Glenn, Ralph Anderson, 1907-1995

Allred, Lynne

Charlotte, North Carolina

J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections, University of North Carolina at Charlotte

1976

1 audio file (1:01:49) : digital, MP3 + 1 transcript (27 pages : PDF)

sound recording-nonmusical

spoken word

eng

Ralph Glenn was approximately 69 years old at the time of interview, which took place in his home in Concord, North Carolina. He was educated at Davidson College in Davidson, North Carolina, and was the principal of Concord High School.

Ralph Glenn, a native of Gastonia, North Carolina, reflects on the events of the Loray Mill strike of 1929. Mr. Glenn was attending Davidson College at the time of the Loray Mill Strike and was not an eyewitness to the strike. However, his interview provides deep insights into the historical context, growth, and influence of the textile industry in North Carolina during the early twentieth century. He speaks about the conditions of mill life in his hometown of Gastonia, and about native residents' wariness and distrust towards out-of-town mill workers. Mr. Glenn elaborates on the southern Piedmont area’s experience with unions and notes that many negative perceptions hardened after the events of the Loray Mill strike. Other issues discussed in the interview are the role of the communist-leaning National Textile Workers Union (NTWU) in the Loray Mill strike, the police and strikers' levels of participation in the violence of the strike, and the controversy surrounding the trial of some of the Loray Mill strikers.

MP3 access copy created on ingest from WAV preservation master. Interview originally recorded on analog audio cassette and digitized using a Digidesign 003 rack.

School principals
Teachers

Glenn, Ralph Anderson, 1907-1995
Beal, Fred Erwin, 1896-1954
Aderholt, Orville F. (Orville Franck), 1874-1929

Loray Mill
National Textile Workers Union (U.S.)
Cannon Mills Company

Strikes and lockouts--Textile industry
Textile workers--Labor unions
Mills and mill-work
Labor unions and communism

North Carolina--Gastonia
North Carolina--Concord

Interviews
Oral histories

1920-1980

Charlotte Regional Oral History

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audio/mpeg

LeGette Blythe oral history interview 2, circa 1976, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections & University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (https://goldmine.uncc.edu/islandora/object/uncc%3A374)

Lynne Alred papers, J. Murrey Atkins Library Special Collections & University Archives, University of North Carolina at Charlotte (https://findingaids.uncc.edu/repositories/4/resources/105)

OH-GL0227