Interview with Eunice Mixon, October 2, 2008

BOB SHORT: Im Bob Short, and this is Reflections on Georgia Politics, sponsored by the Richard B. Russell Library at the University of Georgia. We have a very special guest today, Eunice Mixon, who is a longtime Georgia political activist and public servant. Most people in Georgia know you as Miss Eunice. Can I refer to you as Miss Eunice? Well, Miss Eunice, Id like to begin, if you dont mind, by asking you to tell us about yourself and growing up in Tifton, Tift County, Georgia.

EUNICE MIXON: I would like to. Unfortunately, we dont have time for me to tell you all about those wonderful people that helped make me be what I am, and 00:01:00the people that helped me do whatever the things that I got done, and the things that they did that I was able to help them with. I believe that I was a child of fortune, even though I was born on a small South Georgia farm where the economy had not changed much since Reconstruction. And I came from people - - my parents did not go to college, but they were, I know now, enlightened people. The people before them - - there have been doctors and lawyers as uncles - - uncles and aunts - - but my direct line was always farmers. But they were able to convey to me - - I dont remember them saying, but you just knew - - that you did what you could for the neighbors, and your neighbors ripple out a long way sometimes. 00:02:00Sometimes people a long way from that small farm in Tift County made a difference to what happened to your neighbors. I can remember, say, if someone was going to run for sheriff or county commission, those kind of candidates would come by and sit on the front porch and talk with Daddy. Maybe I should tell you why I got to hear so much. We were such bad kids, my parents could stand only one at a time. And I had a big brother who was a - - theres twenty years - - well, there were three of us - - twenty years between my brothers, and I came in between. And my big brother was a teenager by the time I can remember him. And then because I married two months past 17, but I finished high school 00:03:00at 16, and Momma and Daddy thoroughly approved of Albert, they just didnt approve of my age. My mother was, Well, at least one of you is grown. And I used to tell them the best thing I ever did for them was to get them a good son that would stay in South Georgia with them. But we had - - and so I can remember sitting at the table with my big brother, and then I can remember being the only one at the table. And then my little brother started school the year after I married. And I dont think I ever heard the term used, the word babysitter, in South Georgia. If my parents had - - if there was some - - if there was something that they were afraid youd catch - - oh, Lord, the 00:04:00summer I stayed home when polio was around - - you stayed with Grandma and Grandpa when they went to town. But - - and I would - - so I was always either with Momma or Daddy. Now my mother - - my mother and father belonged and took me to the Brookfield Baptist Church. We lived nearby, and my mother would get out a parasol, and we would walk the short distance down to what youd call the village of Brookfield. And my mother would go to missionary meetings, PTA meetings in the afternoons, and visit people. And - - but women, if there was anything interesting to talk about, theyd go to whispering. You didnt learn an awful whole lot. But with Daddy, whenever the truck cranked, you know, 00:05:00of course Id be in it. And hed say - - he called me Baby until I got married, and then he started calling me Miss Eunice. But he would say, Baby, if you want to go with me, go powder your nose. And Id go in and feel around on my mothers dresser until I found the powder box, and Daddy said Id come out looking like Id been in the flour barrel sometimes, and off wed go. And we would go like to the general store in Brookfield - - a lot of interesting talk there. Men probably - - they probably didnt cuss as much then, though, anyway as they do now, so they - - I didnt hear cuss words. But, man, I heard all about Roosevelt; I heard about Talmadge; and I heard the reasons that it made a difference. But farmers are eternal optimists. And so, 00:06:00This next crop is going to be better, and This time were going to elect somebody thatll be good for us. And I remember, oh, the tobacco market, the peanut mill, feed mill, wherever I went. And I believe having experiences with all kinds of people - - men as comfortably as women - - I think that stood me in good stead, because I got involved a little earlier, you know, when there was still a little bit of a culture of, really, nice ladies dont get involved with that kind of thing. My next good fortune was marrying a good man who - - he had fought World War II. He was 13 years older than I was, and when he came home, all he wanted to do was buy a little farm, 00:07:00and it never took anything to make him happy but his little farm and his wife and his boys. Of course, I always had something going. And when we had been married eight years, I told him that when - - now, let me tell you, I was a farm wife like they dont even make nowadays. When I started going to school, I told my husband they changed the whole mode of farming. When we first married - - now being a farmers wife is a lot more trouble than being a farmers daughter, a lot more work. And we had a small farm and a big mortgage, so hed get on the tractor and I would take a crew to the field to hoe peanuts, sucker tobacco. And you have to take the lead row if anybody else is going to get much done. And when about the time I started to school, they started using herbicides 00:08:00for weeds, put maleic hydrazide on tobacco so you didnt have to sucker it, I said, You know what? They had to change the whole system. Yall couldnt get along without me. They couldnt farm by hand like that anymore. But anyway, when I told Albert that when the boys got older, Id like to go to school, you didnt have people - - you had had a generation of young men who went to college on the GI bill, but by - - when I told my husband this, it was 1956, and that wave had kind of gone through. And it was just kind of a pipe dream. I had occupied those eight years with farm work, womens club work, Red 00:09:00Cross, church ladies group, Sunday school, vacation Bible school, local home demonstration clubs, and Id pretty well stayed off the street and out of trouble. And Johnny was born four years after we were married, and Jimmy was born three years later. And when he was a year old, I told Albert that when the boys got older, I wanted to go to school because I wanted to be a teacher. He said, Why not go now? Isnt that unusual?

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: For a South Georgia farmer to say, Why dont you go now? I think back over the years, I think that he just had a big, soft heart, and if I wanted something, he wanted me to have it, unless it cost more than he thought he could afford. And so, you know, just - - you can tell him, but you dont get it by cajoling, you dont get it by fussing. Thats just the way it is. And I 00:10:00think, though, that in a way, he really siphoned off my energy some. And now this is - - now remember, politics has not entered my mind except to vote. I knew that it was important to vote. And when I was 40 years old, I had been teaching, and I had completed my masters and completed my specialist, and that summer, I was looking for something new. And I thought that I would - - I thought playing golf would be fun. Well, it is until the sun gets up. Albert would go out with me, and he would - - you know, he was a natural athlete, and 00:11:00he would help me. But the trouble is, you cant play nine holes before - - I mean, no matter how early you start. That sun is up and its hot, and if Im going to stand out in the sun, I want to be doing some good, not just getting hot. And so that was the year that Busbee called me. They dont do it that way now.

SHORT: George Busbee.

MIXON: George Busbee. George Busbee called me at home after school. And we vaguely knew each other. I knew he headed appropriation because I had been part of a teachers groupthat - - Id met him a few times because he would meet with us when wed talk about what teachers thought was important. And I know now that, okay, I was the best person he could get. You know why I was the best person? I was the only one. That makes you the best person. When he ran, 00:12:00remember Maddox assumed that Carter was just keeping the seat warm for him, you know, while he was lieutenant governor, and Maddox was going to come back and be governor again. Well, youve got some other well-qualified people thinking about the same thing. Youve got Bert Lance, and, of course, his Carter friends in Tifton were close to him. David Gambrell, who was a senator, quite well qualified. And a Southwest Georgia hero, George T. Smith, we liked to say the only man that ever served in three branches of the government, who went to the same school that - - you know, the local school, Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. Hes also a graduate of that, where I first went. And - - oh, and Bobby Rowan, and you just loved him to pieces, and he had such a great 00:13:00- - you remember what a great record he had in the senate. He changed some opinions of the backwards South Georgia, I think.

SHORT: Mm-hmm. Very effective senator.

