Archive Record
Metadata
Accession number |
2007.077 |
Catalog Number |
2007.077.030A |
Object Name |
Transcript |
Date |
09 Sep 2016 |
Title |
Martha Matlock Oral History Transcript |
Scope & Content |
Oral History Interview Martha Matlock August 10, 2006 Interview by Sarah-Elizabeth Gundlach SEG: Sarah-Elizabeth Gundlach of the Bossier Parish Library interviewing Martha Matlock on August 10, 2006. SEG: Good afternoon Martha, how are you? MM: Good. SEG: Um, so this is an interview to ask you questions about growing up in Bossier Parish, and growing up in Plain Dealing, and also working at the Bossier Parish Library. So, how…was life growing up in Bossier Parish and in Plain Dealing? MM: Actually, Sarah-Elizabeth, it was quite fun. Um, I was born in Shreveport, actually, in the hospital. But, my parents and my grandparents, and my great-grandparents lived in Plain Dealing, um, a.k.a. Walker's Chapel. They all had farms. And it's about ten miles outside of Plain Dealing. Uh, so I grew up within a radius of like, you know, um, ten miles from Plain Dealing, and about ten from Spring Hill [unclear]. And my neighbors were all my relatives, most of them my aunts and uncles. So, um, my cousins, um, were like brothers and sisters. You could be riding your bike or your horse, and it'd be lunch time and you'd get to, you know, an aunt's house, or…you just eat. You know, you didn't have to…it was a very, very…um, easy quiet, safe time, you know? I was born in 1937, so, you know, the forties and early fifties, we didn't lock our doors. We left the keys in our cars. Um, it was just incredible. So you grow up feeling, uh, safe, loved, and cared for. I think it's the way every child should grow up. Unfortunately, it doesn't happen that much anymore. But, um, you know, I thought everybody was like us, you know? My dad farmed. Um, he had cotton, and pigs, and cows, and we…and a vegetable garden. So, we ate things that we grew. I was like a grown-up before I ever drank pasteurized milk. We drank milk that we milked. We churned, made our own butter. We had chickens, we ate our own eggs. Some of the chickens we didn't let grow up to be hens, and we killed them and ate them, and…put them in the deep freeze. SEG: Wow. MM: (laughs) And that's what we ate, everything that we grew. And, um, later on when, um, we…my brother and my sister and I were all married…and, uh, my dad and mother were still livin' out there, and they didn't do…he no longer, you know, had cotton. We just had trees on the farmland. But, he did still raise a few cows and a few chickens and stuff. And they would always give us stuff, where we were living to have, to eat. And, um, also the vegetables that we had to eat. Um, there was in our neighborhood, um, a store. It was the precursor to 7-11, called Lizzie's Store. Uh, she was one of our cousins. We were all related. Her last name was Wise. And, um, she actually…Lizzie was a Matlock who had married a Wise. And, um, one of her grandchildren comes in the library every day, now, to use the internet. Her name's Shelley. Um, you know, it's just an interesting situation, I guess. And the bookmobile from the Bossier Parish Library came to Lizzie's Store every two weeks on a Tuesday. SEG: Oh, cool. MM: And we all checked out books, and had a great time. Um, they…she had gasoline, bread, milk, candy… SEG: On the bookmobile? MM: No, in the store… SEG: Oh. MM: …you know, so you could get a Coke and some candy, and take your books home, and sit in the swing in the tree and read your book. And, uh, it was kind of neat. SEG: Is it, is Gile's Snack Shop similar to what was Lizzie's like? Or was Gile's after? MM: It was after. And Lizzie's didn't have food prepared there, it was just like actually a store-store. You could buy all kinds of things, but you had to actually take it home to eat it? SEG: So, where in Plain Dealing was, um, Lizzie's Store? MM: Oh, it was out there where we lived in Walker's Chapel. It was at the four-road crossroads. SEG: Is the building still there, or is it….? MM: No, it burned. Not too long ago, though. Uh, it had closed, uh, probably twenty years ago. But, um, but…the Holsum Bread truck, and different vendors came and, and supplied her with what she sold. And, she opened every morning really early, and closed about 9:00 at night; and…but she was voracious reader. And she probably checked out more books from the bookmobile than any other person. And, so she'd sit in her store and read until a customer came by. We had a charge account there, my dad did. And, you know, if we wanted something or whatever, we could charge it. And my dad, later on, when we sit around talking about when we were growing up, he said, 'Yep, the charge account down at Ms. Lizzie's had more candy by June than any other things.' June is my younger sister, and she loved candy, so…that was most of the things that were charged in the month. Um, I went to school at Plain Dealing. Uh, I rode a school bus, and Joe Covington was the school bus driver, the whole time; until my dad let me take the car when I was in high school. Well, I had to be like in the tenth grade, I think. Um, but we rode the bus to school and rode it home. SEG: What was it like going to school in Plain Dealing? MM: It was great. Um, some of the teachers that I had, had taught my mother. SEG: Oh, really? MM: Mm-hm. And, um, most of them were, um, old maids…because at some…at one time, and I'm not real sure of the time, but probably when these teachers began teaching, you couldn't be married and teach school, because they thought it was a full-time job. And, so I think that especially the older ones, that, like Erline Demoss, um, was a first-grade teacher and taught me, uh, and so she had no family. So all of her students, were her…like her students. And, um, their word was the law. Whatever the teacher said to do, we had to do it. And, living in a small town like that; if you got in trouble, your mom was going to know it before you got home. And, you were in trouble again. You know? SEG: Did that ever happen to you ? MM: Oh, yeah, from talking. You know, out at class…I did that a lot. Um… SEG: How about your brother or sister, did they ever…? MM: They were the same way, too, you know? So, you know, they didn't care to hear about our side…they only wanted to hear what Ms. Demoss, or Ms. Carey, or…anybody said. There were no men teachers in elementary or middle school. SEG: Really? MM: The only men teachers were coaches in high school. SEG: Was that in all schools…throughout the parish, or just at Plain Dealing? MM: Probably in Plain Dealing, during the…you know, because I graduated in 'fifty-five. So during that time, I think it was fairly common that the coaches basketball and football were…they taught different things. When I first started to school, um, Mr. Phillips was the principal. And, um, he only had, he had one arm only. And so he always had on a suit and a tie. Teachers dressed very, very, uh, formally then. And he had his sleeve tucked into the pocket of his, uh…and he, um, stayed in the lunchroom through all of the classes eating lunch to keep order. SEG: Really. MM: Mr. Phillips did, yes. And, I remember what he ate for lunch, every single day. SEG: Wow. MM: Because it was a glass of buttermilk about that tall, which he crumbled cornbread into. And he ate that every day. At least for eight or ten years that I knew him. That's pretty strange, I loved it. And, um, he was very nice. His house, where he lived was directly across the street from the school. SEG: Oh. MM: So he was there. SEG: Is it still there today? MM: No, the house is gone, but, um, that's pretty interesting. And, um, when I was in high school, the principal was Graham Crawford, who was the football coach. And, um, but we had a really good football team always. We were class B. Uh, we're the Plain Dealing Lions, and our colors are black and red. And, um, our arch enemy and one that we always wanted to beat, and did not very often, was Oil City. So, they were tough in Oil City. Um…I liked school, I loved school. A lot of the teachers were good friends of mine. Uh, when I was in high school, I actually worked in the library. SEG: Oh, really? MM: Didn't work in library… SEG: Was…the Plain Dealing Library? MM: No, the school library. SEG: Oh. MM: Mm-hm. And, uh, I would work during…we had study hall, then. We'd have so many classes and then you'd have a study hall and you'd go. A teacher was in there, and so I stayed with the librarian, and, um, and helped out in the library, in high school. SEG: Do they, does Plain Dealing High, do they still have…reunions, and are they often, and do you get to see a lot of your friends? MM: They do have reunions. Usually they, um, we didn't have any…we had like ten and then I think it was like twenty before we had another one, or had one every year. And, often what they've done in recent years is combine classes. