France

Renee Gambrel was born in France. She came to the United States after World War I with her American husband. Unable to adjust to life in Bell County, Kentucky, she and her husband returned to France where they lived for nineteen years.

Mrs. Smith, a former nursing home owner and administrator discusses her childhood in Russellville, Kentucky, moving to Louisville at age twelve to tend to an aunt, her early marriages and divorce, establishing a nursing home in her home and her efforts to establish a church.

Raised in West Louisville, Richard Spalding discusses his life as a musician and musical educator. Spalding discusses childhood in family grocery stores in Louisville’s Russell and Portland neighborhoods; family’s interest in music; music education at St. Anthony School and St. Xavier High; industrial life and community among former residents of Marion county, KY; mother’s religious superstitions; excitement and discovery at UofL School of Music, 1941-1943; electronics technician in Army Air Corp during WWII led to assignments in Europe including France; meeting Cecile who became his wife. In the second interview, Spalding recounts meeting and courting his wife, Cecile, in Paris; his discharge from the Army Air Corp after assignment in Germany; return to UofL (piano) under GI Bill; UofL faculty in immediate post-WWII; difficult mail courtship with Cecile; return to France to study at American Conservatory of Music in Fontainebleu and personal piano instruction in Paris; knew Bill Mootz, famous Courier-Journal music critic; marriage to Cecile in Paris; Cecile arrives in Louisville with little English; music teacher in Bardstown public schools (getting there by bus). In the third interview, Spalding talks about Cecile’s introduction to Louisville: Edmund Schlesinger takes her to UofL football game and she speaks to Alliance Francaise; success as choral director at Highland Junior High; part-time music grad student at UofL; job offer at UofL; learning to teach elementary music teachers; training abroad in Orff and similar methodologies; language coach for French operas; leader of Louisville Chorus; leader of summer teaching workshops in Canada; feelings about faculty role at UofL; French in-laws move to Louisville; leader in Sister Cities of Louisville; and his bi-lingual home.

Entitled "The World War I Experiences of Shock Troop". Mr. Thomas relates his experiences serving with the United States Army in Belgium and France during World War I.

Jacques (Denise) Wolff recounts a pleasant life in Alsace without prejudice. She was born into a middle class family who moved to western France (near Chartres) prior to the outbreak of World War II. Slowly, the entire family made its way to southern France before emigrating in 1941. She discusses Hitler, World War II, and her hsuband's adventures and brothers-in-law during that time. People in Louisville were open, warm, helpful, but the city was a "cultural desert." She cared for her ailing husband and survived two malignancies. She discusses the medieval origins of her town, Haguenau. She mentions many return visits to France and her only visit to Germany, which was a pleasant one. Index available.