MIXON: Oh, he was tremendous. So I am not thinking about anything except - - oh, by the way, I taught science. I taught eighth grade general science, and then after I got other degrees, I taught high school biology and chemistry and physics. At one time, I taught human anatomy and physiology to nurse trainees at the college. Because, see, once you - - thats not as great as it sounds, to be certified to teach chemistry, physics, and biology through the college level, because as long as youve got three courses on the graduate level in a given topic, then you can teach that. But anyway, I had a number of interesting 00:14:00strings to my bow and was really enjoying them, and our boys were growing up a little bit. But the telephone rings one afternoon and George Busbee tells me that he would like me to chair Tift County. Now Ill ask you something. You will agree with me that if that were today, you would have a staff person contacting somebody that had deep pockets, or someone that had - - if you contacted a woman, a womans okay because theyll work. But he would locate a woman who either had money in her own right or who had a husband with a bunch of employees. That would be more likely. A little country girl like me would not 00:15:00be involved now. Now Im on the scene, so they just use me for whatever, but I wouldnt have had that kind of beginning. So he calls me at home after school and asked if I would chair Tift County. And my very honest response, I remember - - its a very dramatic moment for me - - but I said, Are we that bad off? Now you think about it. Now hes getting low in the jug if hes got to call an unknown teacher to chair the county. And I - - of course, all of these things I didnt know. I have normal intelligence, but there are things you just dont know. And I told him - - then, you know, he said things you ought to say. And I said, Well, let me see if I can get somebody else to do it. Ill help you find somebody. But he kept saying very nice things, and I was never one to turn down a challenge, so my last word to him was, I still think I ought to get somebody else, but if I cant, Ill do it, but Ill 00:16:00have to clear it with Albert. I said, You know, he hates me to get on committees because I get so involved, but I know that he doesnt want Talmadge reelected. And now, I mean, Albert didnt wake up every morning thinking what an evil man Tal - - Maddox - - excuse me, I misspeak sometimes. My excuse is that my brain is only a computer and its a very old model. But Albert, like me, felt the man was in over his head. He doesnt represent. He doesnt 00:17:00know Tift County. He doesnt know our culture. And so I knew Albert would be very happy to support George Busbee. The only question was - - I dont think he was as much unkind to me about kind of holding me down sometimes as he was protecting me. I know just about the only thing - - now of course, something he couldnt afford. Never mind that. Well just drop that one, because bear in mind, he carried on his business like his grandfather, who was a Confederate soldier, would have done. If you had the money, you bought it. Wed been married - - Lord a mercy - - six, seven, eight years. I didnt - - if I wanted to go somewhere, I had to use a pickup truck. He didnt buy me a car, because he couldn't afford to buy it, and he wasnt about to pay down on one. Of course, now me, Id charge anything thatll let me. But when - - this was 00:18:00really a turning point. I didnt realize it when I accepted that responsibility, but it really was, and my life would have been a great deal different if I had said, Well, Ive got, you know, more than I can do. But I liked George, and I couldnt - - and also, I thought at the time that I was going to get somebody else. So I did the logical thing. I drove to town and went in to see the chairman of the county commission and said, Charles, I know good and well that you are not going to vote for Maddox with George Busbee available, and I know youre going to be a Busbee supporter, and it would just go great if you would chair his committee. I mean, we can carry the county. Wasnt I nave? He said - - but he gave me the courtesy, thank goodness. You 00:19:00know how women have so often been patted on the head. But he gave me respect and he said - - I dont get patted on the head as much now. They respect an old head a little better. But Charles says, Eunice, I cant do that. If I guess wrong, I take the county down with me. But I knew - - but I wanted him bad, and I said, Well, I tell you what, Charles. If you do what you can in your way, Ill be the front man, and if anything good comes of it, the county can do it - - county can have it. What can they do for me? Give me a job? Ive got more than I can do. And I just - - I just considered wed cut a deal, and he carried out his part of the deal. I dont know - - I dont know what he 00:20:00said to whom, but from time to - - I probably didnt spend $200, but that came from him or his friends. There was a time or two I wanted to do an ad. He carried out his part of the bargain, and I did too. Every once in a while - - boy, he could think of more things. Lets see, what office was it that he loved so well? Oh, Department of Community--is it--

SHORT: Community Affairs.

MIXON: Community Affairs, yes, where they give grants.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: And there was - - and he could think of more things. He got a lot of them, too, because he was smart enough to know the things that were worth the state paying attention to. And he would write his grant, and I would tell people 00:21:00that this was coming and that I personally knew, and other people knew, how valuable it was. I enjoyed that time very much. Albert was very cheerful about it. He would go along with me. You know, normally, he wouldnt leave the farm except to go to church or town, but during those years, he would be pretty cheerful about putting on a tuxedo and going where I wanted to go. And, of course, thats what being married is, taking turns doing what the other one wants to do. Im glad that I got involved. Ill tell you something else I thought about too. When I was thinking about getting involved, was this: I didnt think it as being - - think of it as being all that different from when I would gather up things to help my kids understand - - well, teenagers, mostly, 00:22:00that I taught - - but to show them or help them understand whatever it was that I wanted them to learn. Bear in mind, when you start talking about the Kreps cycle of photosynthesis, theres not much sex appeal in that, and so you try to think of things that you know that theyll need sometime. And did you know the political climate - - not just my children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren now - - the political climate affects their lives so much. All of those kids that I had all those years. Id have this room full of them for a year, and they would o things that they really didnt particularly want to do, didnt think it was worth all that much, but theyd go along with me. And you work with them and you care what happens to them. They dont walk out 00:23:00of your room and you not care. And you dont want those kids to walk out of your room into a poisonous political atmosphere. You dont want them to walk out into poor economic conditions. And leadership - - leadership - - I dont suppose that leadership can make good things happen all the time, but they can be in a position to scuttle things sometimes. Of course, sometimes they can make good things happen. Albert used to tease me and say, Honey, youd stick with a former student if he stole a horse. I said, Well, most of them dont go around stealing horses.

SHORT: So election day came in 1974. There was a runoff between Maddox, who many people thought would win, and George Busbee, who had been a great 00:24:00legislator, 18 years in the house, chairman of appropriations, probably knew as much about state government as anybody. And they get into a runoff. What happened then?

MIXON: That was so exciting. Remember, there was so little that I knew. I was just instinctive about - - look, if you spend your life trying to get teenagers to pay attention to you, you develop some idea of what people might be interested in. I would - - I would fix meals for people - - no, no, that was before then. Were talking about - - were talking about when you get to the nitty-gritty. Okay, Charles told me. I know I stayed up just about all night the 00:25:00night of the election because Charles had said that a certain level that we could beat - - if we could get in the runoff at a certain level, that we would be able to beat Talmadge. And so I kept - - to keep from waking Albert up, I would - - we didnt have cell phones then, and Id go to a phone in the kitchen that had a long extension cord. And the bedroom was in the other end of the house, but he had told me about two oclock it was time for me to get some sleep. So I would go down to the kitchen and pull the phone out the back door and call again to get the latest news that I could get. And so then were into a runoff, and we had planned - - we planned a breakfast for him. You wouldve loved our sign. We had a sign at the Holiday Inn - - thats where you did 00:26:00things that were important - - and the sign said, By George, this aint Maddox country! We thought that was clever. Im sure itd been used 100 years. By the way, didnt George have his, Elect a work horse, not a show horse.

SHORT: Work horse, not a show horse.

MIXON: Didnt that work in with Maddox so well?

SHORT: It did.

MIXON: Now I did like the one with - - Sam had a good one. Put Sam Nunn in Washington.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: And this summer, we elected a wonderful senator. I had to vote in a Republican primary to get him, but this wonderful Judge Crosby, who was a retired Superior Court judge. We needed a senator bad.

SHORT: State senator.

MIXON: State senator. Yes, yes. And, of course, I couldnt contribute much except convince him that Id - - try to convince him that Id never known him to turn down a need before, and hed just be an absolute shoo-in. I even - - I traded on my reputation a little bit, which isnt really ethical, but I thought that it was for a good cause. I said, Now Judge Crosby, youve always said that I was good at picking a winner. And I said, That being true, jump in! Well, you say Albert invented the five-second delay for answering a question. Well, Judge Crosby invented the five-day delay for making a decision. But he ran. My gosh, he carried his home county like 72 percent, wiped everybody else out too. And some smart person - - somebody smarter than me - - came up with You can count on Crosby. Just simply, You can count on Crosby. But were talking about Busbee today, and the thing that I - - that 00:28:00I think that Ill mention this to you. I used to didnt tell this when people asked me questions because I didnt like to reflect on people that had been friends. And its really not all that bad, its just part of the culture. Its part of the culture; it still lingers a little bit. Women have got long hair and short brains. And so there was a gentleman who had been kind, but I think that he felt that - - he was a very prominent businessman, and he was pretty sure Maddox was going to get reelected. But if I were going to be - - you know, if I was stirring up such a dust, and I did stir up a little dust, I thought that - - I thought you were supposed to have a campaign headquarters. So 00:29:00I asked - - Im going back to it because beforehand affects what happened later, this other story that I think Ill tell you. I think the ladies would appreciate it. But I wanted a headquarters. Youre supposed to have a political headquarters, I thought. Id never seen one, but I thought you ought to have one. And so I asked Charles if he would ask Mr. Tommy Tift, who was a - - oh, gosh, I mix up my generations - - Captain Tift, who was the founder of Tifton, a Connecticut Yankee who married a local belle, Miss Bessie Willingham, and always said Tifton had that hybrid vigor with a Connecticut Yankee and the local girl. But he did not live in Tifton, but he had a lot of holdings in Tifton, and he was known to be a shrewd businessman. And I said, Charles, I 00:30:00dont know that man and you do. I said, When he comes to Tifton, you tell him that that corner where Brooks Drug Store used to be. I said, Thatd be a great corner for campaign headquarters. He said, Okay. So, you know, its a couple of weeks and he finally gets to Mr. Tift. I said, Whatd he say? Im not going to tell you what he said, but hes not a Busbee man. Well, you can imagine how much that suited me. That building is sitting there empty, and its the perfect place. So I found out the lawyers name that handled his real estate, and I went to that lawyer and I said, You know, I know some of the Tift people. I know Miss Wheaty, his niece, is such a nice lady, and she and her husband Homer Rankin that owned the 00:31:00paper are good citizens. And Ive always heard that he was a shrewd - - I cannot imagine a shrewd businessman letting a place stay empty. I said, Would you ask him what hed rent it for? And I dont know where Im going to get the money. I probably wont get it out of Albert, but I want the place. So I went another week or so, and he called me and said, Come get the key. And I said, What will it be? He says, Well, he told me I could do what I wanted to with it, and you just take it. I said, Great. And I said, Youre going to get the biggest in-kind contribution credit that anybody ever got for an office building. And so, lets see, the Atlanta headquarters helped me get the lights turned on, and probably had contact with - 00:32:00- see, I didnt know how to make these contacts, but if I got a headquarters, Atlanta helped me. They got a drink machine in there with free drinks. And the little Gazette boys would come by every afternoon with their newspapers and come in and get them a free drink, and Id give them stuff to take out with them. And I had then - - now, see, Im old; dont accuse me of being - - nobody should ever think that I was so nave I was dumb enough to get in politics. I was old enough to know better. I was already a grandma. I was 40 years old. And I had this cute little granddaughter who was less than a year old. And if I had her for any time, I would take her down to the headquarters with me, and, see, weve got this plate glass window. Now I would not put her in the display, but, I mean, shes in the building, but, you know, right through the window. 00:33:00And Id put her little playpen there, and she was so cute, and my brother accused me of exploiting cute little girls for political purposes. But she had a good time, and I did too, and that all turned out real well. Well, this - - then when we get in the runoff - - I know I need to tell you all the help that I had. The Tomlinsons, its a young couple there, and they were talented and they helped me do some things, but I really didnthave much of a crew. I really didnt. It was just a few people that I - - because everybody assumed Maddox was going to get elected, and I dont think they were as active as they are now. I think that Im wandering on, but old people wander on, so Ill just 00:34:00keep wandering on. But youre making me remember some good times when Albert was with me, and my family. Of course, now my boys were grown by then. There are two sons, and the youngest one had gone off to Atlanta to live with his uncle to go to school. And so it was Albert and me and not as big a tobacco crop as we had been dealing with, so - - but politics is a lot more interesting than playing golf, I can tell you right now, and a lot more useful. In fact, if I were an important businessman and had to play golf, you know what Id do? Id hire somebody to do it for me. I just simply would not fool with it. Well, I had been wanting to go over to Savannah. I had never visited the Lutheran 00:35:00church there, a brick church that was built before the Revolution, still standing where my German ancestor was a member and his children, including my long-ago grandpa was christened. And Alberts people were across the river in South Carolina, and he had never been to the Mixon home places. So we had agreed early in the summer that we would go over there immediately after the election. And so we were going to be gone for about three days, and I was going to have a meeting. I had announced a meeting for, you know, like five days. Well, when the gentleman businessman who I had - - was one of the people that I had asked to be the chairman, said that he, you know, just wasnt in a position to help me, 00:36:00but he would help me later on. Well, when Albert and I left town for three days, he called a meeting and - - of Busbee people. And, you know, Busbee people come out of the woodwork when he gets in the runoff with Maddox.

