Interview with Herbert Deskins, May 18, 2004
Project: Kentucky Legislature Oral History Project
Interview Summary
Deskins (House, 1976-1994, 94th district; Democrat) discusses his decision to run for office in 1975 and the campaign strategy he employed, his relationship with Senator Kelsey Friend, Friend's influence on Paul Patton, Deskin's views on the Equal Rights Amendment, wrangling for committee appointments, his appointment to the Natural Resources and Environment Committee, and his race against Wayne Rutherford. He reflects at length on Paul Patton's rise to power, the coal severance tax, John Y. Brown's administration, education and taxation, Martha Layne Collins' administration, his Insurance Sunshine legislation, his impressions of Wallace Wilkinson, his idea for K-12 education, the 1990 redistricting, BOPTROT scandal, Paul Patton's push for higher education and elimination of community colleges, Deskins' opposition to hog farms in Western Kentucky, his efforts to regulate logging, and his work on underground mining safety regulations. Part 2 of 2.Interview Accession
Interviewee Name
Interviewer Name
Interview Date
Interview Keyword
black lung BOPTROT Breaks Interstate Parks coal severance tax community college legislation Eastern Kentucky equal rights HB 44 Herbie Deskins Insurance Sunshine legislation Kenton, Bill (Boom Boom) Little, Clayton N. logging industry Mountain Caucus Pearman, Virgil L. Pikeville College redistricting Roberts, Lee surface mining law University of Kentucky Wester, BillInterview LC Subject
Apportionment (Election law) Blume, Norbert L., 1922-2011 Coal mines and mining Collins, Martha Layne Cyrus, Ronald Ray, 1935-2006 Dawahare, Hoover, 1928-2004 Democratic Party (U.S.) Deskins, Herbert Deskins, Herbert--Interviews Education Educational change Equal rights amendments--Kentucky Equality before the law Floyd County (Ky.) Ford, Wendell H., 1924- Friend, Kelsey E., Sr. Gasoline--Taxation Insurance companies Kenton, William G. Kentucky. Education Reform Act (1990) Kentucky. Governor (1971-1974 : Ford) Kentucky. Governor (1979-1983 : Brown) Kentucky. Governor (1987-1991 : Wilkinson) Kentucky. Governor (1995-2003 : Patton) Legislators--Kentucky--Interviews Lungs--Dust diseases Mothers Against Drunk Driving (Organization) Patton, Paul E., 1937- Pike County (Ky.) Postsecondary education Postsecondary education--Kentucky Roads Stumbo, Greg Wilkinson, Wallace G. Workers' compensationInterview 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.Restriction
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.
Add this interview to your cart in order to begin the process of requesting access to a copy of and/or permission to reproduce interview(s).
Deskins, Herbert Interview by Eric Moyen. 18 May. 2004. Lexington, KY: Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
Deskins, H. (2004, May 18). Interview by E. Moyen. Kentucky Legislature Oral History Project. Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries, Lexington.
Deskins, Herbert, interview by Eric Moyen. May 18, 2004, Kentucky Legislature Oral History Project, Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.
You may come across language in UK Libraries Special Collections Research Center collections and online resources that you find harmful or offensive. SCRC collects materials from different cultures and time periods to preserve and make available the historical record. These materials document the time period when they were created and the view of their creator. As a result, some may demonstrate racist and offensive views that do not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
If you find description with problematic language that you think SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.
Persistent Link for this Record: https://kentuckyoralhistory.org/ark:/16417/xt7cfx73vg0n