Interview with Frederick W. "Rick" Bell, May 30, 2019

Partial Transcript: Hello?

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer gives a brief introduction and background history of “Rick” Bell about what he did and was a part of during his time at UK from 1965-1969.

Keywords: 1965; 1969; Background; History; Interviews; Introductions; Kentucky Kernel; May 30, 2019; Newspapers; Oral historians; Staff photographers; The Kernel

Subjects: History.; Interview collection; Introduction; Lexington (Ky.); Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: In our last conversation, we were discussing your experiences on the UK campus beginning in 1965 including your association with the student newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel.

Segment Synopsis: Bell talks about how he spent the majority of his summers during his time at the University of Kentucky, whether he was working on a tow boat as a wiper or working an internship with the Courier-Journal.

Keywords: 1967; 1968; Historians; Internships; Jack Lyon; Jobs; Journalism; Junior year; Louisville (Ky.); Louisville Courier-Journal; Newspapers; Ports; Senior year; Sophomore year; Staff; Summers; Topics; Tow boats; Wipers

Subjects: Cincinnati (Ohio); Courier-journal (Louisville, Ky.); Employment--Kentucky; Journalism; Staff; Summer.

Partial Transcript: Besides David Holwerk, um--in fact, I don't think David Holwerk was a journalism major.

Segment Synopsis: Bell talks about the kind of people that he worked beside during his time in the Kentucky Kernel, and how he has kept some of those friendships to this day. Bell also recalls some of his other classmates in journalism that didn't work with him on the Kentucky Kernel but that he had been close with.

Keywords: David Holwerk; Editors; English majors; Helen McCloy; Jack Lyon; Louisville Courier-Journal; National Geographic; Newport (Ky.); Newspapers; Photographers; Sam Abell; Sunday Magazine; Terence Hunt; Terry Hunt; Yearbook editors

Subjects: Classmates; College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Courier-journal (Louisville, Ky.); Journalism; Newport (Ky.); Photographers; Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky; Yearbook

Partial Transcript: In retrospect, how did growing up and coming of age in the 1960s help shape and influence you as a person?

Segment Synopsis: Bell gives some information on a major life event that happened as he was growing up and how it has shaped him into the man that he is today.

Keywords: 6 year old; Art departments; Assassination; Bobby Kennedy; Diseases; Eastern Kentucky; Edgar Tolson; Edgar Tolson and The Temptation; Fevers; Kids; Mike Hall; Photo story; Yearbooks; Young

Subjects: Childhood; Eastern Kentucky University; Fever; Sick.

Partial Transcript: What impact do you think television had on the public's perception of what was happening over in Southeast Asia and on our involvement over there?

Segment Synopsis: Bell speaks about the Vietnam War and the impact that it had and how it was influenced by television. He mentions that the still photographs that were taken seem to have more impact than television images did for viewers who were following the events of the Vietnam War at home. Bell mentions the effect that the Vietnam War had not only on people around the world but other colleges and universities.

Keywords: Black and white; Bombings; Images; Kent State University; Photographs; Protests; Shootings; Southeast Asia; Undressed girl

Subjects: College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Kent State Shootings, Kent, Ohio, 1970.; Military; Southeast Asia.; Television.; Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Press coverage.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion; Vietnam War, 1961-1975.; War

Partial Transcript: As someone who was young and new to the journalism profession, what did you think of those, uh, television and newspaper reporters and photojournalists who were covering the war from Vietnam?

Segment Synopsis: Bell talks about important war correspondents and photojournalists that he had seen on television covering the Vietnam War from the beginning, while also reading news articles about them.

Keywords: Articles; Battlefield; Bill Strode; Newspaper reporters; Photo journalists; Photojournalism; Television; Vietnam; War; War correspondents

Subjects: Journalism; People.; Television; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Press coverage.; War correspondents.; War photographers.

Partial Transcript: Um, one of the events that--an incredibly powerful event for me...

