Woy, Norma

              
ORAL HISTORY OF NORMA J. WOY
Interviewed by Keith McDaniel
March 7, 2013

 
MR. MCDANIEL: This is Keith McDaniel, and today is March the seventh, 2013, and I am in the home of Mrs. Norma Woy here in Oak Ridge. Thank you so much for taking time to talk with us.
MRS. WOY: I'm glad you came.
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, let's just start at the beginning. Why don't you tell me where you were born and raised and something about your family.
MRS. WOY: Well, I was born in 1932 in Spartanburg, South Carolina, and my family was from that area and my parents were workers there. My father was a bookkeeper and my mother was the piano teacher and the church organist.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, I grew up in South Carolina and enjoyed the years there.
MR. MCDANIEL: Just try to focus on me when you're talking, okay?
MRS. WOY: Okay. Alright.
MR. MCDANIEL: So, Spartanburg? And your father was a bookkeeper. What -- did he work for a big company?
MRS. WOY: He worked for a textile company --
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, did he?
MRS. WOY: -- one of the biggest businesses in South Carolina back in that day.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right.
MRS. WOY: So, he was with Daring Millican, and then he later changed jobs after the war. But he was from Jonesville, South Carolina, and he went to Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina. So he got a job there at the textile mill and that was the time they had company stores. So he did the bookkeeping for the company store.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, I see. Now, this was during the Depression, so --
MRS. WOY: Yes, that's right. He and my mother married in 1931.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right? Okay.
MRS. WOY: And she had graduated from Brenau College in Gainesville, Georgia, and was a piano teacher.
MR. MCDANIEL: Piano teacher.
MRS. WOY: Yes. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, did you have any siblings?
MRS. WOY: Yes, I have a brother, 19 months younger than me, and another brother who's four years younger than me.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: And they are in Georgia and South Carolina and keep in touch often. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, so did you graduate high school in Spartanburg?
MRS. WOY: Well, I graduated from a textile area near Spartanburg called Union High School. So, I graduated in 1950.
MR. MCDANIEL: 1950.
MRS. WOY: And my choice of colleges was the same as my dad's, so I went to Furman University 60 miles away in Greenville, South Carolina.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay. So you went to Furman. Now, what did you study?
MRS. WOY: I studied education, knowing that I wanted to be an elementary school teacher.
MR. MCDANIEL: Did you always know that? Or was that something that came just about --
MRS. WOY: No, I had that in my mind and expressed it when I was about ten years old.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, really? You must've had an elementary school teacher that made quite an impression on you.
MRS. WOY: Yes. I think that had a lot to do with it, yes. And my mother had students in my house to have piano lessons. And she had a glee club and I was with students often.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? So, you graduated from Furman.
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: And now, so what did you do after your graduation?
MRS. WOY: After I graduated from college, I married Ed Woy from Chattanooga, Tennessee.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, how did you meet him?
MRS. WOY: He came to my town to be a chemist with the textile business.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: So, he was a ROTC student, so he had to be called into the service, and after he had been there a year, he was assigned to Nagoya, Japan. And we married in July before he left.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh is that right? Before he left?
MRS. WOY: And -- yes. And so I got to go with him --
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: -- to Japan where we lived for two years.
MR. MCDANIEL: Really? I bet that was an experience, wasn't it?
MRS. WOY: Yes, we lived in a community of Japanese, and most of the communication was with gestures. So, it was a good experience.
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, good. So, he got assigned to Japan, you went with him, you were married.
MRS. WOY: Yes. And he was an aircraft controller.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, we were there until we came to Oak Ridge in July of 1956.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, so he was discharged from the service?
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: Before you came to Oak Ridge.
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: But he was a chemist. I mean, that was really his trade.
MRS. WOY: That's right. So his first job was at K-25, and --
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, how did that job come to be? I mean --
MRS. WOY: Well, he applied for a job.
MR. MCDANIEL: Just heard about it?
MRS. WOY: Being from Chattanooga. So, he had his goal to be a chemist. And so he interviewed up here right after we came back from Japan and was assigned to K-25. So he and Gordon Fee were hired in the same time.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right?
MRS. WOY: And they said, "Two Asian guys are coming to work at K-25." So anyway, he worked for Union Carbide and then stayed with the company until he retired in 1993.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right? Is that right?
MRS. WOY: From 1956 to 1993.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, did he stay at K-25 the whole time?
MRS. WOY: No, he went from K-25 to Central Employment.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: And worked on recruiting. And that -- those years were engineers, especially female engineers.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right.
MRS. WOY: So, he did a lot of recruiting and hiring.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right. So, he got a job at K-25, y'all moved to Oak Ridge. Where did you live when you first came here?
MRS. WOY: Well, we lived at 679 Robertsville Road, and we had the outlandish price of renting a house for seventy dollars a month. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? And that's 679 Robertsville?
MRS. WOY: That's right. And I think it's been torn down. And so, we lived there for three years and then moved to Iroquois Road and lived there for ten years. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Did ya? That's just right off Robertsville.
MRS. WOY: Right off Robertsville, right up above Willow Brook. So we lived at 237 Iroquois from '59 to '69. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, and then you moved here.
