Our guest is Dr. Stephen Fritz, Professor of History at East Tennessee State University and a leading authority on World War II. We talk about Dr. Fritz’s most recent book, The First Soldier: Hitler as Military Leader, published by Yale University Press.

This is part two of our interview with Odessa Woolfolk, Founding Director of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, in Birmingham, Alabama. The institute is part of the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument and is an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution.

In the first of two interviews, we look back on the summer of 1963, a critical time in the struggle for civil rights in America. Our guest is Odessa Woolfolk, founding director of the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute, who remembers both the promise and the pain of that period in civil rights history.

We explore the history of a cocktail called the French 75, with journalist and LSU professor John Maxwell Hamilton, who has written a book about the drink. Here is a French 75 recipe from Arnaud’s in New Orleans, where the bar is named after the drink:1 ounce Cognac¼ ounce fresh lemon juice¼ ounce simple syrupTop with about 2 ounces brut ChampagnePlace the Cognac, lemon juice, and simple syrup in a shaker filled with ice. Shake to chill and pour into a tulip Champagne glass. Add the Champagne and garnish with a twist of lemon.

As a new school year begins, we learn about the daily life of a school resource officer. Our guest is Jeff Jenkins, who is in charge of all school resource officers for the Johnson City, Tennessee, city school system.

The Appalachian Fair in Gray, Tennessee, turns 98 this year, having been established in 1926. From the beginning, its mission has been to promote and celebrate the agricultural heritage of the region. Lisa Bradley, Director of the fair’s Farm and Home Building, talks about what goes into planning one of the region’s largest fairs.

In an interview from our archive, we feature the late Colleen Trenwith, a native of Wellington, New Zealand, who helped popularize American bluegrass music in her home country and in Australia.

We talk about the history of Wade’s Restaurant in Spartanburg, South Carolina, with co-owner Wade Lindsey III. His grandparents, Wade and Betty Lindsey, opened the business in 1947. Wade’s was recently honored by the James Beard Foundation with its America’s Classic award.

We talk with Gayle Manchin, Federal Co-Chair of the Appalachian Regional Commission. She became the 13th Federal Co-Chair in May of 2021 and is the first native West Virginian to serve in that position.

Dr. Colin Baxter, Professor Emeritus of History at East Tennessee State University, explains how Kingsport, Tennessee, and Hawkins County, Tennessee, helped win World War II, through the production of an explosive called RDX.