Segment Synopsis: Bell goes in depth about the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., the announcement that Lyndon B. Johnson made about him not running for re-election, and what that was like for him and his team hearing the news.

Keywords: AP Machine; Assassinations; Editors; LBJ; Louisville (Ky.); Lyndon B. Johnson; MLK; Martin Luther King Jr.; Memorable events; Newspapers; Press

Subjects: Assassination.; College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; History.; Journalism; Louisville (Ky.); University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Rick, did you ever envision yourself to be a war photographer at some point in your career?

Segment Synopsis: Bell talks in this segment about how he didn't actually want to be a war photographer. Bell talks not only about having no interest in it, but the real reason as to why he didn't want to go to Vietnam and what he did want to do instead.

Keywords: 1968; Louisville (Ky.); Riots; Troops; Vietnam; War photographers

Subjects: Armed Forces.; Journalism; Riots; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Press coverage.; Vietnam War, 1961-1975.; War correspondents.; War photographers; War photographers.

Partial Transcript: In February of 1968, uh the SDS, the Peace Action Group, the Louisville Peace Conference, the American Friends Service Committee, and the Southern Conference Education Fund...

Segment Synopsis: Bell talks about a conference that was held called “The War and the Draft.” Bell talks about how much of a big deal it was and the importance of other organizations and groups that were in attendance at the conference.

Keywords: 1968; American Friends Service Committee; Conferences; David Tuck; English professors; February; Joe Malloy; Louisville Peace Conference; Peace Action Group; Southern Conference Education Fund; Students for a Democratic Society (SDS); Wendell Berry; Workshops

Subjects: American Friends Service Committee; College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Draft; Military; Southern Conference Educational Fund; Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion; Vietnam War, 1961-1975.; War

Partial Transcript: From what I can gather from reading issues of the Kernel from 1965 through 1968, the Civil Rights Movement and the anti-war movement had been percolating at low levels on the campus of UK...

Segment Synopsis: Bell remembers the Black Student Union and the impact that they had on University of Kentucky’s campus. Bell also talks about the approach the Black Student Union had on campus and how active and vocal they were. Bell later goes in depth about Adolph Rupp and his refusal to recruit black players.

Keywords: Active; Adolph Rupp; Bill Turner; Black Student Union (BSU); Brave; Faculty; Kentucky State University; Malcom X; Physical; Racism; Racist; Recruiting; UK Basketball; University of Kentucky; Visual; Vocal

Subjects: African American; African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions; Basketball.; Civil rights; College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Equality; Kentucky State University; Lexington (Ky.); Organization.; Race relations; Racism.; Student.; Students.; Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Do you recall there being racial tension on campus?

Segment Synopsis: Bell talks about racial tensions throughout campus and how Lexington had been known to have overt racial issues, and the impact these issues had on people and campus.

Keywords: 1968; African American students; Campus; City; Draft; Kentucky Kernel; Louisville (Ky.); Overt racism; Professors; Racial issues; Verbal abuse

Subjects: African Americans--Segregation; African Americans--Social conditions; College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Equality; Lexington (Ky.); Race relations; Racism.; Students.; Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Well, Don Pratt, who you mentioned earlier, was a UK student at the time.

Segment Synopsis: Bell goes into depth about his friend Don Pratt, and how he was indicted and convicted of draft evasion. He talks about how big an event it was, and everyone knowing of the story. Bell discusses Don Pratt’s personal story and some of his reasons for not going to the draft, and the impact it had on people who were listening to his story.

Keywords: Army; Convicted; Don Pratt; Draft evasion; Indictment; Jefferson County Jail; Prison; Sentences; Trials; War

Subjects: College environment; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Draft resisters.; Draft.; Military; Universities and colleges.; University of Kentucky; Vietnam War, 1961-1975; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Protest movements; Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Public opinion; Vietnam War, 1961-1975.; War; War.