YWCA of Asheville Oral History Project
OH-YWCA
Table of Contents
Summary Information
- Repository
- UNC Asheville Special Collections and University Archives
- Title
- YWCA of Asheville Oral History Project
- ID
- OH-YWCA
- Date
- 2007
- Extent
- 0.4 Linear feet ; 1 box
- Physical Description
- Audio recordings of interviews on cassette tape, and sometimes, copy CDs. Any supplementary materials, such as transcripts, and photographs, are described within each individual oral history. Some recordings have gaps and/or inaudible sections.
- Location
- Located in Special Collections row 3, section 2
- Language
- English
Preferred Citation
YWCA of Asheville Oral History Project, D. H. Ramsey Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina Asheville
Historical Note
The interviews were in preparation for the YWCA of Asheville's 100 year celebration, and conducted by YWCA volunteers, UNC Asheville faculty, and history students.
Scope and Contents
Comprises interviews with four women who were longstanding members of the YWCA community and the YWCA Boosters Club. They talk about their involvement with the YWCA, and the topics covered include camps in the 1930's, integration of the Asheville YWCA, and the YWCA buildings. The interviews also include personal details about the interviewees, and their experience of living in Asheville.
Administrative Information
Publication Information
UNC Asheville Special Collections and University Archives
Ramsey Library, CPO # 1500One University Heights
Asheville, North Carolina, 28804-8504
828.251.6645
speccoll@unca.edu
Rights
No restrictions. Any display, publication, or public use must credit the D.H. Ramsey Library, Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Asheville. Copyright retained by the creators of certain items in the collection, or their descendants, as stipulated by United States copyright law.
Creator
Interviewees and interviewers as noted
Processing Information
Originally processed by Jamie Paterson, 2007. New finding aid by Colin Reeve, November 2016.
Related Collections
The Voices of Asheville Project also includes interviews with Erline McQueen and Mary Parker, plus other members, and former members, of the YWCA
Collection Inventory
Sarah Scott GlasgowInterview Dates and InterviewersJune 11, 2007 ; Helen Wykle, and June 28, 2007 ; Stephen McGarity FormatAudio cassette tape ; copy CDs ; photographs ; text Scope and ContentsSarah Glasgow begins the June 11 interview by describing her family and her education, how she was no longer able to paint, but had volunteered for the Samaritan's Purse program. She goes on to talk about swimming at the Anson Park YWCA when she was a child, being in a marionette group when she was in the Girl Reserves, and the friends that she had. She describes the YWCA camps she attended, including Powathan and Conchocatee, and the YWCA on Grove Street in Asheville. The interview concludes with Glasgow talking at some length about living in Asheville during the Depression. In the June 28 Sarah Glasgow again talks about her time in the Girl Reserves, and the marionette group, and also mentions skating parties at the Grove Street YWCA. She talks about Camp Kenjocktee and Camp Latta, but explains that she was not involved with the YWCA after she finished high school in 1936. BiographySarah Glasgow was born in Asheville in 1913. When she was at Edwards high school in Asheville she was a member of the Girl Reserves, and performed with a marionette group. After graduation, she attended Cecil's Business College, and initially worked at Wachovia Bank. She married Brandon Glasgow in 1946,and had one son. Sarah Glasgow died in April 2016. Additional MaterialsTranscript, June 11 interview ; transcript June 28 interview ; record of Camp Latta , June 18-25 1935 ; photographs taken at Camp Latta, 1935 |
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Pat LaursenInterview Date and InterviewerApril 11, 2007 ; Sarah Judson FormatAudio cassette tape ; text Scope and ContentsPat Laursen talks about her initially being involved with the YWCA in Forth Worth,Texas when she was in college from 1949 to 1953, how that led her to becoming Teen Director at the Asheville YWCA. She talks about the staff and directors at Asheville in the early 1950s, and describes the involvement of the Y Teen Club in local schools and camps, and explains about the interaction, or otherwise, between black and white teens. She compares the role of the YWCA in the 1950s and 1960s with more recent years, and talks about Eleanor Roosevelt's visit to Asheville. BiographyPat Lauren joined the Asheville YWCA in 1953, as Teen Director. She later became the alumni director at Warren Wilson College. Additional Materials |
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Erline McQueenInterview Date and Interviewers(2007) ; Jewell Gist and Dierde Wiggins FormatAudio cassette tape ; copy CDs ; text Scope and ContentsErline McQueen describes growing up in Uree, NC, and going to Charlotte when she was in sixth grade to live with a cousin, before moving to Greensboro. After marriage she and her husband moved back to the Chimney Rock area and she talks about how she waited tables, and the black population of the area. She later moved to Asheville, and she describes how she did cleaning work, before buying a restaurant on the corner of Eagle and Market Streets in 1945. She goes on to talk about the business and people in that part of Asheville, and how after she closed the restaurant in the early 1960's, the building was leased for several years before being padlocked by the city. The second half of the interview concentrates more on the YWCA, and McQueen describes the original Phyllis Wheatley branch and there is a discussion about the exact location of the building, and then about the YMI drugstore. She is questioned about the integration of the YWCA, and the Phyllis Wheatley branch moving to Ashland Street, but is unable to provide much information. BiographyBorn June 24, 1912, Erline McQueen, the oldest of 5 girls and 4 boys, grew up on a farm in Uree, near Lake Lure NC. For 32 years from 1942, she ran the Ritz Restaurant on Market Street, serving three meals a day between 6am and 11pm. She was appointed by City Council to serve on the Asheville Transit Authority. Her husband was a Pullman porter, and for many years she was chair of the Asheville ladies auxiliary of the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters. Erline McQueen died at her Asheville home November 26, 2007, at the age of 95. Additional MaterialsTranscript ; flyer for The Ritz Restaurant salute to Erline McQueen, (2008) |
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Mary ParkerInterview Date and InterviewersJune 21, 2007 ; Kathie Garbie and Jewell Gist FormatAudio cassette tape ; text Scope and ContentsMary Parker talks about the integration of the Asheville YWCA, including the politics, the people involved at the time, and the issues faced by the Board. She describes the problems caused by the arrival of drugs in Asheville, before talking about the swimming program at the YWCA, and groups such as the Working Girls Club, and YW Wives There is a discussion about education and schools in Asheville, and how integration was handled, which leads into how Asheville has changed, both with regards to downtown stores and businesses, but and also the people. BiographyMary Parker was born in Asheville, and was raised at 95 Charlotte St., which is also known as the old Patton home. She attended a girls' school, the Grove Park School. She was an active member of the Friends of the Pack Memorial Library, remaining involved with the group for more than 40 years. She was president of the Friends' board of directors from 1954-58, and from 1984-85. She was also active in the Junior League. She was named an "Asheville Living Treasure" in 2011, and died in 2012, aged 97. Additional MaterialsTranscript ; biographic |
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