Oral History with Ken & Doris Fendley

Glen Taul

This is an unrehearsed interview with Kenneth Claiborne (??) Fendley, class of 1950, and Doris Jean Russell Fendley, his wife, on October 18, 2001 in the Special Collections and Archives room at the Ensor Learning Resource Center at Georgetown College. It was done as part of a project funded by the Kentucky Oral History Commission. Now, I think I do. We're recording---[laughter] it's the history department. I told Kitty Taylor that you were coming over this morning and she threatened to come over here just to listen. [laughter] Oh my!

Glen Taul

And the the security guard over there that said, "Well, Kitty--you couldn't resist interjecting with something--with this reminiscing. [laughter]

Ken Fendley

We'll let her help us edit it.

Glen Taul

But what I--what when are you a student here?

Doris Fendley

Actually, I came from--

Ken Fendley

I came in '46--. After I finished my term with World War Two.

Doris Fendley

I came in '45.

Glen Taul

So, you came the year before?

Doris Fendley

Doesn't mean I am older than he is though. [laughter]

Glen Taul

Oh, okay.

Doris Fendley

Just because I came to college a year sooner.

Glen Taul

--His entrance into college was delayed just because he was in the war.

Doris Fendley

Uncle Sam took him.

Ken Fendley

Uncle?

Glen Taul

Uncle Sam took you in the war.

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

Did you come on the GI Bill?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

What made you choose Georgetown? Oh, so--[laughter]--y'all were--already knew each other--.

Ken Fendley

Influence--her mother.

Doris Fendley

He was home from service and going to Parkland Baptist Church, and my mom knew him from singing in the choir. And he was talking about going to school on the GI Bill in Georgetown, and she said, "well, when my daughter comes home, she'll tell me about it." So, she introduced (??)

Glen Taul

Oh, now is Parkland in Louisville?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

Is that where you're from? So, both of you are from Louisville?

Ken Fendley

Former president of this instuition was pastor at Parkland--

Glen Taul

At the time.

Ken Fendley

--Baptist Church in Louisville. It's down in the Parkland area--

Doris Fendley

Oh, where is it now?

Ken Fendley

--It's West Louisville.

Doris Fendley

That's right, it's changed, Parkland was out kind of southwest--.

Ken Fendley

Well, you're talking--.

Doris Fendley

--They sold that building to a---.

Glen Taul

Now, you're talking about Dr. Sam Hill?

Doris Fendley

No.

Ken Fendley

He was before--.

Doris Fendley

--Talking back before, about Eddleman.

Ken Fendley

Leo Eddleman.

Glen Taul

Oh, is that right?

Ken Fendley

H, Henry. Leo Eddleman

Glen Taul

Okay. So, you knew him before he even became president of Georgetown?

Doris Fendley

Yes.

Ken Fendley

He married us.

Glen Taul

Oh, he did?

Ken Fendley

That's right.

Glen Taul

Where did you all get married?

Doris Fendley

Parkland Baptist Church, yeah.

Ken Fendley

At Parkland Baptist Church--

Glen Taul

And this was after--

Ken Fendley

My best man was a--

Doris Fendley

This was--.

Ken Fendley

--Fraternity brother here by the name of--.

Doris Fendley

Carson (??)

Ken Fendley

Horace Thomas Emery.

Doris Fendley

This was--.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Doris Fendley

--Between his freshman year and my sophomore--year.

Glen Taul

Oh.

Doris Fendley

I came back as a sophomore--he started his freshman year (??).

Glen Taul

Okay.

Doris Fendley

And we met then.

Ken Fendley

That's right.

Glen Taul

Okay. So, so you came to Georgetown, and you came first, what was it like?

Doris Fendley

Well, as I said my grandmother---

Glen Taul

What was your first impression of it?

Doris Fendley

It was my great-grandmother was my--I loved it to start out with. I lived over here at Union Hall, on Estill Court.

Glen Taul

Oh, okay. I forget you're zoned resident (??).

Doris Fendley

That was a girl's--.

Glen Taul

That's right. You're with---.

Doris Fendley

The girls were very restricted, we had to sign in and out, if we were to town or anywhere off-campus, we had to sign out. What time we came and signed back in. (??) We could not wear shorts or pants on campus. When we went to PE class, we put our shorts on and put our raincoats on. And walked across campus. We could only have three dates a month, except for Sunday night and Wednesday night and then you had to go to church.

Ken Fendley

That was a legitimate date.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Take somebody to church.

Glen Taul

Yeah, I've heard that. [laughter] I've heard that.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Glen Taul

So what was your first impression, Ken?

Ken Fendley

Well, she was I guess but, I thoroughly enjoyed it from the very beginning. I liked the professors I met. They all developed into--into creative and constructive friendships. I Preachd the funeral and I'm not a minister. I preached the funeral of several of these people, like Brad Jones they--had Brad Jones. You know, he was named Brad because he couldn't say bread?

Glen Taul

Is that right.

Ken Fendley

Instead of Brad. [laughter]

Doris Fendley

--Before you--of the overcrowding and where you--where you had to room--.

Ken Fendley

Well--.

Doris Fendley

To start out with.

Ken Fendley

--Mom Collier (??) she was a housemother [sneezes]. A great big tall, not particularly beautiful. Just call it quiet because her son's still living.

Doris Fendley

[laughter] This will be--I'll quash this. [laughter] --But you had room in the--in the gymnasium, isn't that right at first?

Ken Fendley

Yeah, that's true that--.

Doris Fendley

--So you had to room with--there were so many men who had come back from the war and they didn't have room for them, so they put cots up in the gymnasium.

Ken Fendley

They had to make a lot of adjustments.

Glen Taul

W--did you live in a basement?

Doris Fendley

Up the stairs.

Ken Fendley

Upstairs.

Glen Taul

Upstairs.

Doris Fendley

Way upstairs.

Glen Taul

Way upstairs, I didn't realize they had rooms up that far.

Doris Fendley

There was a balcony.

Glen Taul

So, you had a room to yourself?