SHORT: Mm-hmm. Right.

MIXON: Theyre just all - - by the way, thats the way I established - - I dont think I deserve any particular credit. I knew George Busbee and I liked him, and I wasnt any big political guru. There was just somebody that was worthy of being governor, and I wanted to help him. But other people are afraid to be involved. Theyre afraid theyll lose. But shoot, youre not going to lose unless you risk winning. I mean, excuse me; again, Im misspeaking. I think you know, though, before I straighten out my point that unless you are 00:37:00willing to step out and risk losing, you are never a winner. You sit on the fence and you dont lose, but you dont win either.

SHORT: Thats what Marvin Griffin called a tweensy.

MIXON: The what?

SHORT: Tweensy.

MIXON: Oh, I like that word! Thats - - Bob, I knew that Id learn some stuff from you.

SHORT: Oh, my goodness.

MIXON: I like that one. I like that one. Anybody that personally associated with Marvin Griffin and Talmadge and then the - - you associated with the whole range of Georgia politicians, you really did, because Carl Sanders, the epitome of the New South, viewed across the nation as progressive.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: And then our more colorful characters. I bet your computers pretty well overloaded.

SHORT: Well, I came along at a very interesting time.

MIXON: Yeah. Well, now, I think those times, though, were better than now. Its interesting now, but you know one of the old curses was, May you live in interesting times.

SHORT: Right. Right.

MIXON: And these times are just a little bit too interesting for me.

SHORT: Thats true, yes.

MIXON: But remembering the fun times, good old Albert backing me up in whatever fool thing I wanted to do. And Charles, and theres another county commissioner. Charles Kent was the chairman of the county commission, and he moved on. He headed the state organization at one time. By the way, his wife Louise was a distant kin to me. You know, only southerners know things like 00:39:00that. You have to go back. I think that the Confederate soldier had a sister that was an ancestor of mine. But we claimed kin. I like Louise. So - - and he had a - - just about his best friend, I suppose, on the county commission was Ray Taylor. And all during the summer, the only real political meetings that were held, if I got concerned about something, I would call Charles and Charles would call Ray, and we would meet in the back of Charles furniture store in the mornings, because in the afternoon, Charles stayed at the courthouse. And so wed have our quick little conferences there. And when Albert and I - - jumping again, the needle; somebody bumped the old record.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: Does anybody remember the 33 rpms?

SHORT: Oh, yes.

MIXON: And if you bumped the record, it would jump.

SHORT: Right.

MIXON: Well, when youre talking to me, I bump the record every once in a while. It drops another slot. So Albert and I go off to South Carolina, and this man, who would not speak up, made his move, so to speak.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: So he calls everybody, and he - - they have a Busbee meeting. And this man nominates another prominent man to be - - Miss Eunice did a great job during the campaign, but now that were in the runoff, we men need to step forward to make sure it works out right. And so Charles and Ray both gave me great detail of how they defended my position and did not let somebody else take 00:41:00over at this point. They stood up and argued very forcefully that I had worked my head off all the summer and that it should not be taken from me. I probably did not - - it didnt cross my mind, probably, until a couple years ago that Charles and Ray were protecting their investment too. But thats fair.

SHORT: Sure.

MIXON: For goodness sake. And it was kind of them to make sure. See, they could have taken over. They could have said, Well, you know, weve been with him all the time. But did you know that you would not have a motion made like that now. See, somebody makes them - - somebody in 1974 will say, Well, that sweet, dear little lady did a good job, and now she needs somebody to really 00:42:00make sure it gets done. Things have changed. Things have changed. But I wasnt particularly offended, you know. Now, if Id lost, I guess I wouldve been, but why get offended if nobody hurts you.

SHORT: Right.

MIXON: So - - but he went down fighting. When we had the breakfast, they gave me this beautiful crystal and gold candy dish as a gift for all I had done. And I understood that meant I was supposed to retire; I just didnt. I just kept doing what I was supposed to do. And it was - - it was lots of fun. You cant - - it cant be as much fun anymore. Let me tell you about the - - nowadays, advertising - - Lord, if you dont mortgage the farm before you go up there, 00:43:00dont bother to take out any ads. But I think the only ads that I did was on the radio. I wanted to advertise our - - a barbecue we had for him. And, oh, thats where I got some real respect - - I mean, like you give to men. We wanted to raise some money. And this sounds so small compared with the way we throw money around now, but you have to get into the context of the overall cost of things in 74. But I went to - - Albert and I went to Atlanta one weekend during the runoff when we were planning a - - were planning a fundraising barbecue during the runoff period. And my brother told - - in fact, we almost 00:44:00made a special trip. My brother - - big brother - - my big brother came to Atlanta to seek his fortune in the 50s, and he, at one point, went to work with Carey Paul, who had a series of Ford dealerships. And they were, my brother and Carey Paul, were very close. They were both in the DeKalb County sheriffs posse, which Im sure that they were good citizens, but what they really did was ride horses, you know, in the parade. But, you know, they did good things too. And my brother called me and said that Carey Paul wanted to see me the next time I came to Atlanta. And he had been - - he and Mildred had taken a meal with 00:45:00Albert and me a few times. They would come down for various reasons and we would see them. But anyway, he wanted to see me next time I came to Atlanta. And Ithought, okay, were talking - - he guessed wrong; I know he did. And also - - oh, did you know that George Busbee gave his chairman a steak dinner during the runoff period? Thats right. And so we were coming up for that. Man, you dont waste good advertising money on steak anymore, do you? But it paid off for George, didnt it?

SHORT: It did.

MIXON: We came to - - we all came in dressed up. And, oh, and in those days, men not only, you know, had to at least be dressed up at night, not always have a tuxedo, but we ladies put on a long dress and a fox stole. We dressed up when the sun went down. And so I went - - we went by to see Carey, and - - oh, and I 00:46:00did my homework, though, before I went up. Now see, being from a long line of farmers, Im pragmatic to a fault. And Im nave about some things, but I know that if somebody did not want to go with the winner, if he wants to be part of the action, he wants to - - so I called, the night - - the afternoon before I went up, I called headquarters. And Harris, who was the - - had served in the legislature, the grandson of Joel Chandler Harris. I forgot Harriss first name. He had been taking my calls. But he went out to open that new bank in DeKalb County.

SHORT: Robin.

