Interview with Burdette Kretzer, Jr., October 8, 1988

Interview Summary

B.B. Kretzer was born in 1925 in Van Lear, Kentucky. His mother, Bertha Kretzer, was also interviewed for this project (1988oh184_app181). His father was a mine foreman. He remembers a mine explosion which killed five miners in 1935. Two of his uncles died in the explosion. Kretzer talks about his mother-in-law, who he describes as a "high-strung" woman he admired. She took in washing, did the washing for the boarding house, and managed the miners' burial fund. He states that his own mother was a "humble person" who put her family first and herself last. Kretzer talks at length about race relations in Van Lear. He remembers that the school superintendent, Verne P. Horne, tutored a black child in his office. He describes buying tickets for a church supper at the African American church. He and his sister were the only white people there. He does not recall any interracial dating, but he does describe an incident where the Ku Klux Klan burned a cross to threaten a man who talked against John L. Lewis. Kretzer also states that switches were left on a man's porch as a threat because he did not take care of his property.

Interview Keyword

Appalachian people Appalachian social issues B.B. Kretzer Black church in Van Lear Coal mining Consolidated Coal Company Homosexuality in coal camps John L. Lewis Johnson County (Ky.) Ku Klux Klan in coal camps Marriage Race relations in coal camps Van Lear (Ky.) Verne P. Horne Van Lear (Ky.) Coal miners Coal mine accidents Women

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Kretzer, Burdette, Jr., 1925- Kretzer, Burdette, Jr., 1925- --Interviews

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.