Ken Fendley

No, I roomed with oh, I can't think of the boy's name at the moment. He's gone now. He had been claimed. And he's gone, but he was a dear, dear friend. He's---one of my friends of that period is still living. He--his son is a doctor in the community. What's that boy's name?

Doris Fendley

Well, I knew you was gonna ask, I was sitting here trying to think. [laughter] I'll think of it in a minute, go ahead.

Ken Fendley

But anyway, I developed fortunately, for my own sake--

Doris Fendley

His name was Tuttleman (??).

Ken Fendley

Fred Tuttle (??).

Glen Taul

Oh, that's name--.

Ken Fendley

Fred Tuttle.

Glen Taul

--That sounds familiar.

Ken Fendley

Yeah, doctor here in town. And his daddy got to be a dear, dear friend--he was--he was my first legitimate roommate, college roommate here at the college.

Glen Taul

So, did you stay--?

Ken Fendley

Fred Tuttle.

Glen Taul

--So, did you stay in that gym room for a semester or a year or?

Ken Fendley

No, it wasn't quite that long.

Doris Fendley

A few months.

Ken Fendley

They made some adjustments, they moved us around.

Glen Taul

Oh, did they?

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Glen Taul

So, where was the next dorm that you went to stay?

Ken Fendley

I was trying to think--

Doris Fendley

Pawling Hall?

Ken Fendley

Yeah, I went to--went to Pawling Hall with Mom Collier. That's right, she came to my rescue and drew me in from my present community limitation.

Glen Taul

Now, what was life like living in Pawling Hall?

Ken Fendley

oh my golly, it's been so long.

Glen Taul

What kind of--

Ken Fendley

I had a lot of--I had a lot of great friends.

Glen Taul

What--kind of activities did you get involved, or mischief? [laughter]

Ken Fendley

Well I--.

Doris Fendley

Water balloons [laughter] from the (??) window.

Ken Fendley

--They came after me, the Pi Kaps [Pi Kappa Alpha] and the LCAs and KAs [Kappa Alpha] all came after me. They--they bodily sought me as a member of their organizations. I submitted to the efforts of Pi Kappa Alpha.

Glen Taul

Ah.

Ken Fendley

I became a Pi, the first year--they had elected me. I was named president of the group and we developed without any question, one of the outstanding college fraternities anywhere.

Glen Taul

Now what attracted you---.

Ken Fendley

--Here abouts.

Glen Taul

What attracted you to them over the others?

Ken Fendley

Oh, they were--there--were several bright guys in the group. I appreciated--this being a college, I appreciated [to] be in the company of men knew where they were going with their minds.

Doris Fendley

At that time, they were the outstanding fraternity on campus.

Glen Taul

Were they?

Doris Fendley

You know, that goes in cycles, I think in 20--or 10 year cycle or something of being the number one fraternity, well at that particular time it was the pikes that were--.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Doris Fendley

--Number one.

Glen Taul

Okay. Did you end up living in their frat house?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir. I did.

Glen Taul

Was it your second year?

Doris Fendley

But, not for long.

Ken Fendley

Not terribly long. We got married.

Glen Taul

Oh, so you got married--?

Ken Fendley

--During that era.

Glen Taul

Okay. Yes, sir. Okay.

Ken Fendley

I had been in the service, you know, all those many years, fighting the battle of Florida, and Texas and--. [laughter]

Glen Taul

You can relate what we're going through right now, then can't you?

Ken Fendley

Yes, I surely can friend. [Laughter] You're quick.

Glen Taul

So what were some of your favorite professors? I mean, did you have in mind--did you have in mind when you came here, what you wanted to major in or be?

Ken Fendley

Not really. Not really. I come from a very--what is the term I want to use?

Doris Fendley

Musical background.

Ken Fendley

Yeah, I'm a rightist, you know, I'm not a leftist, [laughter] a strong Baptist figure. And my father was a tremendous--he taught the Sunday school class at the (??) Street Baptist Church--ma--men's class there. He was very active as a churchman. He was a warrior--he was a--dad fought the First World War and--.

Glen Taul

So you didn't have any idea what you were gonna major in when you came?

Ken Fendley

Not an idea.

Glen Taul

So your first two years are basically trying to find out what--

Ken Fendley

Making adjustment.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

The lifestyle, the collegian.

Glen Taul

What was the lifestyle?

Ken Fendley

Here?

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

I found it quite interesting.

Glen Taul

How so?

Ken Fendley

I found it quite interesting.

Glen Taul

What made it interesting?

Ken Fendley

I, you know, I thought about all the great universities. I had some relationship with this friend at University of Alabama. I was, I was at Alabama. Part of my early experiences as a soldier, they sent me there to take some courses in physics and so on and so forth. I was a pilot during the war.

Glen Taul

Yeah, well, what was it like here in Georgetown?

Doris Fendley

Well--he was involved in a lot of the activities. He was in Maskrafters.

Glen Taul

I knew he was involved in Maskrafters.

Doris Fendley

He was in---

Ken Fendley

Yes sir, I was the president--

Doris Fendley

He was a debater.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Doris Fendley

He was actively involved in the music department, taking music with Dr. Adams and giving recitals. And then active in the fraternity.

Ken Fendley

I--of course, I led church music for 56 years.

Glen Taul

Oh, you did?

Ken Fendley

Yeah.

Glen Taul

So, what was the music department like?

Ken Fendley

Oh, we had some---we had some outstanding and very interesting personnel. The man in charge of the music department at that time was--

Doris Fendley

Dr. Bonowitz (??).

Ken Fendley

Dr. C. Frederick Bonowitz or Bonowitz, whatever. [laughter] And spoke French.

Glen Taul

Oh, he I did?

Ken Fendley

That was part of the way--he teased us along. He gave us that atmosphere, you know, Frenchmen. And he thinks everybody that had--had a leaning toward the arts, was a Frenchman, you know that. C. Frederick Bonowitz.

Doris Fendley

Bonowitz. Always Dr. Bonnie.

Ken Fendley

Yeah one--

Glen Taul

Oh, he was known as Dr. Bonnie?