MIXON: Yeah, right. Right. Thank you. I knew - - two old computers work well, dont they? But he - - this is - - see, in the run - - see, he takes my calls until the runoff. And he goes out, hes opening a new bank in DeKalb County. And Al Burris, you remember, was president pro tem of the--

SHORT: Speaker pro tem of the house.

MIXON: Speaker pro tem. Im sorry. Ive been door-keeping for the senate the last few years and my language has deteriorated. No, the senate is still the upper chamber, to my notion. But anyway, when I called headquarters, Al Burris answered the phone. And I said, I need to talk to you, because my brother has a friend that I know guessed wrong. He wants to see me. I think he wants to buy in, and I want his money. But I know I cant speak for George Busbee. What can 00:48:00I tell him? Al Burris gave me as good of political advice, I think, as anybody could be given. Certainly, it was good for me, has helped me understand why some administrators have a good administration and some dont. And he gave me a way to ask for money that I didnt mind. So when Im talking with Carey, he tells me that theres something there as a - - with car dealerships, there was a board that mattered to him, and he was interested in that board. Well, this is playing out about like I think it will.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: Bear in mind, I may be politically nave, but Im a grandma and a farmer, and I dealt with teenagers. You learn a lot dealing with teenagers, too. And I said what Al told me to tell him: You tell him that George Busbee did not come this far by promising anybody anything. But all things being equal, friends will come first. Okay. So understand how you do it. If you go and make up an appointment, you dont line up your friends. You line up capable people and you go down the line until you come to a friend.

SHORT: Right.

MIXON: And youve got a right to name someone who shares your philosophy. After all, your philosophy was the one that was elected. So thats what I told him, and he wrote me out a $1,000 check. You cannot imagine how big that was in 00:50:00Tifton in 74. And my brother says, You give that to Eunice, and shell take that to Tifton. He says, I know, but I think shell appreciate it more. And I saw something else. What he was doing was he signs the check. Hes got his credit. If he makes me happy, makes me look good by delivering it, then hes got a friend at court for the same money. And I got full knowledge out of that. When we go into dinner that night - - so I get it Saturday morning, and when we go in to dinner that night, I proudly show that check to - - and George, of course, responds, the way, you know, that youd like for him to: Does that have as many zeros as I think it does? So when 00:51:00I got back to Tifton, Charles and Ray told me about how they hit the streets and they raised $6,000 in one day. Well, I raised $1,000. So I get to be part of the boys. But it never has changed, though. I am still expected to work with the menus. Im supposed to work with the menus. Im supposed to see that the tables are decorated, the programs go on, and raise money too. Women do both of it. Men just raise the money. Im sorry, Im stuck on the Busbee days, but they were - - they were - - that was my education. And look how fortunate I was. I had no idea how mean people could be in a political race, the in-fighting that could be going on in the campaign. Now Charles and Ray, they - - you know, I was the front man, and theyre just - - nobody was trying to - - now later, I 00:52:00would have people come aboard, like people to help me. You know, Joe Frank Harris, and Zell, and other people. And whatll happen there is - - now people will tell you, and they mean it, I dont care who gets credit. I dont have to have credit. I just want it done. But if they find out that Susie over there took credit, now theyll get mad as hops.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: And I know one campaign I had, I had a little gal, she could raise more dust in a minute than you could settle in a month. And I spent my time - - people I had worked with peacefully for years, doing. And so I learned - - I learned my politics the way ladies and gentlemen conduct themselves. The only kind of might be a little ugly advertising that was done - - and it wasnt 00:53:00ugly unless you really knew the story. And they would not even - - they did not tell me about it when they did it. It was okay. It was really very effective. There was a - - did you - - Leonard Morris served in the Marvin Griffin days.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: I dont know whether you would have known him or not. He was big and blustery and would be very comfortable with some of the politicians that we dont approve of nowadays.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: But Leonard Morris and A.N. Adcock - - and let me speak up right now for A.N.; hes given me a check for everything I ever had going ever since then. But they were supporting Maddox. And they had a recreation area with a lake that needed several miles of road paved, and it was paved during the Maddox - - I mean, it did - - it was good for nothing - - it did nothing except go out 00:54:00through the, what Daddy called cemetery dirt. You know, just sandy land that would have scrub oaks on it. It goes out for miles. It doesnt go anywhere except to their recreation spot and pretty lake. And, of course, there are other roads that werent paved.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: I opened the paper one day, and in the classified ads, theres a little thing that says, The best thing Lester Maddox ever did for Tift County was pave the road to Crystal Lake. And I liked it! Now, you know, okay, Ill go ahead and blow my cover. Im this nice little pleasant southern 00:55:00lady, but I also want to tend to business sometimes. So Ill just go ahead and blow my cover. It tickled me. I went in and I said, Charles, thats the cutest thing I ever saw. I said, Thats worth Oh, I was just so thrilled. And I said, Who did that? I dont know. Who did that? I dont know. Same thing out of Ray, I dont know. They just didnt - - of course, they did it. If they didnt do it, they knew who did it. But they were - - there were ladies and gentlemen. And so the runoff was just a - - just a lot - - it was work, of course. It was work. And we worked. I dont know whether - - I dont know whether people can - - can they break up this record to where they dont have to listen to me this long? Do we need to 00:56:00stop a minute and let anybody that might be listening at this point rest a minute?

SHORT: Well, Miss Eunice, youve certainly been involved in state politics. Thats apparent. Have you ever considered running for office yourself?

MIXON: No - - well, of course I did. When I say - - I didnt consider it in that I thought of it, but occasionally some people that were good friends of mine, people that I trusted - - I remember A.N. Adcock tol me one time that if I would run, that he would see that it didnt cost me anything. Well, I wasnt - - wasnt too interested. I didnt - - that one I completely 00:57:00dismissed because I was not attuned completely with his politics. And then Deneen Stafford, who was a local businessman, and his wife Boo was the sort of person that - - oh, Deneen - - Ill mention the fact that Deneen Stafford served in the senate in the days of Griffin and Talmadge, and he was a contemporary with Herman Talmadge. He and Herman Talmadge were in college at the same time. And I asked him one time, I said, I read somewhere that when Old Gene was in the governors office, that the governors staff had to keep the road hot between Atlanta and Athens because Herman was always getting into 00:58:00something. And Deneen says, Oh, no, he said, Herman was all right. He was a good fellow. He just couldnt hold his liquor. The night we elected him president of the pan-- you know, of all of the--

SHORT: Fraternities.

MIXON: - - fraternities. He said, He drank too much and fell off the balcony and broke his arm.

SHORT: Oh, my goodness.

MIXON: But he defended Herman all the way down the line. And Boo and Deneen and Betty and Herman had been associated. I remember Betty visiting Boo and Deneen after Herman was gone. Let me share this quick thought about Herman with you. I had assumed that we would support - - we had been pretty well involved - - maybe 00:59:00I better save that one. Maybe I better save that for more of the Herman period. Ill go - - let me go back. Let me finish up the things that I enjoy remembering about the runoff period.

SHORT: Okay, good.