MRS. WOY: Then we bought this house while Stuart Norris was building it.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: And have been here ever since.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, so when you first came to Oak Ridge, you were -- you knew you wanted to be a school teacher.
MRS. WOY: Yeah, I had --
MR. MCDANIEL: So tell me about getting a job.
MRS. WOY: Well, I substitute taught when my children were little. And then I was so presumptuous that I decided when they both were going to be in school that I would return to teaching. And I remember going to the superintendent and saying, "I am now willing to come back to teach school, if I can get a fourth grade in the west end of town." And I thought how presumptuous that was to just name it.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, you said you returned to teaching, now did you teach here when you first came here?
MRS. WOY: No, I didn't teach for nine years.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay. Alright.
MRS. WOY: I stayed home with my children.
MR. MCDANIEL: With your children, right.
MRS. WOY: That's right. So, I waited until they were both in school.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right. So you went to the superintendent. Who was the superintendent at that time?
MRS. WOY: That was 1964, and I believe his name was, I want to say Quincy, or it started with a "Q." 
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay. Alright.
MRS. WOY: But anyway --
MR. MCDANIEL: So you told him that you'd like to have a teaching job --
MRS. WOY: I would like --
MR. MCDANIEL: -- and you wanted it to be the fourth grade in the west end of town.
MRS. WOY: That's right. That's right. I have assumed that was really presumptuous of me to tell him what I would take. But that was when they needed teachers. So, I went to Linden at the old location on Lasalle.
MR. MCDANIEL: On Lasalle, where the soccer fields are now.
MRS. WOY: That's right. And that's when Ross McGhee was the principal of the school. And then they closed Pine Valley and Elm Grove, so then Ruth Rager came to be the principal. So she was the principal while we were there on the Lasalle Road, and that was 1964 to 1968. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Right.
MRS. WOY: And then we came to New Linden. And New Linden is now 44 years old. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Exactly. I was about to say, the New Linden school. That's just typical Oak Ridger talk, though, you know.
MRS. WOY: Well, that was when --
MR. MCDANIEL: You know, say, "I'm a newcomer. I only got here in 1952" or something like that. So --
MRS. WOY: Well, that's why we are not considered the original --
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, no.
MRS. WOY: -- since we didn't come in the mud days. 
MR. MCDANIEL: I think if you've been some place 20 years, you ought be able to just say, you know, "It's my home."
MRS. WOY: Well, Oak Ridge certainly is our home and we've loved living here.
MR. MCDANIEL: So, you moved to the new Linden school in '69? '68, '69?
MRS. WOY: Yes. '68.
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay. And you stayed there? Did you stay at Linden?
MRS. WOY: Stayed at Linden all my teaching career.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? Were you always in the fourth grade?
MRS. WOY: No, I taught fifth grade and fourth grade, and at that time the multi-aging was a trend. So --
MR. MCDANIEL: What's that?
MRS. WOY: That's when you put the children who were real good readers in regardless of their age.
MR. MCDANIEL: Of their age? 
MRS. WOY: So, at one point, I was teaching fourth, fifth, and sixth graders because the principal thought that they needed more challenge than just the regular classroom. So the fourth graders wrote so much slower than the sixth graders that it was quite difficult. But we studied mythology and did plays and did the extras for literature, rather than just by the book.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure.
MRS. WOY: So, that was when I felt adventurous about teaching, without a book.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, I bet, I bet. Now, what year did you retire?
MRS. WOY: I retired in 1994.
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay, in '94. And you said your husband had retired just a year earlier?
MRS. WOY: That's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: In '93, right?
MRS. WOY: Yes. So, he had one year by himself. And then we hit the road to travel.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay. Well, so you saw a lot of kids come through that school, didn't you?
MRS. WOY: I sure did. Because at the time Linden -- the new Linden opened, an open space, we always were on the cutting edge of education in Oak Ridge. There were a thousand students in that. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, it was packed. I think there're around 450 now.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now. Now, you say it was open space.
MRS. WOY: Yes. We called it a complex. It was an open space of a whole grade. So the first graders would have one area we called a complex, and no walls. And the children were grouped in home room groups. And then we grouped the children by their ability to read and do math, so they changed classes. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: Yeah, it was a very new trend.
MR. MCDANIEL: That was kind of a trend back then, wasn't it?
MRS. WOY: That's right, that's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: But it didn't last, did it?
MRS. WOY: No, they gradually had to put bookcases up, and blackboards, and walls.
MR. MCDANIEL: Finally, walls, didn't they?

MRS. WOY: -- walls, and doors, and everything's back to traditional. But that was during the --
MR. MCDANIEL: The '70s, I guess.
MRS. WOY: That's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: That's when that was popular.
MRS. WOY: Yep, that's right. So, it was a good experience, but I'm glad I was lots younger then.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, do you have any -- and I'm sure you have lots of students that would stand out to you, but did you have any that have gone on to kind of make a name for themselves that people would recognize?
