Interview with George Logan, May 29, 2013

Interview Summary

George Logan was born in Stanford, Kentucky February 27, 1929. He grew up in Lincoln County, Kentucky and lived primarily with his grandparents. He discusses his education at an all-Black school located next to an all-White school. He talks about how the students played together at recess, but were often not allowed to eat at the same restaurants in town. He talks about how the basketball team at his school was not allowed to use the gym at the White school and had to travel to Danville to practice. He discusses how segregation and integration affected the children in his community.

Logan attended Kentucky State University and tells the story of why he chose Kentucky State over a school in Arkansas. Logan then enrolled at the University of Kentucky, one of the first Black students to attend after Lyman Johnson's lawsuit overturning the law that had previously kept African Americans out. Logan describes the harassment and discrimination he faced at UK, and talks about the reactions of his professor, Dr. Thomas D. Clark, to the students' behavior.

Logan joined the Air Force during the Korean War and attended officers training school. He became a staff sergeant and later an administrative specialist. He was sent to Clark Air Base in the Philippines where he also taught at the University of the Philippines. He worked with the United Nations in Vietnam during the buildup to the Vietnam War, and discusses his experiences with race relations in Asia.

After returning to America, Logan began teaching at Dunbar High School in Lexington, Kentucky. He discusses the atmosphere at the school and discusses his philosophy on learning. Logan was sent to the University of Kentucky to become certified to teach drivers education at Dunbar but instead became the instructor for the class at UK before even taking the class himself. He then began the Drivers Education Association in Kentucky. He attended a national drivers education school to become qualified to certify drivers education teachers across Kentucky.

Logan served on the Lexington Planning Commissions Board as vice president and later as president. He discusses the board's role in community planning and talks about his efforts to make city planning more equitable and improve all neighborhoods in Lexington. He discusses St. Martin's Village, the first Black subdivision in Lexington.

Throughout the interview Logan discusses race relations and racial discrimination, giving examples from his own life of harassment and discrimination he has faced. He discusses his twenty-year struggle to have Martin Luther King Day recognized as a holiday in Kentucky, and talks about his efforts to raise awareness of Black history. He talks about the progress that has been made as well as the work still left to be done.

Interview Keyword

African American college students--Social conditions African American families African American neighborhoods African American veterans African Americans--Housing. African Americans--Military service Clark Air Base (Philippines) College students--Attitudes. Discrimination in education Discrimination in higher education King, Martin Luther, Jr., 1929-1968 Minorities in higher education Segregation in higher education. Stanford (Ky.) Universities and colleges--Faculty. Vietnam

Interview LC Subject

African American leadership African Americans--Education African Americans--Education (Higher) African Americans--Politics and government African Americans--Segregation African Americans--Social conditions College integration Education, Higher--Kentucky--Lexington Integration Kentucky State University Korean War, 1950-1953 Lexington (Ky.)--Race relations. Lincoln County (Ky.) Race discrimination Race relations Race relations--Kentucky--Lexington Racism Teachers--Kentucky United States. Army Air Forces 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 be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.