Interview with Ruby Carol Raulston Smith, January 14, 2009

Project: Bourbon in Kentucky: Jim Beam Oral History Project

Interview Summary

This interview draws on Ruby Smith's 47 years of experience at the Jim Beam Distillery. Smith describes why she went to work at Jim Beam, what jobs she did over the years, and how she was treated as a woman in the male-dominated bourbon business. She also discusses the changing technology and the role of the distillery in the surrounding communities.

Interview Accession

2009oh029_bik009

Interviewee Name

Ruby Carol Raulston Smith

Interviewer Name

Katherine "Katie" Louise Noe

Interview Date

2009-01-14

Interview Keyword

Sex discrimination against women Distilling process Jim Beam Brands Co. Supervisor/employee relations Discrimination in employment Gender issues Sex role Labor unions--Kentucky Distillers. Work environment Technological innovations Tourism.

Interview LC Subject

Distillation Distilleries -- Kentucky James B. Beam Distilling Company Smith, Ruby Carol Raulston Smith, Ruby Carol Raulston--Interviews Whiskey Whiskey industry--Kentucky Women in the whiskey industry Employment--Kentucky

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.

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Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

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MLA: APA: Chicago:

Smith, Ruby Carol Raulston Interview by Katherine Louise Noe. 14 Jan. 2009. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

Smith, R.C. (2009, January 14). Interview by K. L. Noe. Bourbon in Kentucky: Jim Beam Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.

Smith, Ruby Carol Raulston, interview by Katherine Louise Noe. January 14, 2009, Bourbon in Kentucky: Jim Beam Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.

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Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt75mk656v76