Interview with William F. "Bill" Best, April 2, 1991

Interview Summary

William Best was born near Lake Junaluska in North Carolina and came to Berea College in 1954 as a student. He states that he wanted to become a teacher, but his "radical" teaching methods resulted in his failure to get a recommendation from the college. He explains that he objected to the "missionary attitude" of most of the teachers in the Appalachian region. In Best's opinion, this attitude, which was later demonstrated by the Appalachian Volunteers (AVs), denied the mountain people their culture and tried to make them "generic Americans." Best describes the book Yesterday's People by Jack Weller as an example of this mentality.

Due to his unusual methods, Best was offered a position with Operation Torchlight. He explains that this program was designed to prevent students from dropping out of high school and to encourage those who had quit school to go back. Best explains that he worked with Operation Torchlight for three years and then went to work for Upward Bound.

Best gives his opinion on the Appalachian Volunteers, who he describes as vulgar and "shabby." Best believes that they came to the mountains to justify their own upper middle class position. Best believes that the AVs were unsuccessful because they did not have any desire to learn about the Appalachian culture, and they thought that the mountain people could not solve their own problems.

Best views the demise of the AVs as a result of their attitudes which eventually alienated not only the power structure, but also the mountaineers themselves. Moreover, their presence delayed indigenous Appalachian reform movements, and caused many to turn away from reform in the 1960s.

Interview Keyword

anti-poverty organizations Bill Best War On Poverty

Interview LC Subject

Appalachian Region Appalachian Region--Economic conditions Best, Billy F., 1935- Best, Billy F., 1935- --Interviews Economic assistance

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Interview Usage

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