In 1956, Mike Holman and his family left Martin, Kentucky, and moved to Logan, West Virginia, where his mother had a job waiting as a nurse at Logan General Hospital. The house on Dingess Street was so big that their grandparents were invited to move in with them. Granddad Branham was employed there as a miner.
“Our mother was a miracle worker,” said Holman. “As often as she came home tired after her long shifts at the hospital, she still cooked meals made special by sharing the events of the day around the table.”
Chores were divided up among the children, except for their younger sister. According to her brothers, Stephanie was mom’s delight and could get by doing little because she was spoiled to the nth degree.
“My older brother Rufus and I were responsible for the washing of Mom’s uniforms,” said Holman. “We also washed Mom’s work stockings and polished her shoes. Stephanie was responsible for cleaning the dishes and kitchen and general light house cleaning; the rest of us rotated jobs between yard work and waxing hardwood floors.”
Swimming in the Guyandotte River was a capital offense, but with the new integration laws in effect, the pool at Chief Logan State Park was a safe escape from the summer heat.
Living in a neighborhood, Halloween became a perfect time to visit every house on both sides of Dingess Street. The kids always collected enough assorted candy to provide additional income for the family dentist.
“Thanksgiving and Christmas were Mom’s favorite time of the year,” said Holman. “The traditional meal for Thanksgiving was a showcase of my mom’s ability to prepare a meal with memories. Items like turkey, ham, all the trimmings and everyone’s favorite — sweet potato pie.”
The Holman family always decorated a live tree that their mother selected, and it had to have just the right look. Decorations were age-old fragile hand-me-down ornaments and lights that were placed around the tree under Mom’s guidance.
“Christmas was really special for everyone, and our mother spared little expense when it came to gifts on Christmas morning,” said Holman. “Mom hid presents under the bed, and Stephanie the snooper discovered them one year. When Mom was working we’d drag out the packages and try to discover the contents without disturbing the wrapping.”
Holman began his public education at Aracoma Grade School, which was an all-black school. A year later, segregation was abolished and he transferred to Logan Grade School, where he attended classes with the same white friends that he played neighborhood baseball games with.
“I had no more or less trouble with white kids in school than I did with blacks,” said Holman. “It was the teachers that seemed to have difficulty accepting blacks in the classroom, and I felt it because of the way they acted toward us. They just seemed distant, less generous with their time.”
By the time Holman entered Logan Junior High, the disparity between teachers and students seemed to have leveled off. He became involved with football, where he was team captain and played quarterback; he also played basketball and ran track. And through it all, there was Mom, with her sparkling white, freshly ironed uniforms, making sure homework assignments were completed, grades were kept up and attendance stayed perfect.
“I stayed with the football team throughout my tenure at Logan High School,” said Holman. “Teachers were good; a few were excellent. I never dated much to speak of, at least no one special enough to take to the senior prom. I also kept a part-time job through high school at the Logan Theater sweeping out the aisles after the last showing. I graduated high school in 1971.”
After high school Holman came to Huntington to attend Marshall University where he graduated with a degree in physical education and health in 1975. He also earned a master’s degree in occupational safety and health at Marshall. By chance he applied for work at AK Steel in Ashland, from where he retired after 25 years.
Mike and Robyn were married in 1981 after meeting in church six months earlier. They honeymooned at Daytona Beach and returned to Huntington, where they live today. He has been a volunteer and member at Lewis Memorial Baptist Church nearly 20 years.
“All lives matter,” he said. “It’s not just blacks; every life is precious. Demonstrators are taking advantage of these protests by looting. What happened with George Floyd and the police was wrong. What we need is a firm judicial system in place that’s equal for all races.”
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Logan native goes from integration to a continued push for equality for all - Huntington Herald Dispatch
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