents and seven siblings. He talks about why he lived with his grandparents for much of his childhood and talks about his relationships with his siblings.

Keywords: Brothers; Fathers; Grandparents; Jobs; Mothers; School; Siblings; Sisters; Spoiled; Truck drivers

Subjects: African American families; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Employment.; Childhood; Lincoln County (Ky.); Stanford (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Awesome. Well tell me a little bit more about growing up in Lincoln County. What, uh, elementary school did you attend?

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about attending elementary school and high school at one school in Lincoln County, Kentucky. He talks about his favorite and least subjects, starting a debate team, and a teacher who made him think about his future.

Keywords: Careers; Debate teams; Elementary school; First Baptist Church; Grades; High school; History; Music; Professions; Realistic; Singing; Students; Subjects

Subjects: African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Employment.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Childhood; Lincoln County (Ky.); Stanford (Ky.); Teachers--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Tell us a little more about your experiences in school.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about attending an all-Black school which was located next to an all-White school. He talks about how the students played together at recess, but were often not allowed to eat at the same restaurants. He talks about how the basketball team at his school was not allowed to use the gym at the White school and had to travel to Danville to practice. He talks about why that changed during his time as a student, and talks about how segregation and integration affected the children in his community.

Keywords: Basketball court; Basketball teams; Bates High School; Car accidents; Children; Coach Sanford T. Roach; Danville (Ky.); Department stores; Drugstores; Football teams; Friends; Gymnasium; Military draft; Railroad tracks; Recess; Restaurants; World War II

Subjects: African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Childhood; Integration; Lincoln County (Ky.); Neighbors; Race discrimination.; Race relations--Kentucky; Racism; Segregation in education--Kentucky; World War, 1939-1945

Partial Transcript: Now when you left Lincoln, uh, County's high school then you went to Kentucky State University? Did you go straight into Kentucky State?

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about his visit to a college in Little Rock, Arkansas and how his experiences with harassment there influenced him to choose Kentucky State University instead. He tells a story about hitchhiking from Arkansas to Kentucky and his experience driving a big rig truck. He talks about working his way through college, and his college majors.

Keywords: Basketball coaches; Basketball players; Fathers; Harassment; History and government; Hitchhiking; Jobs; Racial slurs; Scholarships; Sociology and economics; Truck drivers; Trucking business; Working

Subjects: African American college students--Social conditions; African American families; African Americans--Education (Higher); African Americans--Employment.; African Americans--Social conditions.; African Americans--Southern States.; Campus visits; College choice; College environment; College majors; Kentucky State University; Little Rock (Ark.); Minorities in higher education; Race discrimination.; Racism; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: So when you graduated from Kentucky State you, uh, enrolled in University of Kentucky?

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about enrolling at the University of Kentucky after graduating from Kentucky State University. He talks about his father's advice for preparing himself for the discrimination and harassment he would face. He tells the story of his experience in Dr. Clark's history class at UK, with students who would not sit with him and harassed him. He talks about Dr. Clark's reactions to the students' discrimination.

Keywords: Dr. Thomas D. Clark; Fathers; Grades; Harassment; History; Issues; Jess Gardner; Lawsuits; Lyman T. Johnson; Military draft; Protection; Protests; Racial slurs; Reactions; Student Union Building (Student Center); Temper

Subjects: African American college students--Social conditions; African Americans--Education (Higher); African Americans--Education--Kentucky--Lexington; African Americans--Social conditions.; College choice; College environment; College integration; College students, Black; College students--Attitudes.; College teachers--Social conditions; Discrimination in higher education; Education, Higher--Kentucky--Lexington; Korean War, 1950-1953; Minorities in higher education; Race discrimination.; Race relations--Kentucky--Lexington; Racism; Segregation in higher education.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Now Mr. Logan one thing I noticed interesting, when you talk about things that happened in a segregated or Jim Crow or racist way like having to go to the, uh--being asked to go to the kitchen to order your food...

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about his attitude towards those who are discriminating against him or others. He talks about how his grandfather influenced his views on life.

Keywords: Compassion; Grandfathers; Illiterate; Life philosophy; Perspectives

Subjects: African American families; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions.; Race discrimination.; Racism; United States--Race relations.

