Oral history interview with Robert Riley, Sr., February 1, 1994
Subtitle: interview K-0106, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Stewart, Chris, interviewer; Southern Oral History Program; University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Documenting the American South (Project); University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Library
Edition: Electronic ed.
Publisher: University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill
Published: 2007
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Furniture workers; African American supervisors; Employment; Furniture industry and trade; Plant shutdowns; White Furniture Company; Hickory White Company
Other titles: Interview K-0106, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Robert Riley, Sr., February 1, 1994; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Robert Riley, Sr., began his employment with the White Furniture Company "on the yard" at its Hillsborough, N.C., location, where he cut green logs into boards. He soon moved to Mebane, where he held a number of positions, including a spot in the "rub and pack" room, a position driving supplies to and from the stockroom, and what he thinks was the company's first supervisory position held by an African American. In this interview, he describes his work, focusing on the details of the sawmill, and recalls the plant's closing. Riley spent thirty-one years at White's, and watching it close--and even helping remove machinery--was a wrenching emotional experience followed by months of searching for work and temporary employment. This interview presents White's as the economic and emotional heart of the Mebane community, giving its workers a sense of self as well as financial support. The plant's owners nurtured a spirit of camaraderie and pride, a spirit that faded as new ownership struggled to make the plant profitable. At the time of this interview, Riley, at fifty-seven, was about to move into a permanent job he hoped would see him to retirement.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on June 10, 2008).

Interview participants: Robert Riley, Sr., interviewee; Chris Stewart, interviewer.

Duration: 01:37:34.

This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South.  It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.

Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner.  Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 161.1 kilobytes, 178 megabytes.

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern communities, interview K-0106, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Jackie Gorman. Original transcript: 41 p.

Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

System requirements:  Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.