Interview with Donnie Rains, undated

Partial Transcript: Well, one of the things that we're doing here is, is I direct the Oral History Program at UK.

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer explains the purpose of the interview. Rains introduces himself and describes growing up in Emlyn.

Keywords: Cumberland College; Williamsburg High School

Subjects: Emlyn (Ky.); Whitley County (Ky.)

Partial Transcript: Talk about making that transition because you didn't move to Emlyn, right, to come to school in Williamsburg.

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about older boys he looked up to telling Jack Miller he would be a good football player. Rains discusses attending Williamsburg High School and being the first in his family to graduate.

Keywords: Acomplishments; Families; Influences

Subjects: High school athletes; Role models

Partial Transcript: You know, Mr. Miller actually gave me my first job, too. Because when I was doing my--uh, I got to, like I said, I came to Cumberland and, uh, one of those idols I was telling you about, one of my idols from Emlyn, played football at Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about working as a voluntary assistant football coach with Archie Powers and doing his student teaching at Williamsburg High School. He discusses how Miller helped him get his first teaching position.

Keywords: Archie Powers; Football; Special education teachers

Subjects: Coaches (Athletics); Student teaching

Partial Transcript: Let's rewind a little bit and go back to that moment where he's in his car, reading the paper.

Segment Synopsis: Rains elaborates on meeting Miller for the first time. He talks about beginning high school football as an eighth grader. Rains talks about other football coaches he had once Miller became superintendent. He talks about getting a scholarship to play football at East Tennessee State and deciding to return home.

Keywords: Athletes; Eight grade; Football; Mitchell Perkins; Quarterbacks; Scholarships

Subjects: Coaches (Athletics); High school athletes

Partial Transcript: Well let's go back to Mr. Miller training you as an eighth grader to take over as quarterback. What, um, what was it about you?

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about Miller seeing the potential in him as a football player. He discusses what he learned from Miller. He talks about what made Miller a good authority figure and describes an incident where he got suspended.

Keywords: Eighth grade; Quarterbacks; Recruitment; Trouble

Subjects: Coaches (Athletics); High school athletes; School discipline.

Partial Transcript: What was football like then? Talk about football back then.

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about football being less complicated when he played in regards to rules and equipment. Rains describes Miller telling the team about Miller's service in WWII before games. Rains discusses notable games his team played and describes the town celebrating Williamsburg's victory over Corbin High School.

Keywords: Corbin High School; Helmets; Rules

Subjects: Coaches (Athletics); Football--History; High school athletes

Partial Transcript: Well talk about, um, you know, so, so you're, you got coached by Mr. Miller in the eighth grade.

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about Miller's actions to desegregate Williamsburg schools. He describes no resistance to the integration, for school or athletics.

Keywords: Racial integration; Schools; Sports

Subjects: Blacks--Segregation

Partial Transcript: You really had a pretty seamless transition ahead of the state, very much. You go on to graduate.

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about Miller trying to get him to come to Mt. Sterling. He talks about keeping in touch with Miller. Rains describes how Miller influenced him.

Keywords: Coaching; Mt. Sterling (Ky.); Teaching

Subjects: Influences; Role Models

Partial Transcript: So, as a, as a community. Um, you know, as an educator, you're educating all these individuals, right.

Segment Synopsis: Rains describes how everyone who knew Miller was influenced by Miller. He talks about the lasting impact Miller had on the school. Rains discusses his pride in being from the same town as Miller.

Keywords: Emlyn (Ky.); Williamsburg (Ky.); Williamsburg High School

Subjects: Coaches (Athletics); Influences; Role models; School superintendents

Partial Transcript: Donnie talk a little bit about Mr. Miller as a scary guy, that as young people we grew up, and then we find ourselves as adults, as sixty-year-old people, sitting in his house, around his table, with him trying to treat us as peers and we won't let him.

Segment Synopsis: Rains talks about conversing with Miller as an adult. The interviewers talk about Miller's surprise that he had such an influence on his students. Rains talks more about Miller's ability to see the potential in others and Miller encouraging him to become a special education teacher.

Keywords: Educators; Mentors; Special education teachers; Students

Subjects: Influences; Role models

Partial Transcript: When he went to UK that summer, from Emlyn, from Williamsburg, from Cumberland College, he went to register at Memorial Coliseum with one thousand tables and ten million people.

Segment Synopsis: Rains describes registering for classes at the University of Kentucky. He talks about the classes he completed and Miller's ability to foresee the need for special education teachers. He talks about finding the reading level of his students. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Classes; Education; Registration

Subjects: Special education teachers; University of Kentucky