Ken Fendley

They call him Bonnie. [laughter] Yes.

Glen Taul

Oh my.

Ken Fendley

Bright man. He had a degree he was--he was a dentist, had a degree into--dentistry.

Glen Taul

My goodness.

Ken Fendley

His doctoral degree was in dentistry.

Glen Taul

Huh.

Ken Fendley

But, oh, he had a beautiful voice, gorgeous.

Glen Taul

So he was--.

Ken Fendley

Great.

Glen Taul

He was probably--he was chairman of the music department, but he was a voice teacher.

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

Interesting.

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

I think we've got some of his papers back there.

Ken Fendley

You may have, interesting man.

Glen Taul

What---about, who was in charge of Maskrafters?

Ken Fendley

Yeah. A lady by the name of--

Doris Fendley

Rena Calhoun.

Ken Fendley

Rena Calhoun. Rena is a native of--was a native of Owensboro. She she had a degree--a graduate--a degree from, let's see, let me think for a minute now. Memory is a little dull.

Doris Fendley

She also--.

Ken Fendley

Rena--

Doris Fendley

-- was Dean of Women--.

Ken Fendley

How's that?

Doris Fendley

She was also Dean of Women at that time.

Glen Taul

But she--.

Ken Fendley

She was a very--.

Glen Taul

in charge of--spee--

Ken Fendley

Outstanding Dean of Women.

Glen Taul

Yeah, she was in charge of Maskrafters when you were here.

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

Now how did she--.

Ken Fendley

Super teacher? Absolutely super.

Glen Taul

How did she teach? What was her method--?

Ken Fendley

--She was thorough. When--when she said this is the way it should be, that's the way expected it--she expected it to be. She was--an active teacher.

Glen Taul

When you say active that how does that? Was she always--?

Ken Fendley

She--she made her position well-known on all the issues that she taught. She was a great teacher, outstanding?

Glen Taul

Was she a lecturer?

Ken Fendley

No, she was [a] dramatist.

Glen Taul

Oh, so, she was very dramatic in the way she talked.

Ken Fendley

Quite, yes And a tremendous Dean of Women.

Glen Taul

Did you ever have her?

Ken Fendley

--She kept--.

Doris Fendley

--I had some encounters with her.

Ken Fendley

--Hands and feet near the fire--.

Doris Fendley

--Which were not--some of my encounters with her were not--.

Glen Taul

Pleasant.

Doris Fendley

Pleasant. When I first started going with Ken, I had no problem. [laughter] Because she was his favorite--.

Glen Taul

is that right?

Doris Fendley

--He was her favorite--.

Ken Fendley

I preached her funeral too. [laughter]

Glen Taul

Now--what I'll be interesting to see--what kind of encounters did you have with her?

Doris Fendley

Well, I was sometimes late getting in and you know, broke a few rules along the way.

Ken Fendley

I didn't do that to you, Mama (??). [laughter]

Doris Fendley

We weren't allowed to go out of the dorm after 10 o'clock at night. And one night, we got hungry. And one of our friends called her boyfriend to go get some food. At happened that he was the president--he was son of the rresident of the college, Sam Hill, Jr.

Glen Taul

Oh.

Doris Fendley

And he brought food to us over at Yager Hall.

Ken Fendley

Sam's still living.

Glen Taul

Yes he is.

Doris Fendley

And came around the side and we opened the window and got the food in, but he got caught.

Glen Taul

So you were living on the ground floor?

Doris Fendley

[laughter] And--

Ken Fendley

He was one of my fraternity brothers.

Doris Fendley

That's the first time I know of that a young man got campuse, his restricted his activities--.

Glen Taul

Is that--.

Doris Fendley

--Very sharply after that.

Glen Taul

Oh my goodness.

Doris Fendley

Just little things like that. Not anything I can really my hand on.

Glen Taul

And she was--the Dean--.

Ken Fendley

--I think--.

Glen Taul

--Of Women then?

Ken Fendley

--When she got back to her room, she laughed it all off. [laughter]

Glen Taul

Well, I've heard other stories about her from Margaret Grinnells (??).

Doris Fendley

Oh yes.

Glen Taul

And--.

Ken Fendley

She would know.

Glen Taul

Especially Rucker Hall.

Doris Fendley

I never had the privilege of living in Rucker. Hall.

Glen Taul

Well, there was one story that Mrs. Grinnells relates that one time, she knew the girls were sneaking in and out on the top floor down the fire escape. [laughter] And one time she was locked--and Mrs. Calhounwas locked out of there and started tapping on the window. And when the girls came to open and let her in, she says, " don't you think I know how you all have been getting in and out of here." [laughter] Something like that.

Ken Fendley

Yeah.

Doris Fendley

She probably did.

Glen Taul

I mean----

Ken Fendley

I'll say.

Glen Taul

How did you all get around the rules when you wanted to, out in Yager Hall?

Doris Fendley

I'm not sure, I don't--know whether I remember that or not.

Ken Fendley

Who was your housemother at Yager Hall?

Doris Fendley

Mrs. Bostic

Ken Fendley

Yeah, Mrs. W.M. Bostic.

Doris Fendley

His grandmother, great-grandmother.

Ken Fendley

W.M. Bostic was--used to be pastor at Parkland Baptist Church in Louisville.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Ken Fendley

Yeah, where--our friend, H--.

Doris Fendley

Leo.

Ken Fendley

--Henry Leo Eddleman--

Doris Fendley

Yes.

Ken Fendley

--Was pastor once you know, he was a--he was a Hebrew scholar. Leo Edelman was a very, very bright man.

Glen Taul

So what kind of social life did you get involved in on campus?

Ken Fendley

Pretty--.

Glen Taul

What about that?

Ken Fendley

--Serious business. It was a--it was kind of a dedicatory thing. All the students came--

Doris Fendley

All the organizations at that time were--.

Ken Fendley

Organizations were spending pretty dearly of resources to get an education in this place.

Doris Fendley

But the social life was all around the--all the organizations. They'd each have--you know, different ones would have party. All the fraternities and sororities would have their parties and at different times and Maskrafters even would have a party once in a while. And other--other clubs on campus would have parties. That was more or less, the social life.

