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VII ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ONE VERY BAD DAY while in graduate school, I sat on the side steps of Woodburn Hall in Morgantown West Virginia, feeling so low that when a student I called “Big John” walked up and asked, “Ms. Bailey, you look like somebody’s died, what’s wrong?” I looked up at him and said “John, have you ever felt so bad about yourself, you wonder why you’re using up somebody else’s air?” John just looked at me and said, “Well, I could sit here and tell you how great I and the other students think you are, but I’m going to tell you something somebody told me once that helped me a lot.” That really piqued my curiosity because John was a Vietnam Vet, a recovering alcoholic and drug addict, and every second of his hard life seemed etched in the lines of his weather-beaten face. What John proceeded to tell me was that when I was down on myself all I had to do was imagine my life as a kingdom with inhabitants I had brought in—and then ask myself, “who lives in my kingdom? Have I peopled my life with scoundrels, thieves, and knaves, or queens and princes?” Then John looked down at me and said “Ms. Bailey, are you going to tell me that you’ve surrounded yourself with scoundrels, thieves, and knaves?” And I said “No, I’ve been blessed all my life to be surrounded by people who’ve wanted and done only the best for me.” To which John replied simply, “To know your own measure, all you have to do is accept that the inhabitants of your kingdom are a reflection of you.” Self-pity instantly turned to relief and gratitude—how could I be worthless if so many wonderful, admirable people cared for me? This story was the best way I could think of to lead into this acknowledgment of all who have brought me to this day. I have been buoyed up time and again by the love, faith, and strength of so many. Throughout my life I have been loved by friends without parallel: Lia, Toni, Kim, Alec, Leslie, VIII MATEWAN BEFORE THE MASSACRE Eddie, Tammy, Sara, Stephanie, Denny, Chris, Connie, Carletta, Shirley, Rhonda, Delilah, and Diane. When I became a teacher, I finally understood what a challenge (and, I hope, occasionally a source of satisfaction) I must have been to Mr. Strathairn, Mrs. Mitchell, Mr. Keys, Mr. Lloyd, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Pendergrass, Ms. Walker and Drs. Chappell, Canning, and Crapol. Once I started graduate school and gave my life over to the study of Matewan, the following people provided invaluable inspiration and support : Mary Lou Lustig, Jack Hammersmith, Jack McKivigan, Liz and Ken Fones-Wolf, Teresa Statler-Keener, Mike Ruddon, Jeff Cook, John Hennen, Paul Rakes, Paul Yandle, Lou Martin, Ken Sullivan, Stuart McGehee, Phil Obermiller, Shannon Wilson, Harold Forbes, Christy Venham and the staffs of the Eastern Regional Coal Archives, the West Virginia Division of Culture and History, and, most especially, the past and current staffers of the West Virginia and Regional History Collection. I can never say enough about all of the folks at the WVU Press who went above and beyond too; eternal gratitude to Pat, Than, Connie, and Rachel. Since completing my dissertation, supportive colleagues and friends have seen me through this last leg: Ann McCleary, Steve Goodson, John Ferling, Elmira Eidson, Sandra Stone, Pete Crow, Dan Williams, Susan Mead, Cece Conway, Lauri Anderson, and Karl Precoda. Special thanks are owed to my colleagues at Northern Kentucky University, most especially: Eric Jackson, Carol Medlicott, Debra Meyers, and Jeffrey Williams. To her probably eternal chagrin, I credit my career as a public historian and public history educator to Dr. Barbara J. Howe. What research skills I possess, I owe to her. Moreover, the day I entered Barb’s Introduction to Public History class, I found the path to a professional life full of wonder, where I could lend my intellect not only to the celebration of history, but also to the creation and dissemination of history that includes and empowers. At the feet of my last teacher and mentor, Dr. Ronald L. Lewis, lies the responsibility for the work within. Until he asked if I had considered staying at West Virginia University to work on a Ph.D., which would allow me to be the graduate student to write about the oral histories John Hennen and I collected in...

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