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes. I'm very happy to have four of my former students in my neighborhood.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: Yes. My next door neighbor is Melissa Williams, who was my third grade student as Melissa Morris. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: And so she has lived next door to me for about nine years. And David Scott, who is a Robertsville teacher, and he was coach of the high school girls' basketball team for one year, he lives down the street, too.
MR. MCDANIEL: And he was one of your students.
MRS. WOY: That's right. So, it's been fun to see the full circle of living in the same town for a long time.
MR. MCDANIEL: I'm sure, I'm sure. What were the -- from a teacher's perspective, now that you sort of don't have a dog in that race, other than you're interested in it, were there political issues? Were there educational issues that were kind of being fought at the time, you know, you were teaching that really affected you?
MRS. WOY: Yes. This was a real hard time. Yes, this was a very troublesome time with, of course, integration was end of the '60s --
MR. MCDANIEL: Early '60s, I think, yeah --
MRS. WOY: -- and so I remember at the old Linden, being told by the principal that in 1967, there would be two black girls in fourth grade and since I was from South Carolina, I would -- she would like them to be in my class because the other teacher was from Mississippi.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? Is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, we got along fine, but it was --
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, hold on just a second. I'm going to make an adjustment real quick. Just a little bit, and then we'll get--  There we go, that's a little bit better. Audio still good? Okay. So, in '67 you had two black girls and they put them in your class --
MRS. WOY: And we had --
MR. MCDANIEL: -- because the other teacher -- the other fourth grade teacher was from Mississippi.
MRS. WOY: That's right. So that was years after the high school had been integrated back in the '50s. So, this was a new thing for the elementary grades.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, exactly. 
MRS. WOY: But that was handled well, and no adjustment. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right. Now, what about other issues? Were there other issues? I mean, you know, political or educational? 
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes. The PTA board always had a lively meeting. And the school board always had lots going on. Oak Ridgers are well-known for their involvement with the schools and with the City Council. So, it's good when you've got interested parents.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure.
MRS. WOY: And parents who care about their children's teachers. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, and I would imagine that the -- you know, having involved parents can be a challenge sometimes, but it's better than the alternative, isn't it?
MRS. WOY: That's right. You just have to get a tough skin.
MR. MCDANIEL: Did you have any difficult parents that you had to deal with particularly?
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes. I remember I was a great advocate for keeping journals and writing. And I would check the journals and put a little post-it on the -- not writing in the book, but telling the child what needed to be improved on. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure. 
MRS. WOY: And one day a parent, a woman, came in and said, "My son is two weeks behind in journal-keeping and he says that you want it done now, and I just want you to get off my back. Get off his back."
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, those were the kind of things you had to face. And with -- yeah.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure. My sister's just retired from teaching for 34, 35 years, and she said, "I love the students. It's the parents I couldn't -- had trouble with." So...
MRS. WOY: Well, that was back in the days when you had to mimeograph.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, yeah.
MRS. WOY: So anyway, I let the class put out a newspaper. And a mother came in waving the newspaper and said, "You call this a newspaper? Why, the print's not clear." And I said, "Well, that cost a nickel. Here's your nickel back."
MR. MCDANIEL: Did you tell her, "It's the fourth grade. It's not, you know, professional journalists."
MRS. WOY: Yes, it's not -- back in the days of copiers.
MR. MCDANIEL: Exactly, exactly. Okay, so you stayed there and you retired in '94. Was it just time? Or, I mean, you know, were you at the age of retirement? Or were you just ready --
MRS. WOY: Well, I had full benefits.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay. I see.
MRS. WOY: And my husband had a year of peace and quiet. And so I enjoyed my career, but I was glad to have time with him. And we traveled on this adult learn elder-hostel, and we ran it in the ground. We traveled to China --
MR. MCDANIEL: Let me -- before we get to that, I want to get to that here in just a second, but I did have another question about the school and being an educator in the Oak Ridge school system. How did -- what about the administration; the school board and the school administration? I mean, you know, kind of reflect back on that in your years of teaching.
MRS. WOY: Well, I remember Mincey was the name of the superintendent who hired me, and he was well thought of. And I think we had a series of superintendents that were very supportive of the teachers and the programs.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right.
MRS. WOY: So I did not find any criticism of the school administration.
MR. MCDANIEL: You know, Oak Ridge's always had a tradition of progressive, a very progressive and excellent school system.
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: Do you feel like that stayed that way while you were teaching? Or did it fall off any? Or how did you feel --
MRS. WOY: Oh, I think the expectations are very high in Oak Ridge, and I'm very proud of our school system and hope that we can keep it with all these high school students who won the Siemen's Award. And so I think it's a wonderful, challenging place for students, and a good place to raise a family.
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, let me ask you about -- while we're still talking about the schools, I just thought of this, you know in the '70s, late '60s and '70s, there was just, you know, across the country there was kind of this drug culture that infiltrated a lot of towns, and a lot of small towns. How did that affect Oak Ridge? And maybe -- or did it affect the elementary school at that time? I know it did the high school. You know, it was obvious that some of that came into town.
