Oral history interview with Tracy L.H. Burnett, November 15, 1994 [electronic resource] : interview K-0088, Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007).
Tracy L.H. Burnett started working at the White Furniture Company in the late 1980s, moving from building skids for shipping furniture, to finishing pieces, to inspection. In this interview, he offers a few thoughts on the factory's closing, which did not bother him since his ambitions were guiding him elsewhere. When the factory closed, Burnett took advantage of a training program and, using his new skills, ran an arcade and a video store before opening an insurance agency. The training program is one example of how the factory owners made the plant closing as smooth as possible. Burnett notes that they also gave workers six months' notice and seemed to have honest reasons for their decision. As opposed to others on the same subject, this interview offers a different approach to what many interviewees remember as a community tragedy.
Electronic resources
Record details
- Physical Description: 1 online resource
- Edition: Electronic edition
- Publisher: [Chapel Hill, N.C.] : University Library, UNC-Chapel Hill, 2007.
Content descriptions
- General Note:
- Duration: 00:58:34.Interview participants: Tracy L.H. Burnett, interviewee; Jeff Cowie, interviewer.Text encoded by Jennifer Joyner. Sound recordings digitized by Aaron Smithers.This electronic edition is part of the UNC-CH digital library, Documenting the American South. It is a part of the collection Oral histories of the American South.Title from menu page (viewed on June 6, 2008).
- Type of Computer File or Data Note:
- Text (HTML and XML/TEI source file) and audio (MP3); 2 files: ca. 128.9 kilobytes, 107 megabytes.
- Original Version Note:
- Original version: Southern Oral History Program Collection, (#4007), Series K, Southern communities, interview K-0088, Manuscripts Department, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Transcribed by Jackie Gorman. Original transcript: 26 p.
- Funding Information Note:
- Funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services supported the electronic publication of this interview.
- System Details Note:
- Mode of access: World Wide Web.System requirements: Web browser with Javascript enabled and multimedia player.
Search for related items by subject
- Subject:
- Burnett, Tracy L. H., 1966- > Interviews.
Hickory White Company.
White Furniture Company.
Businesspeople > North Carolina > Interviews.
Furniture industry and trade > North Carolina > Mebane.
Furniture industry and trade > North Carolina > Mebane > Quality control.
Furniture workers > Employment > North Carolina > Mebane.
Furniture workers > North Carolina > Mebane > Interviews.
Plant shutdowns > North Carolina > Mebane. - Genre:
- Oral histories.
