Oral History Interview with Bethel Terry

CASSIE MULLINS: There we go. Where I had it in my bag, I twitched it off, somehow. Okay, just to get started, if you don't care, just state your name.

BETHEL TERRY: I'm Bethel Terry.

C.M.: And what year did you graduate?

TERRY: Nineteen and forty.

C.M.: Now Bethel, did you live over at the settlement school?

TERRY: No, I did not.

C.M.: Okay, where did you grow up?

TERRY: Over in Jones Fork.

C.M.: Over in Jones Fork?

TERRY: Uh huh.

C.M.: So how did you get to school every day?

TERRY: On the school bus.

C.M.: On the school bus. Okay, because I know there were some people, right before that time, there probably weren't many school buses around.

TERRY: That's 1:00true. That's how I came.

C.M.: Now how many years did you go up to Hindman?

TERRY: I went two years, two years.

C.M.: Now how did you hear about the settlement school?

TERRY: Well, I knew about it ever since I was .... as far back as I can remember, I knew about the school.

C.M.: Well, did other people in your family go?

TERRY: Well, Bob’s the oldest in my family, of course, the neighbors went and—other people around I knew went to school there, you know.

C.M.: Yeah. Okay.

TERRY: I knew about it all the time.

C.M.: Yeah—did—pull out my questions here. Now, [the] two years that you were up there, what classes do you remember that kind of stick out in your head, maybe your favorite ones or just--.

TERRY: Well, of 2:00course I had English, I had history, Early Progress History under E.K. Smith. I had science, Senior Science under Burnham Maggard (??), that was in 1940, now, the year I graduated. And of course, I had manual training under Jethro Amburgey, why I don’t know I had the usual--.

C.M: Yeah.

TERRY: --Usual classes.

C.M.: What was the manual training class like, with Jethro Amburgey?

TERRY: Well, I liked it very much it was [clears throat]—it was something that you could—you could make, I made some furniture in the class—and it was different, of course.

C.M.: Yeah.

TERRY: Than just the ordinary 3:00class and I enjoyed it.

C.M.: What sort of things did he teach you all to make in there?

TERRY: Well, he taught us to make (??) lamps, for instance, that was one thing. A table, things of that nature, you know, something [that] wasn’t really too complicated, but we got along with that.

C.M.: Do you think that was a pretty useful class to have--.

TERRY: Why, I think so, sure. I think it was and I enjoyed it.

C.M.: I know that’s what Drannan Pratt was telling me that, that was one of his favorites too.

TERRY: Oh, yeah, I enjoyed that.

C.M.: Yeah. Who were—you mentioned J.K. Smith and Jethro Amburgey, who were some other teachers that stick out in your mind that you enjoyed?

TERRY: Well, there’s Betty Combs, well she was 4:00the English teacher. Pearl—Pearl Combs was the Math teacher. Principal - Professor Smith, he stuck out in a line.

C.M.: What was he like?

TERRY: Well, he was strict. And everybody knew him. And everybody dreaded him.

Everybody .... when he said something, everybody listened. Now, I enjoyed him.

C.M.: I guess he had to be.

TERRY: He had to be that way. He knew what he was doing. He was good.

C.M.: What about.. .. did you know Miss Watts very well?

TERRY: No, not very well. I knew her when I saw her. But I really didn't know anything about Miss Watts.

C.M.: Did you have Miss Cobb for any classes?

TERRY: Now, I didn't have her for a class. I remember her being there. Best I remember, she was 5:00a French teacher. And I didn't have Miss Cobb. There was a Miss Standish there too. I think she taught.. .. best I remember she taught some History and maybe Science.

C.M.: Yeah, I think you're right.

TERRY: You know, that's been quite a while. I don't exactly remember everything.

C.M.: No, I think you're right, because somebody else mentioned her, too.

TERRY: Of course, I didn't have Miss Hadley, she was I believe a Home Ee teacher, as I recall.

C.M.: I don't know about her.

TERRY: But I can't remember. Well, 6:00the librarian was James Still.

C.M.: What did you think about Mr. Still? What do you remember ....

TERRY: I don't really remember a whole lot about him. I didn't have a class under him.

He was just the librarian. He kept study hall some, I think.

C.M.: Yeah, he did.

TERRY: But I never had a class under him. He was a fine gentleman, still is.

