Jolley to be featured on PBS tonight

A release from Mars Hill College...

Dr. Harley Jolley, professor emeritus of history at Mars Hill College, will be one of the featured interviewees in a PBS documentary set to air on November 2 about the Civilian Conservation Corps. The documentary is part of a five-part series on PBS’ American Experience series, called “The 1930s.”


Jolley, who served as a Mars Hill College professor of history from 1949 until 1991, is the author of 11books and publications, including his most recent book, “The Civilian Conservation Corps: That Magnificent Army of Youth and Peace.” In addition to his scholarly research about the corps, Jolley is a veteran of the program, having served in camps in Lexington, Yellowstone National Park and Death Valley, California.

The CCC was a public work relief program for unemployed young men, and was one of the major initiatives of the New Deal under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The program existed from 1933 until 1942, and provided an estimated 3 million young men with economic relief, rehabilitation and training.

In addition to his research about the Conservation Corps, Jolley is considered one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Jolley has long been known as a friend and historian of the Parkway and most of his books catalog the history, landscaping and details of the world’s longest and thinnest national park. One of Jolley’s classic books, “The Blue Ridge Parkway,” is a volume which continues to be a favorite among both scholars and casual readers. His dedication to the Parkway is further demonstrated by his service as a seasonal ranger from 1958 through 1984.

In addition to his service in the CCC, Jolley’s life has been marked by some of the most significant events of the 20th century. He is a survivor of the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor and a World War II veteran who served in both the South Pacific and the European theatres.

For his work with the Blue Ridge Parkway, Jolley last year was presented with membership in The Order of the Long Leaf Pine, the highest civilian honor in North Carolina.

Jolley is the honoree of a multiple-thousand-dollar endowment establishing a history scholarship to Mars Hill College; he is a past president of the Historical Society of North Carolina; and in 2001, he received the Edward H. Abbuehl Environmental Education Award. In 2008, he was presented with the Western North Carolina Association Lifetime Historical Achievement Award with his late wife, Dr. Betty Jolley.