AliciaBonitaFletcher.txt

-n -n -n Unknown Speaker 0:03 okayUnknown Speaker 0:11 today is Friday a Tax Day Today is Friday, April the 15th 1994 proximately 2pm. eastern standard time we are in Grundy, Virginia, interviewing Alicia Benita Fletcher this tape is being done under the auspices of the Kentucky Historical Society. And anything else I'm supposed to say? Hi mom.Unknown Speaker 0:43 The athletes always the first thing you'd like to be called Alicia bunny funding. The first thing we need to do, Bonnie is your parents, your grandparents. This is for the purposes of that. I forgot I forgot to tell you. What we're going to do is ask you three broad questions, which you can deviate from at any time. How things were in the coalfields growing up what they're like now and what you think they're going to be like in the future, then of course, any stories you want to tell, that's what we're actually looking for. But part of this historical society grant is to wait, who your grandparents were, where they're from when they moved into the region, your parents elected, so just give us background information.Unknown Speaker 1:29 I'll give it to you to the best of my grandfather, JC Mitchell, Jessie J. Mitchell. He died about a years ago. And he was a coal miner. And he wrote I knew to work. And he, I was really close to my grandfather, by the way. He he got married when he was about 30, which was, you know, I'm sure he we've been over 100 now. So that was probably old. You know, back then to get married and his wife was also almost 30. And they had neither had never been married. And her name was Elva Mullins. And they had 10 phones and no daughters. You remember your answer? I mean, my my great grandparents. Let me go with it. My great grandparents had 10 sons and their daughters, and that's who we're talking about. Now. That's my grandfather. I'm talking about now. My great. My grandfather's parents had 10 phones and no daughters. I'm talking about my grandfather, now. He rode a mule to work to work in the coal mines. Do you remember when your great grandfather came here and where he came from? Well, I've, we've had a little bit of study in our genealogy. There. So I don't know we don'tUnknown Speaker 2:56 remember his name. Okay. And you don't remember where they were when they cameUnknown Speaker 3:02 off? Like they came from Louisiana? I'm not real. Sure.Unknown Speaker 3:05 And your grandfather? Was one of these 10? Yes, sir. And outUnknown Speaker 3:11 there nine started with A J. Do you remember all in John? James? J? Yes. Let's say Jack. Jacob, a lot of them went by their middle names alpha first name start with A J. Joseph. No, I probably wasn't as good. Yeah. Because a lot of them. For instance, we called Andy was Joseph Andrew. And he was always known as UncleUnknown Speaker 3:47 Andy. So your, your grandfather was then was born and raised here? Yes. So he would have he would have been here around.Unknown Speaker 3:58 He was born in 18. Well, he was 93 would be 101. NowUnknown Speaker 4:07 he so he was born. Yeah, but. And your grandmother was also from here from here. approximately the same age and time. Then what was your this was your father's? This was my mother's father's mother. Okay. And then what was your mother's?Unknown Speaker 4:28 My mother's name was Nora. She learned from her mother. My mother was very inspiring to me. She passed away when I was 20. We were extremely poor, extremely poor. She had four sisters and four brothers. There were none of them. And all of her brothers worked in coal mines also. She when she was 16 And she developed tuberculosis. And she was in a sanitarium in Bluefield. It's called Pine Crest, the hospitals called Virginia Bluefield, West Virginia, Bluefield. And she was there from the time I was probably worn until I was three. And then she went back few years later for a few more years, because Tuberculosis was really, really, really serious. At that time, you know, when she eventually the damage that it did to her lungs, she eventually developed cancer, lung cancer, and she died from that.Unknown Speaker 5:38 One. How old was your mother when she died? And what year did she die? Can anyone? Okay? So and she was in and out of a sanitarium and that lived for years. Okay, give me I guess, give me some more that gets us to your father's?Unknown Speaker 6:04 Well, I didn't know how about my father's family. They were separated and divorced when I was a little over a year old and she remarried. But what about my familyUnknown Speaker 6:14 members full name and where it was?Unknown Speaker 6:17 Oh, yes. Actually, he was passed. His name was James Walter Cooper. And they will after they were divorced, he changed my name back and she changed her name back and she remarried about two years later.Unknown Speaker 6:33 And he was when you say it was passenger wasUnknown Speaker 6:35 his family's not from here, his family's from around the Washington DC area. Okay.Unknown Speaker 6:40 So then, that brings us up to when you were like, say two years old? Three, three. And that would have been in what years?Unknown Speaker 6:53 6364.Unknown Speaker 6:54 Okay, what that was just as we understand it from what we've learned in our research, that's just prior to the coal industry goingUnknown Speaker 7:02 around here. It really picked up I can remember, now my in laws talk extensively about it. Because see my mom, dad in action at one day, my stepfather moved away and remarried. So really my in laws, my father in law, who, who passed away this past September, he loves talking about the coal industry as men in fact, he would just