Glen Taul

What kind of parties, is it just like, of course you say you couldn't dance?

Doris Fendley

No.

Glen Taul

What kind of music were you restricted to? [laughter]

Doris Fendley

Well, no restriction on the music as far as I can tell.

Glen Taul

Oh.

Doris Fendley

I don't think--.

Glen Taul

So, you all could play the jitterbug or something like that.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Oh, sure. [laughter]

Doris Fendley

--Just couldn't dance to it.

Ken Fendley

Yes. --Good point. Yes, that's true. That's (??) [laughter]

Glen Taul

So, did they have the parties in their--in like in Yager Hall or the lamb house or the Pike House or?

Doris Fendley

Pikes had theirs---.

Ken Fendley

We had a basement area in the house over on Main Street, you know, the old Phi Kap House.

Doris Fendley

Across from the president's house.

Ken Fendley

It was that big, gray stone building on the corner of Chambers and--and, what is that, Main Street. Yeah. Chambers and Main. Great, big, beautiful--it's, it's a shame we gave it up for what we have over here and I'm hope I'm not hurting anybody's feelings. [laughter] --We had a nice house over there. It was beautiful.

Doris Fendley

Pikes always had a--.

Ken Fendley

--We had a big area in the basement.

Doris Fendley

They always--.

Ken Fendley

Big area.

Doris Fendley

They always had a homecoming party. I mean, it was a turkey dinner.

Glen Taul

Turkey dinner?

Doris Fendley

Turkey and dressing and all the trimmings and invited family and friends, after the ball game. You always had a big Christmas party.

Ken Fendley

Great Christmas party.

Doris Fendley

That's when you--that's when you selected your dream girl, at the Christmas party.

Ken Fendley

Yes, that's right.

Doris Fendley

And then they always had a formal in the spring, a formal banquet.

Ken Fendley

We named--

Doris Fendley

It was off-campus

Ken Fendley

--Virginia Covington. You all didn't know Virginia Covington.

Glen Taul

Oh, I did.

Doris Fendley

Oh, yeah. [laughs]

Ken Fendley

Did you know Virginia?

Glen Taul

She was here when I was here. Yeah.

Doris Fendley

Yeah--a character.

Ken Fendley

She played the organ you know, at a Great Crossing for 60 years.

Glen Taul

Oh, my!

Ken Fendley

And she never drew a penny for that was--

Doris Fendley

Her tithe.

Ken Fendley

--Was--she was a gifted musician.

Doris Fendley

But she was, now what year was she dream girl. Do you remember?

Ken Fendley

I was just--that--was the word I was trying to get to. Yes, she was our Dream Girl.

Doris Fendley

I don't remember what year that was--that was after we married though.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Glen Taul

So what--

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Glen Taul

--When did you all marry?

Doris Fendley

1947. 1947. September of '47.

Glen Taul

So, you all married the next year after you--

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Glen Taul

came?

Doris Fendley

Yes, sir. And we came back to Georgetown as a married couple and lived in one of those decrepit old trailers in (??)

Glen Taul

Oh, well, those things were still around in the 70s--

Doris Fendley

It was rough.

Glen Taul

Tell me about it.

Doris Fendley

Well, we had no running water, in the trailer. We did have electricity, which meant of course, we had no bathroom. There was a community bathhouse. And men on one side and women on the other, partitioned off. And at night, when you wanted to take your shower and get ready to go to bed, especially in the wintertime, drag on your coat and your boots, and you know, the all nine yards. Go to the bath house and do what you needed to do and then, when you got ready to go, you'd knock on the wall. So the one next door your, husband or--would know that you were ready to go home. Then you'd walk back to the trailer together. And we carried water in buckets, of course.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Doris Fendley

That's--that's the best we could do.

Glen Taul

Goodness.

Doris Fendley

It was rough.

Glen Taul

I can imagine. It sounds rough.

Doris Fendley

And cold.

Glen Taul

That sounds primitive.

Doris Fendley

It was almost primitive, yeah.

Glen Taul

It was really--sounds like you were--you'd be in what we'd call today an RV--.

Doris Fendley

Right.

Glen Taul

--Court.

Doris Fendley

Right--only worse.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Even George Redding (??) felt sorry for us. [laughter]

Doris Fendley

They weren't like today's trailers at all. They were [laughter] much, much more primitive than that.

Glen Taul

So, what was sort of the routine of the week, during a semester, each day? Back then.

Ken Fendley

A lot of us played bridge.

Doris Fendley

At night.

Glen Taul

At night.

Ken Fendley

At night. Spent a lot of time playing bridge.

Glen Taul

Does this mean couples or just--

Doris Fendley

No, no, just--

Ken Fendley

Dr. Hambrick--.

Doris Fendley

--Just fellows at the Pike House.

Ken Fendley

Dr. Hambrick is still on an authority on the subject.

Glen Taul

Is he?

Ken Fendley

Good bridge player.

Doris Fendley

--He stayed one night playing bridge so along that when he came home, I had locked the door to the trailer and wouldn't let him in. [laughter] I got tired of being left alone every night waiting because I wouldn't play bridge. So, I locked him out. [laughter]

Ken Fendley

Our first child, Skip, some of you may know Skip family. Our oldest son, whose a warrior of Vietnam. Captain and infantry, tough. And he had a--he developed a love for the fraternity. He was attached to it because dad was a part of it. You know, that's that's my eagle work now. But he and--my youngest son, who is not 40 years old yet, was a Pi Kap.

Doris Fendley

Well, Skip was born in '48.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

And he--was--he was nine months old, ten months old when Ken graduated from Georgetown College, and Ken's class was the first to graduate in the new chapel.

Glen Taul

Well, that was that's one of the things I want to get into. What was I mean, being at a Baptist college, you had to attend chapel, how many days a week?

Doris Fendley

Three?

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

Monday, Wednesday, and Friday?

Ken Fendley

That's about right, yes.

Glen Taul

Where did you all meet.

