Oral history documents Clinton's years in Hope, Hot Springs

Associated Press ^ | 01/30/07 | Jill Zeman

[presidio9]

Some of Bill Clinton's friends and teachers remember the Arkansas native as a charismatic standout destined for greatness, while others recall the young Clinton was a shy boy whose clarinet playing left something to be desired.

Such first impressions -- along with memories of growing up in the still-segregated South -- are among the text of 28 interviews documenting the former president's early years in Hope and Hot Springs.

The interviews, which were released Tuesday by the Pryor Center for Arkansas Oral and Visual History, are part of a project that aims to make Clinton the most documented president ever. The center is part of the University of Arkansas Libraries at Fayetteville.

"Bill Clinton at the age of eight...could talk to adults," Roy Clinton Jr., a cousin, said in an interview. "He'd shake their hand and all. He was the apple of his mother's eye and she had him rehearsed in the niceties of gentility toward adults."

Classmate Robert Haness of Atlanta recalled his early thoughts of Clinton: "My impression of him was, as I look back -- he was in a band, and this always sounds terrible, but my first impression of him was that he was a band nerd."

The Clinton History Project, commissioned by the Clinton Presidential Center, will focus on five phases of the former president's life: Clinton's Hope/Hot Springs years; his collegiate years at Georgetown, Oxford and Yale; the post-college years when Clinton taught law at Arkansas and served as attorney general; his Arkansas gubernatorial years and his post-presidential years.

The Miller Center for Public Affairs at the University of Virginia also is conducting interviews focusing on Clinton's presidency, which the center has done for every outgoing president since Jimmy Carter. That oral history is expected to be released in 2009.

Clay Farrar, who married Clinton's stepsister, Kathy Farrar, said he first met Clinton when the soon-to-be governor was standing in line to see the popular "Star Wars" movie.

"Everybody I talked to who went to high school (with Clinton) said he was a total straight arrow -- no alcohol at all -- basically was almost shy around the coeds or the young ladies," Farrar said. "And a lot of the kids at Hot Springs High School thought he was a member of the faculty because he would wear a coat and tie to school."

Tom Dillard, head of special collections at the University of Arkansas Libraries, said documenting Clinton's Arkansas years was important because he believes that time has been glossed over or inaccurately portrayed by some historians.

"People from outside the state do not understand how people in Arkansas could know the governor on a first-name basis," Dillard said. "They could not imagine a state where people actually had direct contact with the governor."

Classmate and friend Patty Howe Criner of Little Rock said Tuesday the interview allowed her to relive her childhood and recall fond memories of growing up with Clinton.

"If I had known Bill Clinton would grow up to be the president of the United States, I would have taken better notes," she quipped.

Transcripts of the audiotaped interviews are available online; organizers say they hope to videotape future interviews, then provide the footage for schools to use in Arkansas history classes. The Pryor Center plans to conduct 300 interviews altogether.

The University of Arkansas Libraries also has access to 160 interviews conducted by the late Diane Blair during Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign. Toward the end of the race, Blair interviewed Clinton campaign workers, including George Stephanopoulos and James Carville, Dillard said.

"It's an incredible inside look at a presidential campaign," Dillard said.

[DugwayDuke]

Oh, I believe Clinton didn't consume alcohol. And, there is a certain advantage to appearing shy with young girls. It's just another tactic.

I also agree with Christopher Hitchens, BTW, who does believe that Clinton didn't inhale. As Hitchens explained on national TV, Clinton was alergic to smoke. Consequently, he prefered his marijuana baked in cookies. And, Hitchens knew Clinton well having been a close personal friend when Bill was at Oxford.

[potlatch]

Oral History? Certainly applies to Bubba!

"he was a band nerd." Wish he'd stayed in the band...

[doug from upland]

One night in Arkansas, Attorney General Clinton sat down for dinner and drinks with some of his Arkansas pals, including Larry Nichols. He was going to run for governor. He told the good old boys he just wondered how many women he would be able to get as the governor.

[OldFriend]

Since Roger Clinton is heard on tape discussing his brother's nose like a vacuum cleaner when it came to cocaine, I don't buy into the line that he didn't inhale.

As far as being shy, he was a fat blob that only an ugly dog could like.

[Alamo-Girl]

Thanks for the ping!