Interview with George Evans about Huntsville's Public Swimming Pool in the 1950s

This is an oral interview that Dr. Jeffrey L. Littlejohn conducted with George Evans by telephone on April 5, 2021. George Evans and his sister Martha lived in Huntsville during the mid-twentieth century. Their father, George Pirtle Evans, served as an English professor at Sam Houston State Teachers College, and the Evans complex on Sam Houston State University’s campus is named for him. This interview covers the childhood experiences of George and Martha Evans. They grew up around Sam Houston State Teachers College and enjoyed the recreational offerings in Huntsville. The Evans family lived on Avenue O, only blocks from the college, where George and Martha roller-skated, biked, and explored. At roughly 10 years of age, George also received a job at the swimming pool as an attendant working for Coach M. Crawford, who managed the site. George worked as the counter clerk, handing out hanging baskets in which swimmers stowed their clothes and other belongings after changing into their suits. Evans learned how to swim at the pool with his young friends, and as they grew older they all participated in the Red Cross’s safety, rescue, and lifesaver course. The pool served as “our entire social world,” Evans said.