Alva L. (Lucille) Frady DelSesto is interviewed by Susan Moody. Alva DelSesto was an Army nurse during World War II. She discusses growing up and how the war affected her entire life. She talks about her interest in becoming a nurse, her time in the…
Boyce Dietz is interviewed by a Smoky Mountain High School student as a part of Mountain People, Mountain Lives: A Student Led Oral History Project. Dietz talks about growing up in Jackson County as the oldest of five kids. He discusses playing…
Lebern Dills is interviewed by a Smoky Mountain High School student as a part of Mountain People, Mountain Lives: A Student Led Oral History Project. Born in 1942, Dills grew up in Cullowhee and was one of eight children. He shares stories from his…
Claude Douthit discusses a few of the logging companies operating in the area where the Fontana Dam was built. According to Douthit, the lumber companies were the main source of employment for people in Swain County prior to the building of Fontana…
Phil Drake, a born and raised Franklin native, discusses his past, from being a math teacher to an accountant, to a tax software retailer and owner of the Smoky Mountain Performing Arts Center. He talks how he has worked to better his community, as…
Joyce C. Dugan, who was at this time Principal Chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, discusses tourism and the Cherokees. She begins by discussing the history of tourism on the Qualla Boundary, which began during the 1920s and increased when…
Ollin Dunford is interviewed by a Smoky Mountain High School student as a part of Mountain People, Mountain Lives: A Student Led Oral History Project. He talks about his experience in elementary and middle school during desegregation in his hometown…
Betty DuPree of Cherokee, the manager of Qualla Arts & Crafts Mutual, begins by discussing the history of Qualla Arts & Crafts, which began in 1946 and has been important in preserving traditional Cherokee crafts and has had a great impact on the…
In this second interview, Sue, a Bryson City native, talks about the importance of literacy and hospitality in her family, as well as the “tall” Appalachian women who have influenced her life. She talks about how cooking and storytelling create…
Siblings Sue and Luke were born in Bryson City, NC, and grew up living in this small town in Swain County. They reminisce about their childhood, literacy, education, and how life has changed in the past few decades. They also discuss the role of…