Washington’s Iron Butterfly, an Interview with Terry Birdwhistell and Don Ritchie (2022)
Mariam interviews oral historians Terry L. Birdwhistell and Donald A. Ritchie about their January 2022 book, Washington’s Iron Butterfly: Bess Clements Abell, an Oral History. They discuss Bess Clements Abell’s (1933-2020) Kentucky history, her background and family life, her time in the White House during Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, and her later public relations firm. More information can be found about the book here and is available for check out here.
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About The Hosts
Tales from the Kentucky Room is hosted by David Bryant and produced by Erin West.
David is the Manager of Central Library, and has worked many years in the Kentucky Room. After several guest host spots, David moved to full time host of Tales from the Kentucky Room in 2025. Local History and Genealogy are passions of his, and he's excited to share them with our audience.
Erin is the Virtual Services Librarian. She's worked for Lexington Public Library since 2003 and began her work with audio editing in 2012 while working at the Northside Branch. Erin enjoys listening to history, true crime and tv show recap podcasts.
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