Who's Who in Appalachia: Back to Coal, Back to Work

The misery and privation of the mountain towns of Appalachia became a campaign issue in 1960, when JFK passed through West Virginia. After a spurt of direct federal aid for the region, the nation’s attention faded. The energy crisis has swung the spotlight back to Appalachia, where coal lies both shallow and deep, where the fight about whether to stripmine or deep-mine rages, and where the people who live and work the land feel a fierce need to control their own destinies.