Collection Title: Jackson Purchase Oral History Project - Lifestyles
Series Number: OH131
Interviewee: Sledd, Mary Glenn
Interviewer: Bates, Mary
Date interviewed: November 2, 1979
Processed by: Tara Marcum
Date processed: August 18, 2011
Description: 1 sound disc (26 minutes)
Abstract: Mary Glenn Sledd discusses her experiences living in Paducah, Kentucky in an African American community during the 1920s and 1930s. She describes public schools and the educators that taught during segregation. She gives a history of the Washington Street Baptist Church and mentions significant community members. She discusses her feelings about Paducah as a community and the advancements the city has made in racial equality. She also reflects on how Osceola Dawson was a great inspiration to her and her career.
Biographical / Historical note: Mary Glenn Sledd was a lifelong resident of Paducah, Kentucky. Her childhood was spent in an African American neighborhood in the city. She attended Lincoln Elementary, and graduated from Lincoln High School in 1933. Afterwards she attended Western Kentucky Industrial College. She worked for the Registrar's Office at Paducah Community College from 1964 to 1976. She later became Chairperson of the Business Department at the college. She also served as clerk of the Washington Street Baptist Church and secretary of the Sunday school. She was a friend of Osceola Dawson whom Sledd considered the "backbone" of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in Paducah.
General information: No user access to original recordings. Use audio user copies, digital derivatives, transcripts, and/or tape indexes. This collection may be protected from unauthorized copying by the Copyright Law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code). Permission for reproduction must be requested from Murray State University.
Subject Headings / Descriptors:
Sledd, Mary Glenn
Dawson, Osceola Aleese
Paducah (Ky.) – History.
Lincoln High School (Paducah, Ky.)
West Kentucky Industrial College (Paducah, Ky.)
Paducah Community College (Paducah, Ky.)
Washington Street Baptist Church (Paducah, Ky.)
African Americans – Kentucky – Paducah.
Segregation in Education – Kentucky.
Research Notes: Poor sound quality
