For this project I came across a foundation for saving the teepee pavilion in Cherokee park. Through many emails I was led to Virginia Mattingly, no relation to myself. Funny enough she actually works at the law library at the University of Louisville. I was told that she was the most active volunteer for the foundation. When I contacted her she was more than willing to set up a time to meet me. She sounded excited and ready to answer any questions I had for her.
We met at Cherokee park at 12:00 on a Sunday. The weather was beautiful. The sun was shining but the heat was bearable. The park was completely awake and alive. A family had rented out the teepee pavilion that day so we talked on the outside perimeter. From the get go you could tell Virginia was super nice and outgoing. It was easy to start a conversation with her. With the smell of hotdogs on the grill and the sound of kids laughing from the playground to the side, I started my questions. Virginia is a talker. Which was great for all my questions. She gave good personal details to her stories.
Virginia was extremely familiar with Cherokee park as a whole. She is dedicated to saving the teepee pavilion but she is also someone who just really enjoys going to the park. She comes to Cherokee about every other day. During the interview she talked about how the park was in her high school days. It had been a hangout place back then too. A particular memory she has of the park is when she was in high school and she attended her first political rally. Gatewood Galbraith was speaking at Cherokee. Virginia smiled and said, “It was like nothing I have ever seen before.” There were fire throwers there. People were making speeches. All the kids were playing hack-e-sac. This was a turning point in Virginias life. She exclaimed, “This rally is was got me to really start thinking about my own political views.”
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