Almost 80
Almost 80 is a podcast that features the life of Bennye, starting from rural Texas in the 1940s, to her years of teaching music, singing in musical and opera productions, and her prolific career as a church musician.
Episodes
8 episodes
The Cost of School Integration: My Brothers' and Sisters' Stories
Keisha interviews her mother, Bennye, now 81, about the Bethlehem School’s history and what happened after school integration following the 1964 Civil Rights Act. She learned from Kenneth Payne of the Bowie County Historical Society that Bethle...
Dream Deferred, Dream Fulfilled: Completing Bennye’s Educational Journey
Host Keisha interviews her mother about her path to higher education after an unexpected pregnancy following her college acceptance. Facing that decision, she rejected abortion out of fear and first confided in a trusted figure, Miss Vera, befo...
Bennye's Early Education
Bennye and Keisha sit down for a conversation about Bennye's primary and secondary education. Starting with kindgergarten, moving through making her way to a state-wide competition when she was 7, and then learning multiple instruments i...
Everyday Life
In this episode of Almost 80, hosts Bennye and Keisha sit down with Bennye's brother Alvin—affectionately called Uncle Flea—to reminisce about their childhood in the Bethlehem community. They discuss growing up on a 50-acre farm witho...
A Turn of Events
In this episode, Bennye describes how a tragedy in 1947 changed the trajectory of her family's life. 00:00 Welcome and Introduction00:36 Catching Up After a Long Break01:33 Family Background and Early Memories04:0...
Those Who Came Before
In this episode of Almost 80, Bennye and her daughter, Keisha, revisit their family history after a summer-long break. They discuss their past episodes, covering Bennye's childhood experiences in East Texas, including picking cotton and explain...
DeKalb, Texas: Growing up in the Bethlehem Community
This podcast episode features a heartwarming conversation between Bennye and her daughter, Keisha, reminiscing about the mother's upbringing in De Kalb, Texas, and the surrounding Bethlehem community. Bennye shares vivid memories of her s...