Bluffs and Piasa Bird, 2016

Browse Items (76 total)

  • Tags: Granite City
Thumbnail Title Description Date Date Added
Danny Gray Oral History Interview In this oral history interview, Danny Gray describes his experiences working for Granite City Steel from 1978 to the time of the interview. He describes how steel production has changed in his 38 years working for the company, including the rise of automation and, in his view, the weakening of unions. He also discusses growing up in the St. Louis region and living in Madison County. October 19, 2016 February 9, 2017
Bryan Mathis Oral History Interview In this oral history interview, Bryan Mathis describes his childhood in Venice, Illinois, and his experiences as an African-American man growing up in the area during the era of desegregation. He describes the various forms of bigotry and racism he's faced in the communities of Venice, Madison, Granite City, and St. Louis, as well as his feeling about the communities of Venice and Granite City today. He also discusses his work as a paperboy in Venice, what it was like growing up in the Venice housing projects, getting cut from the Venice High School Basketball team the year they won the State Championship (1975), and going to SIUE and the Mississippi River Festival in the late 70s. October 18, 2016 December 1, 2016
Sally Burgess Oral History Interview In this oral history interview, Sally Burgess discusses her work as director and executive director of the Hope Clinic in Granite City, Illinois, which provides abortion care and counseling to women. She describes the various challenges of her work - both in providing abortion care to patients of the clinic and dealing with anti-abortion activists. October 13, 2016 February 9, 2017
Eleanor Todoroff Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Eleanor Todoroff was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Eleanor Todoroff was born and raised in the Lincoln Place community. In this interview, she talks about her father's emigration from Armenia and involvement in World War I, the role of the Macedonian Church in Lincoln Place, and the “Macedonian Bulgarian Ladies Aid Society.
December 5, 2001 March 18, 2018
Marvin Moehle Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Marvin Moehle was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Marvin Moehle was born and raised in Lincoln Place. In this interview, he talks about his family business, the diversity of the Lincoln Place community, and his Macedonian heritage.

There is no transcript with this interview but there is a biographical summary.
December 1, 2001 September 2, 2018
Dena Lovacheff  Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Dena Lovacheff was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Though Dena Lovacheff did not grow up in Lincoln Place, she moved there in 1951 when she married her husband, William Lovacheff, and resided there until 1988. In this interview, she describes her childhood, the family-run business called Louie’s Market, and living with her in-laws in the Lincon Place community.
November 29, 2001 March 15, 2018
Norma Mendoza Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Norma Mendoza was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Norma Mendoza moved to Lincoln Place after she got married in 1960 and lived there until 1966. In this interview, she describes her experience working with the Mexican Honorary Commission, the diversity of the community, food and entertainment within the community, arranged marriages, different aspects of her career, and the local army depot.
November 28, 2001 March 15, 2018
Annette Simpkins Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Annette Simpkins was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Annette Simpkins was born to Armenian immigrant parents and lived her whole life in Lincoln Place. In this interview, she describes her childhood, her parent's emigration from Armenia before the genocide, her father's job at American Steel, her employment at the Army Depot, the diversity of the Lincoln Place community, and her time at the local theater.
November 26, 2001 March 18, 2018
Andrew Hagopian Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Andrew Hagopian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Andrew Hagopian was born in 1923 to immigrant parents from Armenia. In this interview, he talks about his family history, his experience on the 1940 Granite City basketball state champion team, the diversity of the Lincon Place community, and his activism in lobbying the United States government to recognize the Armenian Genocide.
November 21, 2001 March 4, 2018
Nevart Hagopian Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Nevart Hagopian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Nevart Hagopian is a survivor of the Armenian genocide who left Armenia with her mother at the age of 12 in 1920 and migrated to the Lincoln Place neighborhood of Granite City. In the interview, she discusses the Armenian community and culture in Lincoln Place.

Hagopian primarily speaks in Armenian in the interview, with Vartan Kassabian serving as a translator. Father Kassabian was a priest for St. Gregory Armenian Church in Granite City.

Note: The original archive copies of the interview transcript and biographical summary had grading marks and corrections on them. We converted the transcript and biographical summary to editable text and made the corrections to remove grading marks.
November 18, 2001 May 5, 2020