MRS. WOY: Yes, I remember those days when the Wildcat Den was the alternative school, and there were lots of different things at the high school. Even the annual, I was looking at my daughter's high school yearbook, and it was when the seniors were featured in their hobby. And a picture of -- the senior picture was with the person who liked to sew and her sewing machine right beside her, and the guys wore -- played their guitars, well. So, that was a trend in the '70s.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right.
MRS. WOY: But as far as the drug culture, I don't have any personal stories about that.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right. Okay. So, you retired in 1994 and you and your husband -- you said you and your husband started traveling.
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: With these elder hostels.
MRS. WOY: That's a travel and study for seniors.
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay. Now, where was that -- was that something that you joined another group? Or you started it? Or, how did that work?
MRS. WOY: Well, we have -- it's a long-time out of Boston office.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: And one of our friends who liked travel and study said to us, "You aren't the clingy-type couple. Would you like to raft the Colorado River with us?" And we said, "Why, sure." So, that was our first elder-hostel.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right?
MRS. WOY: We flew to Arizona and went up to Prescott and rafted and slept on the banks of the Colorado River.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right?
MRS. WOY: And then we went -- we thought that was --
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, was that something that you all had done? I mean, had you done anything like that when your kids were coming up, you know?
MRS. WOY: Yes, yes, we always had a camper.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, did you?
MRS. WOY: Yeah. So we had a tent camper and then we had a pop-up camper. And we had that pop-up camper for thirty years and enjoyed camping at all the state parks and national parks.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, sure. Sure.
MRS. WOY: So, it was only natural that it was fun to get to go.
MR. MCDANIEL: You know, I -- that's what we did when I was growing up. You know, we went -- that was our vacation. You know, we went camping. And --
MRS. WOY: Well, that's what --
MR. MCDANIEL: -- I had enough of it. I tell people --
MRS. WOY: Well, you sound like my daughter. She's --
MR. MCDANIEL: I tell people now my idea of roughing it is Motel 6. So...
MRS. WOY: Well, our daughter was in Girl Scouts all through the -- and so when her daughter was Girl Scout age, they went camping. And they lived in Tampa, Florida, at that time. And I was shocked when Beth said, "That's not fun, sleeping on the ground and being in a sleeping bag that gets wet in the night." So, we said, "You've gotten awfully sophisticated now that you don't think camping is fun."
MR. MCDANIEL: So, you rafted the Colorado River.
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: And then what are some of the other trips that you did?
MRS. WOY: Well, we made a waterways of China trip for about three weeks.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, wow.
MRS. WOY: And enjoyed going on the Yangtze and touring the rivers in China. And then we went to South America, and we retraced the Indians through Honduras and Belize and enjoyed Central America.
MR. MCDANIEL: Wow.
MRS. WOY: And then we went to Australia, New Zealand. So, we've enjoyed lots of travel.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, you did, didn't you? You really did.
MRS. WOY: Really did. And we went to the North Atlantic to Ire -- to Iceland and Greenland and to Scotland. So, those were all wonderful travels.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, what -- now, did you get involved in ORICL?
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: Tell me about your involvement in ORICL, which is the Oak Ridge --
MRS. WOY: Institute of Continued Learning.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oak Ridge Institute of Continued Learning.
MRS. WOY: Yes. So, it's like a daytime, not overnight generally.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure.
MRS. WOY: So, I have been with the local ORICL to Nashville to hear the Nashville Symphony, and to Chattanooga to the aquarium, and just next month I'm going on a ORICL trip to Chattanooga to the art gallery to see an exhibit and then to take a Tennessee River cruise.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: So that's fun, because you leave here at 9 and get back at 5:30. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, that is -- yeah, that's good. That's good.
MRS. WOY: It's a fun -- it's a wonderful offering for Oak Ridgers.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, have you taken any other classes at ORICL?
MRS. WOY: Yes. I especially enjoyed John Thomas' history classes. He teaches the history of the presidents.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: Yes. So, he has been at Roane State for a long time and he's a well-known historian.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? Well, good. Good. Now, what are some of the other -- let's talk a little bit about -- you know, when you first got here, Oak Ridge had a lot to offer. I mean, there were all kinds of clubs, all kinds of civic groups --
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: -- all kinds of cultural activities. You know, as a teacher I'm sure you realized the importance of a lot of that, and --
MRS. WOY: Yes. I got involved with the American Association of University Women right away, and I've been a member over 56 years.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, that's a group of females who also have men now, but it is an organization that supports educational endeavors --
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right.
MRS. WOY: -- and sponsors scholarships.
MR. MCDANIEL: I think I interviewed a lady here not too long ago who -- I had never heard of that organization until she had told me about it.
MRS. WOY: Well, it's a good long history.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure.
MRS. WOY: Yeah, last Friday was International Women's Day at Roane -- at the Pollard Auditorium.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: And AAUW was one of the sponsors, and also the League of Women Voters, which is a group I enjoy. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay.
MRS. WOY: And go to their meetings and have been on the board there.
MR. MCDANIEL: Have you?