speak three obviously, he would be thrilled beyond belief if he thought that I could. There was a possibility that I would be in a book like this because he just loved the coal industry. Your grandfather was a coal mine. My grandfather was a father was a coal miner out of my uncles were coal miners. My and my husband works at jewel, smokeless coal Corp. And what's his job? He is a lab technician.Unknown Speaker 7:44 Okay, so it's gotten the coal industry has has gone from being just right pickaxe, and to to hydroUnknown Speaker 7:53 losses the coal sulfur content.Unknown Speaker 7:55 Did when you said that you were that you grew up extremely poor. What do you attribute it to? Was it the coal industry? Yes. Yes. Why?Unknown Speaker 8:08 Well, I don't think anyone other than myself and my entire family. I'm including cousins, aunts, uncles. I don't think anyone has ever been a college before me. I really edit in maybe one or two cousins other than my sisters. And myself. I don't think they've ever seen the ocean. Because it I don't know why. At one time, I think the coal industry, all you had had to have was like a strong back. And now, you know, they have by goodness, I know where my husband works there. Just about everyone that has a degree. So it's really as far as educational. I think that's the the major change is the educational aspect of it. It's all going into computers to the college. highly mechanized more high tech than it used to be yes.Unknown Speaker 9:09 When you say that. I see you're talking about your family did what what? How many brothers and sisters do I have one brother and three sisters? Two sisters, and what areUnknown Speaker 9:27 my brother's name is Chester Jerome. My one of my sister's names. name is Jacqueline Carmela and one's name is Mickey chalet.Unknown Speaker 9:40 And what did they all do?Unknown Speaker 9:41 What? My brother was a coal mine and my sister Camila owns a shop also shins beauty salon. And my sister Lakeisha is a senior at Grande High School. And she stays with me.Unknown Speaker 9:56 And is she going to go to school?Unknown Speaker 9:57 She'll be attending southwest College in the fall. radiologyUnknown Speaker 10:03 Sobey a two year degree program that I teach in real estate and that's what creates a two year most of my students about 75 or 80% of them are either in a two year either radiology, respiratory therapy or nursing.Unknown Speaker 10:18 I'm studying to be a gym ologistsUnknown Speaker 10:19 now or is it I will arise in gyms. And where do you go to school?Unknown Speaker 10:29 I'm have right now I've been home. And then in a month I'll be in Santa Monica, California for a week and then I'll be in for other cities for a week.Unknown Speaker 10:40 What are the other cities inUnknown Speaker 10:42 New York, Atlanta and probably going back to Santa Monica and then selling them with other citiesUnknown Speaker 10:50 where you the New York we work in any with the Orthodox Jews? I know they're big in the jewelry?Unknown Speaker 10:55 I don't think so. This will be strictly through. It's the it's called GA just Jamal just Institute of America. Yeah, they big time, as I understand it, big and really hard to deal with and they do not want to talk with women. That's why as a matter of fact, that's where that comes from. I'm gonna do with you. Because we're so well, anything you know, if you can, like, talk at a price down, so much do they do they said it in this theory? I don't know if you? Well, that's actually that's what they mean. Because those Jews are so where you like haggle? And that's where that term comes from.Unknown Speaker 11:34 Was haggling.Unknown Speaker 11:35 Yeah, let's do well, I do. Let'sUnknown Speaker 11:39 do. Let's see other. What years you graduate from high school, IUnknown Speaker 11:45 graduated from high school in 1978. Okay,Unknown Speaker 11:48 what was it like growing up around? 70s. Well, the boom went booming, or by then had the bust arrived. No,Unknown Speaker 12:00 no, I think that's when it really hit. I can remember phrases at Grundy, just like a town. You can walk on street, you know, kind of the town was like a big day. That was the day you know, if you just got some popcorn or whatever, that was the thing. Just go to brandy. Actually just to go to grande not to actually buy anything or see anyone just to goUnknown Speaker 12:21 just to walk down the street. Where you raised like back in the hills. Yes. I was raised like back in one hill, like across the region. But far, way back. So well, you're you're an attractive young woman. What was it like dating and being back in the adjutant lectures?Unknown Speaker 12:48 Well, I'll tell you what it is. But to be totally honest, I was so poor, that I didn't get makeup or pretty clothes or I barely had clothes or jewelry and asked for instance, the type of car that I have now. I had no idea of what it was if someone had said they have a beam that will you that if someone had said that to me then I was a hot is a meme that we you know, and I was very poor. So I really didn't date. I think my first day was when I was about 17 or 18. So really, if I mean first date, period, I think I was probably 18 years old before I had my first I mean it was like that I'm so poor. And we I never brought friends home. Because we were so poor and everything we did not have inside plumbing. We we had a TV we didn't have a telephone. So I was I was very poor. And and I have said several times. I'm not I'm not particularly proud of it. But I'm not ashamed of it either. Because I didn't choose it. I chose not toUnknown Speaker 13:52 be just the fact. Do you