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Show Bourdeaux_Duane Transcript Thu, Oct 12, 2023 12:33PM • 7:04 This recording took place on September 16, 2023 outside the Nettie Gregory Center in Salt Lake City. It was transcribed and edited by Utah Historical Society Women’s History Initiative intern Carly Bagley, while using Otter.ai, an auto-generative transcription service. We used the Utah Historical Society Transcription Style Guide to create this transcription. The Utah Historical Society conducted this interview for a Scan and Share Event in conjunction with the Peoples of Utah Revisited Initiative. Several members of the community came to this event at the Nettie Gregory Center on September 16, 2023. This interview was conducted outside and behind the Nettie Gregory Center. Because the Center is located near a freeway overpass and next to an apartment building, audio may pick up background noise. The apartment building land used to be owned by the Center. Behind the Center, there is a basketball court and a Colors of Success van. SUMMARY KEYWORDS kids, adult, community, intended purpose, programming, serve, gregory, nettie, memories, center, recreation activities, careers, forefathers, utah, forging, people, families, early, duane, older SPEAKERS Duane Bourdeaux, Carly Bagley Carly Bagley 00:01 Okay, that one started. Started. Carly Bagley 00:06 Okay, I am Carly Bagley. I'm with the Utah Historical Society. Do you mind stating your name? Duane Bourdeaux 00:13 My name is Duane Bordeaux. And I'm a lifelong resident of Utah, former state representative, as well as the President of the Nettie Gregory Center, Incorporated. Carly Bagley 00:27 Okay, cool. Do you want to tell me about how you got involved? You're the president. {laughs} Duane Bourdeaux 00:35 Well, how I got involved. Obviously as a kid, you know, my family members would frequent Nettie Gregory. When I got a little older, they would have community parties and things like that, where I was able to come over. And in my adult age, in my organization, we rented space from the Nettie Gregory Center where we provided youth programming recreation activities for kids and families. So, I've been Transcribed by https://otter.ai 1 involved for a very long time here and now, the present president of the organization. So we are working to get the building back open and so the community can benefit from it, and be able to serve the community as its intended purposes of the late Ms. Gregory. Carly Bagley 01:17 Love that. Do you want to walk me through from your first memories of the Nettie Gregory Center, and then maybe we can catch up to now? Duane Bourdeaux 01:27 So, first memories was just knowing that my older brother would always come. My older sister, she worked with kids with youth programming years. Like, come over when they'd have some like Christmas events for kids here. So I'd come over with my older sister. But, my older brother had come over, periodically, when he played basketball here outside. This is where a lot of the community would come and play basketball. So I have that experience. And as an adult, people from the community would have parties here so we could come at night and enjoy ourselves and no one to bother us. Carly Bagley 02:03 Yeah. Duane Bourdeaux 02:03 And have a good time that way. And then in my professional career, as I said, we knew the building existed. And when I started my business, I reached out to the leadership group and say, "We'd love to come in and start providing programming and services for kids." At this time, this wasn't here. So we had all the space here next door, as well as this space. So the kids [were] able to play basketball, and [there was a] playground in the back, and programming things inside. Here we are today. Carly Bagley 02:36 Do you mind, what were your siblings’ names that were involved here? Duane Bourdeaux 02:40 Andrea is the oldest. Rick is second. Herb, third. Sheila, next. And I'm the youngest, Duane. Carly Bagley 02:49 And you all came here to the Center? Duane Bourdeaux 02:51 Yes. Carly Bagley 02:51 Okay, cool. Do you have any memories about the kids you knew while you were here? Duane Bourdeaux 02:57 You know, as an adult, definitely. Younger as a kid, no. But all the families... My organization, Colors of Success, we helped a lot of kids over the years, from all walks of life. Middle, upper income, lower Transcribed by https://otter.ai 2 income, kids experiencing a lot of risk factors. So, it was a great thing to see kids come and be able to communicate with one another here. It was a nice thing. Carly Bagley 03:25 Yeah. I guess to you, why is the Center so important to you and why do you want it... Duane Bourdeaux 03:36 Why it's so important to me is to carry on the history and its intended purpose. Back in the late 50s, early 60s, there was segregation, Blacks didn't have a place to go. Carly Bagley 03:45 Yeah. Duane Bourdeaux 03:45 So you know that leadership, our forefathers and mothers, got together and said, "Hey, we need to build something so we have a place to fellowship and come." Now moving forward here in 2023, again, being able to bring all communities here, and be able to carry on that mission, and serve all kids and families. I mean, that's what I have done a great part of my professional career. I want to continue to do [that]. And again, to have a place where people could come fellowship and communicate. Because sometimes, we don't have conversations with one another at the level that we need to. So, this can be that community hub where you can service a lot of people. And over the years, this building has served a lot of people that sometimes I don't think the community realizes how many families this building has served. And I want that to continue. Every day it goes non-used and the doors are not open, I feel we are not serving our community at a high level the way we should be. And so I'm excited. I'm optimistic and I'm looking forward to forging ahead on our new journey. Carly Bagley 04:56 Yeah, that's amazing. It's funny because I was talking to someone earlier, Harvey Boyd. Duane Bourdeaux 05:04 Okay, yes. Carly Bagley 05:05 Yeah, I was talking to him. And he said that this place it's kind of like a launching pad for other great things for people. Does that sound familiar? Like, what kind of things have you seen people go on to do because of the Center was in their life? Duane Bourdeaux 05:21 Well again, just seeing some of the kids that were part of youth programming here and then going on as adults, as speech therapists, sheriffs, just going on in their careers and being successful and contributing taxpayers. Carly Bagley 05:37 Yeah. Transcribed by https://otter.ai 3 Duane Bourdeaux 05:37 That's a wonderful thing. Like I said, just the experiences I had here and to be able to come back as an adult, and continue to lend my hand to what is going on. And that's what we want to do, is provide as an adult leader and an adult mentor to kids. Being able to provide what has been provided to me by previous forefathers and mothers, give back. And again, when they come through, they can do the same thing where we continue this many, many years into the future. Carly Bagley 06:07 That's awesome. Is there anything else that you would like to share or any memories that have kind of come up about the Center? Or how the building has changed? Duane Bourdeaux 06:18 Well, you know, just looking over time, of community members coming together. Like I said, we want to serve all communities. We're here for all. We don't want to segregate. We want to be that loving, helping hands to all. And I think, you know, like I said, our goal is to get all this cleaned up. Fresh paint and remodeled. So again, our kids walk into something exciting, vibrant, where again, they can appreciate it and move forward in their careers. Where we again, are that helping hand to them so they grow up, and want to serve, and give back in the future. Carly Bagley 06:58 I love that. Thank you, Duane. Duane Bourdeaux 07:00 Thank you. Transcribed by https://otter.ai 4 |
