Interview with Don B. Pratt, November 16, 1978

Interview Summary

At the time of the ROTC building burning on May 5, 1970, Don Pratt, the son of the then University of Kentucky Purchasing Director, was an intermittent University of Kentucky student and Lexington-based social activist deeply involved in the University of Kentucky student protests. Pratt helped organize the religiously-oriented peace activist group the Lexington Peace Council. He was also an orator who decried the carrying and usage of firearms by law enforcement agents the day after the ROTC burning. In this interview, Pratt provides his perspective on the protest. In addition, he documents the particular events leading up to the burning such as the University of Kentucky Board of Trustees Meeting on the 18th floor of the Patterson Office Tower--an event which A. B. "Happy" Chandler attended, and student activists stormed. Other topics discussed include activist opinions about the Vietnam War, the fragmentation of the student movement after the wave of unification brought about by the burning, the different University of Kentucky student activist groups and the key actors of these groups, and also, specific instances of activism; what they were, and how they were evaluated by participants.

Interview Keyword

African American college students--Social conditions Campus violence College administrators College environment College students--Political activity. Universities and colleges--Administration. Universities and colleges--Safety measures. Universities and colleges--Security measures

Interview LC Subject

Pratt, Don Pratt, Don--Interviews Student movements Student protesters University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History

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.