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: You know, like they'll have 'fifty-five, 'fifty-six, 'fifty-seven. Because there's not…a number of them have passed away, and live far away, and don't come, so we kind of combine them. The last one was a couple of years ago, and it was like four years, all combined. And we had a great…it was the country club in Benton. And, um, we had a nice turnout. And, um, I still see some classmates that live here. Um, my roommate at college, uh, and she was a teacher, and she moved back here, also. And, we saw her a lot. Um, one of the members of the creative art connection, Marcy Nelson; we graduated together. Um, she's moved back to Plain Dealing, itself. She remodeled her mom and dad's house, and lives in it. SEG: Yeah, there are a lot of neat homes in Plain Dealing. MM: Yeah, and um… SEG: It's a very neat town. MM: So, um, a lot of really old, pretty homes, and stuff, so, a lot of those people I still know, and… SEG: I saw, I've seen in pictures that Plain Dealing was a very active, busy little town… MM: It was. In the, in the 'thirties, 'forties, and 'fifties; yeah, it was. Um, one interesting thing about the town, that it…all the stores closed up on Wednesday afternoons at noon. SEG: Really, why? For lunch? MM: I…no, they closed for the whole afternoon. I don't know why they did, they just did, they took an afternoon off. And they were open all day Saturday, but closed all day Sunday. And, um, but they closed at noon on Wednesdays, just to give their people their day off, maybe they want to come into Shreveport, or Bossier City to do major shopping, or something. Because they worked on Saturday, too, so…it was pretty interesting. SEG: So, having a lot of cousins, did ya'll get in trouble a lot, and did ya'll go downtown together to, you know, hang out… MM: Yeah, we did, uh-huh. And, um, when I was in high school, and, uh, you know, we could…because it was safer, and a different time, um, you could, when you were in high school…we would sometimes leave the campus to walk downtown, it wasn't far to downtown. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: And, um, eat lunch, you know, at B S Café. It was a hamburger joint, and it was actually where Giles Snack Shop is now, it was in that same building. SEG: Oh, really? MM: And, you…they also had charge accounts there, so, you know, you could charge it to your dad. (Laughter) MM: And, um, back when I was in grammar school, and he had died by the time I was in high school, but there was an older man who had snow white hair and a snow white beard, and his name was Mr. Manry. And he would come to the school, and tell Brer Rabbit stories, to the kids. SEG: Yeah, I read that, um, and seen pictures of kids just swarming Mr. Manry, because they would just love it when he would come to… MM: Right, uh-huh…and um, um his brother actually worked at the Times, for a long, long time. And, um he retired before I started working at the Times, but, um…they were a very interesting family. And, um, it was just very, very interesting growing up there. Um,… SEG: Did ya'll go into Shreveport or Bossier a lot, and…did ya'll just stay in Plain Dealing, for the most part? MM: Mm, in high school we came to Bossier on the weekends, to, you know, sometimes to go to the 'Strip'. We often didn't get in…but, um… SEG: What was the 'Strip' like, do you remember a lot about it, or…was it as bad as people said? MM: It was just…it was. I think in the beginning it wasn't as bad, but, um when I was growing up it was basically, it was just, like, um, a lot of bars, and…the worst thing that I knew that went on there, was…of course, I wasn't supposed to in there because I was underage, but you could get in, if you really wanted to. Uh, and you could buy a drink, and…was that the waitresses were encouraged to sit with the customers, and, um, they would buy drinks for them, but the drinks that the bartender, or whoever brought to them would just be coco-water or whatever, and that they would have to pay for full price as just a way to make more money. And all of them had a gambling room in the back. Now, I never saw a gambling room, but, um, they did. And, and that was illegal, you know. And, so, but they made a lot of money like that. And I'm sure that there was prostitution going on at that time, I was…didn't know about it. And I guess nobody told me. But, later on as an adult, and when they actually raided it, and, you know, and smashed all the pinball machines, and, um, there was definitely prostitution going on. SEG: They smashed pinball machines? MM: Mm-hm. SEG: Wow. MM:'Cause they were illegal. SEG: Wow. MM: Yeah, so. Um, but, uh, actually it was the sheriff in Caddo Parish that did that. SEG: I guess the Bossier… MM: Boys on 'the take' (Laughter) SEG: They just looked the other way. MM: They just looked the other way, yeah. Um, and, um Bossier is, um, well maybe I shouldn't say this…and, that other people can read or see, but, um…it's the way it was, and I guess that's what you're trying to find out, right? One of my first cousins, um, my aunt. My dad's sister, um, and her husband had three daughters. And, one of them was a couple years older than me, and the others were a lot older than me, because it was his oldest sister. And, um, the middle daughter was brilliant. I mean, her I.Q. was just way off the charts, and, um, she graduated from what was called Northwestern, at the time, was the school in Natchitoches… SEG: Mm-hm MM: …but, um, in, like, three years. SEG: Wow. MM: You know, with, you know, a 4.0 average. But, there, she also got into drugs, and drinking. And, um, I mean big-time. So she kept losing job after job, and so she came home and she was living with her parents out there in Mark's Chapel. And, uh, she would come to Bossier and get drunk, and the Sheriff himself, which was Willy Radner, would bring her home. Wouldn't charge her with anything, nothin'. Because of, you know, he knew the family. And I'm sure she wasn't the only one he did that to. Which didn't do her a favor, you know? At the time, I guess we…her parents thought it was. But, unfortunately she never kicked that habit, and, um, you know, died fairly young, as an addict. A wasted life. SEG: Yeah. MM: And maybe if, uh, she had actually got arrested, and her parents were made to realize this was a major problem, that, um, it wouldn't have happened, but, um…and that may go on now, I think a lot less than it does, but…if you knew…depending on who you were, depended on whether you got arrested or anything. And that's not a good thing. SEG: Was Bossier 'small potatoes' compared to Plain Dealing, or was there [unclear] at Plain Dealing at the time, or was it just kind of the same sized town? MM: Uh…no, Bossier was always bigger. But Bossier…actually, Bossier had somewhat of a downtown at that time. Um, do you know where East Bank Theater is? SEG: Mm-hm. MM: Um, down there on that strip was a dress shop, and, um, a bank, several lawyers offices, and a grocery store, and…so that was somewhat of an…the downtown. But it was never a big downtown like Shreveport was. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: Uh, when you came 'into town' to shop, you went to Shreveport, you know? SEG: What was shopping like, back then? MM: It was great! Because downtown you had all these locally owned; Selber's, Rubenstein's, The Fashion, uh, M. Levy, Belk's Shoe Store, uh, this…all downtown on, uh, Texas, and Fannin, and Milam, and all that were…just a major shopping center. And they had parking garages… SEG: Oh, really? MM: Yeah. SEG: Wow. MM: Like Selber's had a parking garage, and um, I think there's still stores and stuff down there, but, um, it's now a theater. Part of the garage thing. Well, it's not there, now…it was for awhile. [Taping stops, then resumes] SEG: There we go. MM: Uh, interesting thing about shopping in Shreveport at the time; Selber's, and The Fashion, and, um, M. Levy, all the stores is, um…and Rubenstein's, Rubenstein's was a little bit different because it was actually a department store. It also had, uh, kitchen things, silver, um, china, you know…and, uh, sheets and towels, and all kind of stuff as well as clothing. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: And clothing was upstairs, and when you were upstairs, you would, um, get a saleslady and she would help you. Exclusively you, till you left. And, she would go with you in the dressing room, after she picked out clothes for you, and help you get dressed, and then you would walk out, and they had this round, raised platform…you were down there, and you would turn around and see if your mother would let you buy it. Isn't that neat? SEG: Did they have anything like that in Plain Dealing? MM: Oh, no. Nu-uh. We had a couple of what we call mercantile stores, and they had everything from bottled water to clothing and stuff. And you could certainly buy things there, but, um, you just…there wasn't really any way to try them on or anything there. McKellar Brothers was one. Um, and…my dad tells this story, which I think is really funny. McKellar Brothers, they had, um, everything in there, too, you know? From…um, that you would need to…even cow feed, you know? And, um, my dad said that when he was a little boy, he was in there with his father, and it was winter time, and they had, um, you know a pot-belly stove; they kept wood in there to keep it warm, and um, some ladies from Shreveport where in there. And they went up to him, Mr. McKellar, and said, 'Do you have a restroom here?' And he said, 'Oh, yes. Just pull up a chair and sit right here.' (Laughs) SEG: That's funny. They're all, like, 'What are you talking about?' (Laughter) MM: Um, so, it was a funny story. Um, but, um we came to Shreveport to do clothes shopping, and we always came and spent the entire day before school started, to buy school clothes, you know, for my brother, and my sister, and me. And, we, um…Rubenstein's had this neat thing…it was called, um…some kind of tube. And at every cash register…it was three stories…there would; you would give them twenty dollars, and maybe they owed you a dollar back or something. And you would put the twenty dollars in this tube, and it went upstairs to the accounting office, and the change came back to you in the tube. No, nobody made change except the people in accounting. SEG: Oh. MM:'Pneumatic tube', is what it was called. And it was a, a machine about this big. And the tube came down in a little…like at the bank. That sort of thing. And, um, so, that's what they did. And most of the stores had them. And, uh, it was…and when you got married, um, by the time I got married there was a flower shop which had china and silver, and crystal, and all that kind of stuff. SEG: In Plain Dealing? MM: In Plain Dealing. Mm-hm. And, so, you didn't have to come to Shreveport to pick out all the stuff when you got married. But, one…drawback to that was almost every girl in Plain Dealing had…you know, there was like six different patterns, and we all had them! (Laughter) MM: Chantilly! It was real popular silver! So, that was kind of interesting. But the good thing about it is, um, when I moved from, um, Lafayette…um, after I was all grown up and had children and stuff, I moved back to Shreveport from Lafayette. And, one of the girls I had gone to school with lived on the same street we bought a house on. SEG: Oh, wow. MM: And, um, she was one of the Barnettes, from Plain Dealing. And, uh, so Marilyn came down, and she says, 'Look, I'm going to have a tea for you, to introduce you around the neighborhood, so, I need to borrow your china.' (Laughs) 'Cause it was the same pattern. SEG: That's funny. MM: So, it was a, a very simple time. You know? Where, you knew everyone, and, um, I guess when I…it was probably about six-thousand people living in Plain Dealing, um… SEG: It looked like a really 'hopping' town, a while back… MM: It really was. And then all of, who live out in the country, that came to Plain Dealing, made it really, really big. And you probably have read about the Dogwood Festival? SEG: Yes, I was going to ask you, did you participate in that? MM: I did. SEG: Did you have any cousins who were a dogwood queen? MM: Uh, my best friend, my college roommate was the queen, and I was in that court. Um, and that was in 1956. And, then, Marilyn, the, um, the lady who we shared our china and silver for the tea; um, she was the queen one year. Lots of people I knew. SEG: What did the Dogwood Festival all entail? What, like, what was the whole production leading up to it? I've seen pictures, and I've seen girls going to Shreveport and Bossier, and I saw that it was really busy, and, a lot of stuff was going on, but… MM: Yeah, building of floats, I mean they had…everybody had a float, so they did all that, and had parties leading up to it; kind of like a debutant thing, at people's houses and stuff. And the court, the queen in the court was a secret. You didn't know till you saw 'em on the float. And so, if they sent you a letter, the Dogwood Festival Committee sent you a letter saying you were this, and this, and this. Um, you couldn't tell anybody, you know? SEG: That was hard for people to do that? MM: (Laughing) It sure was! But I don't think anybody really leaked it, there was…and then there was a dance later that night after the parade, and, um, at the American Legion Hall. SEG: Is it still there? MM: It's still there, that building is still there. SEG: Oh, wow. MM: Mm-hm. It's so tiny. It used to be really big. (Laughter) MM: Um, and…then the court was presented again, then. You know, that night, you know, with an escort. You know, your boyfriend, you get to be your escort. And, so, it was a big production. SEG: Yeah, I've seen pictures… MM: And people would go from the parade, that Saturday, um, on the trail. All through the Dogwood Trail, which was, you know, around the lake and that sort of thing. And there would be people out there, you know, selling refreshments and that kind of stuff. So, it was a big deal. And people…lots of people came. You know? Lots and lots of people came. SEG: They still talk about it. MM: Mm-hm. SEG: What, what happened. Why did it cease to exist? MM: Lack of people, I think, living there. It was hard to get people interested in it. And, I guess people moving away…like [unclear] and our parents dying…or moving to be near their children, and that sort of thing. I think so. They tried to have it, um, for a long time. And I actually took my grandchildren to one…um, about five years ago. And, it was not any floats; they had the queen and the court were just in cars; convertibles, and you know, some cars advertising they were running for sheriff, or whatever. It was, it was…and they had some booths. One of 'em was this lady would write your name on a peace of rice, so…I remember that because each of the girls got one. SEG: On a piece of what? MM: Rice. SEG: Rice? MM: Mm-hm. And then she enclosed it in a little plastic