COLLECTION NAME:
Oral Histories - McCracken County Public Library Collection
Record
Filename:
MCPL_OH_FBEARD_10312013.mp3
Identifier:
MCPL_OH_FBEARD_10312013
Title:
Francis Beard Oral History
Biographical Sketch:
Francis Beard was a music educator in West Kentucky during the mid to late 20th century, teaching hundreds of children in the public school system.
Subject:
Music
Subject:
Musicians
Subject:
Education
Subject:
Entertainment
Subject:
Floods
Subject:
Schools
Description:
00:00 - Discusses being born in Paducah and her family history including their migration from North Carolina to West Kentucky. She mentions the development of Kentucky Dam at Gilbertsville, attending Andrew Jackson, Walter Junior High and Augusta Tilghman Schools, and graduating in 1942. She discusses attending Murray State University and studying music there during WWII. Discussion proceeds to graduating college in 1946, beginning teaching in Martin, TN, then Marion, KY, and then working on her master's at Peabody University in Nashville, TN. She speaks of attending Nat King Cole and Sara Vaughan concerts, performing at the War Memorial, and more. 11:00: Mrs. Beard discusses getting married and focusing on family before returning to teaching at Concord and Forestdale Elementary Schools. She taught at Concord until 1991. She discusses having Steven Curtis Chapman as a student, along with her own children's and parents' musical careers (her father played fiddle). 19;00 She discusses musical appearances in Paducah by Mary Wheeler, Bertha Wenzel, Winds Over Jordan, Roland Hayes, Jack Staulcup, along with other musical acts that appeared as part of musical concert series. 23:00: Mrs. Beard discusses her experiences during the 1937 Flood. 27:20: Discusses excursion boats trips on the Ohio and Tennessee Rivers. 29:00: Discusses the Palmer house, Kentucky Theater, John Phillip Sousa and downtown Paducah 30:00: Discusses her children and their professions, acapella groups, music clubs, business professional women's club, Broadway Church of Christ, the McCracken Count Fair, and more. 36:00: Discusses spending time at Metropolis Lake on July 4th, musical history of Paducah and musical educators of the area – End.
Topics include nightclubs, music, Nashville, Paducah, the 1937 Flood, Metropolis Lake, musical education, and more.
Topics include nightclubs, music, Nashville, Paducah, the 1937 Flood, Metropolis Lake, musical education, and more.
Publisher:
McCracken County Public Library
Contributor:
Nathan Lynn
Date:
2013
Type:
Oral History
Format:
audio/mpeg
Language:
English
Coverage:
McCracken County (KY)
Coverage:
Paducah (KY)
Coverage:
Murray (KY)
Rights:
Permission must be obtained from The Kentucky Oral History Commission, part of the Kentucky Historical Society, prior to reuse of these recordings.
Duration:
41 minutes
Bit Rate/Frequency:
64kbps