Saving Stories

Over our 15-year collaboration with the UK Libraries’ Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, WUKY’s Saving Stories has brought you numerous Kentucky Derby themed segments featuring the likes of Eddie Arcaro, Penny Chenery, W.T. Young and Arthur B. Hancock III. This week to celebrate Derby 150, Center Director Doug Boyd and Alan Lytle continue that tradition by returning to a 2019 interview with another story by Hancock. In this part of the conversation the Stone Farm horse breeder and owner talks about how he used the Pythagorean theorem to calculate the perfect ride for eventual winner Gato Del Sol in the 1982 Kentucky Derby. Until that day no horse from the far outside had ever won the signature race. It's a similar scenario 5-2 morning line favorite Fierceness is facing this Saturday.

WUKY's Saving Stories commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of the March for Civil Rights in Frankfort. On March 5, 1964 thousands came toKentucky's Capitol to hear from Martin Luther King, baseball great Jackie Robinson, folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, and rally support for a public accommodations bill. To celebrate Women's History Month, Nunn Center Director Dr. Doug Boyd shares audio from three recent interviews with local women who participated in the event on that historic day.

WUKY's Saving Stories commemorates the sixtieth anniversary of the March for Civil Rights in Frankfort. On March 5, 1964 thousands came to Kentucky's Capitol to hear from Martin Luther King, baseball great Jackie Robinson, folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, and rally support for a public accommodations bill. In this segment we hear distinctly different perspectives from two Kentuckians and their respective experiences that historic day.

The University of Kentucky is commemorating the 75th anniversary of the desegregation of its campus. In our latest edition of Saving Stories, Dr. Doug Boyd with the UK Libraries Nunn Center for Oral History shares audio from a series of interviews with Lyman T. Johnson; the first African-American student to set foot on the UK campus. Johnson successfully challenged a state law that prohibited students of different races to be educated together in the same classroom. The university had been getting around the 'Day Law' by sending professors to the Kentucky State University campus in Frankfort to instruct African-American students. That all changed with Johnson in 1949.

In a special edition of WUKY's Saving Stories Nunn Center Director Doug Boyd shares interviews detailing the stories of two Kentucky couples and one lawyer who were part of the legal fight that led to the Supreme Court–and brought marriage equality to the country. The conversations come from the John G. Heyburn II Initiative for Excellence in the Federal Judiciary Project archived by Anu Kasarabada and the Nunn Center's Outsouth: LGBTQ+ Oral History Project. The interviews are also featured in the latest episode of the Nunn Center's "The Wisdom Project" podcast.

This week on Saving Stories Dr. Doug Boyd, director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries highlights an interview with Jim Green, the first African-American student-athlete to graduate from UK. In the conversation Green talks about his decision to enroll at the state’s flagship university in the late 1960’s, what it was like competing in the racially-charged Southeastern conference, his role in desegregating the track program, and how he’d like to be remembered by future generations.

In this special MLK Holiday edition of WUKY's 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 from March of 1964. Hear the non-violent advocate and activist at the height of his influence in a one-on-one conversation with Kentucky author Robert Penn Warren discussing the revolutionary nature of the Civil Rights movement and where he thought it should go next.

This month marks the two-year anniversary of the tornadoes that struck and devastated parts of Western Kentucky. On the evening of December 10th and into the next morning, a high EF-4 tornado directly hit the historic downtown center of Mayfield, KY. Of the 74 people who lost their lives in Kentucky that evening, 24 resided in Graves County, where Mayfield is located. In this edition of Saving Stories, center director Dr. Doug Boyd highlights two people who were interviewed in the follow-up round of the Mayfield, Kentucky 2021 Tornado Oral History Project; a partnership with Dr. Rebecca Freihaut. Tanna Thompson and Casey Jones talk about their ongoing struggles and hopes on their long journey of restoration.

December 10 & 11 marked the two year anniversary of the tornadoes that struck and devastated parts of Western Kentucky. On that evening, into the next morning, a high EF-4 tornado directly hit the historic downtown center of Mayfield, KY. Of the 74 people who lost their lives in Kentucky that evening, 24 resided in Graves County, where Mayfield is located. In this edition of Saving Stories, center director Dr. Doug Boyd highlights one of the 22 interviews from the Mayfield, Kentucky 2021 Tornado Oral History Project; a partnership with Dr. Rebecca Freihaut.

October 17 is an important day in the history of WUKY. The station formerly known as WBKY signed on for the first time on October 17, 1940. In 2015 to mark the station's 75th anniversary, we produced a special edition of Saving Stories with Dr. Doug Boyd from the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries. By the way the Nunn Center is celebrating it's 50th anniversary in 2023.