MRS. WOY: Yes. So that's -- and then I'm a great advocate for the Girls' Incorporated. My husband was on the founding board back in 1976. And so I am in the organization that is an auxiliary for the Girls' Inc. and it's called Monarch.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, it is fundraising and we're having a fashion show at the Orangery in April, and we have a resale in the fall to raise money for the Girls' Incorporated.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right. Now, how many girls does Girls' Inc. serve? I mean, in the community.
MRS. WOY: Well, with the sports program being so big, there really are close to a thousand over a year's time.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? Wow.
MRS. WOY: They have extended care after school and have four employees who see that the girls get good training there.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Exactly.
MRS. WOY: So, it's a wonderful asset to Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, it certainly is, to serve that many young ladies. That's for sure.
MRS. WOY: Yep. So --
MR. MCDANIEL: What are some of the other groups or activities that you and/or your husband were involved in?
MRS. WOY: Well, for years we were in Epicurian, which is a dinner group, and played bridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: Yeah.
MR. MCDANIEL: You know, some -- I've had several people tell me there used to be lots of dinner groups --
MRS. WOY: Dinner. That's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: -- in Oak Ridge. Talk about that a little bit. 
MRS. WOY: Well, the dinner groups were supposed to be study groups from AAUW, and the hostess planned a menu that was around a theme. And so the recipes were mailed out to the couples, and on Sunday night, they brought their dish and the hostess fixed the main dish and had everybody eat and visit and share recipes.
MR. MCDANIEL: You know, there's not enough of that goes on anymore, is there?
MRS. WOY: Well, it was fun at the time. But I've given away my crystal and sterling, so I'm not in the notion.
MR. MCDANIEL: That's alright, most people don't have crystal or sterling --
MRS. WOY: Paper plate --
MR. MCDANIEL: -- anymore.
MRS. WOY: -- paper plates, that's right. Yep.
MR. MCDANIEL: That's exactly right. That's exactly right. If you need to take a break, or if you're uncomfortable or anything --
MRS. WOY: No, I'm just fine. Thank you.
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay, alright. Now, what about your kids? Now, tell me about your children.
MRS. WOY: Well, we lost a daughter in 1995.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, did you? Okay.
MRS. WOY: And then my -- the daughter who lives in Atlanta is a graduate of UT and she is a special ed teacher in Atlanta.
MR. MCDANIEL: Did they -- I guess they were both raised in Oak Ridge.
MRS. WOY: Yes. They loved Oak Ridge. And the opportunity to grow up --
MR. MCDANIEL: What kind of things were they involved in?
MRS. WOY: They were involved in the Playhouse, they tried out at the Playhouse, and they were in the music groups. And we traveled with them to the high school band trips. We went to Venezuela in 1973, and then we went to the British Isles with the high school band in 1975.
MR. MCDANIEL: Wow.
MRS. WOY: So, those were good travel opportunities.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, I bet. I bet.
MRS. WOY: And they both played musical instruments.
MR. MCDANIEL: Did they? Did they? Now, you also mentioned to me earlier that you were -- you and your husband were long time season ticket holders of the Playhouse.
MRS. WOY: Playhouse. And the symphony.
MR. MCDANIEL: And the symphony.
MRS. WOY: Yeah. And I have set up a charitable trust to sponsor guest artists for the Oak Ridge Civic Music Association.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: And the concert this Saturday night is sponsored by the Woy Charitable Trust.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, we've always been interested in the cultural parts of Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right, right. Well, you all were involved in lots and lots of things, weren't you?
MRS. WOY: Yes. Yes, we enjoyed being a part of the city.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now, did a lot of that come along after you retired? Or was a lot of that going on before -- while you all were working?
MRS. WOY: No. It went on while I was working. My husband enjoyed being on the city committee, the Industrial Development Board.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, okay.
MRS. WOY: He was the assistant --
MR. MCDANIEL: Chair?
MRS. WOY: -- chair, that's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay. And what's your husband's first name?
MRS. WOY: Edgar.
MR. MCDANIEL: Edgar. Okay.
MRS. WOY: Edgar Woy. He was with the city, and then he did a lot of things through the Kiwanis Club.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, did he? Okay.
MRS. WOY: So, he especially was involved in children's playgrounds and maintaining the Daniel Arthur building and doing lots of civic things.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right.
MRS. WOY: So, we've always wanted to be a part of the community and he was able to do the demands of the Industrial Development Board for about seven years.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? Where did that come from? I mean, you know, your active -- your wanting to be a part of the community. Was that something you saw your parents do?
MRS. WOY: Yes. My father was always active in the Lion’s Club in South Carolina. And he liked to do things for civic and church groups.
MR. MCDANIEL: Did he?
MRS. WOY: Yes. So, it's always been important to be a part of a group.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Exactly. Exactly.
MRS. WOY: So, I still play bridge and go to lots of meetings.
MR. MCDANIEL: Do you?
MRS. WOY: Oak Ridge is a good place to live, even when you're old. When I had this unexpected health problem two years ago, my daughter asked me if I would like to go to Atlanta after I got out of the Patricia Neal Rehab Center. And I said, "Oh, I love Oak Ridge. I have my friends in Oak Ridge."
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure.
