Oral history interview with Bobby Kirk, October 28, 1985
Subtitle: Interview K-0013, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007)
Contributors: Campbell, K., 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: 2005
Place of publication: [Chapel Hill, N.C.]
Language: eng
Subjects: Interviews; Dairy farming; Community organization; Water-supply; Water quality; Orange Water and Sewer Authority (N.C.)
Other titles: Interview K-0013, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007); Interview with Bobby Kirk, October 28, 1985; Oral histories of the American South.
Description: Bobby Kirk, a dairy farmer living near Cane Creek and the first president of the Cane Creek Conservation Authority (CCCA), discusses his opposition to the Cane Creek reservoir and speaks of some of the early steps residents took to organize against the project. He sees the reservoir as a poorly planned, poorly executed, and avoidable project founded on deceit and ignorance and driven by the influence of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. The reservoir project added another layer of difficulty to Kirk's life: as a dairy farmer, he was already suffering from the financial trials of what some would call a dying profession (one Orange Water and Sewer Authority did call it such as part of an effort to convince Kirk to give up his opposition). This interview provides a brief look at the frustrations inherent in facing down big business, whether that business is a university or a dairy conglomerate.
Notes: Title from menu page (viewed on Aug. 30, 2007).

Interview participants: Bobby Kirk, interviewee; K. Campbell, interviewer.

Duration: 01:08:28

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 Apex Data Services, Inc. and Natalia Smith.  Sound recordings digitized by Steve Weiss and Seth M. Kotch.

Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3; ca. 125.4MB)

Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern Communities, interview K-0013, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Original transcript: 26 p.

Funding from the University of North Carolina Library supported the electronic publication of this interview.

Mode of access: World Wide Web.

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