thing you'd wear around your neck. And you could actually see it on there, it was pretty impressive. SEG: Oh, wow. MM: Um...and, then they were selling T-shirts and that sort of thing, but it was, um, not very many people there. In fact, basically, it was parents of the girls, and politicians. And that was all that was there, so. I really don't know what happened to cause its' demise. I just think lack of people, just lack of people there. SEG: Was that, was that Plain Dealings' big thing, or did they have other festivals like the fourth of July? MM: No. No, that was the one and only festival, there. Um, football, um, for a long time; during my era anyway, was real big. Um, people came out and supported the football team, and followed it all around. And, um, and they…and when I was in high school, there was a drama club, and we put on a play every year. I don't think they do that anymore. I don't think they do it in very many high schools, they did it in Shreveport schools as well, but I don't think they do it anymore. SEG: Has, um, Plain Dealing changed a lot? Do you think its…? MM: Oh, yeah. Totally, totally different than when I was growing up there. Um, we had hardware stores, um, [unclear] there, you know? SEG: Really? MM: And none of that's there anymore. Um… SEG: I heard… MM: …and if you lived in Plain Dealing 'proper', you know, like some of the houses that you see there, um, you could call up Southern Grocery Store, and they deliver your groceries. SEG: Oh, wow. (Laughter) SEG: I wish they could do that, now. I could avoid going to the grocery store. MM: Yeah, uh-huh. So, it was pretty interesting. SEG: So, um, how about your siblings, did they…they went to Plain Dealing elementary in Plain Dealing. MM: Yeah, 'cause we were very close together; there was only like four years difference between me and my sister and my brothers in between. So, we were all basically real close in age. Uh, we did. Um, my sister, um, graduated…she did not go to college. Um, she went to business school here because the was dating a guy that had already graduated from Plain Dealing High School, and was working for [United Gas?] And, she…they got married, but ultimately divorced in a few years, and, um, but…Homer went to Northwestern, and I went to Louisiana Tech. And, um, my brother actually has a degree in agriculture. Um, but he's done nothing except do fleet management, and, um, for like major companies, and stuff. SEG: Does he still live in the area? MM: He lives here, now. He lived in Orlando, working for the Southland Corporation for, um, a number of years. But he moved back here about five or six years ago, and he's gonna stay here now, he's retired. SEG: And your parents lived in Plain Dealing, until recently? MM: Uh, no, until about…I guess it was about twenty years ago, they moved to Benton; uh, because my dad was, like, seventy-five…and, um, they just did not [unclear]. Because there was, um, not very many people living out there in the country. You know, all these brothers and sisters had moved either to be near their children, or, something. And, um, it was just way out there in the country. And, um, and when they moved here, I actually wasn't living here. Homer was, but, uh, I moved the next year from Lafayette back to Shreveport. And, um, so it was just easier to be nearer us, to help take care of them. And, um… SEG: And your mother, she still lives in Benton? MM: She's still living in a house, yes, mm-hm. She has, um, you know, our caretakers that were taking care of dad, and her, she didn't think they were taking care of her at the time, but she was. Uh, they're still with us, but it just seemed less for them. SEG: What's one thing that you remember about your dad, that something that just really stuck with you that…he did with you, and not your brother or sisters, but just like with you? MM: Uh, he tried his damndest to get me to play the piano, and I just didn't have the talent for it. (Laughs) He really, really worked with me for… SEG: My mother tried that, too… MM: …like ten years…and I, I can hit notes, but it just doesn't sound good, because I have no rhythm, you know, it just don't work. You know…I can't sing, I can't play the piano. But he tried really, really hard. Um, my dad was a very sweet, loving man. Um, I rarely saw him lose his temper. And I never saw him lose it really, really bad. Um, the…most caring, uh, understanding, sweet thing my dad ever said to me; 'cause my dad is very, very spiritual…read the Bible every day, and when we were growing up, every night before we went to bed, we all gathered together, and Mom and Dad read a chapter out of the Bible to us. And when we got old enough to read, we had our turns to read out of the Bible. SEG: Wow. MM: And, um, so I knew getting a divorce was sin. And…I dreaded telling him…that I was going to get a divorce. It was something that had to be done. Um, so, it was, um, the papers were already filed…it was underway before I could tell him. And I went over to his house, and I said, 'I have something to tell you, Dad.' And I told him that I was getting a divorce, and he said, 'I know, Sunshine. It's been bad, and I know that you have to get out of that, and protect yourself, and my grandchildren.' And he says, 'You know, it is a sin, but it's not an unforgivable one; have you asked God's forgiveness?' And I said, 'Yes'. He said, 'Then it's okay.' That...you know…I just couldn't ask for anything better. SEG: That's what dads are for. MM: That's what dads are for, yeah. And, um, so…there wasn't anything he wouldn't do for us, you know? Um, my sister later got a divorce also, so, you know…but, um… SEG: And she doesn't live up here correct? MM: She lives in Houston, mm-hm. And, um, so…um, but it was, we had…you know, teenagers had slumber parties when we…have you heard of slumber parties? SEG: Yes, ma'am. We've had many of those. MM: Maybe they still do, you know? My grandchildren call them 'sleepovers', so the terminology has changed, but it's the same. And, uh, my dad always wanted all the girls, when we would have sleepovers, to come to our house, you know? And, um, we had this huge pit about twice as big as this table in width, and about this long…barbeque pit, in the ground, you know, so you could cook lots and lots of food on there. So, he would cook hamburgers or hotdogs and stuff on that, and we'd have all kinds of colas and stuff and iced down. And, so they always wanted to come to my house because it was fun to do that, and we could ride horses, and all that kind of stuff, so…um, most of the slumber parties were at my house, and then, right away all the boys knew there was food there, so they would show up. But they had to leave, you know? They couldn't stay the night. SEG: Did ya'll ever try to sneak out of the house when you had a slumber party, or… MM: Yeah, we did. And sometimes we succeeded. (Laughter) SEG: Where would ya'll go? MM: Into town. To drive around. (Laughs) Driving around was big, you know. Just to see who you could see, you know, doing something and stop and join them, or…go to the movie; we'd go to the movie sometime. SEG: Was there a drive-in, in… MM: No, there was just a Fox Theatre, but it was inside. SEG: Oh. MM: You know, and, uh, that's where I stood in line to see, um…oh, what's his name, Clark Gable say, 'Frankly my dear, I don't give a damn'. SEG: That's a good movie, Gone with the Wind. MM: And, we were just horrified that he was going to say 'damn' in a movie! Yep, I saw it there. And, um, going to Saturday matinees to watch cowboys shows. It'd cost fifteen cents. SEG: Wow. And now it costs five dollars just to get in. (Laughter) MM: It does! And the Fox Theatre was downtown, just on one of the streets. SEG: Is the building still there? MM: No, it's, it's…got demolished when there was a big fire and stuff. But, the neon sign; and it went down like this, Fox…and I have a really good friend whose mother, uh, was in my dad's class, at [unclear] High