tripping? I know we interviewed a lady Miss Anderson who said that? She she didn't have any shoes. When she was growing up. I had I had barely barely had shoes. Well, she now she had how many moments and several 20 pairs of shoes or something she said she figured that's why she likes you. So do you suppose that that's why you gravitated towards pretty cars free? Well, I was pretty sure.Unknown Speaker 14:15 I don't know if I have or not. I know in my house. Very neat, very night. And I take care of everything I have and I don't know if it's someone said Well, maybe you you know, maybe you're you know, psychologically compensating that you won't get anything back, but I will tell you this. I'm a deeply religious person. I am a Christian 100% And I attribute everything I have mentally, physically, spiritually to the Lord, to Jesus Christ. First and foremost. I really don't know if if that's what it is or not. I like to think that I'll always start to have better to have Better tastes to have a better attitude to have a better, nicer SmiLe Always. Oh.Unknown Speaker 15:06 So you see it as a real positive thing than to try to better yourself and to try to it's not like rare as opposed to looking more towards something that's, that's better, as opposed to looking back and saying, Oh, that was awful.Unknown Speaker 15:20 Well, you know, even even when I had no clothes, and I didn't have any jewelry, and I didn't have a car, and whenever I was still wasn't easily intimidated, I didn't have an attitude, but I wasn't intimidated.Unknown Speaker 15:32 And, okay, how did you? So you're saying that what year did the what? When do you remember the bust arriving?Unknown Speaker 15:43 No, no, I'm just 3370. Yeah, that, let's say MondayUnknown Speaker 15:49 through the 80s.Unknown Speaker 15:52 Really not? Well, that came to mind 10 years ago. I think and I could be wrong on this. I think that the cannon county had more millionaires in it than any other state, you know, the not just that actual state, but that county. So I mean, even now, several of my neighbors are millionaires because of code. But then again, I'll go back and watch what you put in there. But like a lot of they weren't educated, but they knew coal. So therefore, they made a fortune. But they didn't, they didn't use the fortune to. For instance, like, if I had I had that type of money, I would have immediately sought someone to invest it for me. Well, they didn't, they would that they would have extravagant homes built one here, maybe one or two, like, I bought four or five cars. And then when the coal ran out, so did all of their assets. And now they're back where they started from, and I really contribute that to lack of education.Unknown Speaker 17:02 So they've, you've had this kind of a cycle where people have made it now. You said they made money COVID made it as owners, not necessarily as miners,Unknown Speaker 17:11 owners, operators. But now, but now, I think most people were miners. And they said, Well, you know, I'll check this little mines, they are out X amount. Yeah.Unknown Speaker 17:24 But then on the other hand, I'm getting the idea from you that the people that worked in the mines, that that wasn't necessarily a prosperous. See, one of the one of the things that we saw in West Virginia and Kentucky, the idea that we we came away with there was was that the guys that were mining when they were working in the mines, they were making good money. And but that was not necessarily the case here then and now they were heavily unionized in West Virginia and Kentucky is Virginia is heavily unionized. Okay, so would you maybe attribute the lack of mining dollars to miners to the fact that they weren't well organized, and so they were more independence andUnknown Speaker 18:08 Asher would and also quite grandi used to be pike force is becoming now just the next county over in Pike County.Unknown Speaker 18:19 You can talk yeah, I'mUnknown Speaker 18:20 sure you're there. through there.Unknown Speaker 18:22 Well, why not actually bend the pipe? Well, yeah. Well, I got to college up there.Unknown Speaker 18:26 Yeah. Listen, if you had been there five years ago, to go back through, you would not know where you are. Even from year to year. They're growing that fast. Huge homes, huge subdivisions, homes, huge homes everywhere. So shopping centers,Unknown Speaker 18:42 so ostentatious display of wealth. Do you think it's invested money that's being used? Or are they are they eating up their capital? Like they did?Unknown Speaker 18:53 I don't know. Like to buy something and pay for it.Unknown Speaker 18:59 Yeah. Yeah. So well, then you got out of high school. What was 7778? So that was I started graduate school. SoUnknown Speaker 19:12 he started graduate school and 70 IUnknown Speaker 19:17 guess he's he's 53.Unknown Speaker 19:29 Yeah. See 60 What month well, I was born in June, and I love my birthday. I love my birthday. No, I just wanted to share my birthday. I like a lot of people around me on my birthday. I enjoyed my birthdayUnknown Speaker 19:54 let's see when you were what what happened after high school?Unknown Speaker 19:59 Well I'm, well idea but I got a job at a hospital over in West Virginia, and McDowell County. And I went to school night, work during the day. And I seriously I can remember many, many, many times that I would run out of gas in my car, and have no way to go anywhere in like coming home. And, you know, at the commons sit over and I mean, I really do have it, what kindUnknown Speaker 20:27 of papers I'm starting to see that I wouldn't necessarily want to be a coal miner,Unknown