Interview with Ken "Mick" McClung
Dublin Core
Title
Interview with Ken "Mick" McClung
Description
Ken "Mick" McClung, a retired businessman and military veteran, was interviewed by Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections volunteer Ann McCutchan on May 30, 2025. This interview took place at Fairview Library and was conducted as part of the Come Hell or High Water Oral History Project for Buncombe County Special Collections, Pack Memorial Library.
McClung relates his experience of Helene and its aftermath in his community. After the storm, he and his dog Cash were the first therapy dog team to return to Mission Hospital, where they provided emotional support to exhausted staff who shared traumatic survival stories [00:09:28]. He also describes his volunteer work in trail cleanup and maintenance following the storm [00:14:23] and reads poetry he wrote inspired by a nurse’s experience [00:26:51] and the coming of spring [00:28:00].
Portrait depicts McClung with his dog in the driveway of his home residence , December 11, 2025.
McClung relates his experience of Helene and its aftermath in his community. After the storm, he and his dog Cash were the first therapy dog team to return to Mission Hospital, where they provided emotional support to exhausted staff who shared traumatic survival stories [00:09:28]. He also describes his volunteer work in trail cleanup and maintenance following the storm [00:14:23] and reads poetry he wrote inspired by a nurse’s experience [00:26:51] and the coming of spring [00:28:00].
Portrait depicts McClung with his dog in the driveway of his home residence , December 11, 2025.
Date
Rights
Interview copyright Ken "Mick" McClung and Buncombe County Special Collections. Photo copyright Bill Green Photography.
Format
Language
English
Identifier
MS456.001R
Extent
1 digital audio recording (0:32:28); 1 transcript (19 pages); 2 poems (3 pages); 1 digital photograph
Oral History Item Type Metadata
Duration
0:32:28
Interviewer
Ann McCutchan
Interviewee
Ken "Mick" McClung
Collection
Tags
Citation
Friends of Buncombe County Special Collections, “Interview with Ken "Mick" McClung,” Come Hell or High Water Community Memory Project, accessed January 20, 2026, https://helenehistory.omeka.net/items/show/1358.