C.M.: Did you play any sports or anything?

TERRY: No, no I didn't play any sports.

C.M.: What were some things ... .I know, like I talked to Ursula Davidson and people like that.

TERRY: Ursula, uh hmm.

C.M.: Was she in your class?

TERRY: She was in my class, yeah.

C.M.: There were clubs and kind of things you could do after school. Or activities that you all did. Were you involved in any of those?

TERRY: No. No, I wasn't involved in any of those that I recall. Now, 7:00Ursula, she was in my class, yeah.

C.M.: That's what I thought. I just remembered that.

TERRY: I've got a picture in there of the alumni lunch in nineteen and ninety. And one of the girls that was there, they took a picture of our class. The ones that attended. And Ursula was there, and of course, I was there. There were six or seven there. And two of those have already passed on since that time.

C.M.: Well, there's not many of you all left.

TERRY: Not a whole lot. I just don't know how many are left. But it is quite a number that are dead.

C.M.: Yeah, that's why we' re trying to talk to a lot of people this summer, so we can get 8:00down things they remember. Did you ever .... since you didn't live at the settlement school. I know that the people who lived there usually had a job. Did you ever work there, at any time?

TERRY: No, I never did. Never did.

C.M.: What do you remember about just the campus itself maybe? Like the buildings you went in on campus for the Manual Training and places like that. I don't know if they were all together or some of them were ....

TERRY: No, the Manual Training shop was where the present library is now. It was just below it, just under it. And of course, we walked from the old building, the old high school building to over there and back. Now the grade school was where the library 9:00is now.

C.M.: Do you remember how ... .I guess, maybe, did the campus look a lot different?

TERRY: Look different? Yeah. Well I really don't know if it was too much different or not. They built better buildings of course now, then they had back in those times. It hasn't changed a great deal. Just some newer buildings about.

C.M.: What were maybe some .... do you remember some of the rules that you all were expected to follow as compared to things people have to do now?

TERRY: No, I really couldn't comment on that. I just don't know. I don't remember about the rules. They were strict enough.

C.M.: So 10:00I guess it was maybe more strict then.

TERRY: Probably, than they are today.

C.M.: What was expected? Or how much did you feel was expected of you, as far as, like your classwork and things like that?

TERRY: Well, they expected you to do your classwork. And do the best you could. And we were all young at that time and really didn't care a whole lot, I guess. You're older and you change and realize where you might have done better, than you really did.

C.M.: What did your education up there mean to you?

TERRY: It meant quite a bit. Of course, from there I went on to business college. And stayed a year there and 11:00I got through in nineteen forty-one. Ashland is where I went to business college. I enjoyed being at Hindman. It's really nice and enjoyable.

C.M.: What kind of impact. ... I guess from you being in this area, I guess pretty much your whole life.

TERRY: All my life, yeah.

C.M.: What kind of impact do you think, from knowing kids that lived there, stayed there and went to school with you. What kind of impact do you think the settlement had overall on Hindman?

TERRY: I think it had a great impact on kids. There was so many of them from out in the county, that couldn't ride the bus. They came there. And they 12:00always enjoyed it, as far as I know, enjoyed being there.

C.M.: Do you remember anybody ever saying ... .I know a lot of the teachers that you all had came from the east, from the nice schools. And would come and stay a year or two. What did people think about that?

TERRY: Well, I never heard any comments, negative comments on it. They 13:00always enjoyed having those teachers from up east. Those older teachers like Miss Cobb and Miss Standish. They were fine people. And there weren't any comments or statements made about them. I don't remember any.

C.M.: That's what everybody says to that question. That's what we're trying to find out, what people thought about it.

TERRY: Oh, I'm sure everybody enjoyed them.

C.M.: Are there any, of course, I've just been asking general questions about your time when you were in high school. Is there anything that comes to your mind that I'm not asking you about, I guess? Like maybe from your two years there? Or something that sticks out in your mind from being in school there, I haven't asked you about? Or something you think would be important that people would want to know from there, that I haven't asked you about?

TERRY: I can't think of anything that stands out in my mind that happened that people might want to know about. 14:00C.M.: Well, that's fine. I just like to ask that. Sometimes people have something on their minds that I haven't asked them about. Yeah, that's fine. I'll turn this off.

END OF INTERVIEW