School…um, Arteel Ogelsby was her name. And, um, she met Conway's father, and they got married, and that's where he was born. And then later on we became friends when he came down to teach at, um, LSU…um, math. And we'd been good friends for a long time. And, um, I said something about Plain Dealing, and he said, 'What do you know about Plain Dealing?' And I said, 'I was born there.' And he says, 'My mother was born there.' And, uh, so…then we figured it out. And, so, he's big into neon; he collects old signs and stuff, and so… SEG: He probably loved the Bossier Strip, then. MM: Yeah. And so, when um, the building burned, and all the bricks were falling in and stuff; the sign was still okay. I don't know whether it would burn, because it hadn't been burning in awhile. But, um the bank owned the property then, and so, John Doles is a good friend of our. I called him and I said, 'I have a friend that wants that Fox sign.' And he said, 'Oh, good! I'm afraid it's gonna fall on somebody, and the city's gonna get sued, so please come get it.' So, he just gave it to him. So, it's kind of nice to be from Plain Dealing. SEG: I've heard stories about the famous "Plain Dealing Bank Robbery"… MM: Oh, Gosh, yes! SEG: Do you… MM: I've heard those stories myself, you know. And, um, my dad laughed and laughed about it, and when it happened. And the doctor there, who's Dr. Bell; he came out and had a gun, evidently, in his office and stuff. And he was shooting at him, and one of the robbers shot him, and, quoting my father, 'in the butt.' (Both laugh) SEG: That's funny. MM: So, that's pretty funny. And, um…when, uh… there was a pool hall, there, downtown. And all the older men, uh, would go down there and shoot pool and play cards and whatever. And outside the entrance to the pool hall was 'deacon's bench'. You know, just a big bench from church, sitting out there. And anytime that you'd go down there, any day, there'd be several old guys out there smokin', and just passin' the time of day. In front of the pool hall. And then they'd go in and play pool, and, uh, women couldn't go in there. SEG: Oh, they couldn't? MM: Mm-mm. I don't know if it was a law, or rule, or what; but no women ever went in the pool hall. SEG: Did your dad go…play pool? MM: Sometimes, sometimes. Not too often. But sometimes he'd go to…I think mostly he just gossiped, rather than playing pool. SEG: Other than driving around, did teenagers come to Bossier, and go, um, like I've heard a lot about the Elm Creek…Roller Rink? MM: Mm-hm, they did that, yeah. And we'd go to the movie, and, um, eat…and, you know. If you had a date, that's what you did, come to town. SEG: What was the roller rink like? Was it the only one in Bossier? MM: Mm-hm, yep. It was crowded, and noisy, and, you know…? SEG: Elm Grove, I'm sorry. MM: Yeah, Elm Grove. Yeah, mm-hm, and, uh, it was fun. And…we had parties at home, too. Your parents would have parties, and invite people to come. SEG: So all your cousins lived nearby, or… MM: Mm-hm, they did. Um, um…and, oh another thing that was interesting is, um, churches, then; and there were a number of Presbyterian, Church of Christ, Baptist, um, Methodist, um…there was not a Catholic church in Plain Dealing. And I remember when…uh, there still isn't. Um… SEG: Yeah, I noticed because I remember thinking… MM: Because there's not…and I remember, um, when John Dole Junior, uh, he married a Catholic girl from Baton Rouge, and they would have to come to Shreveport to…for her to go to church. 'Cause there was not a Catholic church in Plain Dealing, and there still isn't. SEG: Wow. MM: There just aren't that many people…and, um… SEG: There is Presbyterian church. MM: There's a Presbyterian church, mm-hm. And, um… SEG: It's pretty. MM: It's a real pretty church; real, real pretty. Um, the library, when I was growing up, was in a storefront, in the downtown area. And, um, then they built it, one where it is now. And then they added on to it. Like, seven or eight years ago, I guess. And, um, so…and, let's see what else we did. SEG: So, the library hasn't changed a whole lot since the addition? MM: No. Mm-mm. SEG: Did you work in that library? MM: No, I didn't. I was a card-carrying member, but I never did work with them. The library, um, was next door to the Rexall Store. And then there was Sander's Mercantile Store. That's another interesting thing…someone named Sanders was the mayor of Plain Dealing for like, probably fifty or sixty years; brothers. SEG: Wha…Was Walker's a grocery, or Walker's… MM: No it was always a… SEG: Is it still… MM: It's still there… SEG: Family run, or is it someone else? MM: They have…it's still family run. And it now has, um, it had a soda fountain in it, when I was growing up. SEG: I've heard that there is still one up there… MM: I don't think it's working right now. I think it…it's still in there, but I don't think they're, they use it anymore. SEG: What about Kelly's? MM: Kelly's has, um, it's newer…the one that's…is there now started, it's been there a long time, but it wasn't there in the fifties. And, um, I don't…and have you been in Walker Brother's Drug? SEG: No, I haven't MM: You should go in there, it's really quite interesting. They have the best greeting cards, they're hilarious. They're those funny kind like, you know, a whole bunch of old, blue-haired women sit around and say, 'Age, what's that?' They're really great. [Unclear], I go in there to buy those kind of birthday, and specialty cards all the time. And they also have a gift shop in there. They have some really pretty crystal, and 'gifty'-type things. SEG: Oh, really? MM: And cookbooks, they've lots of cookbooks, and… SEG: I keep…I've been to Plain Dealing a lot, but I haven't had a chance to go. MM: Well, we should go up there some Saturday, and just go in the stores. SEG: Yeah! MM: We could eat lunch, and…I don't know, is 'Annie Lou's' open on Saturday? SEG: I didn't know there was an 'Annie Lou's' there. MM: Well, that's actually the snack shop…we called it 'Annie Lou's'. Annie Lou used to be a beauty operator. SEG: Ah. MM: And, um, she had a beauty shop downtown. And, when I was having to take piano lessons…when I was being force to take these piano lessons… [Side A ends-Side B begins] MM: I was talking about, um, piano lessons and recitals. And recitals, um, one of the things that I had to do was I had to go to Annie Lou's Beauty Shop and have my hair set. Which I hated it. And every time that I would have drive home, you know, from town out in the country to the farm. And so I would hang my head out the car window and get it all messed up. And my mother would be furious. (laughter) MM: And every year she would forget I was going to do it, and make me do it again. And, um, the other thing I had to do is was we had to go by aunt's…my Aunt Sybil's, and pick a bouquet of sweet peas for my corsage on my formal dress. Sweet Peas and a hair-do. (laughter) MM: It was fun, you know. Now I have those, um, fun things to tell my grandchildren. Um, we did that, and…my, all my teachers were interesting. SEG: Who was your favorite teacher? MM: Um, Ada Cheshire. She taught English and Spanish. And I loved English and grammar and all that, and Spanish was okay, we didn't learn a lot of Spanish, but. Um, she was a very tall, impressive, red-headed woman. I now know that she probably dyed it that color, because it was really, really red, but…and she was pretty old. But I loved her, I really truly loved her. She was great. Um, that's why my first degree was in English, because of her. And, um, I liked her a lot. Um, Mrs. Hutchins, who actually is still alive…um, Milburn is her first name, Hutchins. And she used to come in here, but now she can't drive. I think she's actually may be pretty housebound right now. But, the floors in, she taught sixth grade and seventh, and the floors in the school at that time were [oil?] floors. And um, then we got new floors which were hardwood, like polished