MIXON: And after the - - of course, winning was great fun, but Id developed a tremendous amount of confidence. And my husband, who by the time he got through with me, I had seven years of college. Albert went off to the Army without finishing high school and came home back to the farm. But it never occurred to anybody, least of all me, that I knew any more than Albert did. 01:00:00Albert would have had a little trouble getting into some physics and some fine points about chemistry, but Im talking about knowing things. And he was so good at evaluating. He kept that tractor radio on back in the days when you could learn things from the radio. And Ill have to say he was my secret weapon about making a judgment about people and happenings. But he never was interested in the spotlight. Now he would push me in the spotlight and would be so pleased. I remember the year that I got the Athena award from the Chamber of Commerce. And he was asking me if - - reminding me the night of the chamber 01:01:00dinner. And we always went; I belonged to the Chamber of Commerce. But I was surprised that he was reminding me - - well, that was okay. I did not know I had been nominated for this award, because they had gotten the information from my daughter-in-law and I knew nothing about it. And it was an award that was given to a woman, to a businesswoman, who had contributed to the community business-wise, economic development, and had been a role model for girls. And it usually went maybe to a lady that had a real estate business or a woman whose husband could afford to make sure she did certain things. And so - - but anyway, were sitting there and they start talking about this award, and they say that its a lady that has been involved in education, and theyre saying some 01:02:00nice things. And I think, Well, great. It sounds to me like one of our lady principals is going to get it. Thats good. Then they said that among her contributions to economic development was hauling off peanuts and selling tobacco, driving a tractor to - - wait a minute. I dont know many people that do that, and so I knew then that it had to be me. And Albert was so much smiles, you would have thought that he had won the lottery. He was so pleased. Ive often thought how generous natured he was. And knowing that he wasnt a saint, Ive tried to think of some of that motivation, and I finally decided that part of his motivation must have been - - well, of course, when you love each other, you love when good things happen to them. But I kind of think that he 01:03:00thought, well, she belongs to me, and if she looks good, I look good. Well, whatever. He was - - of course, every woman thinks her husband is the best man that ever was in the world, but - - and, of course, I share that feeling. And when we were - - I was going - - I was getting back into the runoff. And Albert assured me that it was a done deal. And the Tomlinsons - - Jane - - Jane Tomlinson and her husband Don - - they lived in Tifton for a while. They were not Tifton natives. They were in Tifton for a while, but they were Georgia natives. And they left there, and he went into banking and was a successful 01:04:00banker in North - - is a successful banker in North Carolina. And Jane is one of those people that we lost early to cancer. One of - - and you know the kind of person that you didnt have enough of that kind to start with, but you lose them. And she did some catering. And I think that she had the idea that she could do a cake that looked like the mansion. So she baked - - and Ill have to share that picture with you sometime. Oh, it was - - of course, we thought that it was greater than the Taj Mahal, and it was quite edible. But this - - its a large - - its a large cake, and its a replica of the governors mansion, and she has it on a large board - - covered, of course - - board. And the lawn - - she does a lawn, and Busbee is on the front lawn. And so I see 01:05:00that. She shows me the cake, and they are going to bring it up to the victory party. And I - - and, of course, you know, were all supposed to go to the victory party. And I said, Jane, Im just afraid to leave. See, its my very first election, and I just cant risk missing a vote or two that might make it. See, I want Tift County to go for him, if possible, and I just cannot leave Tift County. The polls dont close until seven. Im sorry, I cant leave for Atlanta until seven, and, you know, thats too late to go. And I had to teach the next morning too. So - - but I thought the cake was so beautiful, so I called the - - see, thats the - - see, in a town like Tifton, 01:06:00you have a local paper.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: And you can call them and tell them, you know, Hey, come over and get So that I remember so well. Since I was chairman of the local committee, then we were going to - - we wanted a picture taken with the cake and me and do it with, you know, somebodys home camera. And so she called. She lives kind of around the corner from - - and across some back lots from Charles Kent. And so I called her and told her that I was on my way. I called the Gazette and asked the Tifton Gazette to send a photographer of the cake that would go to the real victory party. So they sent a photographer, and I called Jane and I said, Im on my way. Is Charles there yet? She said, I 01:07:00just saw him jump the ditch. So on the front page, every newspaper in Georgia has a picture of George Busbee the winner. But the Tifton Gazette, which is far advanced in modern journalism, they have a picture of the cake baker and the cake and the chairman and the chairman of the county commission. The chairman of the county commission and the cake baker, you know, are going to take the cake up. And so I got a kick out of that. I thought - - dont you think I must have been dropped down in the nearest the Good Lord could do for a Garden of Eden in modern times to be among the people that I was among. Talented people that were 01:08:00willing to do things. Thats why I cook whenever I can, because being a friend of mine is a lot of trouble. I get into things and I can just hear my friends saying, Have you heard that last project Eunice has got into? I reckon were going to have to get in there and save her hide. And so I try to share good things when I can. But I get this telephone call when the victory party is over and the cake from Tifton goes up. And then theyre have a democratic convention - - the Georgia democratic convention. Well, I had heard of national emocratic conventions, and Im just clueless. The telephone rings, and this lady said the meeting in Macon - - she may have even said convention, but it went over my head if she did. She said, The meeting in Macon, Governor Busbee wants you to serve on the platform committee. And I 01:09:00think, Oh, my Lord, Im teaching. And the platform committee, when we had a barbecue for him, drove me crazy. If Don and some of my youngsters had not taken over - - the only platform I could come up with where we had the barbecue was I borrowed a cotton trailer. Have you ever tried to decorate a cotton trailer? You know, youve got a nice, flat bed, but theres no - - well, anyway, they - - it came out beautifully, though, because Don was real talented. And so we had a nice platform, and we put some chrysan - - And I said, Platform committee? Wouldnt it be better for some ladies - - the ladies in 01:10:00Macon to do the platform in Macon? You know, I dont want to go to - - I dont want to haul a cotton trailer to Macon. And - - but Im so glad it was on the telephone. You know, these - - and she says, No, he specifically said he wanted Eunice Mixon to serve. And Im so glad it was on the telephone because she couldnt see it. You know, those light bulbs that you see in comic strips? I thought those were just in comic strips, but one went off. It suddenly dawned on me that there are political meetings, and there is a platform committee. I recovered beautifully. I deserved the Academy Award. I just 01:11:00matter-of-factly said, Well, yes, if he wants me, of course, Ill be glad to serve. And Albert and I - - I got out of school a little bit early. It cost me a little bit, but I did. And Albert and I went up and attended the convention and enjoyed - - I loved serving on the platform committee, because there is where I met other people that were going to be part of his brainpower for his administration. I remember people like Norman Fletcher, who recently retired.

SHORT: Judge Fletcher.

MIXON: Yes. He retired from - - he retired as chief justice, didnt he?

SHORT: Yes. Uh-huh.

MIXON: And Norman Underwood and, oh, just lots of interesting people, men and women. And I suppose - - I suppose maybe we know too much now. I suppose were 01:12:00too well - - oh, and when I say we know too much, we know not only the good things about politicos, but we know to look for feet of clay, and theres going to be a little clay around everybody. But I didnt think there was a bit around George Busbee or Joe Frank Harris. With George Busbee, I thought that it was a holy crusade. If George Busbee was not elected, the state would disappear. We were fortunate, werent we?

SHORT: We were. He was a great governor. Perhaps - - well, I can say hes one of the greatest in modern times. He did a lot of things for Georgia that needed to be done at the time, and I could recite them all to you, but Im sure you know them.

MIXON: No, you do. Then it wont strain my memory for it.

SHORT: Well, there are certain things that George Busbee deserves great credit for. One is his realization for the need to develop technically trained workers in Georgia, which he did through his education program. Then bringing the jobs to Georgia that they could occupy. His work in the Far East on business connections, and that he did a magnificent job there. But there are two things that I think George Busbee deserved credit for that perhaps nobody else had ever thought of. One was the establishment of international banking in Georgia.

MIXON: Yes.

SHORT: And making the Atlanta airport an international airport.

MIXON: Exactly.

SHORT: Now thats quite an accomplishment for one governor.

MIXON: Now, can you imagine the difference in our history if that had not been done at that time? You know, timing is important for getting into banking. Time is important for getting your airport ready. We say that timing is everything in politics, but for progress of a state, timing is certainly everything. I had to smile when you mentioned the Far East. Ill tell you my knowledge about that. I wound up with a house guest one time. You know, George would go over to Japan and say, Yall come. Well, somebody came, and it was somebody that was interested in agriculture. And hes Japanese, and he doesnt speak English worth a hooey, and I dont speak Japanese at all. And hes interested in 01:15:00agriculture. Well, who would enjoy having a Japanese house guest for a week or so? Oh, Eunice, she enjoys everybody. Well send him down there. Hes too important to put in a hotel. Well send him down to Eunice. Well, you know, were just who we are, and if he was interested in agriculture, and school had just gone out, and I was putting stuff in the freezer, so I sent him and Albert to pick butter beans. Let him learn what you do down on a South Georgia farm. But I also was aware of other things that we ought to do. Enjoyed him. He was such a gentleman. Now, you know how people bring hostess gifts?

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: Which was foreign to me anyway. On the farm I grew up, we gave things to people that were leaving. When somebody came to see you, you didnt - - they didnt leave empty handed. No, no, no. If the garden was in, okay, or pecans, youd send him home with pecans. Or if the garden wasnt in, Momma Carrie would send him home with - - my mother would send him home with two or three fine specimens of pickles or jams or something. You just did not - - well, not only did he practice the urban way of doing visiting by bringing the hostess a gift, he brought two or three. I understand that they dont - - when they give a gift, they dont give just one. So I got a fan and a scarf and I think chopsticks or something. Anyway, several little things that were nice. And I 01:17:00think - - I cant remember whether he gave that doll to Albert then or sent it to him later, but a Japanese lady carrying a turnip as big as a water tank across her shoulder. And I did the logical thing, I cooked like I wasnt sure, you know, since I dont know - - if I knew what he liked to eat, I wouldnt be able to cook it like his wife cooked it. So he ate what we ate. And so I planned - - I thought, well now he - - I need to take him, if hes interested - - he was especially interested in vegetables. Oh yeah, thats how he wound up in the butter bean patch. Hes especially interested in vegetables, so I thought, well, well just visit the farmers market. And well go by the 01:18:00capital, go by the governors office, and get a commemorative picture, and well visit the governors mansion. But here is quite an organization thing, because I want to go on a day that Albert can go, and I want to go on a day that George Busbees in the office, and I want to go on a day that Tommy Irvin - - Tommy Irvin had already been serving for a while as ag commissioner - - a very good one, as you know. I teased him he learned everything he knew about tobacco from me, but hes a fast learner, and might not have many row crops in Habersham County, but he got busy and crossed this state and he learned. Well, and, of course, consumer affairs, now, is the most important. But I kept trying 01:19:00to get them lined up. I wanted Tommy Irvin, you know, to meet us at the farmers market. Well, I just couldnt get them all lined up on the same day, so I finally went when Albert could go and George would be in the office. And so Tommy sent one of his people out to the farmers market to meet us, and they - - and my first tour. We had the grand tour behind a tractor. The wagon is stacked with hay and we ride that, but thank goodness its like the surrey with the fringe on top. Theres a parasol - - I mean, theres a canvas cover. And so we get a tour of the farmers market, and, of course, he loves this. He and Albert could communicate better than I could communicate with him. He had this little Japanese-English dictionary, but I couldnt use it that 01:20:00well. It takes too long. But he and Albert, I dont know how they did it, but they did. And, of course, Tommy set us up for lunch at the cafeteria there. And we went by the - - at some point, we went by the governors offic and had a picture made with him, and we visited the governors mansion. And - - but now I do not get into a project by myself. The reason we had as fluid a visit as we did, I knew someone that had been missionaries to Japan. I called them, and I said, Youve got to go with me. You know I cant talk - - were going to do so-and-so. Please go with me. Okay. So they went with me. And then Betty Gleaton who, of the Plant Telephone Company, and, you know, when 01:21:00youre your own boss, you can get off sometimes. Sometimes you work harder than the employees, but shed slip away sometimes. And I called Betty and told her I needed another vehicle and would she take a vehicle up. So we went up, a pretty good little entourage of us. But, you know, several people can have a good time as easy as one.

