DIRECTOR & COORDINATOR BIO

Dr. Linda H Bradford, Director
John "Pete" Algee, Coordinator
Bios

PROJECTOR DIRECTOR and INTERVIEWER

Dr. Linda Holderness Bradford is a retired professor who taught university, college and community college psychology courses for over 25 years. She emphasizes that she is a teacher and not a therapist and continues to teach Colorado online psychology courses while living in Fulton Kentucky. She also writes a monthly online column, Everyday Psychology, for FultonKYnews.com, and volunteers as Photography Exhibits curator for the Twin Cities Railroad Museum.

Some years ago, her mother and sister showed her an article about The A. Phillip Randolph Pullman Porter Museum in Chicago. Admiration for the work of museum director Lyn Hughes and Dr. Bradford’s affection for her father and his work as a dining car waiter, whetted her interest and inspired the creation of the African American Illinois Central Workers of the Fulton Kentucky Railroad Station (AAICWFKRS) undertaking. In addition to the Oral History Project, a book about dining car waiters and mini documentary is planned. Her findings (with initial publication of worker photos and stories) were presented as part of the Ken Tenn Community Forum’s 2009 African American History Program and with John Algee, project coordinator, presented to the Fulton County Genealogical Society. The initial findings have been greatly expanded by the Oral History Interviews and supplements; and will be presented to the Paducah Kentucky Railroad Museum February 2010 and to the So Fulton TN Twin Cities Railroad Museum, Spring 2010. Click here or photo for local magazine article (p.18-19), about her interests.

PROJECT COORDINATOR

John “Pete” Algee, is a retired Engineer, Train Master, Yard Master, Brakeman, and Supervisor of Locomotive Engineers. From November 1976 through July 2007, he worked consecutively for the Illinois Central and the Canadian National Railroad. Born and raised in Fulton, while working for the railroads he lived in, among others, Centralia, Champaign and Memphis and has now returned to So Fulton TN to retire.

He and his brother, Michael Algee, were the first Black train engineers in the area and he, the first Black Train Master. His father, like Bradford’s, was a dining car waiter. Algee is familiar with the town, the railroad history and it’s workers; and among memberships on a myriad of volunteer boards, he is a standing member of the Twin Cities Railroad Museum Board. He was asked so often to provide memorabilia and expertise during AAICWFKRS presentations that he decided to volunteer as coordinator. Bradford describes his contributions as immeasurable and his expertise as invaluable to the success of the project.  Citizen of the Year newsarticle, follows.