Brian S. Wills interviews D.W. Brooks. Topics include Brooks’ childhood in Royston, Georgia, his father, his educational background, his views on education and teaching, his conversion to Methodism, the beginning of his co-ops with farmers, and the…
Brian S. Wills interviews D.W. Brooks. Topics include Brooks’ wife and children, the federal government’s involvement with co-ops, troubles encountered with traditional farming methods, methods of operation in growing cotton, and overseas expansion.
Brian S. Wills interviews D.W. Brooks. Topics include fishing in Alaska, Eskimos, research developments in hunger in Africa, economics and hunger, agriculture, politics and world hunger, America’s slipping economic position, past secretaries of…
Brian S. Wills interviews D.W. Brooks. Topics include the National Council of Farmer Co-ops, Senator Richard B. Russell, and labor unions in the South.
Interview with Carl Thomas Curtis, U.S. Senator (R-Nebraska). Topics include agriculture; Republican Party; Russell's influence on Senate; Russell's patriotism and character.
Interview with Chappelle Matthews, Representative, Georgia General Assembly. Topics include Agriculture; Depressions, 1929; Georgia politics and government; Lyndon B. Johnson; John F. Kennedy; New Deal, 1933-1939; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Richard B.…
Tommy Irvin discusses his long career as Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture, a position he held from 1969 to 2011. Leading up to his service with the Department of Agriculture, Irvin served on the Habersham County School Board, directed the Georgia…
Terry Coleman was born in Dodge County, Georgia, and his legislative career began when he was elected to the Georgia House of Representatives in 1972, where he served on the Appropriations Commitee. In this interview Coleman discusses his political…
Robert Lindsay Thomas is a U.S. Representative from Georgia. He was elected as a Democrat to the Ninety-eighth and to the four succeeding Congresses (1983-1993). Thomas discusses his involvement with agriculture, his experience in Washington, D.C.…
Willie Green Cutts talks about being raised by his grandmother and helping his grandfather with farming rather than finishing school. He discusses working as an entertainer, his experience as a farmer, and how he acquired his land. Cutts also shares…
Raleigh Saperstein talks about her involvement with the farming and local food scene in Athens, including her work with the Athens Farmers Market and Wholesome Wave outreach. This interview is part of the Georgia Narratives series.
Frank McGill talks about growing up on a family farm in Tifton, Georgia. He also talks about his career with the UGA Extension Service, becoming a specialist in peanut production. He talks about the effect of the peanut economy on small towns in…
Hattie Heflin was born in Oglethorpe County, Georgia in 1954. She grew up on a family farm in Comer, Georgia as one of eleven children. Heflin’s family moved to Athens while she was in the fourth grade. She came to attend the then recently-integrated…
James Russell Smith was born in 1941 and moved to Athens as a child. He currently leads The Athens Voices of Truth choir, and has done so since it was organized in 1979. In this interview he discusses his upbringing as the son of a sharecropper, his…
Melvin Stroud was born and raised in Athens and has worked in the city for decades. Stroud attended Union Baptist Institute and Athens High and Industrial before furthering his education at Fort Valley State University. In this interview, Stroud…
Peggy Norman was born in 1945 in Jackson County, Georgia, and has lived in Athens for over 50 years. She grew up visiting places like Hot Corner and the Bottom, before moving to Athens and starting her career in home healthcare. In this interview,…
Arthur Hinton, Jr. was born in 1957 and grew up in Aliceville, Alabama. He went through the school system there, starting at a small country school run by his family and graduating from Aliceville High School following integration. He continued his…
Raymond Winfrey was born to a large family in Clarke County in 1951. He was raised there, and spent time on the family farm throughout his youth and attended the segregated schools Lyons Elementary School and Burney Harris High School. He was…
Verna Miller Smith was born in 1946. She grew up on a family farm off Brooklyn road in Athens, Georgia. In this interview, she discusses her family history and describes the Brooklyn neighborhood which was historically African American. She…