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Sommers, Laurie Kay, 1955-

 Person

Bio

Folklorist Consultant, Dr. Laurie Sommers (b. 1955) founded the South Georgia Folklife Project in 1996 and served on the faculty of the College of the Arts at Valdosta State University (Music Department) from 1995-2005. The SGFP ended as an official project of Valdosta State in June, 2005, due to budget cuts. Sommers subsequently oversaw the transfer of the collection from the working resource collection of the SGFP to an accessible archival collection within the VSU Archives and Special Collections. Sommers holds a Ph.D. (1986) and MA (1980) in Folklore from Indiana University, with a concentration in ethnomusicology, and has worked as a public sector folklorist since 1982 for organizations such as the Indiana Division of State Parks, the Bureau of Florida Folklife, the Smithsonian Office of Folklife Programs, and the Michigan State University Museum. She is the author of various publications for academic and general audiences and has produced numerous public programs, including concerts, festivals, exhibits, and documentary radio. An experienced fieldworker, she frequently gives workshops on community documentation. Projects and publications from the SGFP period include the Folklife of Wiregrass Georgia traveling exhibition (with funding from the Georgia Humanities Council and NEA), the Okefenokee Music Survey (funded by the Lila Wallace Reader's Digest Community Folklife Program), the Changing Sounds of South Georgia radio series to be broadcast on GPR (funded by an NEA Access grant), Folkwriting: Lessons on Place, Heritage, and Tradition for the Georgia Classroom (with Diane Howard and educators from Cook County Schools, funded by the Georgia Humanities Council), "Let Us Sing": Southeast Georgia Sacred Harp exhibit at the Okefenokee Heritage Center (funded by the Georgia Council for the Arts Folklife Program), Faces in the Piney Woods: Traditions of Turpentining (with funding from the Georgia Folklife Program), "Okefenokee Swamp Folklore" in the New Georgia Encyclopedia, "Continuity and Change in Hoboken (Georgia) Sacred Harp," (Society for American Music Bulletin (Summer/Fall 2000), and the award-winning Florida Music Train, a multicultural educational resource on traditional music in Florida (Florida Folklife Program, Division of Historic Resources, 2003).

Found in 30 Collections and/or Records:

CAS-1004.06.1 David and Clarke Lee, February 15, 1997

 File — Box 11: Series Series 3, Folder: 15
Collection number: Folder 15
Scope and Contents

Equipment Used:Laurie Sommers

Informant Name:Laurie Sommers

Fieldworker:Home of David and Cathy Lee, Hoboken

Engineer:

Location:

Content Summary:

Notes:

Technical Summary:

Genre:

Places:

People:

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Keywords:

Dates: February 15, 1997

DAT-1002.01 Alton Carter and Elliott West Interview, February 1, 1998

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 1
Collection number: Folder 1
Scope and Contents item_title: Alton Carter and Elliott West Interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title:equipment_used:informant_name:fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 02/01/98recording_location: Folkstoncontent_summary: "Interview with Alton Carter, boss, and Elliott West, his worker for many years, on West's front porch. The two reminisce about the turpentine...
Dates: February 1, 1998

DAT-1002.02 Carter and West in the Woods, April 18, 1998

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 2
Collection number: Folder 2
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002.02item_title: Carter and West in the Woodscall_number: PRJ-1002project_title: ;equipment_used: ;informant_name: Eddie B. Robinson, Alton Carter, Elliott Westfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 04/18/98recording_location: Ware Countycontent_summary: Recording of the three turpentine men, boss Carter and workers Robinson and...
Dates: April 18, 1998

DAT-1002.03 Taylor Brothers interview, September 12, 1999

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 3
Collection number: Folder 3
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002.03item_title: Taylor Brothers interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title:equipment_used:informant_name: "Clarence Taylor, Willie B. Taylor, C.J. Taylor,"fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 12-Sep-99recording_location: "Blackshear, home of Junior Taylor"content_summary: Interview at home of Junior Taylor regarding the...
Dates: September 12, 1999

DAT-1002.04 Harley Langdale Jr. Interview, April 16, 2002

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 4
Collection number: Folder 4
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002.04item_title: Harley Langdale Jr. Interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002informant_name: Harley Langdale, Jr.fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 16-Apr-02recording_location: Valdostacontent_summary: Interview with Langdale at his office discussing his early life and career in turpentining. Langdale's interview is from point of view of both worker and...
Dates: April 16, 2002

DAT-1002.10 Interview with Patricia Brockinton, September 4, 2003

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 8
Collection number: Folder 8
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002.10item_title: Interview with Patricia Brockintoncall_number: PRJ-1002informant_name: Patricia Wetherington Brockintonfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 04-Sep-03recording_location: Woodpecker Route, Fargocontent_summary: Interview with Brockinton about life in Dayton Turpentine Camp, running the commissary with her late husband Robert...
Dates: September 4, 2003

DAT-1002.12 Eula Lee Arnold Interview, November 30, 2004

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 9
Collection number: Folder 9
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002.12item_title: Eula Lee Arnold Interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title: ;equipment_used: ;informant_name: Eula Lee Arnoldfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 30-Nov-04recording_location: Valdostacontent_summary: Interview with Eula Arnold in her home discussing growing up as the daughter of a sharecropper and a...
Dates: November 30, 2004

DAT-1002.13 Bessie Kincade Smith interview, December 6, 2004

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 10
Collection number: Folder 10
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002. 13item_title: Bessie Kincade Smith interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title: Turpentineequipment_used: ;informant_name: Lazaree Moore Thomas, Bessie Kincade Smith,fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 06-Dec-04recording_location: Hahiracontent_summary: Interview with Smith, along with her friend and pastor Thomas,...
Dates: December 6, 2004