Partial Transcript: Course when I left UK in '52 it was time for me to go to the af--to the Army.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about joining the U.S. Air Force instead of waiting to be drafted by the Army. He talks about how his education led to his acceptance in Officers Training School, and later to his role as an administrative specialist. He talks about being sent to the Philippines, where he taught classes to American soldiers and also at the University of the Philippines. He talks about his work with the United Nations in Vietnam during the buildup to the Vietnam War. He talks about how Blacks were treated in Asia at the time.

Keywords: Administrative specialists; Air Force Reserves; Bangkok (Thailand); Clark Air Force Base; Clothes; Contracts; First aid; France; Good Samaritan Hospital; Hong Kong (China); Military draft; Officers Training School; Orderlies; Promotions; Shooting; Singapore; Skin color; Staff sergeants; Surgical technicians; Swimming; Treatment; United Nations; United States Army; University of the Philippines; Volunteers

Subjects: African American veterans; African Americans--Education (Higher); African Americans--Military service; African Americans--Social conditions.; Clark Air Base (Philippines); Korean War, 1950-1953; Race relations.; United States. Army Air Forces; Vietnam

Partial Transcript: Was it a big adjustment then, coming back to the United States?

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about returning to America and teaching at Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. He talks about the subjects he taught, and how his teaching methods changed over time.

Keywords: Adjustment; Behavior; Drivers education; Dunbar High School (Lexington, Ky.); History; Home; Lenient; Lincoln County (Ky.); Practice teaching; Segregated schools; Social studies; Teaching methods; Transitions

Subjects: African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Employment.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Segregation in education--Kentucky; Teachers--Kentucky; Teaching

Partial Transcript: People talk about Dunbar here in Lexington with such pride.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about the atmosphere at Dunbar High School and teachers' relationships with the students. He discusses his philosophy on learning and anticipating societal trends, and talks about the advice he gave his daughters about their futures.

Keywords: Atmosphere; Changes; Children; Computers; Daughters; Family meals; Learning; Life philosophy; Opportunity; Preparation; Pride; Relationship with students; Trends

Subjects: African American families; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Employment.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Teachers--Kentucky; Teaching

Partial Transcript: And you've made a lot of transitions. You left from, um, Dunbar and then you become involved more in driver's education, is that correct?

Segment Synopsis: Logan tells a story about going to the University of Kentucky to become certified to teach drivers education classes at Dunbar High School. He reconnected with an old friend who put him in charge of teaching the class at UK before he had taken the course himself. He talks about starting the Drivers Education Association in Kentucky and attending a national drivers education school. He talks about his job certifying drivers education teachers across Kentucky.

Keywords: Car accidents; Classes; Contracts; Dr. Leroy Dunn; Drinking; Driver and Traffic Safety Education; Drivers Education Association; Drivers education; Driving; Dunbar High School (Lexington, Ky.); Football coaches; Friends; Iowa; Jess Gardner; National Drivers Education School; School superintendents; Seattle (Wash.); Statewide; Traveling; University of Indiana; University of Kentucky

Subjects: African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Employment.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Teachers--Kentucky; Teaching

Partial Transcript: Now when--in 1989 when you left, um, how did you make your segue into being involved in the Martin Luther King holiday and things of that nature?

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about his twenty-year long endeavor to make Martin Luther King, Jr. Day a recognized holiday in Kentucky. He talks about various governors he worked with during this time. He talks about his struggle to raise awareness of Black history, beginning with the textbooks used in schools. He talks about Abraham Lincoln's genealogy and possible Black heritage.

Keywords: Abraham Lincoln; All-Black schools; Ancestors; Assassination; Barack Obama; Black history; Black presidents; Burial; Contributions; Governor Wallace G. Wilkinson; Holidays; Knowledge; Main Street Baptist Church; Martin Luther King Day; Mary Todd Lincoln; Recognition; Textbooks; Work

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Civil rights; African Americans--Social conditions.; Discrimination in education.; Genealogy; King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968; Lincoln, Abraham, 1809-1865; Race discrimination.; Race relations--Kentucky; School integration--Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well tell me a little bit more about your involvement in your church. You seem very proud of your church's history.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about why he did not want to officially join Main Street Baptist Church in Lexington due to his reputation as an agitator. He talks about his role on the Planning Commissions Board, the role of the board in community planning, and how he used his position on the board to improve the quality of neighborhoods for all people in Lexington.

