Great River Road, 2016

Browse Items (45 total)

  • Tags: immigration
Thumbnail Title Description Date Date Added
Eleidys Guerra Oral History Interview In this oral history interview, Venezuelan student Eleidys Guerra discusses moving to Madison County to study English, leaving behind a job and large family in Venezuela. She describes how she and her son have adapted to their new circumstances with no familiarity with English. November 20, 2017 April 11, 2018
Luis Ybarra Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Luis Ybarra was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Luis Ybarra was born May 6, 1957. He talks about his lifelong residency in the Lincoln Place neighborhood. Born in 1957 to Mexican immigrants, Luis worked for the Madison County Highway Department and was a member of the Mexican Honorary Commission. Among many other topics, Luis talks about his personal history, life, and times in Madison County.
November 3, 2001 March 18, 2018
Henry Ybarra Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Henry Ybarra was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Mr. Ybarra speaks about his time growing up in Lincoln Place as well as his family in and trips to Mexico. He utilizes photographs to guide his father, uncle, and other family members and their experiences in Mexico. Mr. Ybarra emphasizes his sense of pride about bring a resident of Lincoln Place.

Among the many topics Henry Ybarra talks about are his lifelong residency at Lincoln Place, working at Prairie Farms Dairy, his Mexican heritage, yearly trips to Mexico, and his family.
November 14, 2001 March 18, 2018
Jack Vizer Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Jack Vizer was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Jack E. Vize was born on October 3, 1928, to Hungarian immigrant parents and has been a lifelong resident of the Lincoln Place neighborhood. In this interview he talks about his childhood, working with his father at the Commonwealth Plant, his time in the Korean War, working for the U.S. Corp of Engineers, and his involvement with the Boy Scouts.
October 29, 2001 March 18, 2018
Isabella Vartan and Helen Abbott Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Isabella Vartan and Helen Abbott was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Isabella Vartan and Helen Abbott are the daughters of Armenian immigrants who have been lifelong residents of the Lincoln Place neighborhood. In this interview, they talk about their parent's experience in Armenia during World War I and immigration to the United States, their participation in the Armenian Orthodox Church, growing up as the children of immigrants, involvement in the local community center, and the diversity of the Lincoln Place neighborhood.
October 10, 2001 March 18, 2018
Hagop Varadian  Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Hagop Varadian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Hagop (Jake) Varadian was born on April 12, 1938 to Armenian immigrants and has been a lifelong resident of the Lincoln Place neighborhood. In this interview, he talks about his parent's life in Armenia during World War One and his mother’s experience in the Armenian Genocide which resulted in her having to live in the desert where her sister was born. He also touches on aspects of his own life that include being in the Army and teaching school for the Granite City School District.
November 6, 2001 March 18, 2018
Sandor Toth Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Sandor Toth was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Sandor (Alexander) Toth is the son of Hungarian immigrants and has been a lifelong resident of the Lincoln Place neighborhood. In this interview, he talks about his childhood at Lincoln Place, the diversity of the community, and his career at the Commonwealth Steel Mill.
October 27, 2001 March 18, 2018
Michael Torosian Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Michael Torosian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Mr. Torosian is a first-generation American. His father emigrated from Armenia in 1913. His mother was a refugee; she emigrated sometime after the genocide of the Armenians in 1915. Mr. Torosian was born in Lincoln Place and describes growing up there as the most wonderful childhood anyone could have. He lived there for the first twenty-nine years of his life, excluding the time he was in the service. Mr. Torosian indicated that the community center played a major part in his life as a child. He states that from the age of eight or nine, he was there almost every night. He stated that the Community Center was the envy of the surrounding area. The combination of caring people, citizenship classes, sewing classes and a beautiful basketball gymnasium made the center a wonderful place. Additionally, the fact that it was paid for by Mr. Howard and constructed with local labor provided employment for many families in Lincoln Place during the depression. Mr. Torosian described the mix of different ethnic groups as educational. Lincoln Place provided the structure for education about many different cultures. Everyone learned from each other. The sense of community was very evident in Lincoln Place. Mr. Torosian and I also discussed the Armenian Genocide and issues surrounding its lack of acknowledgment and publicity. He graciously states that genocide was the responsibility of the regime in charge at the time, and not all the Turks.
November 15, 2001 March 18, 2018
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
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