Speaker 20:34 really now. And then I was eligible feel state. And so that was just for two years. And then I left, got married when I was 22. And I was married for almost five years. And then it had a very tragic end. And by that by that time that I worked at the Canon General Hospital, which is here and brandy, and I started out as assistant cashier, and then a few months later, I moved it to assistant credit manager. And then about a year later, I went into public relations for the hospital. And I was in public relations for about three years. And then I left the hospital. I work for mental health for about two years. So then I had to go back to school. Just had some psychology classes as well.Unknown Speaker 21:24 Did you. So have you finished your degree? I have an associate's degreeUnknown Speaker 21:27 in Management, Business Management.Unknown Speaker 21:30 From Bloomfield now. That's in Bluefield.Unknown Speaker 21:33 They've been Bluefield, West Virginia.Unknown Speaker 21:37 The now Bluefield State, if I'm not mistaken, isn't it the one that was traditionally one of the old black colleges in isUnknown Speaker 21:46 that you know, there are a lot of blacks in blue feel we notice that. And I'll tell you also in Welsh, West Virginia, which is where I work this primarily a town.Unknown Speaker 21:56 We've done interviews in Wales,Unknown Speaker 21:59 that's around Gary and all that. I never I was never there on the weekend, you know, because I didn't live there. But now I do not like I said I work there.Unknown Speaker 22:10 So when did you start your what makers? What made you decide to get into the jewelry business? Well, I just started,Unknown Speaker 22:17 I hated. So my father in law, and I don't particularly care for jewelry. I know I have gone but I don't particularly care for it. And I didn't want to impress you, because I haven't.Unknown Speaker 22:32 Well, it's what you sell.Unknown Speaker 22:36 My father in law says you should just start selling jewelry and definitely want jewelry that I think about it and he said Oh, but you'd be so good. I really hate I hated my job. And I'm not sure question on that. Should I quit? Should I not and friend of mine said she said we'll pray about it. If you feel if you feel good about saying say did you feel good about leaving go? So I went and I started when I started my jewelry business, I went to the bank and about $1,500 and I bought I went to a jewelry show and I bought jewelry and I went from place to place in town people that I knew and I sell them jewelry. And a few minutes after that I kind of had to take out another loan borrow a little bit of money. And to make a long story short, I have probably my cases I have probably $45,000 worth of merchandise I have a price probably about $8,000 worth of jewelry sales and equipment, we have a security system are safe. And we are all at the bottom paying for nothing on it. And I'll be in business three years next month.Unknown Speaker 23:52 And you feel good.Unknown Speaker 23:53 I feel good. I'm honest. And I get everybody in town shops at my shop. And I you know I don't say what do you say what you get? What you see is what you get? why they're here. I'm just that way and when I met my husband we talked on the phone my husband I have now Randy we talked on the phone and I can remember what I said I said I'm not a teenybopper and I won't let my hair and you know you know you can't live life on a day so I want to act like that and I'm telling them I'm withdrawing pressing basically acid so anyway that's that's true though with me What You See Is What You Get upUnknown Speaker 24:33 and what have you what do you what do you like about jewelry business or business in general? And what do you just likeUnknown Speaker 24:50 jewelry business what do I like about it? I don't I to me it's just a job. I would you know if we met I wouldn't say I'm in a jewelry shop. I would just to work in jewelry, sales, I wouldn't I would tell young Jewish,Unknown Speaker 25:03 right? So it's not necessarily the job, the job to you and the product doesn't it's not the jewelry itself as a product is important. It's just that's what you that's what I sell, right. And so you see yourself fundamentally as a salesperson, entrepreneur, you're an entrepreneur. What quite quite made you what made you succeed are so many others have failed, you know, like 95% of all new businesses fail?Unknown Speaker 25:39 Well, we have. And we also have in grandi, about, I think we have six other jewelry shops in this small community. Again, I will create it to the fact that I'm a blessed person. Again, I'll go back to my religion, and I'll credit it to that. Because if you're honest, and you take care of what you steal, people will come back and you give it to them at a good price. I don't care what it is, if they get a deal, and it's good quality, and they know they've got a deal. They'll come back, no matter what it is.Unknown Speaker 26:14 So you feel like you can I know traditionally in jewelry, it has a tremendous market, we do not have what I understand that you're that. I think people probably that's what people appreciate this is because they really get tired of going to jewelry store,Unknown Speaker 26:26 everybody, everybody shops in my shop, everybody and the wealthiest person in town shops at my shop. And there are people that come in that are very poor and dirty. And I make no difference.Unknown Speaker 26:42 How do you how do you do it for yourself? When you see somebody that you know is?Unknown Speaker 26:51 You know there for too much money? Do you try to try to work for them that