Brett Gilbert, 2006 October 26

Brett Gilbert recounts his life and experiences in Lincoln County and in Charlotte, North Carolina. Growing up on a dairy farm in rural Lincoln County, Mr. Gilbert explains how most people were poor farmers and that with the exception of atomic bomb drills in school, he grew up mostly unaware of events happening in the rest of the world. Joining the Army National Guard in 1960, Mr. Gilbert explains how it was the military that exposed him to people from all over the country, leading to his growing awareness of the rest of the world outside of the South. After leaving the military, he worked for IBM and he discusses his time with the company, in particular the opportunities it gave him to travel around the world. Mr. Gilbert concludes the interview with a long discussion of his views on the African American Civil Rights Movement, the Vietnam War, Southern culture and its benefits to business, and on social and cultural issues at the time of the interview.