Keywords: Activism; Activities; Agitators; Attitudes; Building; Church membership; City dumps; Community; Concern; Construction; Equality; Fairness; Houses; Involvement; Main Street Baptist Church; Mayors; Parks; Planning Commissions Board; Public meetings; Public service; Subdivisions; Swimming pools

Subjects: African American leadership; African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Employment.; African Americans--Housing.; African Americans--Politics and government.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Lexington (Ky.)--Race relations.; Neighborhoods.; Race discrimination.

Partial Transcript: Now you, uh, mentioned two things I would like to go back and ask you about. You talked about neighborhoods.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about living in St. Martin's Village, the first Black subdivision in Lexington. He talks about the atmosphere of the neighborhood and the rules residents were required to follow. He talks about his daughter's desire to attend Meadowthorpe Elementary School instead of Douglass Elementary School.

Keywords: Children; Community; Douglass Elementary School; Maintenance; Meadowthorpe Elementary School; Neighborhood associations; Neighborhood meetings; Regulations; Rules; St. Martin's Village; Subdivisions

Subjects: African American families; African American neighborhoods; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Housing.; African Americans--Social conditions.; African Americans--Social life and customs.; Discrimination in education.

Partial Transcript: Um, the other point I wanted to bring up, you mentioned, uh, Robert Jefferson was your fraternity brother. What fraternity are you in, Mr. Logan?

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks more about his experiences at Kentucky State University, including the fraternity he joined. He talks about one of his professors, Dr. Chaney, and the things they learned in his class.

Keywords: College fraternities; Community; Dr. Chaney; Dropping out; Games; Instructors; Omega Psi Phi fraternity; Quality of education; Questions; Robert Jefferson; Scholarship; Spelling; Value; Young people

Subjects: African American college students--Social conditions; African Americans--Education (Higher); College attendance; College environment; College teachers--Rating of.; College teaching.; Kentucky State University; Minorities in higher education; Universities and colleges--Faculty.

Partial Transcript: You've taught a lot of students and you've made major changes in, um, in Kentucky and across the country based on what you've taught.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about relationships between people, and how they treat one another. He talks about how relationships between the races have improved but says that there is still room for progress in the future.

Keywords: Better off; Changes; Criminals; Disagreements; Enjoyment; Fighting; Future; Generations; Human relationships; Improvement; Learning; Life philosophy; Treatment; Young people

Subjects: African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Lexington (Ky.)--Race relations.; Race discrimination.; Racism; Teachers--Kentucky; Teaching

Partial Transcript: Mr. Logan, um, your optimism and your hope for the future, even your saying, uh, "people think I'm dreaming," it takes us back to your involvement with, uh, Dr. King's history being preserved, particularly in Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks more about his struggle to have Martin Luther King, Jr. Day recognized as a holiday in Kentucky. He talks about how he relates to King's life, and talks more about race relations in his childhood community.

Keywords: Changes; Holidays; Humanitarians; Ignorance; Martin Luther King Day; Martyrs; Optimism; Status quo; Treatment

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Civil rights; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Childhood; Integration; King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968; Race Relations--Kentucky; Race discrimination.; Racism

Partial Transcript: Mr. Logan you, uh--in your example you took us back to your childhood.

Segment Synopsis: Logan talks about his accomplishments, including his pride in helping others and of seeing young people going to college and being prepared for the future. He talks about the importance of parents' roles in their children's lives.

Keywords: Accomplishments; Church; Community; Family meals; Family relationships; Generations; Graduation; Grandfathers; Helping others; Parents; Proud; Role models; Scholarships; Young people

Subjects: African American families; African American leadership; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Education.; African Americans--Religion.; African Americans--Social conditions.; Teachers--Kentucky; Teaching

Partial Transcript: But... here's a man that--I'm talking about Martin Luther King now--

Segment Synopsis: Logan gives some examples of ways he has been discriminated against or harassed due to the color of his skin. He talks more about why he believes people behave this way. He talks about the progress that has been made, but says there is still more work to be done. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Acceptance; Arrested; Better off; Black history; Changes; Drivers education; Exclusion; Governors; Ignorance; Prejudice; Progress; Sacrifices; School superintendents; Sidewalks; Skin color; Support; Treatment

Subjects: African American leadership; African Americans--Conduct of life.; African Americans--Legal status, laws, etc.; African Americans--Social conditions.; King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968; Race discrimination.; Racism; United States--Race relations.