you try to? Is it a tiny feel when you see somebody that's coming in from fromUnknown Speaker 27:02 where you were? Well, first of all, I'm probably going to shock you when I started. I don't feel sorry for people that stay in situations where and I have no compassion. Because when I grew up, I grew up thinking any any moment my mother could die, she was that sick. And my stepfather. He worked all the time. But we were still very poor. They just they could not they just couldn't manage. And so I know I chose to not and I'm in like a fit, I'm blessed. But then again, God no respecter of persons, either. It's not it wasn't a seven, he just like me, you know, he would do no more for for me than he was someone else. And you know, at times when I get depressed, and I want something, I think he doesn't love Billy Graham any more than he loves me. So I want that too. But so I don't feel sorry for people that stay where they are. I really don't. Because I can as a matter of fact this with this book, I'm very, very, very, very honored. Even if it doesn't go if you even if you choose not even printing. I'm very honored to just be interviewed. And I can remember when I was in school, and I get awards and things like that. Oh, I can't laugh and laugh. I just can't remember weUnknown Speaker 28:24 made a club student councilUnknown Speaker 28:26 that was on student council on Honor Society. FBLA FHA.Unknown Speaker 28:32 President a class or No, IUnknown Speaker 28:34 was. I wasn't even on top. Maybe 12 Maybe 12. I can't remember tell you the truth. But to make a long story short, my family didn't even come to my graduation. Not that. I mean, they just it was no big deal. You know, it wasn't aUnknown Speaker 28:48 big deal. They just wasn't enoughUnknown Speaker 28:49 value education or I don't think they did. Step out and your mother. No, no, my mom was always really sick and couldn't do anything. And my stepfather was always working my family, my aunts and uncles and things like that. I my stepfather's family is not from here either. They're from Johnson City, Tennessee.Unknown Speaker 29:06 Your stepfather? Tough questions. Any drinkers in the family step up. Okay. It was he was gonna wasn't a main drink. Your first husband, drugs, alcohol.Unknown Speaker 29:22 He, he lived away. He was. He was a foreman for construction for him. He always traveled, we never stayed together. He always traveled and I didn't want to travel and work at McDonald's. I wanted to career. So he he didn't have a college education here high school education. He we was you from here? Yes. He's from McDowell County. We separated bow for divorce in December, and I hadn't seen him until May. And I was on my way to Washington DC one night And he followed me and he killed himself. He tried to kill me as killed himself he shot my car and yeah shot me his Bedminster up wanting to kill me. But he will he was they found traces of cocaine system so I don't know if if you know after we had separated he started using drugs but he was a supervisor for IBM and when he did in convoys as a matter of fact that Toyota plant at Georgetown he his farm Did you know of course it's a large part of it. And I've had pictures of that there's a commercial on now about that and I had pictures of those that dock there where they're leading the horse up through there I have pictures of that. I want to say to everybody that's really exactly what that looks like. So pretty. I love Ken I love Kentucky I turned my resignation in at the hospital to move to Lexington How I love Lexington. It is nice I like itUnknown Speaker 31:04 you're you're you're deeply religious person you attribute your success to God. Let me ask this question. Because the bottom fell out of everything. If God is responsible for your success, who would be who would be to blame for your downfall?Unknown Speaker 31:21 I don't really I don't really consider myself that Hattie downfall by many. Rock can be smarter. I mean, I'm just saying if thingsUnknown Speaker 31:29 did you?Unknown Speaker 31:30 Well, well, I'll tell you what, a lot of people, especially Christians, they want to blame everything on Satan, or God, you know, it's either one or the other. But you know, there's a third person that me, you know, that's me. So they're the one who willUnknown Speaker 31:47 see everything is an either or. The good stuff that happens to me is God the bad stuff isUnknown Speaker 31:53 no, no, I don't. I mean, you know, we make a lot of wrong decisions. And the devil isn't anything. We just screwed in.Unknown Speaker 32:02 What church has been part of your life? But you're?Unknown Speaker 32:07 Well, my church is really interdenominational. We believe in all of the everything we believe in the speaking and overturn laying on of hands, although we're not we don't float around the roof. You know, but we're definitely we believe in that. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. That's really my church is very educated to the word very.Unknown Speaker 32:37 I taught him in Campbell County, and we were saying in Tennessee, former coal. I was there teaching one class per state. And I had four kids once and I showed him a film where this guy was a snake, not in church, but handling.Unknown Speaker 32:53 Well, I'm actually now going over to West Virginia, where they, you know, they had that they have where it was brought across the jello. I heard it. I knew you had. You probably have. There's been a lot of damage been in there. Yeah, outside. I was outside, but I've beenUnknown Speaker 33:19 Bucha your church? I mean, is it a is it a Baptist church? IsUnknown Speaker 33:23 it called New Life Fellowship? It's kind of cross between Pentecostal and Southern Baptists.Unknown Speaker 33:28 Okay. No. Okay. It's not necessarily affiliated. No,Unknown Speaker 33:34 actually, I'll tell you. We just started like 50 or 60, started the church. The Wesleyan wanted us to be affiliated with them, but we decided not to, like the method is close enough. Yeah.Unknown Speaker 33:51 We saw costal churches coming in here. AndUnknown Speaker 33:57 that, first of all, there's a certain stigmatism in this area. And Acosta, why don't we do not fall into that? No,Unknown Speaker 34:07 I'm not. And don't get me. I'm just saying we saw like six. Well, I'm telling you, that's Well, that's the way they watch the I guess what I'm saying is is that are trying to get at is how do you feel like, do you feel like the churches here have helped mold that people are or are the people a certain way and they gravitate to a certain type of religion?Unknown Speaker 34:30 I think I coined the phrase, and it was church analogies like personality, the church finality, and I think that they gravitate, I think the I think a person's personality will draw them towards a particular denomination or so.Unknown Speaker 34:46 So your you think then that that the fact that fundamentalist churches exist here by and large, is because that's the type of religious experience that people are looking forUnknown Speaker 35:02 I think so. But then again I'll say ideas in this area in this area you know in this area if you go to a Pentecostal church I would almost guarantee you that the pastor isn't college educated I would almost guarantee you that no matter if you go to a Presbyterian he is he's with the school or a Baptist. Maybe not Church of Christ kind of either way. I was raised in the church my love my church. My name is Richard so do you see what I'm saying? And most like I said, you canUnknown Speaker 35:44 attach to kind of cost when you're saying this is the sameUnknown Speaker 35:50 I guess and what about to presbytery you think of people with money I mean yeah yes, you know no offense if you're you know we have weUnknown Speaker 36:10 let's see I'm not being interestingUnknown Speaker 36:15 this is this is fine. Oh no.Unknown Speaker 36:19 No, this does not come from cold Don't ever thatUnknown Speaker 36:30 you're a seat you're one of the few younger women and yet you're old enough to where you form some you have some ideas some attitudes and the problem with interviewing younger women is is that the habit level I'm gonna live long enough to actually either Laurie play or Yeah, no, I was afraid of that. And but you've done that you've had some experiences and already you're successful in business and you're you're 30 years old but 33 Well, that means you're we're not gonna stick too close to me. But the what's it like for I know you're married but what's it like for young woman here in theUnknown Speaker 37:14 single Well, here in the mountainsUnknown Speaker 37:21 good how men and women relate to each other now than in the 19Unknown Speaker 37:25 Well, I'll tell you here yeah, here in the mountains when you go out to eat the male pays for your food there's Chivalry Chivalry still here and I myself out you know I'll go when I'm out of town and a show or whatever I'm not and I'm a little offended by that or that shouldn't be fair I'm not really treated like a lady I'm not you know certainly not treated in any way disrespectful it's just that you can get your own store and and so you know around here you know, I still I still expect the door to be open for me. And I wait outside my shop if I have a customer I'll just say I do that I do that just amuse myself you're not interrupted. Okay. I got last week. And AngieUnknown Speaker 38:37 the future what do you see as the future for you and, and kids? How many kids? Okay, what do you see in your future in terms of, I have a nice personal business. Personally, I will probably probably spend the rest of my life in the Kenton County. I love the people. And they're honest, they're caring, they're sincere they all band together you know it has its downfalls. Everybody knows everybody else's business. People like to gossip that they people in this community will band together.Unknown Speaker 39:22 Fundamentally you like the cooperation and exist as opposed to the well I do. There'sUnknown Speaker 39:29 many more positives for me but I'm married have my own business. I'm not 19 years old. The kids coming out of highUnknown Speaker 39:37 school out migration is a big problem here to kids leave a lot. Definitely come back. They stay gone.Unknown Speaker 39:45 Well, the ones that go on to college, go on. And they normally work away the ones that do not go to college. If they go went to work, they come back because they can they get a minimum wage job. They can have Old rent electricity this and that and live away although they have a job so they come back to mom and dad and don't have to pay all that and don't have a job.Unknown Speaker 40:09 So now that gets us into family dependencies and extended family still big here. Moms dads, brothers and sisters and not uncommon for brothers and sisters to stay at home into their 20s late 20s Not at all for economic reasons for saying anything more soUnknown Speaker 40:32 well then to their know, there's maybe 1015 apartments in town.Unknown Speaker 40:39 So there's notUnknown Speaker 40:39 really no there's not a lot of housing at all, there's no there's very little and then the property you know, if you wanted to buy a property, there's no property either. What properties mountainUnknown