About
This website marks a culmination of a senior seminar on oral history and James Farmer. Students in this course studied oral history methodology, the civil rights movement, Farmer’s autobiography, and his contributions to the University of Mary Washington (UMW). After receiving training in oral history interviewing and conducting an individual oral history interview, students interviewed UMW faculty and staff. The interviews with UMW faculty and staff focused on Farmer’s lasting legacy at the university.
Professor Jess Rigelhaupt and the students in the course would like to thank all of the narrators for their contributions to this project. We appreciate the contributions from Porter Blakemore, Claudine Ferrell, Philip Hall, Venitta McCall, Margaret Mock, John Pearce, Allyson Poska, Cedric Rucker, and Art Tracy. Their recollections of Farmer’s time at UMW are invaluable for documenting Farmer’s lasting legacy at the university.
Jess Rigelhaupt would like to thank Jim Groom (http://jimgroom.net/) for assistance with the website. His class visits and technical help have provided important insights on publishing oral history on the world wide web. Jess Rigelhaupt and the students in the course also thank Professors Jeffrey McClurken (http://mcclurken.org/)and Timothy O’Donnell for sharing their ideas on Farmer’s legacy at UMW, potential goals for the course, and introducing potential interviewees.
For questions or comments about this website or the oral history project, please contact Jess Rigelhaupt, jmr (at) umw.edu.