SHORT: Sure.

MIXON: Yes, indeed. George was a first in many, many ways. You know, you have to bring a certain talent to be able to see those opportunities.

SHORT: And you also have to have good relations with other people, other politicians. Its been said, and I certainly agree, that George Busbee was just the kind of person you wanted to help because you liked him.

MIXON: Thats true. That is true. That - - that is the same reason you vote for people. Even until today, you and I, as much as we watched, if there are two people running for an office and one might have a slight edge - - might have a slight edge in overall ability but did not relate to people. See, if you cant like him, hes not going to relate well - - as well to other people. And you would find yourself - - now, you wouldnt vote for somebody that wasnt capable. I dont mean that. But someone that maybe wasnt obviously as capable, because you liked him, and you would consider that the smartest thing to do; because if he is not likeable, he is not going to be able to use what he 01:23:00needs. He will not be able to get people to help him do things. He cant do things on - - Im glad you mentioned that. Well, that was fun. That was fun.

SHORT: Lets talk for a minute about party politics in Georgia. You served on the Democratic executive committee. Over the years, unfortunately for Democrats, their power has diminished to the point where now it seems that they might not ever regain it. What happened?

MIXON: What happened was that we didnt keep our eye on the ball. We got distracted. And a big tent, is - - now Im going to answer this just like I 01:24:00know, and you know, of course, I dont know, but were talking opinions here. So bear in mind, Im not using facts. Now who was it that said everyone has a right to an opinion. Theyve got a right to be wrong in their opinion, but they just dont have a right to be wrong in their facts. And so if I say something wrong, dont worry about whether you ought to take it to the bank or not; just say, Thats her opinion. Okay, so my opinion, right or wrong, is that we really were doing the - - we were really doing what we ought to do. I serve on the disciplinary board of the state bar, and Im around as a civilian 01:25:00member, of course, and Bill Smith is the general counsel. And occasionally, we will deal with an attorney that is just in all kinds of trouble, not because of some sorry, trifling thing that we accuse attorneys of doing sometimes, but the guy was really trying to help somebody. But it was a shady way of - - and so Bill will rear back and say, No good deed goes unpunished. And we wanted a tent big enough to hold everybody, and we got - - and when diverse groups came in, they were not able to buy into the whole body of people. And at the risk of offense but with no malice intended, and purely opinion, and somebody can 01:26:00challenge it any way they want to, but I felt that the Democratic party did the right thing for all kinds of reasons for changing the - - I could argue the point from four different viewpoints and very nearly prove that we should change - - should have changed the flag. And we did that. The people that that mattered the most to were, of course, minorities. And then you had farsighted business people that realized that the state would move forward if it were changed. But the minorities whose people had suffered under that flag, as they felt, but what it meant - - because of what it - - it represented something to them that it 01:27:00didnt represent to other people. I had never seen it until some skinheads had it - - some Nazi skinheads had it. So it didnt mean - - you know, the first Georgia flag that I knew did not look like the battle flag. And so it did not represent the state of Georgia to me, and I did not think about how it affected people whose ancestors had been affected by it. But it was a very, very emotional thing with them. In fact, I dont think I had any thought - - any real thought of the tragedy of slavery until my first son was born. And I remember holding him up to a mirror in the hospital room, and his father always had this tan. He was naturally - - you know, we have different complexions, and 01:28:00he just bronzed in the sun. But when my firstborn son was born, I held him up to the mirror and he was darker than I was. Of course, you wouldnt think of him as being dark, but in that particular light. And I was thinking about all the things that I wanted his life to be. You know, mommas do that and daddies do that. And it suddenly hit me that if I were a slave mother, I could not think about a good future for my son. And if all of the people that wanted the flag changed had voted for Roy Barnes, he wouldnt have been defeated.

SHORT: While were on that subject, theres also - - [clears throat] excuse me - - theres also a feeling that teachers helped defeat Roy Barnes. Do you think theres any credence in that?

MIXON: I dont - - there is. There is. I think winning an election is kind of like our home remedies curing a common cold. We use everything we can think of, and when we get through, were not sure what made us better; we just know we got better. And when you go to win an election, you try to get this group, and you try to get that group, and you try to get that group, and you finally get elected and you cant point to one that elected you. And then when you lose, you probably lost for multiple reasons. I dont think that teachers alone 01:30:00would have defeated him. I dont think the flaggers alone would have defeated him. And, of course, there were people that didnt like the idea of the flag being changed that you wouldnt classify as flaggers even.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: I think that there were multiple reasons. And I think that he just - - and I think there is a certain amount of inertia of rest and inertia of motion. You know, when something starts moving, it continues in the same distance at the same speed until its acted on by an outside force. And if something is - - and we, the human being, exemplifies inertia of rest. If were in a spot, it takes a lot of outside force to move us. And so Roy Barnes had exerted changes several ways. Just change in general is scary, and change of the flag, the 01:31:00change with the teachers, the change with predatory lending. As a matter of fact, economics is not my field at all, though I do have a grandson thats a bank examiner. By the way, he says that the four Cs that they look at, collateral is the last thing that you would consider. The first thing that - - the most important thing, the first C, is character. I dont know much about economics, but Roy Barnes did. And if you go back over the things that he wanted to do in this state, if somebody in Washington had been doing something like 01:32:00that - - had understood it; Ill put it that way. I wont say that he did enough to cure it, but he really did understand. If you had had someone in Washington with the thoughts that Roy Barnes had and the power to put them into action, we would - - were filming this during a restless economic time, and I firmly believe - - my opinion is that it would be--not be like this. I think that we--I think that the Democratic party reached out for more of the people that werent as well represented. They made room for people that were - - you didnt haveto pass any litmus test of pro life. You didnt have to get into anything about the gay community. If you wanted government as the - - we got 01:33:00into the - - we made room for social problems, and we made room for personal opinions and people that were really different and said, Look, you deserve to be heard too. But they were not able to move their allegiance to the overall party of what that eventually - - we either - - you know, if we do not join in and support this central movement of the party, then were all going to lose. And we - - the idea was well bring them in and make room for them, but they become part of us. Theyve got the same opinion, but they become part of us. 01:34:00And they would go - - and they would get a voice and it would be a voice of their own. I dont think Im making much sense. Id hate to give you a test on this, on what Ive just said. It may not make much sense to you.

SHORT: But it brings up this question, and some enchanted - - disenchanted Democrats believe that the party leans too heavily on minorities and labor unions for support at the expense of some of the old Democrats in Tift County, Georgia.

MIXON: They do, and they almost have to because of - - Im sorry Im getting on the other side of the coin here - - because some of your - - no, Lord, its not the majority. If it were, I would call my friends in Australia and tell them I was coming to see them. We - - you do have an element. When we 01:35:00talk about change, we do have an element that feel that, rightly or wrongly, yes, there was a time when the black man was absolutely on the bottom and he was mistreated. And a gay person was moved in some areas almost at the risk of their life. And they feel that its turned upside down. There - - Ive heard this expressed. I have a lot of different kinds of friends, thank goodness, and they express the feeling that instead of a minority getting an even break with the white man, and instead of the gay getting an even break with the others, that 01:36:00somehow the minorities are getting some kind of advantage. Now this doesnt have to be true for people to act on that, because perception is not truth. But perception may as well be truth because people act on their perception, and they act on their perception just as though it were the truth. So you have some fairly nice people out there that are kind of contrary in their voting. It just dawned on me, if I had the complete answer to this, I wouldve straightened it out before now.

SHORT: Is it too late? Is the Democratic party--

MIXON: Oh, no, no. No, no, no. As a Christian and an educator and a farmer, theres always another shot at it. Now it may not - - it may not - - we may evolve into something that we havent thought about yet. It may evolve into - - weve got to have some kind of order though. If any number can play, youve got a banana republic.

