Oral History Program Edith Fern Heath Interviewed by Godfrey T. Bey 8 November 2013 Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Edith Fern Heath Interviewed by Godfrey T. Bey 8 November 2013 Copyright © 2014 by Weber State University, Stewart Library Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. The working files, original recording, and archival copies are housed in the University Archives. Project Description The New Zion Community Advocates worked with community members age 80 years and older to have contributed to the history of Ogden city. The interviews looked at the legacy of the interviewees through armed services, work, social life, church, NAACP and educational systems in an environment where their culture was not predominant. This program has received funding from the Utah Humanities Council and the Utah Division of State history. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management This work is the property of the Weber State University, Stewart Library Oral History Program. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Heath, Edith Fern, an oral history by Godfrey T. Bey, 8 November 2013, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, Special Collections, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Edith Fern Heath, photo taken at Marshall White Center November 8, 2013 Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Edith Fern Heath conducted on November 8, 2013 by Godfrey Bey. GB: We are here with Edith Fern Heath at the Marshall White Center where she has been working for the last EH: 25 years. GB: How you doing today Edith? EH: Oh good thanks GB: Is it ok if I call you Edith though everyone has always called you Fern? EH: Fern, call me whatever. GB: I’ve never called you whatever but I’ve always called you Fern. EH: That’s fine. GB: Well Fern, we want to start off with were you born here? Tell us about it. EH: I was born in Crescent, Oklahoma, on December the 31, 1924. GB: And how long have you been in Ogden? EH: I came to Ogden in 1978 GB: And how’d you get here? EH: I came here to get married. GB: Aww, that’s wonderful. And you’ve been here ever since? EH: Yes. GB: How many kids do you have? EH: I have four, I had four. I lost a daughter, I have three boys. GB: Still here in Ogden? 1 EH: No, they live in Oklahoma. Two live on Oklahoma City, one in Huntsville Alabama. GB: Any grandchildren, nieces and nephews? EH: Oh, I have 2 grandchildren here in Ogden, one in Las Vegas, 3 in Alabama, and 3 in Oklahoma. GB: And for the last thirty odd, close to forty years you’ve been living in Ogden, Utah. EH: Yes. GB: What have been your life experiences here? EH: Oh, I always volunteered, so I’ve been on a lot of boards. Want me to name them? GB: Well if you let us know it might be able to connect you to them so if you could remember which ones you’ve been on? EH: Well I’ve been on, I started volunteering in Oklahoma with the grade school. The county nurse would come and do vaccinations and I did the names of the kids. Then I volunteered with the school kids were in as PTA treasurer and worked with the Democratic Party in Oklahoma and the Community Action Board when I was in Oklahoma. GB: And since you’ve been here in Ogden, Utah? EH: Oh and I was a Red Cross volunteer in Oklahoma. Since I’ve been here in Ogden, I’ve worked in the Democratic Party, NAACP, the Ogden Community Action board, Urban Forestry Board, Rescue Mission, Marshall White Community Board, Weber County Senior Fair board, Weber County nutrition board, Share the Harvest, and President of the Senior Villa, and assistant girls scout leader, 2 and now with RSVP, which is Retired Senior Volunteer Representative, and presently chef to serve the lunch. GB: And that’s with the Human Services? EH: Yes. GB: And you’ve been with them for how long? EH: Oh about 25 years. GB: 25 years you’ve been out just giving your time and service to the community. EH: Yes. GB: That’s amazing. Do you have anything of inspiration to say to the generation today? Why is it important to be a volunteer in your community? EH: Well, it’s important to help other people. You’re on all these boards you’re doing things to help in the community and so its satisfaction to yourself also to be some outreach. GB: So in today’s economy and economics the people struggle to make ends meet, do you still see volunteerism as a value in the community? EH: Yes I do. There is still, I mean you can almost have your choice. If you want to work with youth you can, or seniors, or just be on different boards you can which is a good thing. GB: From my experience of talking to people in the community since I’ve been here, they have really been proud of knowing you. I want to ask you, regarding your living in Ogden, have you ever had any challenging experiences that you can remember or is everyday a nice day. 3 EH: Everyday has been a pretty nice day for me. Cause I always wake up looking forward to coming to Marshall White Center and put on a pot of coffee and do water aerobics and chat with the people. GB: Every community should have an Edith Fern. Is there anything you’d like to say to the community or the people who get an opportunity to look at this documentary that you feel should be important? EH: Well just try to reach out and do some good for someone besides yourself. Make someone else happy besides trying to be happy yourself, and you make someone else happy, you’ll be happy. GB: Well Fern, I'm really glad that we took a moment to meet and talk to you and get you on this video and get your testimony about Ogden. I wish I had a lot of questions to ask you, but do you have anything to add to this? Elliot: Do you have any particularly fond memories of Ogden or working at the Marshall White or any stories you’d like to share? EH: No I don’t believe so right now, can’t think of anything. GB: Well I guess we really appreciate you taking a moment and hope we didn’t interrupt your day or your weekend. Thank you. 4