Roland and Ronald Woodfolk

RONALD W:  People that was influencing my life, was the neighbors, was the Robinsons, the Kellys, the Smith, and actually it was two sets of Robinsons.  Miss Laura Robinson, which was the schoolteacher, and the Robinsons, and her son and we are like, we’re brothers.  We just have different mothers, but I spent more time up at his house than my own house, and --

Phyllis Leffler:  During those years, or still today?  Are you involved?

RONALD W: We’re still friends today.

ROLAND W: We’re still friends today, okay?

Phyllis Leffler:  And was his name?

ROLAND W: Rodney Robinson.

Phyllis Leffler:  Rodney Robinson, okay, uh-huh.

ROLAND W:  And I’m still in contact with the Smith’s daughter, Caroline, she’s down in Florida now, but I still talk to her occasionally.  And it was --

Phyllis Leffler:  Why were they important to you? You said the most influential --

ROLAND W:  Cause we lived together, we kind of played together, and it was almost like a family atmosphere, you know.  Where you can go -- it was just like family, I go over to their house, they come to, you know, our house, and it was just --

RONALD W:Basically, it was nurturing in the neighborhood. Mrs. Robinson was my third-grade teacher, okay?

Phyllis Leffler:  And they were family friends at the same time, is that what you’re saying?

RONALD W:Yeah, everybody knew -- we lived in a section of Charlottesville that they refer to as “Kelleytown” back in the day, which was right down from Washington  Park.  So, as far as spending that time, we spent most of our time at the park, you know, that’s when --

ROLAND W: We didn’t have -- the park was our babysitter, you know.  We go home for lunch, come back at one or two o’clock, and we stayed there ‘til about five, and then go home, by that time, parents were home.