MRS. WOY: So, that's why I have remained in my home and have lots of help, and manage just fine by myself.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right. The -- how have you seen Oak Ridge change over the years, since you first came here to even today?
MRS. WOY: Well, the --
MR. MCDANIEL: I mean, both good and bad.
MRS. WOY: Yeah. Well, of course, I have younger neighbors who I have scared by trying to get them to run for city boards --
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: -- and get involved, and they say they're too busy at Y-12 and the Lab. But my neighbors are younger and very attentive to me personally. And my neighbor across the street found me in the closet when my daughter couldn't rouse me with the telephone.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, really?
MRS. WOY: She asked him to come over and I had had a stroke in the night.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, my goodness.
MRS. WOY: So, he got help and was very helpful. So, my neighbors are very generous with soup and dishes and attending. And so, I have loved living in Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Has it always been that way? I mean, have people always been that way in Oak Ridge that you can remember?
MRS. WOY: I think so, but I think people need to be building relationships over the years. That's something I urge my daughter to create a network of friends, because when your health is a problem, you need the support of friends and church.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Exactly, exactly.
MRS. WOY: So, I enjoy being a part of Grace Covenant Church, which meets in the Trinity building on Robertsville Road. So, that is a small congregation, but very supportive. So, it's a church family I've been with all these years.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right. Oh, well that's good. I got married in that church, as a matter of fact. Trinity.
MRS. WOY: Well, Trinity got -- sat empty for four years.
MR. MCDANIEL: It did. Yes, it did. It did.
MRS. WOY: So, it belongs to the Methodist church, so we rent it from them.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, exactly.
MRS. WOY: But now it's more like a community center, because it has the --
MR. MCDANIEL: It has the medical clinic, and --
MRS. WOY: That's right, and right now it has the VITA income tax.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, yeah.
MRS. WOY: Free income tax. And Healthy Start is there, too. So, Oak Ridge has lots of community help, and our church provides a dinner for homeless the third Thursday of every month.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, I think there's a lot of cooperation among the churches in Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure, sure. Is it -- has living in Oak Ridge -- did you ever think about leaving?
MRS. WOY: Well, my husband was offered an opportunity to transfer to New York to the Danbury, Connecticut, office. And I like to say we took two aspirin and got over that idea. So, that was back in the '70s.
MR. MCDANIEL: Was it?
MRS. WOY: But otherwise we've been quite content to remain in Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Exactly.
MRS. WOY: Yeah. So, he died six years ago.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, did he? Okay.
MRS. WOY: So, he was active until he got sick. So, this community is very supportive during sicknesses and death, so I'm very grateful to my pastors, Larry and Caroline Dipboye. So, there's a lot of community sense here. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right. Now, did -- now, that's one thing, you were talking about Oak Ridge is a great place to grow old. Besides there being lots of activities here, I mean, there's really excellent medical services here, aren't there?
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes. That's right. We've had good service from the medical community.
MR. MCDANIEL: Has it always been that way since you moved here? I mean, did you feel like, that you could kind of get just about whatever you needed in Oak Ridge?
MRS. WOY: Yes, we have had the experience with surgery over the years and always had good service and good doctors. So, I have lots of praise for the medical facilities.
MR. MCDANIEL: What about the business community? I mean --
MRS. WOY: Well, it certainly needs improvement out here in the west end because I'm in the Roane County part of Oak Ridge and I have to go a long ways to get milk and bread.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, exactly.
MRS. WOY: But I love the distance and the woods, and we have deer and lots of wildlife in the backyard. 
MR. MCDANIEL: And you also have the shooting range. Can you hear that?
MRS. WOY: I can hear it, but I don't notice it.
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, after a while you just kind of ignore it.
MRS. WOY: That's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: I hear it at my house, that's for sure.
MRS. WOY: Yeah. My dad was here about twenty-five years ago and said, "I think something's happening in Oak Ridge. I hear gunshots." I said, "That's just the range across the street."
MR. MCDANIEL: Yeah, yeah.
MRS. WOY: But it shook him up.
MR. MCDANIEL: A couple of -- I guess a few days ago, I was on Facebook or I was on the computer or something, and I heard these two big booms. And immediately, someone went on and said, "What were those two booms in the west end of Oak Ridge?" I don't think we even found out. It sounded like a cannon, is what it sounded like. And, you know, who knows? They might've been shooting off something over there at the range. There weren't any sirens that went off afterwards, so I guess we were okay.
MRS. WOY: No, that's what we have to see lights before we get worried. That's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: Did you ever -- speaking of sirens, did you ever have visitors that you have to explain what happened at noon on the first Wednesday of the month?
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes, I --
MR. MCDANIEL: Tell me about that.
MRS. WOY: Well, we were -- I was in the music guild and we met at the Public Library Auditorium. And during the meeting, the siren went -- that first Wednesday of every month --
MR. MCDANIEL: At noon.
MRS. WOY: So, we had to end the meetings before that.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right? They tested the sirens. They still do, they still test the sirens.
MRS. WOY: Well, we started at 10, so we just ended about five minutes until 12.
MR. MCDANIEL: You knew if the siren had gone off you all had gone too long, didn't you?
