The Center for Oral and Public
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PERSONAL AND FAMILY HISTORIES
ANDERSON, Edith (n.d.) A native of Missouri recalls a devastating tornado that killed her brother and left her maimed; her marriage and migration to California during the Depression; living in Gardena, California; and the internment of Japanese Americans from that community during World War II.
BUCK, Fraser (1883- ) Local author discusses economic effects of various mines on Park City, Utah, particularly those owned by John J. Daly, and other economic bases nearby; problems found in the mines including fires, explosions and water; varied ethnic groups in the city; and local personalities like the Silver Queen.
BOUEZ, Nadia (n.d.)
O.H. 1792 A native of Lebanon who grew up in Iraq discusses her experiences in Beirut from 1980 to 1984 and her earlier life and employment in Iraq. She provides a different insight into the revolution and the conditions in Lebanon.
BRUM, William (1907- )
Recollections of ancestors, one of whom
served in the American Civil War; childhood in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and
his family’s Victorian-style house and furnishings; the vacations and
fishing trips; boyhood amusements, pranks, and winter sports; influenza
epidemic of 1917-1918; employment ranging from salesman to migrant farm
worker to postal employment; early education, college experiences, marriage,
and honeymoon trip in 1936. Includes comments on Minnesota climate, effects
of the Depression, and the world wars on his life.
CONNELL, Stanley R. (1928- ) A retired railroad switchman for the Santa Fe Railroad recalls experience working on the railroad and provides a history of the early operations of the old Los Angeles Terminal Division covering the period before and after World War II; discusses equipment used, switching procedures, and yard operations.
ELLIOTT, Marcella (n.d.)
O.H. 1993 Recollections of early childhood growing up in the Midwest, her household chores, religious training, and education.
HOOVER, Bessie (ca. 1900- ) Discusses family and early life in Baldwin Park, California, and a brief narrative history of the area.
JONES, Vera Taylor (n.d.) Lone Pine, California, resident comments on her familial ties to William Penn, involvement in a Christian Utopian community in Arkansas and Georgia, and her membership in the Theosophical Society after moving to California.
KENT, Beatrice (1906- ) Discussion of the movie industry from an employees viewpoint for the period 1921-1971; recalls working at Paramount, Columbia, Universal, and MGM studios; personalities encountered, seeing and working with celebrities; the variety of jobs she had, and her experiences in the movie industry.
LEAK, Hazel Haworth Mann (n.d.) Recollections of the early history and life-style of Baldwin Park, California. Discusses family history at length, and her experiences teaching music.
MAC QUIDDY, Rosemarie (n.d.) Retired psychic counselor recalls for her son the harsh early childhood in the coal mining towns of Pennsylvania, including abuse by her alcoholic father which eventually led to her own battle with alcoholism. She discusses her failed marriages, her recovery through Alcoholics Anonymous and psychotherapy, her interest in parapsychology, and the problems of raising her severely handicapped son.
MC KENNA, Ann (1928- A housewife recalls her early childhood in the Catskill area of New York state, her paternal grandfather’s influence on her life, nursing school, her early marriage, and the problems of raising fourteen children in Queens, New York, and Whittier, California. Comments on women~ s issues and the Roman Catholic Church.
MEMBRILA, Anthony (n.d.) Recollections of childhood days in Texas railroad towns, working with the Civil Conservation Corps in Texas and Nevada and Works Progress Administration during the Depression, his employment in World War II as a smelter in the copper mines.
MIRKIN, Zulema (n.d.)
O.H. 1557 Interviewee recalls her childhood in Argentina during World War II; comments on her early days as a poet and lyricist and the importance of education in achieving her stature as a writer.
NELSON, Milton (n.d.)
O.H. 1591 Longtime southeastern Utah resident and landowner recounts history of Falling Springs Lodge, its different managers, and the development of the government trail. He also comments on Indian troubles on Soldier Creek and the daily life of Utah peace officers.
POHL, Margaret (n.d.)
O.H. 1311 A housewife and small businesswoman recalls for her daughter the problems met in raising her family in West Covina, California, and in starting up the family business, a small liquor store. She briefly comments on the assassinations of John Kennedy, Robert Kennedy, and the Cuban missile crisis.
SCHROGIN, Manya (ca. 1918- Recollections of early life in Nikolayev, Russia; experiences immigrating to the United States; family life in the Jewish communities of Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles; and her participation in and the importance of music to her life.
SILTEN, Gabrielle (n.d.)
O.H. 1987 Childhood survivor of the holocaust recalls her family’s flight from Germany in 1938, their respite in Holland, the presence of anti-Semitism, and the rounding up of Jews in 1940 after the invasion of Holland; discusses life in two concentration camps located in German-occupied Czechoslovakia and forced labor conditions, liberation by Russian forces, and her return to Holland. Comments on the long term social and psychological effects resulting from Hitler’s atrocities.
SZILAGYI, Joseph (n.d.)
O.H. 1646 Hungarian resistance fighter in the 1956 revolution discusses the causes of the Hungarian uprising, his role as a guerilla fighter and subsequent escape to the United States. Includes comments on his personal life and experiences.
WEBSTER, Daniel J. (1897- )
A Midwesterner discusses family history for
his grandson including early family life, his draft deferment in World War
I, varied employment experiences nationwide, particularly the used car
business, and philosophizes on business practices.
WHITMER, Margaret (n.d.)
Mother recounts for her daughter her parents
move to Spring Valley, Illinois, from Great Britain; the flu epidemics of
the 1910s and 1920s; effects of the Depression upon her family; and memories
of World War II. Comments on differences between Los Angeles and Orange County in the postwar years.
WILLIS, George (1927- ) Veteran race car driver from the Midwest discusses early experiences hot-rodding, occasions where he raced motorcycles and different automobiles, and the organization and history of motor racing in Pomona, California.
WISE, Fred (1923-
)
O.H. 1865
A United States Army Air Corps pilot
discusses his enlistment, training, and experiences during World War II, and
his fifty-nine missions over France and Germany, sixteen of these missions
as a copilot. Comments on family history, early childhood, and high school
experiences.
WOOD, Helen Neville (1915- ) A longtime resident of California recounts the family history of the Hirtzel and Neville families of South Dakota and California between 1900 and 1965. Comments on life in southern California during the 1930s and 1940s. |
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