Doris Fendley

In Giddings.

Glen Taul

That's where the chapel was. On the first floor?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Doris Fendley

There weren't but what, there weren't 300 400 students--

Ken Fendley

About that.

Doris Fendley

500--.

Ken Fendley

Yes, 400.

Doris Fendley

--Maybe at the most. Yeah

Ken Fendley

Pretty crowded.

Glen Taul

What did it look like inside? Because, I don't think I've ever seen a picture of the inside of Giddings--.

Ken Fendley

--Well--

Glen Taul

--When it was a chapel.

Ken Fendley

---Mobile chairs, you know, they--they moved the chairs around, adjust--

Doris Fendley

--I don't think so, I think--think it was the chairs were fixed and it was kind of tiered. From the front to the back.

Ken Fendley

You see something different than--.

Doris Fendley

That's the best I remember.

Ken Fendley

My observations.

Doris Fendley

And it had a stage, and that's where all the Maskrafter productions were put on to.

Glen Taul

So, the Maskrafter productions were in Giddings as well as the chapel?

Ken Fendley

Yes and---and there was a little theater in Rucker Hall---.

Doris Fendley

--Euepian (??) Hall.

Ken Fendley

Huh?

Doris Fendley

Called Euepian Hall.

Ken Fendley

Euepian.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Yes, and we put a lot of our performances, I did my--my own Abe Lincoln in Illinois.

Glen Taul

Oh, you did!.

Ken Fendley

In.

Glen Taul

Was that a one-man act?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir. I played the role of six different people.

Doris Fendley

That was your senior--.

Glen Taul

Goodness.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

Recital.

Glen Taul

Now, what did you major in when you were here.

Ken Fendley

I majored in speech and drama

Glen Taul

Okay.

Doris Fendley

And music.

Glen Taul

What did you major in?

Doris Fendley

Campusology, I guess.

Glen Taul

Campusology?

Doris Fendley

Yeah. [laughter] No, I majored, I started out majoring in music, but I changed that. When I realized that was more than I can tackle and I went to secretarial study.

Glen Taul

Oh you did? Okay.

Doris Fendley

Mrs. Offutt (??)

Glen Taul

Mrs. Offutt. Now, what was she like?

Doris Fendley

Strict, but--but a good teacher? She expected a lot, and she demanded a lot. But she was--she was fair.

Glen Taul

Was she very tall?

Doris Fendley

Yeah tall, thin, and I thought old at the time, but you know, she probably wasn't.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Doris Fendley

Because she had white hair. As long as I can remember.

Glen Taul

Where did that--where did those classes meet?

Doris Fendley

Giddings.

Glen Taul

Oh, they did?

Doris Fendley

Upstairs, downstairs, wherever we could work them in.

Glen Taul

How about that (??).

Doris Fendley

Yeah. Most of them downstairs, I think, Giddings in the basement, the secretarial studies. The best I remember, that's where the typewriters and all were.

Glen Taul

Giddings has housed everything.

Doris Fendley

It has. For a fact, there used to be, there was a science lab upstairs at one time too, wasn't there? Had--.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

Had the sciences upstairs.

Glen Taul

You didn't take the sciences?

Doris Fendley

Not if I could help it.

Glen Taul

What about you, Ken?

Ken Fendley

Oh, I enjoyed it, loved it. [laughter] Straight As.

Glen Taul

Straight A's? Who is your--who was the favorite science teacher?

Ken Fendley

Oh, I liked Dr.--Professor Alexander.

Glen Taul

Chester Alexander.

Ken Fendley

Chester.

Glen Taul

Now, he was a pretty tall fellow, wasn't he?

Ken Fendley

Fairly tall--.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

He has a son--two sons that are still living.

Doris Fendley

Yeah, he was tall. Well, his wife was fairly tall.

Ken Fendley

A fairly tall man. Yeah, the two sons.

Glen Taul

Was he getting bald then?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

Because I think I remember--he was a chemistry professor, wasn't he?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir. Chairman of the department.

Glen Taul

Now what was--.

Ken Fendley

A good teacher.

Glen Taul

What was he like as a teacher?

Ken Fendley

I know he's good, but what was how--did he teach? He was what I would just simply call a thorough type he--.

Doris Fendley

He was a lecturer, wasn't he?

Ken Fendley

How's that?

Doris Fendley

He was a lecturer.

Ken Fendley

Yes. Oh, yes.

Glen Taul

What can you remember--

Ken Fendley

He used the Blackboard a lot.

Glen Taul

Oh, he did?

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Glen Taul

What can you remember how about him that just sort of stands out in your mind, about his personality or the way he?

Ken Fendley

Well, he could be exceptionally tough.

Doris Fendley

Oh, he was friendly too.

Ken Fendley

A lot of the students kind of struggled.

Doris Fendley

He was friendly where the students were concerned, too.

Ken Fendley

Well, he had a few that he--was drawn toward. Yeah. I liked him as a teacher.

Glen Taul

Who were some of the other teachers that just really stood out in your mind?

Ken Fendley

Our chairman of the history department.

Doris Fendley

Oh, yes.

Glen Taul

Who was?

Doris Fendley

Dr. Carl Fields.

Ken Fendley

Carl Fields.

Glen Taul

Ah, yes, I remember him.

Doris Fendley

How about Dr. Hatfield? The math department.

Ken Fendley

Charles Hatfield was one of my dearest friends, he was chairman of the math department.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Ken Fendley

We became, he did his utmost, absolute utmost to make--me a mathematics major out of me. You know, these professors like to--like to grasp [laughter] people of certain talents you know, and lay claim on them. It looked good on their record to have men.

Glen Taul

They're always recruiting students

Ken Fendley

Sure.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Students of talent and ability.

Glen Taul

Now, was Mrs. Munson (??) teaching here when you were--

Ken Fendley

Yes, Edith Munson, was one of my dear, dear friends.

Glen Taul

Did you take French?

Ken Fendley

No, but she was a dear friend. I helped her church over in Cynthiana with its music for 15 years.

Glen Taul

My.