Speaker 40:56 no good place to put it. And now we saw jacking up some trailers along with the side of the mountainUnknown Speaker 41:01 and you know a lot of people out there mom and dad on this bill live on this little side of the mountain and this is like straight up and down but they give it to Jr. You know, and he grinds it out and get the little wife and there they are. He works in the coal minesUnknown Speaker 41:19 Okay back to the future. What do you see is going to happen in the future? Thanks. You gotUnknown Speaker 41:38 Robin Williams What do you see for you personally,Unknown Speaker 41:43 for me personally, I see nothing but good. Nothing but good. Um, I'm constantly and all that my business has done so well. I don't take and I really don't I don't take I don't take any of the credit and I'm giving my customers they need to create it because I provide a service that they like, they provide me a living that I like. So we get along just fine like that. Everybody wins. And I don't I do not. I do not like the foot or somebody that gets it at all at all, I guess because I've been in both those places. I've been dirt poor. And now I'm not. So I don't want to appreciate that. Like people just be wherever they are I like people just be what they are. I would rather a prostitute. Be a prostitute and say I'm a prostitute. Let's try to come across like a noon and that'd be a man. I'm definitely a straight shooter and I appreciate that and people aren'tUnknown Speaker 42:44 I am he's notUnknown Speaker 42:50 like with a cameraUnknown Speaker 42:55 with a camera. What we were always hitting each other with when we first started years ago working together we were he Sergeant Kagan I'm Private taking them fellow our friend of ours is Corporal there I always say no. He's like, I gotta tell her about the car. What was it like a Dodge one? He had a GMC gem for my trip. It was like is 77 or it was a piece of junk. Probably turned around some fell off like a wagon on wheels. So he came in one day I came in and he had a 77 Volvo station wagon he says oh I have traded the truck. He says I met this fellow and he told me it was and I said JP Didn't you tell him what was wrong with that truck? He says no no we just trade it and I said oh that's awful but since he's traded this truck what what else have you done in the Volvo alternator on it what else was alternator? Battery no transmission brakes now I started about a month so we laughed I every time every time we talked about what I'm gonna say he said to Greg actually USE CONDOMS transmission but he thought he was gonna come out better for youUnknown Speaker 44:40 and they did have a good really good reputation.Unknown Speaker 44:43 expensive to fix whereby no. Specialist. So that's what we've laughed about for the last two every time I sayUnknown Speaker 44:57 oh, yesterday ran into a lot more yesterday. Got his grass he's got a yard. It's about the size of his that's really interesting. You might have gotten thisUnknown Speaker 45:17 helipad on my back a yard. Rocky, Rocky Oh, no, not that. Okay. So I tried to stay on the edge and mosey on and do the rah rahUnknown Speaker 45:46 twoUnknown Speaker 45:53 oh when I was succulent do some terrible luck with machinery. Oh you do? My camera was more about getting talked about cool. I feel I can't talk anything. I mean first investigation. I don't know how long good stories.Unknown Speaker 46:39 funny stories. sad storiesUnknown Speaker 46:43 are funny and sad.Unknown Speaker 46:45 funny and sad.Unknown Speaker 46:47 Oh, gosh. Let's see, I'll probably want to steal your mind. That story. Yeah, well, if like I guess, you know, kind of Christian was the the, what did that in my head? My husband that happened May the fourth night you know, you know? March the fourth 1989.Unknown Speaker 47:07 Okay, so you hadn't been had you been a religious person prior to that?Unknown Speaker 47:11 Ah, actually, I was I became very bitter when my mother died. Because she like I said she was 46 she was fast. At six, she had 48 pounds. So I was very bitter. I became very bitter at golf. And she died. Not that she died, but that she suffered like she did.Unknown Speaker 47:32 So I have no children by choice. I don't want children. You don't want kids? I didn't want to. I just don't want children. Biased for several reasons. Number one, I don't want to actually have one. Physically I don't want to have and I don't want to the worry. And everything I tell you is gonna be negative about children. And with children, they either watch you die, you watch them that because I just I really don't want the responsibility I like and you don't want you don't have you don't miss basically. And I don't want I've never wanted children at all. Did you ever have a child and I did not have a happy childhood.Unknown Speaker 48:15 Other than the poverty what was unhappy about it and your mother? That was to was basically about?Unknown Speaker 48:31 No. Believe me, I understand where you come from. I was raised up and down and from pillar to post and my dad was epileptic and crazy and,Unknown Speaker 48:42 and abusive and not ever been abused in any way. I've never never been struck orUnknown Speaker 48:51 even your husband or father. No, no, I've never been abused in any way. Mentally, physically, sexually, other than poverty ever been. Yeah. And there's a saying that they use that. A lot of people say, Well, they're nonviolent. And I've heard to say, you know, poverty is a violence of a source.Unknown Speaker 49:09 That's true. And I think it is I think it is and it's, it's a thief, you know, not only