WUKY’s award winning history series Saving Stories celebrates the fiftieth anniversary of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries. Alan Lytle and Center Director Doug Boyd reflect on their 15-year radio partnership and talk about one of Doug’s favorite interviews that ‘reaches back almost as far as oral history can possibly reach.’ It’s a 1975 conversation with T.R. Bryant who attended UK in 1902 and talks about campus life at the state’s flagship university around the turn of the century. After graduation Bryant helped establish UK’s Cooperative Extension Service.

To celebrate national ice cream month Dr. Doug Boyd from the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History highlights an interview with Crank And Boom Ice Cream’s Toa Green. The interview is part of the Nunn Center’s Savor: Immigrant Entrepreneur Oral History Project. Green talks about the journey from selling Thai food out of their Lexington restaurant and the decision to switch the business model to their now signature ice creams. Plus, learn about a Kentucky connection to a day and month celebrating this creamy confection.

Today is Memorial Day; a time when we pay tribute to the men and women who paid the ultimate price in defending our rights and securing our freedoms. The Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries has a vast collection of stories from military veterans and their families. Center Director Dr. Doug Boyd highlights an interview from 1985 with Kentucky native, Judy Hartline Elbring, a nurse who served two tours in Vietnam. She describes the often gut-wrenching triage process for the wounded and dying, as well as the time she was called upon to help her own brother recover from his combat-related wounds. While he lived, many others didn't come home. We salute those men and women with this segment of our award-winning history series Saving Stories.

WUKY’s award-winning history series Saving Stories celebrates the 50th anniversary of Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby triumph. Nunn Center for Oral History director Doug Boyd shares audio from a 2007 interview with owner Penny Chenery conducted by Kim Lady Smith in which she talks about how the legendary champion eventually captured her heart while captivating the sporting world in 1973.

May is national Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage month and WUKY's award winning history series Saving Stories marks the occasion with a segment on a new oral history project that examines the challenges and achievements of Asians, Asian Americans, Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders living, working, and studying in Kentucky. Nunn Center director Doug Boyd highlights an interview with Dan Wu, a member of the Lexington City Council who describes his childhood as an immigrant from China, growing up in Lexington, and how his career took him from California to New York City and then back to Lexington. Wu also talks about his identity as an Asian American, how he finds community in Lexington, and why he decided to enter into local politics.

This past legislative session the General Assembly passed a bill legalizing the sale and use of medicinal cannabis under certain conditions. This landmark legislation represented a turning point in Kentucky politics and called to mind the many efforts of Gatewood Galbraith. The colorful and seemingly perennial candidate was a vocal proponent for full-on legalization. In this installment of WUKY’s award winning history series Saving Stories. Doug Boyd from UK Libraries’ Nunn Center shares audio from a 1990 interview with Galbraith where the well-known defense attorney and cannabis activist lays out his reasoning and offers up his overall positive vision for the future of the state.

WUKY's Award winning history series Saving Stories celebrates Women's History Month. Nunn Center Director Doug Boyd shares audio from a rare oral history interview with Martha Layne Collins; the only woman ever to be elected governor of Kentucky. She talks about her approach to the office, convincing Japanese automaker Toyota to build a plant in Georgetown and how she hoped Kentuckians would look back on her time as governor. Saving Stories is a collaboration between WUKY and the Louie B. Nunn for Oral History in the UK Libraries.

In celebration of this weekend's Academy Awards, WUKY's award-winning history series Saving Stories, goes Hollywood. Doug Boyd, director of the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History in the UK Libraries, shares an interview with film producer Frank Price. He was a major figure in the field of American television from the 1950's-1970's, including as an executive producer of "Ironside," before becoming head of Universal Studios and head of Columbia Pictures in 1978. Price left television to continue his career in motion pictures. He discusses some of his movies, (Gandhi, Out of Africa, Kramer vs Kramer and Ghostbusters) and why a film like Out of Africa wouldn't even be made in today's Hollywood.

In this Black History Month 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 Malcolm X from June of 1964. The conversation with Robert Penn Warren was part of a series of interviews the Kentucky author and poet conducted as part of his book “Who Speaks for the Negro.” The Muslim minister provides his opinions of the white race and the lasting effects of slavery and oppression on both the white race and African Americans. Malcolm X also questions the effectiveness of integration as well as non-violent tactics, like those advocated by Martin Luther King in the civil rights movement. Less than a year after this interview was conducted Malcolm X would be assassinated on February 21, 1965.

This past weekend the University of Kentucky, and all of the Commonwealth lost a treasure in former dean of UK Libraries Terry L. Birdwhistell. Over a 40+ year span with the university, the Kentucky native conducted nearly 1,000 oral history interviews and was responsible for establishing the Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History. In this special edition of WUKY's award winning history series Saving Stories, Nunn Center director Dr. Doug Boyd shares the story of how and when his colleague, mentor and friend managed to score a one-on-one interview with Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1981.