Doris Fendley

That was--after we came back here.

Ken Fendley

And she remembered me in her will. And I have--I have plants in the front of my house that I bought in, memory of Edith Munson.

Glen Taul

Oh.

Doris Fendley

Now you took German under--Jane Smith

Ken Fendley

I took German under Jane Smith. Three years of it.

Glen Taul

Jane Smith.

Ken Fendley

She--left here and went to to our big Baptist School in--.

Doris Fendley

Carson-Newman

Ken Fendley

Tennessee. Huh?

Doris Fendley

Carson-Newman.

Ken Fendley

Carson-Newman.

Glen Taul

Carson-Newman.

Ken Fendley

Jane Smith.

Glen Taul

Yeah. Now I don't know anything about her.

Ken Fendley

She still writes me.

Glen Taul

Oh, she's still alive?

Ken Fendley

Oh, she--oh, yes. Yes, the last I heard she was unless.

Glen Taul

Is she living in Nashville.

Ken Fendley

No she---. [pause in tape] Dean of Women?

Glen Taul

Here?

Ken Fendley

Yes. She was--she was a toughie. [laughter]

Glen Taul

Now Rena--

Ken Fendley

Good teacher, gosh.

Glen Taul

Was Jane Smith, the Dean of Women just before Rena Calhoun?

Ken Fendley

After her.

Glen Taul

After her. So, Rena Calhounwas Dean of Women, then went back to her teaching duties here and then--?

Doris Fendley

I think--she did both then too at the same time--simultaneously. But--Dean of Women and the teaching.

Glen Taul

Oh, Rena Calhoun?

Doris Fendley

I think she did. Served both those positions--.

Ken Fendley

--You're mistaken.

Doris Fendley

You think so. I don't believe so.

Ken Fendley

She gave up--she opted for for teaching and drama. She specialized in all of our major dramas here. Yes.

Glen Taul

Now what did when--Mrs. Calhoun was doing a play? She I meant, she produced or directed some plays--the play, didn't she?

Ken Fendley

Oh, yes.

Glen Taul

Now what was her?

Ken Fendley

She was in charge of the whole Maskrafter system.

Glen Taul

What was her method of directing a play? Or what were her ideas about?

Ken Fendley

If--she found some error in your methodology, she'd pick you apart. She was a--.

Glen Taul

Do you remember what--

Ken Fendley

A very, very good teacher.

Glen Taul

Do you remember what her standards were?

Ken Fendley

Very high.

Glen Taul

Very high, but--.

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir.

Glen Taul

--Remember any specific standards?

Ken Fendley

Very high. Ask my dear friend, Hambrick.

Glen Taul

Okay. He was in Maskrafters too?

Ken Fendley

No, but he--he follows her with considerable interest. [laughter] She finished school here, you know, in 1909.

Glen Taul

Yeah. Yeah. I knew that. We've got some pictures of her, really nice pictures of her.

Ken Fendley

Yeah. And she never had a man to lay a hand on her. [chuckles] That--that was a tragedy. She she was a gifted lady. She was a gifted lady.

Glen Taul

How many students were involved in Maskrafters at that time?

Ken Fendley

Oh, about thirty.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Ken Fendley

Active.

Glen Taul

About how many players did y'all do a year?

Ken Fendley

We did--.

Glen Taul

A school year.

Doris Fendley

About three, didn't you?

Ken Fendley

We did four--.

Doris Fendley

Okay.

Glen Taul

Three or four?

Doris Fendley

One most of the interesting--.

Ken Fendley

We had a Christmas--.

Doris Fendley

--Interesting ones they did was called, "The Night of January the 16th." And it was a murder mystery, and they did it--they did it from the courthouse down here. Oh, they did it at the courthouse--. They used the court room.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

For the (??).

Glen Taul

Oh, is that based on the [William] Goebel assassination?

Ken Fendley

No, I don't think so.

Doris Fendley

I don't think it was.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Doris Fendley

It was done on location, wasn't it?

Ken Fendley

Yes. Yes.

Glen Taul

Well, you know, the trial for one of the suspects in the Goebel assassination was held in Scott County Courthouse.

Ken Fendley

I know that, yes, yes. And we have people in town--.

Glen Taul

And he was--he was killed in January of 1900.

Doris Fendley

Yep. At Cardome, wasn't it?

Glen Taul

No, it was at the Capitol building.

Doris Fendley

Is was at the Capitol, that's right.

Ken Fendley

Right.

Glen Taul

When Kentucky was on the verge of civil war.

Ken Fendley

That's right.

Glen Taul

Okay. [laughter]

Ken Fendley

Oh my, you're--you've done a lot of homework, man alive.

Glen Taul

Oh, this is just an accumulation of stuff that I've read through the years.

Ken Fendley

Remarkable.

Glen Taul

Remarkable what you remember? [laughter]

Doris Fendley

Right?

Ken Fendley

Yes, remarkable.

Glen Taul

So, you still hadven't really gone into about Pawling Hall, you lived on the second or first floor?

Ken Fendley

Oh, I lived on the second floor. I was never interested in ever living at a--at a first floor level. I did--I didn't like being that close to the sightlines of people on the outside. [chuckles]

Glen Taul

And there were two to a room?

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

Didn't that Pawling Hall have devotions every night, at that time?

Ken Fendley

Yes, we did.

Doris Fendley

They all came together and right before bedtime, along about nine o'clock and have a devotion.

Ken Fendley

That's Ms. Collier (??) led those.

Glen Taul

Where did y'all eat your meal?

Ken Fendley

There--there was a wing on Rucker Hall, on the east side--.

Doris Fendley

In the basement.

Ken Fendley

--At the basement level. And they had a very nice restaurant there. I can't--Ms. Singer (??) directed. You remember ms. Singer?

Glen Taul

No.

Ken Fendley

---She--she directed that her--her brother was an official with the telephone company, had a major role in the telephone company, yeah. And Ms. Singer was a very, very good cook. She made--anything she did, more than amply tasteful. She was really a good cook.