and stuff. The boys had rubber heels, some of the girls did, too. It would leave marks at the desk. And, so, she would always stop her lesson like five to ten minutes before the bell would ring to change class, because you had to clean up the black marks off of her floor. Can you see that happening to a student today? But you know, that was part of what we learned. You clean up what you mess up. And, I think a lot of us are good, productive citizens because of that. You know? Um, well I'll brag a little bit on Plain Dealing High School. Um, we all every year went to the Literary Rally at Louisiana Tech. And, um, it was basically, you went in math, English, art; whatever subject. Geography, whatever. And you took a test, and competed with other students from other schools around the Northwest Region. And we always went…we always came away first place. SEG: Wow. MM: I went every year in two subjects. SEG: That's cool. MM: And they gave you a little medal. And we all went on the school bus, and came back on the school bus. Took the whole day. It was very interesting. I think they still have it. Um, I think I've seen results in the Times, periodically. I don't know if it's the same thing. But it very interesting. And, um… SEG: And the high school itself is pretty, the activity building, I got a tour of it, and I was very impressed with it. The architecture is really impressive. MM: Mm-hm, it's very nice. SEG: And the principal there right now, I can't remember his name, but he says it's his favorite building. MM: Mm-hm, it is very nice. SEG: And he showed me where they had the air conditioning, I guess. MM: (laughs) Yes. SEG: Did you ever see that? Go down that way? MM: No. No, um… SEG: I saw the, um, bomb shelter sign on it. I thought that was really cool, you only see those things in movies. MM: I know. It's interesting. Um, I think, um, everybody that, at least that I know that grew up in Plain Dealing, um, enjoyed it. They had a good time there. Um, they had fun, and um, I don't know any of them that doesn't want to, and doesn't at some point come back there to visit their relatives, or you know, that sort of thing. And a, and a number of them have actually moved back. SEG: Do you think Plain Dealing will return to what it was formerly like, or, um, [Taping interrupted] MM: I don't know if it will or not. I know, that, um, most of the people, um, particularly out where I lived in the country at Walker's Chapel and Redland, um, owned, um, land. And most of them are not selling it. You know, like, ours isn't for sale. Um, my brother, and he has two sons, and they both live near him. Um, they basically turned most of it into hunting, um, area. Because there's lots of deer and stuff there, and mostly dear, I guess. Um, the house that I grew up in burned, uh, a number of years ago. And, um, they've cleared that off, and have three mobile homes out there. So, it's real, you know, comfortable for them to stay and hunt, and have their friends there, and cook and eat and sleep, and just enjoy it. So, I'm sure that's what it will stay for a long time. And other land out there is the same way. In town, in Plain Dealing, um, I don't know. SEG: It's changed a lot compared to what it used to be like… MM: It's changed a lot! SEG: …it's kind of sad. MM: It is sad. There's not any place to work there. There's not even enough stores to really work in, um, and so, you'd have to work either in Shreveport, Bossier, or Spring Hill. It's not a lot to do in Spring Hill, either. Spring Hill used to be much larger and bigger. Their major business, um, when I was growing up was international paper company. And, of course, it's been closed for twenty years. So, there's not, there's just not work for people to do. And, of course, no one can farm unless you've got thousands of acres. SEG: Right. MM: And, um, make a living at it, so. I don't know. I doubt it seriously if it'll ever be much bigger than it is now. SEG: It's such a neat little town, it's… MM: It's sad that it is going away. All over the country little towns like that, I think, are. And, um, and that way of life, I guess, has gone away. SEG: Well, what made you decide to become a librarian? What… drew you to the library? And, did you, were you always a librarian? MM: No, I was teacher. I taught the seventh grade in a little town called Youngsville, which is just outside Lafayette. Um, and that was an interesting little town, too, Youngsville. Um, it was small, like Plain Dealing. Um, probably about the same size as Plain Dealing, but it was very much in the heart of sugarcane country. And right across the street from the school was the sugarcane mill. You know, they made sugar there. And it was interesting, because you could go get brown sugar right from the mill. And, um, before they sent it off to be refined into white sugar. Um, and I liked it a lot. I like living…but I moved back here in, um, '72, I think. And, um, I taught school at St. Pious the Tenth Elementary School. That's where I met Bea, the first time. Her husband was the principal. SEG: Oh, wow. MM: And I taught seventh and eighth grade there. And, um, that's when I got into librarianship. They didn't have a library there. Well, they had a space for a library, and they had some stuff in it. They didn't have a lot of books, or any…most of 'em had just been donated books and stuff. And, so…another, one of my neighbors, her kids where going there, too. And her name was also Martha. There were two of us. And, uh, my last name at the time, because I had been married to Dick Fernandez. I had three kids going to school named Fernandez. And Bea had her children there, and they were part Asian, and mine are part [unclear] Spanish, so it sure sounded like they were minorities on paper for the government, so we got us some grant money. (Laughs) For these seven, you know, children that were going there. And it was a small school, you know. There was like maybe fifteen in each class, and it went from one to eight. Very small Catholic school. SEG: This is in Shreveport, or Bossier? MM: Shreveport, up in North Shreveport. The school is now closed. Um, but we, we established that school, and the library, and, um, did really good. One parent threatened to sue me because there's some books published, That Fabulous Century, we have them back there. And, um, in the seventies, Woodstock and that sort of thing, and there were some pictures of naked people in there protesting. And her eighth grader took it home, and, oh my! But, um, Robert stood up for me, and she actually let her kid stay in school and didn't sue me. SEG: Well, that's good. MM: So, uh, but that was…it was fun. And we did everything. We ordered the books, we cataloged them, we put the pockets in 'em, we check 'em in and out. We did everything, just the two of us. Uh, we had a good time. I was there for about seven years, and, um, then um… [Tape interrupted] MM: …um, he was named the editor of the Shreveport Journal, a now defunct newspaper, um, and they had, and his children went to school at St. Pious the Tenth, their kids went there. So, I knew him, and, um, his kids. And so he called and wanted to know if I wanted to come do the same thing to the newspaper library, as I had done to the school library at St. Pious. And I said, 'Well I don't know. I've never been in a newspaper office. I have no clue what you're talking about.' And, um, anyway, I went to see him, and we went to lunch, and, um, it was pretty interesting, and so I said, 'Okay, I'll do it.' And, it was great. I had the best time of my life for, um, I worked at the Journal 'til it closed, that was like twenty years. And then I worked seven years at the Times. It was great. I loved it. So, um, and between them I had gone to LSU and gotten my MLS So, it worked out. That's how I became a librarian. SEG: What's one thing you enjoy about being a librarian? MM: I like finding things that people need, and they don't know how to find it. Um, I