Wayne Wolford, Founder, Curator of the Warren County Black History Museum, retired military.
Interview by Brad Durham
Why are you in McMinnville?
My grandparents moved back here. I am the only child. My mother let me come here every other year, and I fell in love with this place. I was born in Illinois; we moved to St. Louis when I was six years old. When I was 10, my grandmother moved here. When I was in St. Louis, I could not get out and do the things that I could do here. I could run in the countryside…had freedom here.
My first three years of high school were in St. Louis, and then I moved here for my fourth year. Graduated from Central High School in 1966. Came here one year after integration.
Moved back here permanently in 1995 when I got out of the military.
What do you think when you reflect on McMinnville’s future? Positive? Negative?
There is going to be great improvement here. The cost of housing and the weather are all prime things right now. Within the next 10 years I think we are going to see a big change here in Warren County. This is the place where the cost of living is reasonable.
Do you think there is a difference between “McMinnville” and “Warren County?” Why or why not?
It feels like basically the same thing. When I first came here, I came here on a Greyhound bus. I remember when Murfreesboro was about the same size of McMinnville. You can really tell the difference now. I see Warren County and McMinnville as basically the same.
If you were mayor of McMinnville and had a magic wand, what three things would you change?
I would like to see more culture. The places I have been in the military, has helped me see how things can work together in the culture. That is one thing. Number two, I would not want to see change in terms of the roads, the traffic. Because we don’t have any traffic jams. As long as we can keep the same for a long time, that would be beautiful. The third thing…is like anywhere else in the world…I wish we could just get along as far as people. Not what church you go to, not which political party you are in…just as a person. Respect a person just as you want to be respected.
What do you think unites us in McMinnville?
The idea of a person having a hard time, struggling, homeless, whatever; we don’t like to see ourselves in that light. We want to be at the point where we do not have to be in that situation. We want a roof over our heads, food on the table and that we can pay our bills.
What do you think divides us?
Politics. Religion. We all have discriminations. When I say that, I mean so and so’s house is better than mine. Their car is better than mine. They have more money than I have. We all discriminate like that. That is all of us.
Do you agree with the direction and quality of education the Warren County public school system offers for our children? Why or why not?
Yes. I know a lot of folks do homeschooling. That is their prerogative. But as far as me being old school, knowing what it is like going to school…meeting people, having friends, being in the band, being at the point where I can interact with people. Growing up like that I almost feel like that gives you more freedom. Right now, people are afraid of security. They are afraid of different things going on in the schools and around the country. They do not feel like it is safe. From what I see, it is super safe right now. Everything is super secure right now. I think we are holding out pretty well right now.
Is everything you need in McMinnville exist in terms of groceries, retail stores, churches, restaurants?
As far as I am concerned there is. There is always that happy feeling if you want to go to Nashville or Chattanooga or Atlanta to see something bigger and different. Being in a comfortable living environment, I feel real good about this…
Is McMinnville doing enough for people who are economically disadvantaged, or should the city be doing more? If not, what should the city be doing?
We have so many agencies and directories; a lot of people are not aware of all of the systems, the finances, the feeding and so forth that Warren County has to offer. This is a very giving community. It almost seems hard to realize that kids need a program where they get food at school. There are a lot of good programs here. People just haven’t reached out to get them. We are a very giving community.
What did I not ask you that you would like to comment about regarding McMinnville and its people?
It is very economical here, depending upon where you stand in life. If you are retired, it is very comfortable living here. If you are not retired, you can really do well here. The only sad part here, and nationally, is that people do not want to work anymore. I have no idea what is causing this. It doesn’t matter what you want to pay the younger generation, they don’t know how because they have not been taught.
Cell phones are a beautiful thing. I call them communication devices. But if you have your head down and stuck in that phone all the time while you are driving or sitting somewhere, or you are sitting at a table with your family and everyone has a phone and is not communicating…these are the things that I think are jeopardizing our everyday living for a mature person, not an old person, a mature person.
I think McMinnville in terms of finances and artifacts has been great to the Black History Museum. The doors opened 18 months ago, and so far, it has been phenomenal. We have the downstairs suites taken care of, and we are working on the upstairs suites. It has required some advertising to get people here. We want to be in sight and in mind.
Editor’s Note: This interview was conducted in November of 2022; therefore, the doors of the Black History Museum actually opened 27 months ago.
The next and final complete interview of this series will feature Lisa Zavogiannis.
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