Oral history: Regina Hudspeth

Keenan Hall: This is Keenan Hall the date is April 2, 2018 and the topic is public education before the stronghold of standardized testing in the 1980’s, with a specific focus on high school research lessons during this era. My interviewee is Mrs. Regina Hudspeth. Mrs. Hudpseth do I have permission to interview you today?

Regina Hudspeth: Yes you do, with pleasure.

Keenan Hall: Thank you. I’ll start off with a basic question. How long have you been in Kentucky?

Regina Hudspeth: I am actually a native of Murray, Kentucky. So I’ve been in Kentucky and specifically Murray, Kentucky all my life.

Keenan Hall: Did you attend elementary school in Murray, Kentucky as well?

Regina Hudspeth: I did, I actually had my elementary education from two distinct institutions. I’m quite older so I actually went through K-2nd grade at the all black institution in Murray and then from 3rd grade through 12th grade I went to Murray Independent School system.

Keenan Hall: What was the name of that all black institute?

Regina Hudspeth: It was named after Frederick Douglass so it was Douglass High School in Murray, Kentucky.

Keenan Hall: You said after 2nd grade you transferred to Murray Independent Schools?

Regina Hudspeth: Yes, during the integration we actually got incorporated and included in the school system. There were a lot of differences, things that students these days are not even aware of, something I have a history of. I guess you could say I would like more students to know that history so that it is not repeated.

Keenan Hall: Can you take me back to any particular experiences that were troubling during these times?

Regina Hudspeth: Actually, it was a really good transition for me but not as well for other students you know in talking and reminiscing past. The transition for me because I’m an outgoing person, although I’m introverted I’m really outgoing and can adapt to any situation so my experience really wasn’t that pleasurable or difficult at all.

We also had teachers at the time fortunately I was linked to those who wanted to see you succeed and who were apart of the integration process itself. And that’s both African Americans and White teachers as well.

I think it was a little more difficult for male students than female students. Because if you ask my brothers they didn’t fare as well as I fared. I saw that during that time too, it’s wasn’t like i’m just relying their memories or what their saying I actually saw it at the time. But to me it wasn’t really that difficult.

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Keenan Hall: You said that your experience was pretty much smooth throughout your transition phase, do you pin that from your mentorship from your teachers or just your drive in learning education.

Regina Hudspeth: I think probably noth but because i grew up as one of seven children. So I  could thrive in an environment; flexibility I knew how to socialize because when you’re one of seven there are a lot of situations that you have to adapt to. And situations that people only have one sibling or were the only sibling that you couldn’t adjust to as well as we could.

But also probably because of the drive and my mom always told us be better, do better than what she was able to do. Although we thought we were less fortunate as we were, we really thought we were rich. She basically told us we could do whatever it is we wanted to do, and we had the drive to do.

So she actually set it up and the church I belong to back then that’s was just what they instilled in students, to do your very best at everything you did. Whether it was school or extracurricular activity no matter what they just said do the best you could possibly do. Basically that was my motivation and my inspiration.

I was an old soul so I hung with a lot around older women. Women back then used to take you in their fold and kind of set you on the path to succeed and they would always bring us in and things you don’t see as much these days such as a cooking class or a sewing class where they would take neighborhood girls and show you how to quilt, show you how to sew, show you how to cook.

Even though you learned most of that stuff at home, it was great to go out and be with three or four other girls and somebody else teaching you that stuff and you don’t see that a lot these days.

Keenan Hall: That is true I wish we had more mentoring women in society. I’m sure we have plenty of women like my mom, and after meeting you you’ve always helped me, and of course I’ve seen what you have done for Dacia and always been a great leader in helping us achieve our goals. So I thank you in that part.

Regina Hudspeth: Well thank you.

Keenan Hall: What were your choices for postsecondary education?

Regina Hudspeth: Well, for postsecondary education I never really looked that far beyond going to Murray State. Although my mom was yes do be all you can be she really wasn’t forthcoming with us leaving this area. My mom raised seven of us on her own basically and we were just that close knit that she didn’t want us to wander too far.

The only other institution at the time that I inquired about was Marquette University. Only because I had some friends, a really good family friend that had family that lived in Milwaukee and I thought oh that would be a great place I’d always heard her talk about her family vacations going there and I thought it would be a great institution to go to.