MRS. WOY: That's right. Yeah.
MR. MCDANIEL: Well, what about -- what else about your life in Oak Ridge that, you know?
MRS. WOY: Well, at the time that my children were growing up, we had a boat and spent a lot of time out at Carbide Park and enjoyed the water sports.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right. And what was Carbide Park like? Because, I mean, it's not -- I mean, apparently it used to be a very active place. A lot of recreation.
MRS. WOY: Well, we could launch the boat there and it's been used over the years. And teaching school, we had end-of-the-year picnics out there --
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, you did?
MRS. WOY: -- and the kids could have a ballgame and a picnic, so lots more freedom to have field trips than there is now.
MR. MCDANIEL: Than there is now. Right. Exactly. That's another thing, talk about field trips when you were -- because it seems like now, it's an act of Congress to have to have a field trip.
MRS. WOY: Well, that's why I --
MR. MCDANIEL: Talk about that when you were teaching.
MRS. WOY: -- my fourth grade, when I was teaching fourth grade, the curriculum involved the Cherokee Indians, so we made a trip to Cherokee.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: And the kids thought that was great because we stopped at Sugarlands in Gatlinburg and went over the mountain, that route.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, wow.
MRS. WOY: And went to --
MR. MCDANIEL: That'd be a tough ride on a bus, wasn't it?
MRS. WOY: Well, I don't think you could make it right now. But anyway, it was very expensive. It was fourteen dollars to rent that bus.
MR. MCDANIEL: Wow. Wow.
MRS. WOY: So, but we went over to Oconaluftee Indian Village and enjoyed the Smoky Mountains between the two towns.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure.
MRS. WOY: So, that was an all-day trip to go from here to Gatlinburg to Newfound Gap and then Cherokee and back.
MR. MCDANIEL: You know, I would imagine that Oak Ridge was a little different. You know, normally you would say, you know, that may be the case, some of those kids would never have the opportunity to do that. But Oak Ridge was probably a little different in the --
MRS. WOY: I think most people could, yes --
MR. MCDANIEL: The people that were in Oak Ridge --
MRS. WOY: Were willing to work it out.
MR. MCDANIEL: -- were willing and able to expose their children to things like that weren't they?
MRS. WOY: That's right, yes. And I remember taking a group of children to Nashville for the day.
MR. MCDANIEL: Really?
MRS. WOY: We went to the State Capitol and to Fort Nashborough and came back by Cumberland Mountain State Park and had supper in a shoebox. And got back to Oak Ridge and just scared the parents to death because, I didn't know, but Martin Luther King had been killed. And here we were traipsing through Nashville.
MR. MCDANIEL: Is that right? On the day that Martin Luther King got shot?
MRS. WOY: That's right. So it was all dangerous and we were oblivious to it.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Exactly.
MRS. WOY: So, that was April of 1968. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Yeah, yeah, yeah. Well, my goodness.
MRS. WOY: So, this was something I think there was more freedom to do things like that.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right.
MRS. WOY: And of course, teaching at Linden we were able to walk to so many places. I remember going down to the vet clinic. McArthur's Vet Clinic. Just walking down there because I had Kevin McArthur in my class. And his daddy, the vet, had little bags for each one of the children for their visit to his clinic.
MR. MCDANIEL: Really? Is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, these little walking trips, I don't think anybody's able to do much anymore.
MR. MCDANIEL: You can't do that anymore.
MRS. WOY: Just walk across the street and you were down there.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, yeah, exactly.
MRS. WOY: So, those are freedoms that I think aren't possible at the moment.
MR. MCDANIEL: And I'm sure you were able to take the kids out into the woods and, you know, those kinds of things.
MRS. WOY: Yes. There at Linden we had an amphitheater, and if things went well in the morning we would have lunch at the amphitheater outside. And now they've cut all the pine trees down, but we used to go in front of the school on the Robertsville Road and get to run the dips. The dips were where the little ridges formed, and they thought that was really great to get to go outside and run the dips.
MR. MCDANIEL: Run the dips.
MRS. WOY: So, those are freedoms that I guess have to be curtailed with safeguards.
 MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Exactly. How did the state -- how did state regulations change the way you were able to teach? Or did they all that much? I know they're making changes now that teachers just don't like at all. But --
MRS. WOY: Yeah. Well, back in the '80s was when the career ladder was a big deal. And that's when teachers were tested and if you were willing to work extended hours, you were paid more.
MR. MCDANIEL: Okay.
MRS. WOY: So that was a big controversy at that time. So there has been lots of ups and downs. Education always is changing.
MR. MCDANIEL: Changing, of course. Of course.
MRS. WOY: Yes. But my daughter has taught in public schools and private schools, so she has always wanted to be a teacher. And so she likes the special education that she's teaching now.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, sure. Well, let's go back and talk a little bit about the retail shopping in Oak Ridge when, you know, when you first came here, when you had young kids.
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: Tell me about -- what are some of the memories you have about shopping?
MRS. WOY: Well, of course with the open space, we had parades right there in that open strip mall downtown.
