Interview with Mary Beth Bingman, October 15, 2015

Partial Transcript: Hello. This is Jeff Keith with Rayna Gellert and we're interviewing Beth Bingman a--Bingman and we're in Dunganan at your home and your farm.

Segment Synopsis: Mary Beth Bingman is introduced. She talks about her childhood and the many places her family moved. She talks about her father's connection to the United Mine Workers.

Keywords: Connections; Family; Fathers; Home; Knoxville (Tenn.); Mothers; Moving; River Farm; Siblings; Torrence (Pa.); Upbringing; Wheelwright (Ky.); Williamson (W. Va.); Wise (Va.)

Subjects: Childhood; Families.; United Mine Workers of America.

Partial Transcript: Um, was there something in, in your family background that got you interested in the field of education?

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about how she became involved in the field of education after college. She talks about the various jobs she held, and the certifications she received.

Keywords: Advanced degrees; Certification; Clinch Valley College; Communities; Community organization; Scholarships; School consolidation; School houses; Special education; University of Virginia's College at Wise; Wise County (Va.)

Subjects: Education; Rural schools--Appalachian Region; Teachers; Teaching

Partial Transcript: Um, I w--I'm curious to know, uh, when and how your life intersected with Helen Lewis' path.

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about meeting Helen Lewis, who was one of her parents' friends during her childhood. She talks about taking one of Lewis' classes at Clinch Valley College.

Keywords: Amelia Kirby; Classes; Clinch Valley College of the University of Virginia; Coal camps; Community studies; Helen Lewis; Judd Lewis; Parents; Relationships; Steel Town; Wheelwright (Ky.); Wise (Va.)

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Universities and colleges; University of Virginia's College at Wise

Partial Transcript: This is a question I was going to ask later but, uh, you just brought it up.

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about her work with the Appalachian Volunteers (AVs), and the other ways she participated in activism. She talks about the things that influenced her progressive perspective.

Keywords: Activism; Anti-stripmining protests; Appalachian studies; Booklets; Classes; Clinch Valley College; Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Gibbs Kinderman; Helen Lewis; New York City; Perspectives; Political issues; Progressive; Protests; Strip mining; University of Virginia's College at Wise; Vietnam War; Wise County (Va.); Yablonski murder

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalachian Volunteers, Inc.; Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region; Political activists.; Strip mining

Partial Transcript: Um, I'm want to talk about something different for a second.

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about the dissertation she wrote concerning women in Appalachia. She talks about her and other women's involvement in a stripmining protest.

Keywords: Anti-stripmining protests; Center for Literacy Studies; Communities; Community organizations; Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Dissertations; Doris; Empowerment; Harassment; Highlander Center; Involvement; Protesters; Scary; Teachers; University of Tennessee

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Coal mines and mining--Appalachian Region; Education; Political activists.; Strip mining; Women--Appalachian Region

Partial Transcript: So I--this is--that's 1972 and I'm, I'm wondering if that's around the same time you maybe started hearing about Appalshop.

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about how she learned of Appalshop and her early involvement with the organization.

Keywords: Council of the Southern Mountains (CSM); Cultural work; Dulcimers; Helen Lewis; Herb Smith; Jack Wright; June Appal Recordings; Motivation; Music festivals; Musicians; People's Appalachian Research Collective (PARC); Political activism

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; Political activists.

Partial Transcript: Well, um, I guess here is where, uh, I'm, I'm wondering, you know, that this, this, this sounds like at this time you start to get more involved with sort of the Appalshop world a little more.

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about becoming more involved with Appalshop through the creation of study guides for Appalshop films, among other projects. She talks about local opinions about Appalshop.

Keywords: "Fast Food Women"; "Hippie Farm"; "Quilting Women"; Amelia Kirby; Bill Richardson; Contract work; Educators; Films; Involvement; Josephine Richardson; Local paranoia; Relationships; Rich Kirby; River Farm; Roadside Theater; Salvadoran guerillas; Storytelling; Study guides; Teacher's guides; Teachers

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; Education

Partial Transcript: Um, the, uh, I guess something that--

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about writing a report for Appalshop in 2006 regarding a grant the organization had received.

Keywords: Assessments; Educational outcomes; Funding; Grants; Jobs; Learning centers; Reports

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Education

Partial Transcript: Um, I see that you were at the--on the board of directors at Highlander from 2001 to 2007 and then switched--

Segment Synopsis: Bingman worked for both Appalshop and Highlander, and discusses the connections between the two organizations as well as the differences between them.

Keywords: Board members; Cultural work; Directors; Executive committees; Executive directors; Highlander Folk School; Interpersonal relationships; John Giventa; Staff; Whitesburg (Ky.)

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Highlander Research and Education Center (Knoxville, Tenn.)

Partial Transcript: So, um, I'm going to come back to a question I was go, going to ask there but--'cause I want to just talk to you then about your time as directing manager.

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about becoming managing director of Appalshop in 2007, and discusses her role in the organization. She says most of the people had free reign over their own projects.

Keywords: Advice; Appalachian Media Institute (AMI); Authority; Decision-making; Direction; Directors; Evaluation; Expertise; Films; Influence; Managing directors; Power; Projects; Reports

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Management

Partial Transcript: During that timeline was there a, was there an experience or project that you felt particularly proud of or, um, were particularly excited by?

Segment Synopsis: Bingman talks about some of the projects created during her time with Appalshop. She also discusses some of the personnel issues at Appalshop at the time. She talks about the lack of projects focusing on the local Latino community at the time.

Keywords: "Morristown: in the air and sun"; Affordable Care Act; Anne Lewis; Appalachian Media Institute (AMI); Change; Cultural tourism; Economic transition; Films; Frustration; Latino community; OSF grants; Personnel issues; Projects; Proud; Radio; Routine; Seedtime Festival; Seedtime on the Cumberland Festival; WETS radio

Subjects: Appalachian Region--Social conditions; Appalshop, Inc.; Management

Partial Transcript: Um, I was gonna--before I get to this--this last couple questions here, thinking, you know, as I'm kind of encouraging you to think about those, those years where you were working there full time...

Segment Synopsis: Bingman discusses whether her perspective on Appalshop has changed since her retirement in 2013. She talks about others' perspectives on Appalshop. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Community; Contributions; Encouragement; Issues; Lasting; People; Perspectives; Relationships; Retirement; Support; Whitesburg (Ky.); Young people

Subjects: Appalshop, Inc.; Artists and community.; Communities.