SHORT: What do you think of the Democrats who switched to the Republican party to make a majority in the Georgia senate?

MIXON: I could have wrung their necks, but I understand. I - - that is kind of a curse, dont you think, to understand? When you disagree with somebody, to understand their position, and so its hard to jump on them. And I believe - - I firmly believe that they didnt wake up and say, Well, Im going to 01:38:00save my political hide and the devil take the hindmost. I dont think they woke up like that. I think they woke up like, Well, my people thought enough of me to elect me. And perhaps I should think enough of them to get into a position that I can do the most for them. And thats a whole other argument about whether thats appropriate or not. Because I was door-keeping, I noticed when the Republicans came to town. And I dont appear on a ballot, so I can participate without changing my name. I can be a Democrat. And when Albert was - 01:39:00- Albert left in 98, the summer of 98 - - and that winter - - and, of course, Ive lived where there used to be so much life on that farm. There was livestock, cows and hogs and horses, and yard dogs and house dogs, and little boys to feed and hands to feed, and so much going on. And then it slows down over the years and theres Albert and me, and then all at once, theres just me and a security system. And so I close the door and come to Atlanta. And my friend had told - - a friend of mine told me that they hired people during the legislative session. And I said I dont know what I could contribute during the legislative session. I dont think somebody thats good at setting up a biology lab--

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: - - I dont think theres much carryover. But I decided to ask, and so I asked if there were anything that I could do that did not require being a sweet young thing or magic with a computer. And they said, well, door-keeping just required judgment. I said Ive got judgment. If I like them, Ill let them in. And so I came up and lived with my sister-in-law. My big brothers gone now, and I live with my sister-in-law during the session and door-keep. They dont pay much. I couldnt possibly afford to stay in Atlanta, but since I can stay with her. And its extremely interesting. I get to - - its kind of in a cat birds seat for debate in the senate. And so when the Republicans took over, I thought, well, okay, old girl. You know how the system works. Youve had the run of the capital and the governors mansion for 28 years now. Let somebody else enjoy it. And I said, well, the mansions okay, 01:41:00but dang it, I do a good job and I dont want to be fired. And they probably would have been just as pleased if I had just faded gently into the good night. But I rolled the dice. My idea was that they control the senate so they can control the legislature. But - - and if theyve got to look bad to do it, they will. But why look bad firing an old lady? Theres no percentage in that. So I rolled the dice. And nothing beats the truth. I said, You know, Ive always been a Democrat, but I dont chuck rocks at people, and I think its my job to make life as pleasant for all of us as I can. Well, it worked. But they 01:42:00had to - - you know, youve got a lot of new employees, and I love the way - - being around politicians, you understand how they use hyperbole . I mean, you can have given them a lot of personal time to get them elected, but they really cant do anything for you except let you share in the same good government everybody else is getting, and so they speak in hyperbole. They try to make you feel good, and so said, I want Miss Eunice to be in charge of the visitors gallery. She knows - - because she knows everyone and is diplomatic enough to be Henry Kissingers aide. I dont care what - - maybe all those times of explaining to a momma that her dimpled darling just cant possibly rate an A+, maybe all of that stands you in good time - - good stead after a while. But I 01:43:00noticed - - I noticed that in the senate that there were people that they came in and, you know, they want to do something good or they wouldnt have got elected. And, I mean, they all came in, and, I mean, they wanted to save Georgia from all of these evil Democratic years, but they all want to save it in a different way. And they would just - - some of them went off on real tangents.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: But the ones that made the biggest difference and kept it going, there were some that - - some of them didnt take off their hat before they were - - Sonny wasnt nearly as good a Republican as they were, you know. He wasnt of the true faith, and what he wanted, to heck with that. And some of them 01:44:00seemed to understand that, you know, we kind of rise and fall together, and if our first Republican governor after all this time doesnt look good, none of us are going to fare so well. Of course, people dont - - Ive learned a long time ago, people dont think like I do. But that doesnt mean Im not right sometimes. And I thought that was - - I think maybe thats a good example of what happened with the Democratic party. They finally get a voice and they dont realize that they need to continue promoting the Democratic party, because thats the way that tey got there, and maybe the way theyll stay. I remember when my friends - - Albert and I quit growing tobacco years ago, not because of what we knew about health. Certainly, as a biology teacher, I 01:45:00understood that very well. In fact, the old folks did. You know what the old folks called cigarettes. Youre old enough to remember some old folks calling them coffin nails.

SHORT: Coffin nails.

MIXON: Yes. They instinctively knew anything you stuck in your mouth and set fire to wasnt good for you. But we quit growing tobacco. We worked our heads off, we werent getting rich, so, you know, after a while, you quit. You never have had money, so you dont have to have a lot. But I had some friends that were mad with Democratic leaders in Washington that were making it hard on the tobacco program, and they were going to vote Republican. And I tried to talk with them about the fact that, okay, so youve lost your tobacco program. Well, that leaves your - - youre leaning on your peanuts and cotton a whole 01:46:00lot more, and who has supported you to get - - that guy Armey, whatever his name was, from Texas; he went to Washington with the sole purpose of destroying the peanut program, and he succeeded. But to me, you dont get mad with the Democrats because they took tobacco away from you. You stick with them to keep that guy from taking the rest of the stuff away from you. Like I said, people dont think like I do. And - - but I really do think that - - wait a minute now. People vote for what they think is best for them, and when they vote against their best interests, they havent thought through what their best interests were. And they are - - they vote emotionally. Its a lot of trouble to dig into stuff. It really is, and its not all that interesting to some people.

SHORT: Lets talk for a moment - - a minute about some of the other hats you wear. Youve been on the executive committee of the Democratic party. Youre on the bar associations--

MIXON: No, I do not serve there any longer. When my term was up the last time, I had reached the point that I had to vote for some Republicans. And I just - - like our sheriff. You cant vote for a fool if he is a Democrat for sheriff. And I felt that it was not ethical to serve on the state executive committee unless I could vote a straight Democratic ticket. I am a Democrat. Ill be 01:48:00buried a Democrat. When I look at a ballot, Ill look to the Democrats first, and if they measure up, Ill vote for them. But if they dont, Ill do the - - lets face it; you didnt get involved to help the Democratic party. You didnt get involved to help the Republican party. You got involved because George Busbee or Carl Sanders or somebody who just happened to be a Democrat you felt could make a difference for the people - - for you, the people that you love, and the community you try to serve. And if they had belonged to the Prohibitionist or the Abolitionist party, youd have gone with them. And so I - - but Im a Democrat like my folks were Democrats. The world would be so 01:49:00much better off if it was run by the old line southern conservative Democrat. But remember the old line conservative Democrat did not have to keep his neck - - foot on a black mans neck to keep himself happy. He had a sense of what was fair for people. They were like my mother, but also like - - but you hated to take action. I was - - I guess the word is my consciousness was raised of the unfairness of segregation. I was a little girl sitting at the supper table. I cant - - you know, nowadays they talk about everybody having a meal together. Well, the meal was a certain time. You were there and you ate. And Daddy talked 01:50:00about things and Momma talked about things and I talked about whatever was interesting to me. And one night, I distinctly remember. I must have been about - - I think I was going to school. Id started school because I rode a yellow school bus. And my mother says, Rob, I see these colored children walking by here to school in the mornings. They cant learn if theyve got to walk all - - you know, she knew where they lived. She said, They cant learn very well if they have to walk that far to school. Daddy didnt say anything, so Momma says something else. Daddy doesnt say anything. He keeps eating. And even at six or seven years old, I knew that Daddy knew that what my mother was saying was right. I also understood at that age that my mother is 01:51:00bringing a problem to my father that she thinks he ought to do something about, and Daddy doesnt want to do anything about it. He doesnt want to do the things that he would have to do--

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: - - to make a difference. But somehow, I think people like my daddy made a difference when integration came. The reason I say that is that in Tifton, we had peaceable integration. It wasnt done until they had to, but they did it quite peaceably. And since I served on the library board, I remember - - enjoy remembering this one. The little lady that operated the Tift County Library called the Sheriff Tom Greer one day because some young black students 01:52:00had come in to integrate the library, and they were sitting around in the library. And shes a dear, sweet little lady with certainly a good heart, brought up just like you and I were, that youre supposed to treat people the way you want to be treated. If you do that, color doesnt enter into it. But she knows the law too, so she calls the sheriff, and she says, Sheriff Greer, these people are here, and what do I do? He said, Check them out a book. I was plopped down in a good part of the world. Of course youve got - - good Lord, we make the crime pages and all down there. You dont have perfection. But there was a large group of people that wanted to do - - wanted to do the right thing. And we sure do need some energetic leaders now. George 01:53:00Busbee appointed me to the Heritage Trust Commission, which, as you know, tried to save threatened areas back when they had some money. And he also - - he - - I served with Joe Frank Harris. I think one of the best things they ever did was - - well, first, I asked Joe Frank Harris to appoint me to his Blue Ribbon Committee for - - whatever that committee was that year. You know, every governor will redo the school. And I asked to serve on it, and he said - - because I thought I had earned it. And he said, Eunice, I cant load it up 01:54:00with teachers. Ive got to name the president of GAE, and so on. But later he asked me - - but then he asked me to serve on the Georgia Student Finance Commission, which dealt with student scholarships, and then I was sitting there when the Hope scholarship came along. And that was - - I thought that was important. I enjoyed that. I served on the - - I served as the chairman of the Appeals Committee and with that. And by the way, Sonny Perdue did reappoint me to that one. Now he did not - - I did not ask to be reappointed. I was serving on the State Board of Elections, and that is a blood sport, very partisan. And I couldnt vote a straight party line even as a Democrat. And I knew if I asked 01:55:00him to appoint me to the State Board of Elections, I would imply that I would be a team player--

