Forgotten America Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy

Tiffany Hoben is the Director of Education Partnerships & Strategy for the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy. She joins the Forgotten America Podcast to share her motivations for moving from the Sunshine State to the Mountain State, her passion for civics education, and her belief in the importance of feeling rooted in a local community.
The Outpost: https://outpostnrg.com/
Florida Civics Standards: https://www.fldoe.org/civicliteracy/
Comments from the Civics Alliance on the 2024 Proposed West Virginia Social Studies Standards: https://civicsalliance.org/letter-comment-on-west-virginia-social-studies-standards/
New River Gorge: https://www.nps.gov/neri/index.htm
Parrish, Florida: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrish,_Florida

 
Garrett Ballengee, Host
President & CEO - @gballeng
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer
Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer
Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
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Homer Hickam is a true West Virginia hero. Raised in Coalwood, a mining town in southern West Virginia, he went on to fight in the Vietnam War, work for NASA, and become a best-selling author. His book, Rocket Boys, was made into the popular movie October Sky. In this episode, he shares with Garrett stories from his life that reveal how his upbringing in West Virginia contributed to his success.
Homer tells about the inspiration behind his books, expresses his love for the Appalachian mountains, and gives his thoughts about education, the importance of community, and so much more. He even gives a sneak peek into some upcoming projects that he is working on.
Garrett’s conversation with Homer evokes a sense of both comforting familiarity and otherworldliness. This episode of Forgotten America will leave you in awe of how much things have changed since the 40s but also grateful for the resilience of the Mountaineer Spirit.
 
Follow Homer’s work by visiting his website: https://homerhickam.com/
Get a copy of his newest book, Don’t Blow Yourself Up, here: https://homerhickam.com/project/dont-blow-yourself-up/
October Sky (movie adaptation of his memoir, Rocket Boys): https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0132477/
Coalwood, WV: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coalwood,_West_Virginia
Buddy Ebsen: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Buddy_Ebsen
Jake Gyllenhaal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Gyllenhaal
Carrying Albert Home: https://homerhickam.com/project/carrying-albert-home/

 
Garrett Ballengee, Host
President & CEO - @gballeng
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer
Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer
Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
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This episode of Forgotten America opens with a brief walk down memory lane. Garrett shares how he first met Dr. Thompson at his Moral Foundations of Capitalism seminar at Clemson University. Dr. Thompson’s lecture was a catalyst moment for Garrett that led him down a career path that brought him home to run the Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy, a free market think tank.
Dr. Bradley Thompson was born in Canada, but he considered himself an American born in the wrong country from a young age. He tells the story of how hitchhiking through the United States was a formative experience for him and explains that he chose to explore rural America this way for two reasons: to discover America and to discover himself.
This episode of the Forgotten America podcast explores the origins of Dr. Thompson’s Substack entitled Redneck Intellectual, how COVID impacted a generation of young men and women, what makes classical education unique, and the importance of fatherhood. If you enjoy thinking about the big questions of life, this episode is one that you won’t want to miss.
The Well Trained Mind (online resource) https://welltrainedmind.com/
The Well Trained Mind: The Essential Edition (book)
C. Bradley Thompson, Professor at Clemson University and Executive Director for the Clemson Institute for the Study of Capitalism https://www.clemson.edu/centers-institutes/capitalism/cisc/bradley-thompson.html
Dr. Thompson’s website: https://cbradleythompson.com/
The American Mountain People: National Geographic https://www.amazon.com/American-Mountain-National-Geographic-Society/dp/B00PAC6LMY
The How and Why Book of the American Revolution https://www.amazon.com/How-Book-American-Revolution-Wonder/dp/B000BOZY3I
The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fountainhead
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand https://aynrand.org/novels/atlas-shrugged/
Fathers and Sons, American Style https://cbradleythompson.com/fathers-and-sons-american-style/
LocoFoco Press https://cbradleythompson.substack.com/p/announcement-from-the-redneck-intellectual
Twitter: @CBradleyThomps1

 
Garrett Ballengee, Host
President & CEO - @gballeng
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer
Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer
Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
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Sarah Montalbano is the Policy Manager for the Alaska Policy Forum and a senior fellow with the Independent Women’s Forum. She was born and raised in Wasilla, AK, and her family has roots in the state from the era before Alaskan statehood. Sarah joins the Forgotten America podcast to share about the culture, natural beauty, and economic growth of the state. Garrett & Sarah discuss public policy challenges Alaska faces, art and culture, and the history of the native population as well as how Alaskans handle issues of conservation and responsible land development.
 