MR. MCDANIEL: The Oak Ridge --
MRS. WOY: Old Oak Ridge, original. Maybe we're going to get back to that now.
MR. MCDANIEL: The Oak Ridge mall. What was it called? It was -- I guess, was it called --
MRS. WOY: Just Downtown Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Downtown Oak Ridge, right.
MRS. WOY: Because I remember having Santa Claus come by those stores, and you know, that was Nettie Lee's shop and Sturm's Youth World --
MR. MCDANIEL: Sturm's Youth World.
MRS. WOY: -- and lots of the stores, I guess aren't there anymore.
MR. MCDANIEL: Woolworth's was there.
MRS. WOY: That's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: Was McCrory's there? Or was that --
MRS. WOY: I believe so. There was one on one side and one on the other.
MR. MCDANIEL: And Miller's. Was it Miller's or Loveman's at the time?
MRS. WOY: That's right. And the A&P was over there on the end of that, right above Downtown Hardware.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right. Exactly.
MRS. WOY: So, there has been a lot of changes in the shopping areas, that's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: And the Federal Bakery. 
MRS. WOY: Oh, my --
MR. MCDANIEL: Did you ever shop at the Federal Bakery?
MRS. WOY: My daughter was in high school, she would go over to the Federal Bakery and pay a quarter for icing that was a piece of a little rosette. And she thought that was the best icing in the world, from Federal Bakery. Yep, that's right.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right, right.
MRS. WOY: Yeah, I think the old strip mall there was old-fashioned, but I remember during my teaching career, we had a big awareness for the public to know what was going on in the classroom. So, by the Caroline Harvey's Cloth Shop, I taught a class in that little arcade. We had the children come out there and I did a listening activity. And I read directions and they had to follow them.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right?
MRS. WOY: So, that was a sharing of the classroom type of work with the public.
MR. MCDANIEL: Sure, exactly. Exactly. Do you remember the fella that used to sit out there and play guitar and had a cup on the end of his guitar?
MRS. WOY: That's right. Yeah. Well, you must've -- did you go to the school?
MR. MCDANIEL: I grew up in Kingston, but my mom and dad brought us to Oak Ridge all the time.
MRS. WOY: To the big city.
MR. MCDANIEL: To the big city, exactly. You know, so I remember a lot about it.
MRS. WOY: Well, that was -- I don't know how old you are.
MR. MCDANIEL: I'm 55. I was born in '57.
MRS. WOY: Well, my daughter's about the same age you are. So, she's always proud of growing up in Oak Ridge.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, I can imagine.
MRS. WOY: And we came back from Japan with her six months old.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, is that right? Okay.
MRS. WOY: So, this is the only town she's ever known.
MR. MCDANIEL: Oh, I guess so.
MRS. WOY: So, she finished Oak Ridge High School back in the '70s. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Yeah, yeah. Well, anything else you want to talk about? We can.
MRS. WOY: No, I'm interested in your report.
MR. MCDANIEL: Hey, now's the time to say it. If you want to get something off your chest, now's the time.
MRS. WOY: Oh, listen, I'm a great advocate for Oak Ridge. I think we offer a lot and I think we have lots of activities that I would like to keep going, especially the music program.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right, right.
MRS. WOY: And the Playhouse, and the Art Center.  And I understand the Recording for the Blind is ending.
MR. MCDANIEL: I believe so. I believe so. Now, you also volunteered at the Convention and Visitors Bureau, didn't you?
MRS. WOY: Yes. Yes, I was the greeter every Thursday.
MR. MCDANIEL: That's right.
MRS. WOY: So, I got to hand out brochures and tell people how to get to different parts of town.
MR. MCDANIEL: Now did you do this -- did you do it over when it was at the museum there?
MRS. WOY: Yes.
MR. MCDANIEL: Do you have any stories about people coming into town and asking funny questions?
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes. Had lots of interest. And of course it gets really boring to have people ask if you glow in the dark.
MR. MCDANIEL: Of course, of course. I'm sure.
MRS. WOY: But the --
MR. MCDANIEL: But you had a lot of that, didn't you?
MRS. WOY: Well, the museum location was good, right by the Museum of Science and Energy. But it was too small. Four people were working in a room with just little partitions. 
MR. MCDANIEL: About the size of this room right here, exactly.
MRS. WOY: Yeah, that's right. So, the location in the community center is more spacious, but to give people directions is very complicated.
MR. MCDANIEL: It is a little complicated. It is a little complicated.
MRS. WOY: Yeah. But I still am proud of our museum and go often just to see what the exhibits are.
MR. MCDANIEL: Right. Exactly. Well, it sounds like you've had a very full life in Oak Ridge, been involved both professionally and also socially and as an activist in the community. You and your husband, both.
MRS. WOY: Well, we've enjoyed it and think it's a good place to have spent our lives.
MR. MCDANIEL: Think you'll stay here the rest of your life?
MRS. WOY: Oh, yes. 
MR. MCDANIEL: Alright, well thank you so much for taking time to talk with us.
MRS. WOY: Well, thank you for coming over. Good.
MR. MCDANIEL: I appreciate it. Okay, alright.

[END OF INTERVIEW]