Interview with Roy Mumford, May 20, 2017

Partial Transcript: Okay, my name is Alissa Keller and I'm sitting with Roy Mumford, um, today is Saturday May 20, 2017.

Segment Synopsis: Mumford came from a family of thirteen kids. All eight of the boys served in the military, three in Army, three in Navy, one in Air Force, one in the Marines. Mumford was in the Navy from 1961-1966, and was at the Bay of Pigs in Cuba during the crisis. He discusses how the situation played out from his perspective. Mumford describes being at the Gulf of Tonkin and Persian Gulf.

Keywords: African American families; African American veterans; Bay of Pigs Invasion, Cuba, 1961; Black families; Black veterans; Brothers and sisters; Children; Families; Fidel Castro; Gulf of Tonkin; JFK; John F. Kennedy; Siblings

Subjects: Agent Orange.; Castro, Fidel, 1926-2016.; Cuba--History--Invasion, 1961.; Cuba.; Cuban Missile Crisis, 1962; Kennedy, John F. (John Fitzgerald), 1917-1963.; Military.; Persian Gulf.; Soviet Union.; Tonkin, Gulf of.; USSR armed forces.; United States. Navy.

Partial Transcript: And you were on an aircraft carrier?

Segment Synopsis: Mumford describes the huge aircraft carrier his unit was on. Mumford was in a crash crew, who were at the ready to rescue pilots from planes and also fought fires. Mumford describes his living quarters. Mumford had wanted to be a paratrooper, but the army recruiter was gone to lunch and the navy recruiter persuaded him to join the navy instead. Recruits got sent to Hawaii or the Philippines for R&R. Mumford describes where his brothers served.

Keywords: African American veterans; Black veterans; Bunks; Crash crews; Emergency rescues; Firefighting; Korean War (1950-1953); Living situations; Military housing; Pilots; R and R; R&R; Rescues; Rest and recuperation; Wars

Subjects: Aircraft carriers.; Airplanes.; Barracks.; Hawaii.; Housing.; Korean War, 1950-1953--Participation, American.; Philippines.; Travel.; United States. Army.; United States. Marine Corps.; United States. Navy; Vietnam War, 1961-1975.

Partial Transcript: Um, so what did you do when you got out of the Navy?

Segment Synopsis: When he got out of the navy, Mumford became a fireman and an EMT, which did for twenty years. Mumford talks about how the fire fighting schools he attended were worse than any fire he ended up fighting. He was the second African American his workplace had ever hired. Mumford goes on to talk about how he ended up with the job: when he left the military he applied for unemployment and the clerk there advised him to take the fire fighting test because of his Navy experience. Mumford describes the daily experience of the job, including his experience as being one of only two black men in the unit.

Keywords: African American fire fighters; African American firemen; African American veterans; African Americans; Black American history; Black fire fighters; Black people; Black veterans; Crash crews; Fire fighters; Firemen

Subjects: African American history; Family history.; Fire fighters.; Hopkinsville (Ky.); Kentucky--History.; Occupations.; Philadelphia (Pa.); Schools.; Seattle (Wash.); Training.; Unemployment insurance.; Unemployment.; Vocations.; Work.

Partial Transcript: So you grew up here, where did you live growing up?

Segment Synopsis: Mumford describes where he lived growing up, and how he played in the town cemetery. Mumford went to Booker T Washington elementary school up through the sixth grade and then to Attucks school until he graduated high school. Mumford talks about how his school didn't have a bus. He remembers field days. Mumford shares his opinions on his teachers, who he thought were good at their jobs. Mumford remembers how they built on to Booker T. Washington Elementary and ended up digging on a Native American burial ground. Mumford also mentions that he was on the basketball team his senior year, and other ways he entertained himself like playing pinball and listening to the juke box.

Keywords: African American students; Attucks School (Hopkinsville, KY); Black American history; Black students; Booker T. Washington Elementary School (Hopkinsville, KY); Burial grounds; Elementary schools; Field days (school); Graveyards; High schools; Juke boxes; Middle schools; Pinball machines; Playing; Recreation; Schools

Subjects: African American history.; African Americans--Education.; Amusements.; Basketball.; Black people--Segregation; Cemeteries.; Discrimination in education.; Discrimination.; Family history.; Games.; Hopkinsville (Ky.); Kentucky--History.; Minorities.; Native Americans.; Play.; Race relations. Race discrimination.; Racism against Black people; Racism.; Segregation in education.; Segregation.

Partial Transcript: Of course, I had a job, though, so I--

Segment Synopsis: Mumford describes his high school job where he helped two teachers deal with their furnaces. He would also do other odd yard or house work. Mumford describes his parents' careers. He mentions his mother's cooking, and describes their general living conditions. Mumford talks about people who left Hopkinsville. Mumford goes on to talk about his own career, saying God called him into the ministry. He pastored in a Methodist church for nineteen years before coming back to the church he was raised in, where he's been for twelve years.

Keywords: Chickens; Fried chicken; Hogs; House work; Laundry service; Ministries; Odd jobs; Pastors; Siblings; Yard work

Subjects: African American history.; Brothers and sisters.; Careers.; Christianity.; Christians.; Churches.; Clergy.; Families.; Family history.; Food habits.; Fort Campbell (Ky. and Tenn.); Hopkinsville (Ky.); Jobs.; Kentucky--History.; Laundresses; Laundry.; Marriage.; Methodists.; Religion.; Work.

Partial Transcript: Well, that's, that's fascinating

Segment Synopsis: Mumford says they have a family reunion every two years in Hopkinsville for their relatives across the country. The reunions run from Friday to Monday. On the Fridays they have a meet and greet, then on Saturdays they rent a park and have a picnic, and finally on Sunday they crowd into the church. Mumford says that around 150 people show up for the reunions.

Keywords: African American families; Black families; Celebrations

Subjects: African American history; California.; Churches.; Families.; Family history.; Family reunions.; Family trees.; Fourth of July.; Georgia.; Home.; Hopkinsville (Ky.); Independence Day (U.S.); Kentucky--History.; New Jersey.; North Carolina.; Parks.; Parties.; Picnics.; Religion.; South Carolina.