call that psychic income, you know? Um, one story here, I will tell you…and it's, it happens all time like this; different person, different subject, different need. But this very nice older woman came in, and I spoke to her, and um, she said she needed to look at some books about golf. So, I took her back, and left her in the stacks, and she was back there for a significant amount of time. And she came back by my desk, and I said, 'Did you find what you needed?' And she said, 'Well, not really.' And I said, 'Well, um, what were you looking for, perhaps we can help you find it.' And she says, 'Well, I was looking for the history of the, um, Ryder's Cup.' The big golf tournament. And I said, 'Oh, well we can find that.' And she said, 'Well I really need to go.' And I said, 'That's okay, I'll find it for you and you can come back and pick it up or something. Or you can come back, that's no problem.' And she said, 'Well, I'm going to the Ryder's Cup.' SEG: Oh, wow. MM:'Because my grandson is playing' And I said, 'Then you must be Mrs. Thomas.' Because David Thomas is from Bossier, and she's from Bossier. SEG: Right. MM: And I knew that he had been raised by his grandparents, from just reading about him. I'd never met David, or her. And she said, 'Do you know David?' And I said, 'I don't know him, I know of him.' And so we talked about that, and she was so excited about going, and all this kind of stuff. So, after she left, I went and go everything she wanted about the Ryder's Cup, a whole bunch of stuff, and all this other stuff. And I stuck in an envelope, and I took it home, and I looked up her address, and, um, I mailed it to her. And, uh, the next week, at the Wednesday meeting, Louis said, 'I have a note about a staffer that I got from one of our patrons, and I want to read it to you.' And, uh, so he did that a lot. And so he started reading, and I said, 'Oh, that's from Mrs. Thomas'. And she'd sent me one at home also, basically saying the same thing. And, it said, you know, what I had done. And she said, 'Martha Matlock would not be defeated' And, um, that's why I do it. I do it, you know? Um, and particularly children, that come in here. And they'll start coming, you know, in another couple of weeks. Because they'll have…um, every year, their teacher will assign them a parish, or a city, in Louisiana. And they've got to find out all about it. Or about the state, you know, the flower and that kind of stuff. And it's really, really neat to teach them how to find that out and so…so that's my psychic income, and that's my favorite part of being a librarian. SEG: Has the library changed a lot since you've joined up here, or…? MM: This one? SEG: Yeah. MM: It has. Um, I think every public library probably has, because other library people I know…and it's because of the public access computers and the internet. Um… SEG: When we…when Hurricane Katrina hit, uh, last fall, was there a lot people that talked to you about what happened…? MM: Right, yes, uh-huh. They did. And, um we helped many, many, many people file for FEMA, you know, to get their 2,000 dollars to try to survive. Um, we helped them try to access their bank account, you know? Um, and we… I think the staff did a tremendous job helping the people that were here. And I know that I was particularly intent on doing it, because it affected two of family's…two of my children. My son and my daughter, and they both were living with me. Um, and I knew how hard it was, and particularly for people who didn't have someone to go to live with. And I remember this young woman came in, and she had three small children. She had the baby with her, and they were living in their car, and they had bought just one of those small little grills that you put charcoal in to cook, at a park. And, um, I knew that, um, the Methodist church had rented out all of some cabins up on Lake Bistineau, and they were letting them live there. They were paying the rental fee on it, and I think they got a cut from, uh, Bistineau, and all that. Uh, we called, and they got the last cabin. SEG: Wow. MM: Now see, that is great! And, you think, 'That's why I'm here.' You know, that is why I am here. You know? We have, um, patients that come in, and they've found out they have sickle-cell anemia, or they have some other disease they've never heard of. And, they don't…they want to know about it. And, we can, uh, find it either on Medline Plus, or in some of our medical books. And, you know, just helping them, uh, find out enough to know what to ask the doctor. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: Is, um, I think that's a [career?], you know? Um, and I guess I must admit that sometimes I get frustrated that, um, there are people that demand your attention to set up an email account so they can get a chat room…maybe I'm…I think it is less important than helping somebody find out about a disease they have, or their child has, you know? And, um, we have people that come in, and they don't know how to file for social security, you know? And, I don't mind helping them get on-line, and sign 'em up for that, you know? I think that's more of a service than a Yahoo mail account. I may be wrong, um, but this is just the way I feel. And we do help them do Yahoo mail accounts, but, um, I don't get psychic income from that; I do from doing the other stuff. And, you know, and I like helping people find an author they like to read, you know? And, it's just fun. SEG: If you could pick, out of all the libraries you've been at, including this one, which library would you like to work…in the Plain Dealing library, would you want see what it was like working up there for a day or two? MM: I think it would be great to do that! Um… SEG: If you had that chance to do that. MM: Yes. And maybe I am, because I had asked Bob, um, a couple months back when we were changing all of the databases, you know, getting EBSCO Totally, instead of Gale Group. And it is really good, but it is really big, and I've got to go to some training soon, about how to use it myself. And, uh, he's agreed that Vickie and I can go and spend the day at each library, and teach the staff how to do that, and you know, they can play around on it while we wait on the customers. So, we'll get to have a day in each of the libraries, and I think that's exciting. SEG: It will be. MM: Yeah, I like it. Um, I think it would be exciting to go to Aulds, too. I think Aulds is probably the busiest, next to us. And, it's right smack in this neighborhood, you know, and I think it must be kind of neat, because, um [unclear] sometimes after school, all the kids can walk there, you know, they're still in their uniforms, and I think that'd be neat, you know. Combine that teacher/librarian thing together. So, um, you know, I like it. So, um, and, [money?] I guess, is always a problem in every endeavor in your home. But, um, one of the libraries in Calcashew Parish is right next-door to a middle school… SEG: Uh-huh. MM: …And they, um, have invited any of the kids that want to come there, um, to come and they can get tutored, or read books. Or, they have programs for them from the time they are out of school at three to five. And it's really great, because some, um, parents who work, and they were going to aftercare at school, which, they don't really do anything. And, um, I think that's neat, you know? SEG: Try and get that implemented here. MM: Mm-hm. That'd be kind of neat, don't you think? SEG: Yeah. MM: Mm-hm. And, um, I know it would require some extra people in the library. But it would only be for two hours. And, after I got to thinking about it…I could get volunteers to do that. It might not cost anything, except maybe some materials and stuff. