[middtube envs0350a-f08 mp3:dwakefie_kbushey_bfarr_101808]

This was definitely my favorite interview so far. Unfortunately there is a bad background noise, and Barbara is not very loud. I conducted the interview in Barbara Farr’s house which her recently deceased husband built by himself in the 1960s. Kathy knows so much about her family’s history which is perhaps the most striking thing. Barbara’s family arrived in Starksboro in 1803, and Kathy remembers such neat little details. It was also a sad interview because Barbara’s husband died this summer and as she said, “I’m not storyteller, but boy he was was.” Also, Barbara’s father died when she was 12 in a car accident (at the Lord’s Prayer rock), and her mother essentially left her She has a very interesting story to tell, but it was difficult because I had never quite encountered this situation before. Kathy also knows her mom’s whole story, and she loves to supplement the story when her mother leaves out some details. Kathy is definitely someone that I could spend hours talking with. She brought up a really good point about the main sense of community has been lost. The change in town meeting attendance was something she really stressed. I really feel like the last fifteen minutes are most valuable. If there more Kathys around in Starksboro, I think that the sense of community could come back. 

Kathy and Barabara timestamping:

3:48: Kathy describes her dad building her childhood home (where we had the interview), her dad remembered many years later which tree each board came from

10:00: Kathy describes the importance of family being nearby and building a sense of community

17:00: Barbara talks about meeting her husband at Christian Endeavor, but they actually didn’t get married for quite some time

21:00 Kathy talks about her dad’s family

24:30: Kathy talks about food as a child, how almost everything came from their own land; she didn’t know vegetables came in cans until high school

29:00: Kathy and Barbara talk about being grandparents

34:00 Barbara reminds Kathy that she went to college in Vermont for a year

38:00 Kathy describes how amazing it was being on the road with her husband as a truck driver for almost seven years

42:00 Barbara talks about what she did for fun as a child in Starksboro

46:30: Kathy hopes her grandchildren will come live in Vermont

47:00 Kathy shares what has changed about Starksboro; everyone knew everyone and helped each other out without asking questions

49:00 Barbara truly believes that both the husband and wife working has really changed the sense of community

51:00 Kathy really wants to see that sense of community come back, especially with regards to town meeting

55:30: Kathy talks about reaching out to those who are not involved

1:00:00: Kathy talks about how the youth are so distant