Pete & Peggy Bulger Remember Diamond Teeth Mary
It is my pleasure to welcome one of the nation’s top folklorists and folklore administrators Peggy Bulger to the Florida Folk Show Podcast. Peggy’s career began in Florida when she was named Florida’s State Folk Arts Coordinator in 1975, a year later she became the administrator of the Florida Folklife Program for 13 years. Bulger left in 1989 to work 10 years as the Folk Arts Director and Senior Program Officer for the Southern Arts Federation in Atlanta. In 1999, she was named director of Library of Congress’ American Folklife Center – only the second person to hold that post since the Center’s creation in 1976 (Florida folklorist Alan Jabbour was the founding director). Bulger retired from her position as Director of the American Folklife Center (AFC) at the Library of Congress on December 31, 2011. I met Peggy when she first came to Florida and traveled with her to visit a few folklore legends. As she put together the state’s first Folklore directory and have followed her career ever since. In fact, she was the one who first told me about Mary Smith McClain – the legendary Diamond Teeth Mary. Since Mary was in Bradenton and I was in St. Pete, Peggy asked me if I would give Mary a ride to White Springs to perform in the Florida Folk Festival.
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