The Mid-South Center for Oral History was created in 1979 through a grant from the Arkansas State College Foundation. Co-directors William Clements and Larry Ball interviewed Northeast Arkansas locals regarding their livelihoods, childhoods, and general experiences focused on the 1920s-40s.
As a result of the over 200 interviews, Clements and Ball co-authored a book titled Voices from State: An Oral History of Arkansas State University published in 1984. The physical tapes were digitized using a grant from the Kays Foundation in 2024 in order to preserve them and allow greater access to the rich regional history.
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Frank Angelo Interview
Mid-South Center for Oral History
Interview with Frank Angelo conducted in Jonesboro, AR in September of 1986. Larry Ball and William Clements both acted as interviewers. Angelo first came to Jonesboro in 1935 to attend Arkansas State College.
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Purl D. Cox Interview
Mid-South Center for Oral History
Interview with Purl D. Cox conducted in Fair Oaks, AR in May of 1983. Larry Ball and William Clements both acted as interviewers. Purl discusses growing up in the Delta, trapping, hunting, and frog gigging.
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V.H. "Bud" Kays Interview
Mid-South Center for Oral History
Interview conducted with V.H. Kays in Jonesboro, AR in August of 1980. Larry Ball and William Clements both acted as interviewers. Kays discusses his father (V.C. Kays), and the development of Arkansas State University both as the physical campus as well as the overall institution.
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Donald Minx Interview
Mid-South Center for Oral History
Interview with Donald Minx in Jonesboro, AR in November of 1979. Larry Ball and William Clements both acted as interviewers. Minx discusses the history of Arkansas State University and in particular about the Music program.