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: So, you know. SEG: Work in progress. MM: You can never make anything as good as it can be. You have to work at it every day. And every year, don't you think? SEG: Yes, I do. MM: Um...but growing up in Plain Dealing, I think, was a great place to grow up, and live, and have friends, and you were…I think it's what kept my feet grounded, you know? I think I'm probably a pretty responsible person, and it's probably because of the way I grew up, around responsible people. But responsible, caring people, you know? And, um, so…and I'm sure there were bad things that happened in Plain Dealing; um, I didn't know about them. Now, I must tell you, that it was totally segregated. You know? Carrie Martin was totally black, and Plain Dealing was totally white. And they did not mix. Um, and, um…we had black people that lived on our farm, and helped us out. Um, but I like to think…and not that it was right, that…that they lived a totally separate life from us, um…my parents did not mistreat them, you know. And I can remember, you know, Willy Mae; she cooked. Uh, but she would say, 'Miss Mattie, I have to have some white gloves, and a hat, because this looks terrible and I can't go to church in that.' And she got them. Now, I know that's not right, that was paternalism, and all that kind of stuff, do you see what I'm saying? SEG: Mm-hm. MM: I regret that she had to even ask for them, you know, and um… SEG: But back then they wore hats and gloves, and the whole… MM: Very dressed up, you know. SEG: They don't do that anymore. MM: And, um, also she would make desserts, or a dish or something in our kitchen to take to eat that Sunday, too; and to church. But, I'm not excusing the fact that they couldn't go to school with me, you know? And, I know a lot of 'em didn't have anybody that took care of them like that. And it's not right, at all, but um…but I was grown up before I knew people were differently than that, too. And that was the downside of living in a tiny little town like Plain Dealing. So…but, fortunately we've all grown past that, I think. And, now we know that a human being is a human being. SEG: No matter the color. MM: No matter the color, or no matter the accent, or anything, you know? Some of my dearest friends are black…but I don't think of them as 'black', you know? They're just my friends. But, you know Lee is my twin brother. (Laughter) MM: We have the same birthday. And his mother said, 'I know, it was the longest labor in history, those twelve years' Um, so, and I think most of the people that are living in Plain Dealing now and who grew up, are…they've gone past that, too. There may be some racists still there, but hopefully not very many. You know, I hope not. SEG: There wasn't any racial problems in Plain Dealing… MM: No, no. And, I guess it was because, um… SEG: Because I know that, like, Bossier was very reluctant to…Bossier Parish was very reluctant to integrate… MM: Very, very. SEG: …so that's why I was wondering. MM: And, um, when they…were adamantly against it. And, um… SEG: We were one of the last parishes to integrate. MM: Right. Mm-hm. And, and I really don't know…just a mindset, and the way you were trained and grew up, I guess. And the powers the be that fought it, strongly. Um, also know that The Shreveport Journal, the paper that I worked for, and when I worked for it, it was very, very liberal. You know, because it had changed hands. But, uh, the owners during that time, uh, desegregation of the schools, um, did not like it, and would not print anything about it, and wouldn't print obituaries of black people, pictures of black brides, nothing. SEG: We noticed that there's very few, um…there were, we found a folder about integration, and…the school systems of Bossier Parish, and… MM: It was very, very difficult. SEG: …and we have learned that there was a, it's still around today, there was an African-American newspaper that was established in 1925 or 1926, and it's still being published today, but, and we know… MM: The Sun. SEG: Yeah, The Sun. Um… MM: And you know, they had a fire, and all their back issues, from like 80's backwards, burned up. SEG: Oh, that's horrible. MM: Isn't that horrible. It's just horrible. SEG: Because that's been; that's the thing that people really… MM: And that's where you're going to find the real history of that. And particularly their take on it, you know, the owners of The Sun, and that sort of thing. And, um, you know, it's…it's still publishes, and you know, they still champion rights of African-Americans, and they still need to. SEG: Mm-hm. MM: Particularly in this state, I think. I don't know if it is, as much as any other southern state. But I know, unfortunately Louisiana, and I love it, you know…but I also know what what's it's warts are, and don't like them. And that is one of our, our warts. You know? Is that we're not very, um, progressive in a lot of ways. Um, and, I really don't know what's wrong with our schools, but we don't perform very well. SEG: Yeah, I was wondering; is Plain Dealing High School, has it, what, is it like it was when you were there, or is it not as, um, high standard as it was? Or is it… MM: I don't know that for sure. But, um, I don't really know. And I don't know, um, really how it performs well in the LEAP test and everything. I know that some of the schools in Bossier City or Benton do better than Plain Dealing, you know, overall in the LEAP, and the ACT, and all those kind of stuff. But, um, I really don't know that much about it. And I don't know…my sister-in-law teaches at Stockwell, which is in town, but I don't know…um, and it does very, very well. But, they don't have very many black students. A lot of their students are from Barksdale, which are from all over the country. And they're in a upscale, white neighborhood. SEG: Bossier High, I learned, is, um, also a lot of students from Barksdale go to school there, as well. MM: Well, that's good. SEG: And, it's one of the smaller high schools, but… MM: Yes. SEG: A lot of kids from Barksdale go to school there. MM: And their alumni are rabid, aren't they? (Laughter) MM: I was talking to Buzz Wojecki, who I've known forever. He's been into reunions, and history, you know…he is pretty rabid about it. SEG: Uh, hopefully I can get some people from other local schools to… MM: To talk. SEG: …to talk, and get local history on them as well, so we can have exhibits on them. MM: Right. SEG: I tried to do one for Plain Dealing as well, for the Plain Dealing "Now and Then". MM: I think because the teachers were friends with our families…because we were so small, you know? So they knew your parents and who you were, and all that. That had a lot to do with, um, the school atmosphere at that time. And I know, I was telling you about Coach Crawford, who was the principal when I was in high school, um, he was, um, sick and in assisted living. And I went to see him, just before he died. And, uh…gosh, he was like 90 then. I walked in and I said, 'Hi, Coach'. And he looked at me and he said, 'You're one of those Matlock girls, and since you don't have red hair, you must be Martha.' And I said, 'I am Martha, and I have grey hair now, I just cover it up with brown.' And, uh, because my sister had red hair when she was growing up. You know, and I don't think you get that in a major, you know, high school. SEG: No. MM: That special attention. And they know you, and they are actually concerned about you. So, that was, that was the…I probably didn't think so at the time. I was just happy, and thought everybody lived that way. But, uh, now I know what a, um, good start I got on becoming an adult, in a tiny little town where everybody knew you and cared about you. So, it was fun. SEG: Well, Martha this has been a lot of fun, I've enjoyed it. MM: Thank you . SEG: It's very, very interesting. MM: Feel free to edit! (Laughs) SEG: Well, thank you Martha. (Interview ends) |
People |
Covington, Joe Crawford, Graham Demoss, Erline Fernandez, Dick Matlock, Martha Oglesby, Arteel Wojecki, Chester A. "Buzz", Jr. |
Search Terms |
Plain Dealing Benton |
Interviewer |
Gundlach, Saras-Elizabeth |
Inventoried date |
2024-05-07 |