Saving Stories

WUKY’s Award Winning history series Saving Stories closes out Black History Month by revisiting a pivotal moment in Kentucky’s Civil Rights Movement that happened in early March of 1964.

WUKY's award winning history series Saving Stories celebrates Black History Month with a segment onLexington-based musician and band leader Saunders Richardson Jr., better known to history as 'Smoke' Richardson. Doug Boyd from the Louie B.Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK libraries shares audio from interviews conducted in 1997 from two people who remember the impact Smoke had on the local music scene from the 1930's, 40's and early 50's, especially in the segregated Black community. The Nunn Center also wants your stories and memories about Smoke Richardson, the Lyric Theatre, Lexington's East End neighborhood, or anything else you'd like to share. Call the new TeleStory archive at 833-859-7272.

In this edition of WUKY's award winning history series Saving Stories Nunn Center for Oral History director Doug Boyd shares audio from an interview with the late UK basketball coach Joe B. Hall where the Kentucky native talks about his time guiding the Wildcats through the post-Rupp era, including bringing home the school's fifth NCAA title in 1978. Hall recalls a controversial and crucial halftime decision he made in an early round game in that tournament run.

In this special MLK Holiday edition of WUKY's award winning history series Saving Stories, Doug Boyd, director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries highlights an extraordinary interview with Dr. King recorded in March of 1964. Hear the non-violent advocate and activist at the height of his influence in a one on one interview with Kentucky author Robert Penn Warren talking about where he thought the Civil Rights movement would go next.

In this latest edition of WUKY's Award winning history series Saving Stories, Doug Boyd from the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries highlights the Chasing Sound Oral History Project; a collection of interviews conducted by Susan Schmidt Horning for her book "Chasing Sound: Technology, Culture, and the Art of Studio Recording from Edison to the LP (Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 2013; 2015)." Included are interviews with some of the most established and creative audio engineers and musicians of the 1950's, 60's, and 70's, many of whom detail how the Beatles changed nearly every aspect of studio recording.

With the recent success of the Netflix series The Crown, fascination with Queen Elizabeth II and her heirs shows no sign of slowing down. The Queen and the late Prince Phillip were married on November 20, 1947 so this week would have marked their 74th wedding anniversary. In this latest edition of WUKY's award winning history program, Saving Stories, Nunn Center for Oral History Director Doug Boyd, highlights a whale of a royal tale from Mark Thornewill. In this 2018 interview, conducted at the request of a family friend, Thornewill discusses his many adventures as a British naval officer during World War II, a priest, a husband, and a father. One of the most talked about stories involves Thornewill dancing and wooing the royal princesses, including the future Queen Elizabeth II. This interview is further explored in the latest episode of the Nunn Center's podcast The Wisdom Project.

In this special Veterans Day edition of WUKY’s award winning history series, Saving Stories, Doug Boyd from the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries highlights the From Combat to Kentucky Oral History Project (C2KY). The Nunn Center interviewed veterans of Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom in Afghanistan who at the time were pursuing postsecondary education in Kentucky. In this 2013 interview BCTC student Sarah T. Ray reflects on her two tours in Afghanistan, her duties in the military police, training Afghan Uniformed Police, and returning to civilian life.

For the first time since 1950, when the Wildcats were coached by the legendary Bear Bryant, the Kentucky football team is off to a 6-0 start. In today’s edition of WUKY’s award winning history program Saving Stories, Doug Boyd with the UK Libraries' Nunn Center for Oral History highlights a 2019 interview with UK great, Jim Howe, one of the Bear’s talented players from that era. In fact, he has the distinction of scoring the first touchdown in Kentucky’s first-ever bowl game; a 24-14 victory over Villanova in the Great Lakes Bowl in snowy Cleveland, Ohio on December 6, 1947. Howe talks about playing for the legendary coach, the big victories, the close losses, and the life lessons learned while competing for the Big Blue.

In this special September 11th edition of WUKY's award winning history series Saving Stories, Doug Boyd, director of UK Libraries' Nunn Center for Oral History shares an interview he conducted with Kentucky native Janet Foushee. She was working as a flight attendant on the morning of September 11, 2001 and recalls how and when she found out about the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, the Pentagon and the crash of Flight 93 in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. The entire account is featured in the Nunn Center's The Wisdom Project podcast.

In this edition of WUKY’s Award Winning History Segment, Saving Stories Alan Lytle and Nunn Center for Oral History director Doug Boyd highlight an interview with the singer-songwriter Tom T. Hall who died recently at the age of 85.