Historical Chesnuts

1960s Bartow, West Virginia

I am quite negligent in updating the site–such is the life of a full time employee & (technically) full time graduate student & full time family man!

Last semester (Fall 2024) we briefly explored the art of oral history, and I interviewed retired former coworker David Gum. Dave taught me much about work and about life, and it is an honor to share some of the many stories I have heard about Dave’s childhood with the world.

Find the recorded oral history at StoryCorps:

“You did one of three things, or two of three things, or all three”: David Gum Tells Stories of Life in Bartow, West Virginia in the 1960s