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: --completely for the Republican party, and I couldnt do that. So I didnt ask him. He might not have appointed me anyway. But I asked him to appoint me to the Georgia Student Finance Commission because I felt that that was somewhere I could serve real well, and he did. I told him that I - - that he knew I was a Democrat but - - and I knew there were well-qualified Republicans that could serve, but speaking on my own behalf, Im also qualified. A new broom sweeps clean, but an old broom knows all the old corners. And so it worked; he reappointed me. And I just remembered, though, that you asked me about whether I had ever considered running. And, you know, youre tempted to 01:56:00run because you think you can make a bigger difference. But - - and I did - - I was - - I didnt want to, when someone mentioned it to me, but when Deneen Stafford and the chairman of the school board and some others told me that they would ike me to run for the legislature, I just kind of laughed and said, Well, Id rather people wondered why I didnt than why I did, because you dont know whether youll win or not.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: But the truth was, I went home and asked Albert about it. He put his foot down so flat, I was just shocked. He had never given me such a flat no. And I thought, well gosh, hes being cantankerous. But then I decided that he had backed me up in everything I ever wanted to do, and if he wanted to be cantankerous about that, then he had earned the right. And only after he was 01:57:00gone, and you think about things, I decided, you know what? He wasnt being cantankerous; he was just protecting me one more time. He knew I would have broken my heart, because you cannot do what you want to do. You know, on a board, you think that youre going to get certain things done, but you dont. Its monolithic. You dont do it. But I really enjoyed it. But I sure lost that, that Hope scholarship job, in style. I had - - he reappointed me one time, and when I got reapportioned out. And I thought, well now, lets see, Im being put in a district with this person thats a banker, but Im a better board member than she is. I believe I can beat her time. And so I decided that I would ask the governor to reappoint me. By the way, I was the 01:58:00only one left standing though. You know, when you are getting where you want to do things your way, boards have new faces, and I was the only old face left on the Georgia Student Finance Commission. You know, he could afford to do that. And he couldve afforded to have appointed me again, but there was a very good member. Id have to say he was as good a member as I was. It was a Republican attorney.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: And all three of us were in the same district. And I said, okay now. This is a cat of a different color here, and I think Ill just sit this one out. I think I ought to be nice about it, because Ive had a good run. And so sure enough, the time comes that they call me from the office to tell me that the governor - - you know, shes sorry, the governor will not be able to 01:59:00reappoint me. I said, Oh, thats all right. I said, I understand that, but I said, I want to make sure. Is it, you know, and I named the person. I said, Was that one appointed? And she said, Yes. I said, Fine. Hes a good member, and its okay. And so she went on telling me how the governor really wanted to appoint me, but my term was up and so on. I said, Look, its okay. I understand. I said, This call is harder on you than it is on me, because I knew it was coming, and it cant be much fun to keep calling people with bad news, you know. Its okay. And so they went on well. But let me tell you what happens, how nice they are to old ladies. Im sorry that you wont ever get to be an old lady, because they are really nice to old ladies. I got a call from the director, and he said they wanted to do something to commemorate my retirement. I thought, well 02:00:00heres diplomacy - - you know, you get fired but youre retiring. And I said, Well, that would be very gracious of you, and I assumed that they were going to have me at the next meeting and give me a plaque and say something nice, you know, how they always do. And - - but guess what they did? He said that they wanted to endow a scholarship at Abraham Baldwin College in my name. I said, You cant do that! You know, were talking about public money. Were talking about scholarship money. I didnt think they could do it. And he said, I dont see why not. I talked with legal, and I talked with the governors office. I said, Well, I can tell you right now, its okay with me, you know, if it is with everybody else. But as a matter of fact, the 02:01:00Abraham Baldwin College named me distinguished alumnus about four or five years ago. Thats another interesting story to me. But anyway, they endowed $50,000 in my name at Abraham Baldwin College. And so Dr. Bridges told me - - I told the president of the college, I said, Use it any way it can be used, but the only thing I would like for it to be given to someone who has shown that theyll use their education for something other than just get a job, that they are interested in the community. And I would like to use my maiden name. I said I have Mixon, and, of course, I would have never gone to college if I had not married the kind of man that I did, and his name will be commemorated. But not 02:02:00only did my parents teach me to go with what you got, but also Grandpa told me that his grandpa, the grandson of the Lastinger immigrant, came to Southwest Georgia in 1826 when he was 22 years old to teach, Grandpa said, in the little three-month schools.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: Some things dont change though. We no longer have three-month schools, but I read an old publication on pioneers of Southwest Georgia, and when they interviewed him, he complained that he had paid for his passage to Southwest Georgia, but he had to drive an ox cart all the way - - much offended, even after he was an old man. I suppose thats like you having to drive a broken down Volkswagen now. Im not sure what the problem was. But I like the 02:03:00idea that the name Lastinger goes on from that long-ago teacher. And also Dr. Bridges said that he wanted the money kept with the foundation board rather than with the other board. And I said, Well, it doesnt matter to me. And he said, Well, if we - - if its in our hands, we can add to it. And I said, Oh, Dr. Bridges, Ive asked people for so much money for so many causes over the years, I just dont have the heart to ask them to contribute to a scholarship for me. He said, Oh, thats all right. Ill do it. You dont have to do it. Ill do it. Ill just use your good name and Ill do it. And sure enough, we got a nice little amount, and we had a party for it. And they decorated the room with my parasols, and they did my - - they did a pink scrapbook with the letters from people all over.

SHORT: Mm-hmm.

MIXON: You know how they do retirement scrapbooks. And they put it, The Power of the Parasol Eunice Mixon and Friends. So I - - when I get fired, I get fired in style.

SHORT: Well, youve certainly had a very interesting life. And I want to thank you on behalf of the Richard Russell Library and the University of Georgia for being our guest.

MIXON: Oh, can I - - well, I want to tell you where I got my corsage.

SHORT: Oh, please do.

MIXON: I got that because I - - the Chief Justice called me. I served for several years on the investigative panel of the disciplinary board. I didnt know it existed. Did you know the lawyers have a good way to get rid of bad lawyers? They really do. If you know a bad lawyer, you dont have to put up with him. The bad lawyer - - the good lawyers dont want that to happen. 02:05:00Called and asked me if I would - - he said, The general counsel of the state bar would like to know if you would Well, I thought that Id been caught in something, you know. It sounded like sending the head lawyer after me. But he explained what it is, and so it sounds like being on the grand jury when theyre dealing with problem attorneys. And so, yeah, this sounds interesting. Dont pay me anything, but they pay my expenses, and thats sufficient. But last summer - - Ive served a number of years - - and Im not going to have to retire. I was suspicious when they said they wanted to give me a plaque or something. I said, Does this mean Ive got to retire? They said, Oh, no. We want you to keep doing what youre doing. But the Chief Justice called and wanted to know if I could come to lunch on October 1st. I said, I dont know whats happening October 1st, but if youre having a party, Ill be there. I said, The only thing I like better than going to a party is giving a party. So they said, We just want you to come to lunch and give you a plaque or something, because youve served so well. And I 02:06:00said, Well, Ill certainly be there. And I thought, well, a plaque - - you know, you and I have more plaques than weve got wall space, but you do love the thought. An this is special, and I think about Ill take my great-granddaughters. And so I came up actually yesterday, but when I told some of my friends where I was going, there are 11 people in Tifton that are attorneys that are former students of mine, and Rob was my first one, Rob Reinhardt. And you love them all, but Rob Ive been associated with a good bit. And he said, Well, Miss Eunice, youve got friends in Tifton that want it to really be a special day when you have lunch with the Supreme Court. What can we do? I said, Oh, youre glad for me. Thats all you have to do. He said, Well, we think you ought to have a corsage. And so this is a corsage left from lunch yesterday. And they gave me - - oh, that wasnt just 02:07:00a plaque. They framed something with a bunch of whereases and Latin language, and I think amicus means friend. I think Im friend of the court or something.

SHORT: Amicus curiae, friend of the court.

MIXON: And then they - - you know, a picture of the chief justices is all in the frame. And they gave me a gavel that has a clock on it that I ignore, because Im sure that weve run over whatever time we had. But its been a - - you were interested in things that I had done. Im interested in the things that youve done. Weve got to have some equal time here.

SHORT: Well, maybe one day well do it.

MIXON: Id like that.

SHORT: Thank you.

[END OF RECORDING]