Follow @SarahMontalban0 and at IWF, Young Voices, and Alaska Policy Forum. 
Additional Resources for This Episode
Wasilla, Alaska: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasilla,_Alaska
Alaska Policy Forum: https://alaskapolicyforum.org/author/sarahm/
Mat-Su Valley: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matanuska-Susitna_Valley
Alaska Permanent Fund: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Permanent_Fund
Endless Wall Trail in West Virginia https://www.nps.gov/places/endless-wall-trail.htm
Hatcher Pass Alaska https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatcher_Pass
229 federally recognized federally recognized Alaskan native villages. Alaska Federation of Natives: https://www.nativefederation.org/
Alaska Native Corporations: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alaska_Native_Claims_Settlement_Act
13 regional corporations that generate revenues and distribute them to shareholders
Denali National Park: https://www.alaska.org/destination/denali-national-park
Hobo Jim State Balladeer https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobo_Jim
Bus 142 from Into the Wild: https://www.uaf.edu/museum/collections/ethno/projects/bus_142/index.php
Into the Wild (book): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Wild_(book)
Firecracker Boys (book): https://www.amazon.com/Firecracker-Boys-Dan-ONeill/dp/0465003486

 
Garrett Ballengee, Host
President & CEO - @gballeng
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer
Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer
Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
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Jerry Apps is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the author of more than 35 books. He is a storyteller and historian, joining the Forgotten America podcast to share about his life growing up on a dairy farm in rural, central Wisconsin. Born during the Great Depression, his youth inspired much of his subsequent work and his love for rural America. He joins Garrett to discuss his upcoming book, Farms & Rural Communities: An Agricultural Ethic for the Future. If you’ve ever enjoyed listening to a beloved grandparent tell stories of their childhood, you’ll particularly enjoy this episode which dives into the history of family farming and much of the forgotten history of rural life in America.
 
Follow Jerry’s work at https://jerryapps.com/
Purchase a copy of his new book from Fulcrum Books. Signed copies are available.

 
Garrett Ballengee, Host
President & CEO - @gballeng
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer
Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer
Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
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Nick Deiuliis is a chemical engineer, attorney, and business executive. During a career spanning 30 years, he served as the CEO or Chairman of the Board of five public energy companies. During that time, Nick has been on the front lines of the war being waged by elites against working men and women of Appalachia, the “doers” of the American economy, and the free-thinking individual.  
 
Nick is a lifelong Pittsburgher and considers himself a proud capitalist and free enterprise advocate. He joins Garrett today to discuss the city of Pittsburgh and its place among Appalachian cities, the energy industry’s role in society and the future of the region, and Nick’s book, Precipice: The Left’s Campaign to Destroy America.
 
Nick shares about the thinkers who inspired his own personal philosophy and the path his career in the energy industry took. If you’re wondering what Appalachians can do to build a brighter future and fight back against coastal elites, you’ll want to listen to this episode of Forgotten America.
 
Learn more about Nick’s work here.
Buy and Read Precipice: The Left’s Campaign to Destroy America 
Reason Article Mentioned: https://reason.com/2005/10/01/rethinking-the-social-responsi-2/

Garrett Ballengee, Host
President & CEO - @gballeng
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Amanda Kieffer, Executive Producer
Vice President of Communications & Strategy - @akieffer13 
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Nate Phipps, Editor & Producer
Communications & Social Media Associate - @Aviv5753
Cardinal Institute for West Virginia Policy
 
Follow:
YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram
Support:
Patreon, Donate, Newsletter