Interview with Betty Byck Goodman, 2011

Summary of an oral history interview conducted with Betty Byck Goodman (1934-) in August 2011. The interview was part of the Louisville Jewish Family and Career Services's project to document the lives of Jewish seniors in Louisville, Kentucky.

Betty Byck Goodman, the daughter of German immigrants, was born in Louisville. She lived in an upscale neighborhood that housed few Jews and few shops. During the Great Flood of 1937 she went down to Mockingbird Valley with a maid to see the water level and lived a month without electricity. Her experiences with synagogue were limited but she was confirmed and did observe Passover. Betty attended Emmet Field Elementary School, then Barrett Junior High, then went to the Kentucky Home School for Girls. She attended college at the University of Miami, Ohio, and then enrolled in Spalding for Counseling Psychology and her Master’s, which she used to help families with alcohol abuse. Her father joined the United States Army at the beginning of World War II at age 42 and eventually landed at Fort Bragg. One of her most passionate hobbies is painting, for which she takes classes at the Temple. She intends to leave behind a spirit of respect, love, and dignity to treat others with.

024x6 Jewish Family and Career Services interviews, The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky

The Filson Historical Society, Louisville, Kentucky

Jewish Family and Career Services (Louisville, Ky.)

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