But I really didn’t check it out that much because I knew if we were going to school it was going to be local and since we had one right in our backdoor and with the value of the education taught here at Murray State my mom really thought there’s no reason to go elsewhere. So hince I’m at Murray.

Keenan Hall: What made you want to become an communications professor?

Regina Hudspeth: Well I guess you could say my becoming of a professor, lecturer kind came about in a roundabout way. Initially after high school I came to Murray State for two years. I got married and had a child.

And unfortunately my husband well fortunately he worked at a plant called Tappin. He had completed his degree here at Murray State and he worked at Tappin and they relocated and left Murray. So another manufacturing facility was here  by the name Fisher-Price and I started just a summer job there at Fisher Price.

Then moved into various positions and decided not to come back to school right then because if they were going to be leaving we needed health insurance because I was expecting my first child. And I guess I’m kind of independent in that way, although we were assured everything was going to be okay I just needed that extra leg and took a permanent position.

Had a great job, great job opportunities and never really thought about coming back to school at that point. Then, 23-4 years later that manufacturing facility relocated because of NAFTA and one day sitting at the dinner table my youngest son said mom what are you going to do.

I was one of the last ones to leave the Mattel facility because my job was with global markets so I was there for logistics and shipping product all over the world. So I was one of the last ones to leave and just sitting across the dinner table he was like well mom what are you gonna do now?

And I said well I don’t know, I’ve worked since I was 14 you know I could probably use a break. And he says well how are you gonna convince me to go to college if you’re not gonna go. You have always said that was the one thing you wished you had done.

And that was on a Friday night again over eating pizza. Monday morning I was back at Sparks Hall trying to get back into class because I did not want to be his reason for not going to school, so I thought why not go out here and check it out and see.

I come back and I change my major because initially it was speech pathology. I changed my major after talking with several people to organizational communication. It was during those two years here that a lady who just recently passed Barbara Milonakis asked me said you need to consider teaching. Have you ever thought about that?

I said no so she convinced me too sign up to be a TA. I got the position fortunately as a teachers assistant here and just fell in love with the possibility that I can influence other students and here I am.

Keenan Hall: Do you look at that as a skill you have gained over the years the ability to encourage and influence students?

Regina Hudspeth: Yea I kinda think that might be part of my upbringing we’re all here for a reason and I think that no matter where I’ve worked and what capacity I worked people always called me  a nurturer. So I think having that ability for students hopefully I’m easy to talk to I don’t know.

And I kinda see since I raised two boys so I kinda can see it from both perspectives so I kinda can see it from both perspectives and I try to use that in helping to influence and impacting other students.

Keenan Hall: If you didn’t become a lecturer what do you think you would have done?

Regina Hudspeth: Well had I stayed in school initially, again I had majored in speech pathology, probably would have been somewhere along that line. However, when I came back to school I did entertain the thought of my youngest son had a lot of respiratory issues being born a preemie.

I tossed between going into respiratory therapy or coming back to teach but when i knew that when two major companies had left Murray I sat down and thought okay everybody has to have an education and everybody is going has to have to have medical assistance. And I thought I am going to go into one of those areas either teaching or something medicalFortu

Other than I didn’t like seeing blood and people sick so I decided to rule out medical and came toward education.  

Keenan Hall: You said he was a preemie is that prematurely?

Regina Hudspeth: He was premature yes.

Keenan Hall:  But he’s healthy now?

Regina Hudspeth: Oh he’s a healthy boy you can look he’s in those pictures over there. Fortunately we were blessed that he had no long term illnesses or issues

After about year five he’s been doing really well.

Keenan Hall: Were there any other professions you would’ve have like to do?

Regina Hudspeth: Any other professions that I would have liked to do? The only other thing I used to be into when technology came up when I worked at the manufacturing facility I would be like one of the gurus that they would give the software to and I would work out all the bugs or find all the problems that a normal person would want to avoid. Once they incorporated it plant wide.

I have lost a few files converting from lotus I think it was lotus 123 to excel. I got a few stories I could probably tell about losing files and having to recreate files from not knowing the proper way to save them.

But I actually got a few certificates at the company that they would say I excelled at doing that so I probably would have ventured towards something computer tech wise.

Keenan Hall: You said you could tell a few stories about losing files, you have anything you could tell me about?

Regina Hudspeth: Well yes we were using lotus, back then they wouldn’t necessarily give you a lot of training they just said hey here this new software we’re going to be changing company wide and you know play around with it and see what you could come up with well I had another employee that we would pull from the line in this thing called office pool.