Doris Fendley

The first year I came--it was that there were so few students here, it was not a cafeteria, they turned it into a cafeteria, I think for the next year. They made a cafeteria out of it, but meals were served family style.

Glen Taul

They were served family-- Men and women ate together.

Doris Fendley

Right? And you had maybe six to eight people at the table and you had a host for each table.

Glen Taul

You had a host for each table?

Doris Fendley

And you--.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

--You minded your manners.

Glen Taul

Now, is this an adult, I mean an older person that was a host? --It was students. A student.

Doris Fendley

Student. And what--different one was assigned every so often, and they put the food on the table in bowls and you'd pass it just like you would to family. You had your--your prayer at the table. Just like--

Glen Taul

Oh, so you had prayers before?

Ken Fendley

At each table.

Doris Fendley

Yeah, at each table. And it was just kind of like a little family sitting down and having your evening meal together.

Glen Taul

Now what--was sort of--what was the decor like?

Doris Fendley

Very stark, wasnt' it, it didn't have a when it didn't have a lot of decorations--.

Ken Fendley

No.

Doris Fendley

--In there as best I remember, at that time.

Glen Taul

No paintings or pictures or wallpaper?

Ken Fendley

No, I don't remember about that. Flowers?

Doris Fendley

Yeah. Plants, maybe in the--sitting around different places. But it was the next year that they made it into a cafeteria.

Glen Taul

Okay.

Doris Fendley

That's right.

Glen Taul

I thought they made it. Okay, is that--I guess it was cheaper to do it that way. What hours of the day? What were the hours for meals?

Doris Fendley

Huh? Gosh, I don't remember. Seven o'clock for breakfast.

Ken Fendley

That's about right.

Doris Fendley

Maybe, well--.

Ken Fendley

Classes were at 8:00.

Doris Fendley

Yeah. And those of us that lived down here and had to walk up there to meals, we had to get up early in order to get dressed and be ready for class at eight o'clock and eat our--get there and eat breakfast.

Glen Taul

So, when y'all were sitting down as a group, instead of the cafeteria style, y'all had to be at the table at a set time?

Doris Fendley

Right.

Ken Fendley

That's correct.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Glen Taul

Interesting,

Ken Fendley

We lived by the Bell tone. [laughter]

Glen Taul

Well, I've got an old Rucker Hall bell in there.

Ken Fendley

Yeah.

Glen Taul

Somebody's stole it in 1932 and it was returned--.

Ken Fendley

You're kidding.

Glen Taul

Yeah, some fraternity guys stole it in 1932. [laughter] And then it was returned in 1988.

Doris Fendley

Had it a little while.

Ken Fendley

He didn't have it--.

Doris Fendley

Somebody had it a little while.

Glen Taul

Evidently, that was the dinner bell. Yeah. At Rucker Hall.

Ken Fendley

Must have been.

Glen Taul

How did the--how did it change when it went to a cafeteria-style? Did y'all still have assigned tables?

Doris Fendley

No. It was just kind of like a regular cafeteria. It was open certain hours and you had to be there within those hours in order to get your meal and you stood in line for a little while to do it. But, no, I don't think they had assigned tables.

Glen Taul

So, you couldn't have prayers before meals?

Doris Fendley

No, you had to do your own after that.

Glen Taul

Do you think that sort of took away from the sense of community that might have developed?

Doris Fendley

It probably did.

Ken Fendley

I'll take the Lee Cralle Building really altered our lifestyle here more than anything else that's--that's happened in this school's more recent lifetime. Le Cralle was a--was a man who came here, one year, in 1911, and fell in love with his place and gave us several million dollars to build us, what we call the Hall of Fame Building right now.

Glen Taul

The student center.

Ken Fendley

The student center. He gave that to us. And it was our--it was our principal cafeteria. And a very good, very attractive--

Doris Fendley

You're talking about Giddings Hall and how it's many so things in it, the bookstores in the--way---down in the basement of Giddings Hall--from the--you can only get to it from the outside.

Glen Taul

Is that right?

Doris Fendley

Uh-uh. That's where the bookstore was at that time. Very small, about as big as half of this room.

Glen Taul

Is that right? And it all carried was textbooks probably.

Doris Fendley

That's right, well, pen and pencils and you know that kind of--.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Had a fella named Billy Thompson. who operated that. You--have you ever heard of Billy Thompson?

Glen Taul

Yeah I have.

Doris Fendley

He was a--.

Ken Fendley

He was a sports figure here, in central Kentucky. Quite a--quite a sports figure and a real friend of Georgetown College. We didn't have to root through the whole paper to find the name Georgetown mentioned. [laughter] He was there, he was with us. He was our friend. He believed in it. We had some free years--this school's had tremendous athletic program. --Even when our numbers were far, far, far, far slimmer than they are now. It--Billy Thompso, well his son David, of course is still a member of our local Georgetown Baptist Church. And he--though not a student at Georgetown College, he had a tremendous respect for his dad's interest in --in Georgetown's athletics, yeah.

Glen Taul

So where did y'all--what were the buildings that y'all had classes in?

Doris Fendley

Well, the music building.

Ken Fendley

One of those buildings--.

Doris Fendley

And--

Ken Fendley

--Is--was knocked to make room for this one.

Glen Taul

Yeah, I remember that building. It was I had classes---.

Ken Fendley

That was the old library. That used to be the library.

Glen Taul

That was the library before Cook?

Ken Fendley

Yes, sir. That's right.

Doris Fendley

There were--there were classes there, in Giddings.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

And what's the one beside of Giddings? The old building.

Glen Taul

Pawling?

Doris Fendley

No, this way. [points]

Glen Taul

Oh, Highbaugh.

Ken Fendley

Highbaugh.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Yeah, that used to be called--what was it?

Doris Fendley

I've forgotten.

Glen Taul

I think it used to be called The Academy Building.

Ken Fendley

Academy.

Doris Fendley

Yes. They had classes there.

Ken Fendley

The Academy Building. Yes That's where--that's where my friendm my dear, dear friend Charles Hatfield had his--.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Classes.

Doris Fendley

Yes.

