William Thomas Malone's Life Summary

The first narrative I picked was of William Thomas Malone, born October 30, 1914, in Monroe County, Arkansas. Mr. Malone was a farmer on his dad’s 54-acre farm, which he currently owns. His farther passed away in 1940 and his mother died in 1958. He recalls growing up in a six-room house, located on the farm that was very modest and lacked indoor plumbing. He described his family as being close and friendly. He had many brothers and sisters, but could not recall their names or their ages. Although he did say that he was the only surviving member of his immediate family. At the time of the interview, he was 91 years old and from the modulation in his voice one could tell that he had led a hard life. He described how after farming he started working at the local mill, he called it Southwestern Veneer Plant, producing veneer. He jokingly said that he worked there for twenty years, from 1952 to 1972, before being forced to retire, due to the closure of the Mill (Malone, 1995).
His attitude towards life and events surrounding it in general, seemed very realistic and matter of fact. He explained how when his mother was sick and taken to the local hospital, he would go to visit her after a long workday and stayed with here as late as he could. Then his sisters would insist that he would go home to get some rest before going back to work
Mr. Malone lived in rural Arkansas and did not have to deal with the restrictions that segregation caused around town or during road trips. He grew up and continued living in close proximity to his birthplace. On the other hand, Ms. Davis who lived in larger cities and worked as a domestic worker grappled with the stifling effects of racism on a daily basis. Interestingly enough, her family chose to travel by train in order to avoid the hassles of segregation. That is how she fought