We were sitting down tweaking and trying to figure out how we’d done stuff in lotus and how it would be done in excel and converting it over and somehow we didn’t save a major file. And when we didn’t save it, it deleted it from lotus.

So we had to go back and do a lot of recreating, reentering data history and finding old reports that we could pull that kind of information to and fortunately we worked on it for about three days before the actual file was needed for reports that should have been distributed throughout the company.

We were able to get all the major information back. In actually the new software in the excel format. Yes there are a few stories I could tell you about that. And then before we could even tell people what we had actually done to prevent them from doing it a couple of other people actually found themselves in the same hole instead of them recreating their files since we were able and successful in recreating ours in a short period of time they kind of dumped that on us too.

Yea I don’t know if that was quite fair. It was some fun times, stressful times but fun times.

Keenan Hall: Whats next for you in concluding your lecturing here at Murray State?

Regina Hudspeth: Well I think I will be that ripe old age that maybe I could retire. I have three grandkids now and fortunately both of my kids now are living in the same city. If we’re able we’ll probably relocate and be closer to them.

My husband jokes and tells everybody that yea this car is only four years old but she’s got 90,000 miles on it from running up and down the highway. Unfortunately they don’t have family that lives close to us or their wives side. You know in these days and times you can’t leave kids with just any and everybody.

So we try to go out and help out as much as possible. It causes us to burn the road quite a bit.

Keenan Hall: I think I’ve seen them a few times maybe at a couple volleyball games.

Regina Hudspeth: Yes, yes you have.

Keenan Hall: They’re adorable I love them. Where are your children now?

Regina Hudspeth: They are in Lexington. Kentucky. My youngest one is a Murray State grad but the oldest one went to school at Georgetown Kentucky and then into college of pharmacy at UK. They are both in the medical field one being a pharmacist and the other a hospital rep for a drug company.

Keenan Hall: Is there anything you would like to add or anything that I should’ve asked you? You can take your time to think if you need too.

Regina Hudspeth: I can’t think of anything i guess I would ask you what do you think your experience has been like at Murray State and the opportunities afforded you here at this institution.

Keenan Hall: WHen I first got here I can admit I underestimated it where I was. And the gravity of the situation I was in but after my first semester I quickly collected myself, It’s been pretty smooth. I’ve enjoyed my process here the people I’ve met the experiences that I’ve had. I have learned so much over the years met great people like you Dacia, my professors, my advisors. I can’t wait to conclude my time here not knowing when that is but whenever it is I honestly can’t wait for it.

I am going to look back on these moments and draw from this hopefully I can pass these moments on to my children and be a motivation for them to go to college. Me and my sister were first generation college students so my mom and dad didn’t know much about college so we basically had to learn off of our mistakes me and my sister.

She’s already passed on and graduated so hopefully I can follow her footsteps and graduate as well.

Regina Hudspeth: Outstanding, I guess I would like to add to that, what you were saying college is learning more academically. That’s basically where you learn to make your own decisions and become that responsible productive citizen you hope to become that society needs and knowing that maye I had some small portion of influence or impact on students like yourself makes me proud.

Keenan Hall: It would be more than a small portion it’d be very huge. But I thank you again for letting me interview you. Did you have anything more to add?

Regina Hudspeth: Keep setting yourself up in the right positions to do what it is you want to do. There’s no goal ou there that you can’t achieve at all. I usually have a few quotes that I usually keep that everyday i look at I try to put some new ones up every week because I do have students come in.

This is the one I had a couple students in last week, this is what I had so accept your past without regrets, handle your present with confidence and face your futures without fears. So sometimes i have students that come in that need a little extra push or extra guidance and that was the one phrase quote where a student came in and said that meant more to her and I didn’t even realize she had read the quote I keep them facing forward.

For me more than anything else so now I’ve started sending a couple of students whatever quote I have on my desk I start sending that out to them every week so just as a little motivation for them.

Keenan Hall: Once again I thank you for letting me interview you good luck on your future endeavors and thank you for your time.

Regina Hudspeth: Well thank you I wish you nothing but success and I like hearing from students so I know we’ve run into during basketball season and I would always look around well is he here today. So let me know where you land and how things go for you and don’t just wipe us off the face of the earth when you leave Murray State but I see you doing great things.

Keenan Hall: Well thank you.