Ken Fendley

If y'all didn't know Charles Hatfield, you missed--you missed a treat--of a lifetime.

Glen Taul

Why is that?

Ken Fendley

He was a great teacher.

Doris Fendley

He was?

Ken Fendley

Yeah, and a tremendous Baptist, and he didn't believe in anything else in this world, but the New York Yankees. [laughter]

Doris Fendley

Was he the one that threw an eraser at the blackboard when he--you didn't know the answer to a question?

Ken Fendley

He all kinds of [laughter]--all kinds of antics.

Doris Fendley

Or stuck his foot in the--

Ken Fendley

He could--.

Doris Fendley

Wastebasket--.

Ken Fendley

Make things happen. If a student got up there and was supposed to be figuring out an answer to--working a policy at the board, were to flaw, Hatfield would walk over, open the window, jump out.

Doris Fendley

And then come back in the door.

Ken Fendley

Come back in the door. [laughter] "What do you think, you've got this--worked out." He said, "I'm ready to start teaching again." [laughter]

Doris Fendley

Faculty was very close in those days, too, they all lived in the area.

Glen Taul

All the professors lived in the area and so that made it a lot more. I mean, did y'all go visit their homes any or?

Doris Fendley

Well, at Christmas time, they'd have open house and invite you.

Ken Fendley

Yes they did. Yes they did. Yes/.

Doris Fendley

I think family--faculty was a little closer, then maybe more than they are now. Did more students too. You knew the faculty a little better, maybe.

Ken Fendley

Charles Hatfield's, Charles Jr. They called him Chuck, was chairman of the math department at the University of Minnesota.

Glen Taul

I see.

Ken Fendley

Very bright, he and his daddy--Chuck and his daddy used to get into some of the awfulest arguments about problems, unbelievable problems--.

Glen Taul

Math problems.

Ken Fendley

That they tried to solve and could--and could find agreement over how they arrived at the answers, you know. It was a tremendous, tremendous episode. [laughter] I tell you another one was a very interesting man. Quiet soft, taught on the sideline, a men's Bible class down here at--Weldon.

Glen Taul

Oh, Dr. Proctor (??).

Ken Fendley

J. Elmer Weldon.

Glen Taul

J. Elmer Weldon.

Ken Fendley

His son of course.

Glen Taul

Did you--.

Ken Fendley

--Is still living, he's the same as age as I am.

Glen Taul

Did you have him for class?

Ken Fendley

No, I was a dear friend of his.

Glen Taul

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

And met on a number of classes--a number of situations with him, when--we were dealing with problems here at the college. We had a--we had a real struggle here at this school, over legitimacy of the fraternity, sorority, or the Greek system.

Glen Taul

Tell me about that. Because that's--always seems to be a bone of contention, here.

Ken Fendley

It was for years. It was--.

Glen Taul

Well, what did--

Ken Fendley

--When we came here, the preacher boys took offense with the Greek system. They tried their utmost to embarrass us.

Glen Taul

What was their problem with?

Ken Fendley

--And to drive us off the scene, to clean up the act as it were. [laughter]

Glen Taul

You say secrecy was a big problem?

Doris Fendley

Yeah. the year that we lived--.

Ken Fendley

Yes.

Doris Fendley

--The first year we live at Warrendale.

Ken Fendley

That was the principal problem.

Doris Fendley

We couldn't go--at nighttime, we'd go to the bath house to get ready for bed, and I'd always have to wait because there'd be four five preachers--preacher students, in the bath house and they would waylay him as soon he got there. And these big discussions would ensue, and I'd have to sit and wait, while they got through interrogating the fraternity man, before I can go home. And their big thing was just fraternities were a secret organization. Well, the president of the ministerial association at that time, was also amazing.

Glen Taul

Yeah, they're--they're secret.

Doris Fendley

--They're much more secret than that.

Glen Taul

That's right.

Doris Fendley

But, he was all over the fraternities, because of their secrecy.

Glen Taul

Was everyone--did anybody point that out to him?

Doris Fendley

I don't know whether they did or not. [laughter] I imagine he did, somewhere along the line. His name was Dwight Kern (??), wasn't it?

Ken Fendley

Yeah, Dwight Kern.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

Still lives in Indiana somewhere.

Glen Taul

So, what did the--Dr. Hill think about fraternities?

Doris Fendley

Well, his son was a fraternity boy.

Ken Fendley

His son was one of my fraternity brothers. [laughter] Yeah. Sam Jr.

Glen Taul

So, he couldn't say too much.

Ken Fendley

Not a whole lot. And Sam was--was vice president of the fraternity one year, yes.

Glen Taul

Now what--what was Dr. Hill like?

Ken Fendley

Well--

Doris Fendley

He's a (??).

Ken Fendley

He--he, as you may or may not know, was a Virginian.

Glen Taul

I knew he was a Virginian.

Ken Fendley

And he--he had one term that he used constantly, marvelous. [laughter] Every time he saw something that was great, something desirable. Something stood out, even though it had no--no biblical influence at all. Marvelous. [laughter]

Doris Fendley

Well back in those--.

Ken Fendley

Sam Hill.

Doris Fendley

In the early 40s too, they actively recruited students. I remember the treasurer of the college, came to my home in Louisville. A couple of times and other people recruiting. Well, if they out you were interested, they'd send somebody to your home to talk you. They were actively recruiting--not like it is now.

Ken Fendley

We got our enrollment here up to 1,800.

Glen Taul

Oh, is that right?

Doris Fendley

That was--.

Ken Fendley

One year, yeah.

Doris Fendley

--In the what, '50? Late 50s?

Ken Fendley

Or 60s, yes.

Glen Taul

I think that was in '69.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

'59.

Doris Fendley

'69.

Glen Taul

'69.

Ken Fendley

'69, yeah.

Glen Taul

That was when I came.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

That's about right.

Doris Fendley

Yeah.

Ken Fendley

That's right.

Glen Taul

That was the peak of--.

Ken Fendley

Your memory is remarkable. [laughter]

Doris Fendley

You know when you came to college, don't you?