Interview with Sue Feamster, February 1, 2021

Interview Summary

Sue Feamster was the University of Kentucky's Women's Varsity Athletics founder, Athletic Director for Women's Sports, and the first head coach of the UK women's basketball team. In this interview, Feamster discusses her family's interest in sports and the outdoors during her childhood in Frankfort, Kentucky and the lack of sports available for girls at the time. She talks about her mother's decision that Feamster attend the University of Kentucky, and Feamster's negative experiences at UK which led her to take a year off before transferring to Kentucky State University. She talks about her experiences on the basketball team at KSU and how the experience of attending a historically black college led to her increased awareness of segregation and racial issues and her participation in the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama. She discusses the repercussions of this decision upon her family. She talks about transferring to Indiana Univeristy with her mother as a fellow student before returning to graduate from Kentucky State University. She talks about her experience teaching elementary physical education before getting a job at the University of Kentucky, where she stayed until her retirement in 1992. She talks about her work as a graduate assistant in recreation administration during a time when there were no women's varsity sports and discusses her mentor, Bernard "Skeeter" Johnson. She talks about attending the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) conference in 1969 where she first learned about Title IX and the effects it would have on women's college sports. She talks about UK president Dr. Otis Singletary and his wife, Gloria Singletary, and how each of them impacted athletics at UK. She talks about the University of Kentucky Special Committee for Women's Athletics, created to implement the changes required by Title IX, and discusses others' reactions to the changes made.

Interview Keyword

1969-1999 (Years at University of Kentucky) 1969-1970 (Basketball season) Athletic directors Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) Bernard "Skeeter" Johnson (Founding Father UK Campus Recreation Department) Dr. Otis Singletary (UK President) Harry Lancaster (UK Athletic Director) Adolph Rupp (UK Basketball Coach) Gloria Singletary (UK First Lady) Jack Hall (UK Dean of Students) Marion McKenna (UK Dean of Nursing) Robert G. Lawson (UK College of Law Dean) Nancy Ray (UK Attorney) Bernice Sandler Title IX National AAHPERD Conference 1969 UK Women's Basketball UK Special Committee on Women's Athletics 1970-1971 (Basketball season) UK Women's Athletics Civil rights marches Budgets Intramural sports Club sports Athletic administration Play Days Dr. Frank McVey (UK President) Alumni Gym Seaton Center Memorial Coliseum

Interview LC Subject

African Americans--Segregation African Americans--Social conditions Basketball Basketball players Basketball players--Kentucky Basketball teams College athletes College environment College sports College students--Attitudes College students--Conduct of life College students--Social conditions Education, Higher--Kentucky Integration Kentucky State University Race discrimination Race relations--Kentucky Racism Sex discrimination in higher education Sexism in higher education Universities and colleges Women in higher education Women--Education (Higher) Universities and colleges--Administration College presidents College administrators Universities and colleges--Finance University of Kentucky

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may only be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, University of Kentucky Libraries.