Carol's Life Story
Full Transcription of Interview 1
Full Transcription of Interview 2
“It’s
all about passion. It’s all about really caring and then therefore wanting to
make a difference. And if you’ve got that, the opportunity and the location
exists.”—Carol Spaulding Fox
Carol Spaulding Fox was born in Chase City, Virginia in 1940. Like both her mother and grandmother before her, Carol attended Hollins University. During her time at Hollins Carol became involved in the Math Department and the Paris abroad program. It wasn't until later on in Carol's life when she was married with children living in West Point, Virginia that activism became her focus.
After her church set out to raise money to buy a new bell for its tower, Carol sought to convince the congregation that the money would be better spent serving the community. The $500 originally raised for the bell was redirected to the creation of The Parent-Child Development Center. Carol became the executive director of the center advocating education and literacy programs for both children and their guardians in the community.
Since then Carol has continued her work as a community volunteer in a number of areas including politics and environmental issues. During my time with Carol, she stressed the importance of close family bonds that inspired her passion for giving back to the community. Furthermore, she attributed her time at Hollins with a close-knit group of friends to her ability to network amongst them for the purpose of volunteer work after college until the present.
Interviewing Carol was a very powerful experience for me, not just because of how inspiring she was but also because of our connection to a rural area of Virginia. Known as the Northern Neck of Virginia, this small coastal region is comprised of towns on the water, where "everybody knows everybody." When I went to interview Carol in Reedville, I knew it was a car ride away from Irvington, where much of my family lives and where I did some of my growing up. What I didn't know was that she had a connection to my family, rallying in the same social circles as them for years. I may have met Carol before without even realizing it! This not only impacted my relationship to Carol in this process but how I approached location and community relationships in examining her story. It goes to show that we are truly all connected in one form or another. To read selected quotes from Carol's transcript click on the link below.
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