Mississippi Moments Podcast

Mississippi Moments, a weekly radio program airing on Mississippi Public Broadcasting, is a partnership between the University of Southern Mississippi Center for Oral History and Cultural Heritage, the Mississippi Humanities Council, and MPB.

The Podcasts

During World War Two, women took jobs traditionally held by men.  Bonnie Stedman of McComb began working for the railroad in 1943 at the age of 17.  She recalls the dangers and rewards of working long hours in remote locations.
Direct download: MSM_210.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:11pm CDT

The civil rights movement brought increased job opportunities for African Americans.  Paul Leonard describes how work changed for black employees of the McComb Railroad Shop.  Leonard remembers the first two black employees of the McComb shop to become engineers.
Direct download: MSM_209.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 1:08pm CDT

The advent of Diesel-electric locomotives was a vast improvement over the steam engines they replaced.  John Balser worked as a machinist at the McComb Railroad repair shop. He recalls the pride that the steam engineers took in their locomotives. Balser also details how much more efficient the new Diesel engines were than their steam predecessors.

Direct download: MSM_208.mp3
Category:podcasts -- posted at: 2:58pm CDT