Documenting the American South Logo
Collections >> Oral Histories of the American South >> Document Menu
Oral History Interview with Calvin Kytle, January 19, 1991. Interview A-0365. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
Audio with Transcript
  • Listen Online with Text Transcript (Requires QuickTime and JavaScript)
  • Transcript Only (40 p.)
  • HTML file
  • XML/TEI source file
  • Download Complete Audio File (MP3 format / ca. 144 MB, 01:18:52)
  • MP3
  • Abstract
    Calvin and Elizabeth Kytle were both born and raised in the South. Calvin spent his childhood in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia, while Elizabeth grew up in Charleston, South Carolina. After graduating from Emory University and Valdosta State University, respectively, Calvin and Elizabeth met while working for the National Youth Administration. The two were married shortly thereafter, just before Calvin entered the military and served in World War II. While he was abroad, Elizabeth continued to work for the National Youth Administration, followed by brief stints with the Citizens' Fact Finding Movement and then at the Bell Bomber Plant in public relations. In 1945, the two were reunited in Atlanta. Calvin taught at Emory University until 1949, when they moved to Ohio. Politically liberal, the Kytles were deeply interested in issues of civil rights during the immediate post-World War II years. Here, they describe in detail their perception of various leaders and politicians, ranging from pro-segregationists to racial moderates to civil rights activists, including Ellis Arnall, Eugene Talmadge, Melvin Thompson, Ralph McGill, Virginius Dabney, and Lillian Smith.
    Excerpts
  • Ineffective political leadership in propelling civil rights reform
  • Ralph McGill and his reactions to federal intervention in civil rights reform
  • Lillian Smith's liberal views and tutoring the daughters of white segregationists
  • Limited contact with African American civil rights leaders
  • Thoughts on the likelihood of changing race relations without federal intervention
  • Learn More
  • Finding aid to the Southern Oral History Program Collection
  • Database of all Southern Oral History Program Collection interviews
  • Subjects
  • Southern States--Race relations
  • Southern Regional Council
  • The Southern Oral History Program transcripts presented here on Documenting the American South undergo an editorial process to remove transcription errors. Texts may differ from the original transcripts held by the Southern Historical Collection.

    Funding from the Institute for Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this title.