Well, I'll tell you, I think it would you did, thank God, it didn't with me, but I think it steals dignity, self esteem, integrity, if you allow it to, if you will, hope strength if you allow it to. I can remember one time when I was a child. They were our neighbors, which were not while I thought they were rich, but theyUnknown Speaker 49:41 weren't. But anyway, we had an outhouse.Unknown Speaker 49:45 So I had the I think I had the measles one time or something like that. And by they used to, they used to taunt us, you know, because we didn't have in those elders longer, you know, but can children can be really cruel, you know? So that's And I was embarrassed. I think I was just very embarrassed. And but now I'm, I look at, of course, our lives the people that the children that did that were at same age, our lives have just really turned out in reverse.Unknown Speaker 50:21 It's not an accusation when you say that, that you're not that sympathetic towards the poor, even though you report because you see yourself as you know, pretty much with with your own American God sale price in a bow. Do you? Do you see that in a sense as could it be kind of an abrogation of your responsibility to go back and help others that wereUnknown Speaker 50:48 no, I had help? Oh, you did? Oh, okay. SoUnknown Speaker 50:52 so even though you big time, okay. What kind of things do you do?Unknown Speaker 50:56 Well, I don't like to discuss what I do. Because I don't likeUnknown Speaker 51:00 to, well, not necessarily money or things.Unknown Speaker 51:02 I'll tell you what I do. I mean, you know, it probably won't be in there. Anyway, every year, one of the things I do every year for the Department of Social Services in the cannon County. I work for the needy children program in the bath for probably 100 children.Unknown Speaker 51:18 You guys want like Christmas presents and thing? Yeah, well, IUnknown Speaker 51:20 donate money time, and I co collect money. I buy gifts. That's me. 400. Me? Yeah, they probably help five. And then I keep on keep a big like a stash of things at the shop for children that come in that don't have anything I'll give them things. Also keep little religious things for people coming in. I give them things like if they need if I feel like they need encouragement in some way. I'll give them something. I know. I go back. They're similar to me, Stephen one time. And they said, you know, you can't outgive God. And if anybody if I was speaking with somebody that I didn't even know, and I felt in you know, I really felt that I should I have given a one carat diamond ring away to somebody the night before because I felt like I should. And I didn't hate to see it go either. You know? No, no, I didn't. IUnknown Speaker 52:18 just felt like he should. So you act on. You have in the past acted on impulse.Unknown Speaker 52:24 I think all the time. I'mUnknown Speaker 52:27 about your instinct. She's like, you got good instincts. So you trust your instinct.Unknown Speaker 52:34 Here's what I do. I don't get to receipt. I do because I have receivedUnknown Speaker 52:43 it interest interest. We went I went down to to Florida, you know, when they had a hurricane, they needed somebody to cross we'll get together a big truckload of medicine stuff, and they needed somebody helped drive the truck. So I drove down there. And you may have seen it on CNN, you know, you saw that. And you see what the guy that was unloading the helicopter got struck and killed by like, I was about 50 feet away. Unloading, handing out baby diapers and stuff. So, so I felt blessed. Because I hadn't gone over to help.Unknown Speaker 53:16 You were meant to be here,Unknown Speaker 53:17 ya know, and, but no, I wanted to ask you about that. Because I think it's of course, you know, in terms of in terms of in terms of capitalism, and entrepreneurialism, and all those kinds of things. The best thing that ever happened to our economy is poverty. Because people that are raised in extreme poverty don't want anything to do with it. Very hard toUnknown Speaker 53:46 Well, some people, not all and other people. That's the generation after generation, they don't think anything of it. But I'll tell you something that I'll do. I don't now, I wouldn't compromise my integrity or my belief to sell you $20,000 worth of jewelry, I wouldn't do it. I do not. I will not sell anything globally. And I constantly have people coming in and say do you play bla bla bla bla and I'll say, I thought you had Playboy like the burn the Bernie the earrings, and I'll look at them and no matter who they are and so on, but you have a tasteUnknown Speaker 54:25 and you see it as exploitive. Okay, soUnknown Speaker 54:29 interesting. And I did before I was a Christian.Unknown Speaker 54:33 It's really fun. You know, I think your attitude, I think it's tacky. I think it's I think the the a lot of it has to do getting back with education. I think the more educated you become the less you know, it's a one dimensional kind of thing. Yeah,Unknown Speaker 54:48 I have a friend that is she's probably more educated than anyone I know. And I've come to the conclusion and I don't want you to take this personal because I'm sure you're very very very educated and I will Back to personality. But I think the more educated a person is not always the same. Because the more you realize what's going on, you know, you can'tUnknown Speaker 55:08 let it get you down if you're if you're getting let it get you down I mean if you if you see as if you see a direct correlation between knowledge and change, I don't necessarily see thatTranscribed by https://otter.ai