Photo by Kyle Good
Gretchen Dykstra is the author of the new book Lessons from the Foothills: Berea College and Its Unique Role in America. Her other books include Echoes from Wuhan. She lives in the Hudson Valley.
Q: What inspired you to write Lessons from the Foothills?
A: I spotted a one-inch ad in The Atlantic in the spring of 2011 that said simply Visit Appalachia with Berea College. I am a restless soul who has traveled widely, but I had never been to Appalachia.
My late paternal grandmother had told me about Berea and, although I did not remember any of the details, I remembered her enthusiasm. I went.
We had lectures at Berea on everything from the region’s history to its religious culture to its humor and its coal mining realities. Then we took off. We saw both the beautiful and the hideous. We met organizers and doctors, activists and ministers.
I loved it, but what really blew my mind was hearing about the college itself: its history, its steadfast commitment to equal opportunity and service. I was hooked.
Q: How did you research the book, and what did you learn that especially surprised you?
A: I have visited campus numerous times. No one at the college ever asked to see what I was writing, but nonetheless gave me freedom to wander and speak to anyone I wanted. I never met a professor who didn’t say Sure, come on in. I never met a student unwilling to chat, and I never met anyone who wasn’t respectful of the college and its aspirations.
I called many alums from Chris Hayes, the Sesame Street puppeteer, to Betty Jean Hall, the woman who got women jobs in coal mines—both proud Berea graduates. I spent lots of time in the special collections of the library, appreciative of the archivists willing to pull endless files to find gems for me.
And it was in the library that I got my first peek into the value of the labor requirement on campus and how the labor supervisors add so much value to the students’ work and education—every student gets a course transcript and a labor transcript when they graduate.
And I hit the road meeting Berea partners in eastern Kentucky. Buckhorn, Appalshop, Pine Mountain, Red Bird Mission, Cowan Community Center, and on and on.
What surprised me? The very fact of Berea---its high academic standards, its 50/50 racial split of students, its labor program, its no tuition promise, and its deep ties to Appalachia, but what ultimately surprised me the most—and lingers the longest---is the soul of the place.
That and the little-known fact that the seeds of the Peace Corps were planted at Berea.
Q: The author Ronald D. Eller said of the book, “Dykstra takes a deep dive into Berea’s institutional culture and enduring commitment to democratic values. In so doing, she demonstrates how the college's distinct approach to liberal arts education has nurtured generations of low-income and minority students to respect tradition, diversity, and the dignity of work while living a life committed to social justice and civic responsibility.” What do you think of that description?
A: Ronald Eller’s comments thrilled me. I am a piker compared to him so when one of the nation’s pre-eminent Appalachian historians compliments my work and so clearly appreciates the impact Berea has had on generations of students it’s very satisfying.
Q: What do you hope readers take away from your book?
A: I hope first they will go, "Wow, such a place exists!" Everyone on campus knows about its Eight Great Commitments, the clear articulation of the historic principles that shape it. Although few can recite all eight, everyone has their favorite.
I hope the readers will respond the same way. Choose your favorite of the Eight Great Commitments and see if you can apply it to your own life.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I just finished a long piece on Clay County, Kentucky, and the grassroots efforts to address the lingering impacts of the drug crisis on that rural area.
I am thinking about Berea’s endowment and why it deserves the coveted Triple A rating from Moody’s.
I am also interested in local efforts to revive family farms in Central Appalachia. I guess you can say I like stories of good people doing good things.
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: I urge everyone to visit the college, its farm, its forest, its horse barn, and its wonderful Boone Tavern Hotel. Listen to the comments of other visitors: “I’m from Louisville and yet I had no idea.” or “Where am I? This place is extraordinary.”
I like the story about the Pakistani educator, dressed in a silk sari, who spotted a man in saffron robes on the campus. “Who is that” she asked the president who was showing her around. “He’s responsible for Buddhist education in Cambodia and is visiting too” “Oh, then it is true,” responded the woman, “everyone sooner or later ends up at Berea.”
Seven percent of Berea’s 1,600 students come from 70 different nations and they, too, are all low-income. There’s no place like it in the entire world.
My website is at www.gretchendykstra.com.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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