ABSTRACT
John L.Lewis had once imagined a brighter day when his miners would no longer work in mines at all, but could spend their days in the sunshine instead. In Lewis's vision, mining machines would replace most human mine workers, so that relatively few miners would be needed. Those who were needed would earn a comfortable living in a less strenuous environment, while the great mass of ex-miners would find new careers in other fields. Something akin to that process was now taking place in southwestern Virginia among the descendants of Bob Givens.