DAT-1002.14 Acline Melton interview, January 6, 2005

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 11
Collection number: Folder 11
Scope and Contents id: DAT-1002.14item_title: Acline Melton interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title: Turpentineinformant_name: Acline Meltonfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 06-Jan-05recording_location: Fruitlandcontent_summary: Two tapes (second quite short) of interview with Acline Melton 'rambling' about his lifetime experience working in the woods,...
Dates: January 6, 2005

DAT-1002.15 Joseph Johns Interview, January 16, 2005

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 12
Collection number: Folder 12
Scope and Contents item_title: Joseph Johns interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002project_title: Turpentineequipment_used: ;informant_name: Joseph Johnsfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 16-Jan-05recording_location: Peabody, MA Peabody, MAcontent_summary: Handwritten detailed responses to initial questionnaire which Johns answered in writing regarding working turpentine in...
Dates: January 16, 2005

DAT-1002.19 Joseph Johns follow-up interview, February 28, 2005

 File — Box 2: Series Series 1, Folder: 15
Collection number: Folder 15
Scope and Contents item_title: Joseph Johns follow-up interviewcall_number: PRJ-1002informant_name: Joseph Johnsfieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommersrecording_engineer: Laurie Kay Sommersdate: 28-Feb-05recording_location: Peabody, MA phone interviewcontent_summary: Follow-up to initial questionnaire which Johns answered in writing (see DAT.1002.15). Discusses Johns' experiences in turpentining in South Georgia, including mules,...
Dates: February 28, 2005

Folder 2: Legacy and Meaning in the Changing Sacred Harp Tradition of the Okefenokee Region

 File — Box 39: Series Series 13, Folder: 2
Collection number: Folder 2
Scope and Contents

Article by Dr. Laurie Sommers from The Florida Folklife Reader

Dates: 1996 - 2006

George W. Harrington, Interview transcript and Field Notes, February 10, 2004 (PDF)

 Digital Work
Collection number: 7A4BCF88-29B6-6984-4262-2C1BBFBF5749

Interview with Acline Melton, January 6, 2005

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 078_melton-acline
Collection number: PRJ1014-078
Scope and Contents

Oral history interview with Acline Melton, January 6, 2005. Echols County (Ga.). Fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommers. Audio file digitized from DAT tape. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.

Two tapes (second quite short) of interview with Acline Melton 'rambling' about his lifetime experience working in the woods, including turpentining.

Dates: January 6, 2005

Interview with Alton Carter and Elliot West, February 1, 1998, April 18, 1998

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 084_carter-alton_west-elliot
Collection number: PRJ1014-084
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Alton Carter and Elliot West, February 1, 1998 and April 18, 1998. Folkston (Ga.). Eddie B. Robinson also interviewed. Fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommers. Audio files digitized from DAT tapes. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections. DAT-1002.01: Alton Carter and Elliott West Interview, February 1, 1998....
Dates: February 1, 1998; April 18, 1998

Interview with Bessie Kincade Smith, December 6, 2004

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 080_smith-bessie
Collection number: PRJ1014-080
Scope and Contents

Oral history interview with Bessie Kincade Smith, December 6, 2004. Hahira (Ga.). Fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommers. Audio file digitized from DAT tape. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.

Interviewed on the front porch of Ms. Smith's home. Role of women for Faces of Piney Woods project. No transcript on file.

Dates: December 6, 2004

Interview with Clarence Taylor, September 12, 1999

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 082_taylor-clarence
Collection number: PRJ1014-082
Scope and Contents Part of Taylor Brothers Interview, September 12, 1999. See PRJ1014-067Oral history interview with Clarence James "CJ" Taylor and Brothers, September 12, 1999. Blackshear (Ga.). Fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommers. Audio file digitized from cassette tape. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special...
Dates: September 12, 1999

Interview with Clarke Lee, February 15, 1997, June 20, 2005

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 086_lee-clarke
Collection number: PRJ1014-086
Scope and Contents Oral history interviews with Wilbur Clarke Lee, February 15, 1997 and June 20, 2005. Hoboken (Ga.). Fieldworker: Laurie Kay Sommers. Audio files digitized from DAT or cassette tape. Part of the Sacred Harp Series: South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections. Includes: Interview with David Lee and Clarke Lee, Hoboken (Ga.), February 15, 1997. Home of David and Cathy Lee, Hoboken. Includes transcript. CAS-1004.06...
Dates: February 15, 1997; June 20, 2005

Interview with Elvera Dowling Lee, June 26, 1997

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 090_lee-elvera
Collection number: PRJ1014-090
Scope and Contents

Oral history interview with Elvera Dowling Lee, June 26, 1997. Waycross (Ga.). Fieldworker: Laurie K. Sommers. Audio file digitized from DAT and cassette tape. Part of the Sacred Harp Series, South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.

Dates: June 26, 1997

Interview with Eula Lee Watkins Arnold, November 30, 2004

 File — Bag \folklife\prj1014\: Series PRJ1014, Folder: 074_watkins-arnold-eula
Collection number: PRJ1014-074
Scope and Contents Oral history interview with Eula Lee Watkins Arnold, November 30, 2004. Valdosta (Ga.). Fieldworker: Laurie Sommers. Audio file digitized from DAT tape. Part of the South Georgia Folklife Project at Valdosta State University Archives and Special Collections.Interview by Laurie Sommers, done after Faces of Piney Woods project, as part of effort to get more on life of women in turpentine quarters.Bag includes audio recording, tape log and transcript, artist data sheet,...
Dates: November 30, 2004