Interview with Elmer Lucille Allen, March 24, 2021

Interview Summary

Elmer Lucille Allen became the first African American chemist at the Brown-Forman Company in 1966, where she held the title of senior analytical chemist. In this interview, Allen discusses her childhood in the Russell neighborhood of Louisville, growing up during segregation. She talks about her attendance at elementary, middle, and high school, and a bit about her secondary education at Louisville Municipal College, a segregated school for Black students, and Nazareth College. She talks about African American and Jewish relations in the neighborhood in the 1940s-1950s and the Great Flood of 1937. She discusses her community engagement with various organizations, as well as her involvement with Plymouth Congregational Church. She discusses the teachers who influenced her and her pursuit of a career in science.

Interview Keyword

African American history Black Louisville Artists. Brown-Forman Corporation Chemists First African American chemist Arts

Interview LC Subject

African American neighborhoods African Americans--Education African Americans--Segregation African Americans--Social conditions Louisville (Ky.) Race discrimination Race relations--Kentucky Childhood African Americans--Religion Religion African Americans--Recreation Racism

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 only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.