Kimble, Betty. The Bolivar Oral History Project. Through her paternal line, Kimble is the great granddaughter of blacksmith and freedman Thomas Cook Sr. and his wife, Lethia Perry. Cook’s blacksmith shop was the focus of an archeological excavation in 2021 (Bolivar Archeological Project). During her interview, Kimble shares her recollections of the Cooks’ offspring, including Kimble’s grandmother, Kitty Cook Clark. A lifelong resident of Southeast Denton, Kimble talks about what Denton was like during racial segregation. Her recollections of the Fred Douglass School, her neighborhood and church, family life, the American Legion Hall (now the Denton Senior Center), and her involvement in the Denton Women’s Interracial Fellowship provide a valuable glimpse into the social and cultural fabric of the city over time. This transcript is of Kimble’s first of two interviews conducted for the Bolivar Oral History Project. 

Kimble, Betty. The Bolivar Oral History Project. Through her paternal line, Kimble is the great granddaughter of blacksmith and freedman Thomas Cook Sr. and his wife, Lethia Perry. Cook’s blacksmith shop was the focus of an archeological excavation in 2021 (Bolivar Archeological Project). In this second interview with the Bolivar Oral History Project, Kimble talks about growing up with her brother, William Glasco Clark, who everyone referred to as “Buddy.” She remembers her childhood friends in Southeast Denton, family holidays, and the close ties between residents. Kimble also shares her perspective on Black history and her thoughts on the excavations at the Tom Cook Blacksmith Shop.