Interview with Grant Talbot, III, May 12, 1999

Interview Summary

Talbot talks about his family and their involvement in the community. His grandmother had been very active in the community working with the Neblett Center and with the Republican Party. His father worked for the telephone company and his mother had been a schoolteacher for many years. His family put a strong emphasis on the value of an education. All ten of his grandparents' children were given the opportunity to go to college. He states that at that time the black community as a whole supported education as one of the main ways one could get out of the low paying jobs that most blacks were restricted to. Many of the black college graduates turned to careers in education as the business world was not very open to them yet, while most could find a job as a teacher.

Talbot talks about what it was like to grow up in Owensboro just before integration. He was a member of the first integrated class at Owensboro High School. Sports made the transition easier for him because black athletes were seen as an asset to the school. He discusses a racial incident that occurred after one of the games.

After going away to college, Talbot returned to Owensboro High School as a counselor. However, he believes many other African Americans leave Owensboro for college and never return.

Interview LC Subject

Integration Owensboro (Ky.) Race relations Racism Segregation

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