Great River Road, 2016

Fall 2001 Granite City Oral History Interviews (43 total)

These oral histories were conducted for the History 447: Approaches to Oral History course taught by Anne Valk in the fall 2001 semester at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. The majority of the interviews are with residents of Granite City, many of them residents of the Lincoln Place immigrant community.

  • Collection: Fall 2001 Granite City Oral History Interviews
Thumbnail Title Description Date Date Added
Vicky Siers Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Vicky Siers was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Vicky Siers has lived most of her life in Lincoln Place and was born to Hungarian immigrant parents in the 1940s. In this interview, she describes her childhood, family history, the pride people from Lincoln Place have in their community and its diversity, and special community organizations such as the community center at Lincoln Place.
November 5, 2001 March 17, 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
Nazareth Donjoian Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Nazareth Donjoian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Naz, as he is better known by, was bom November 22, 1924. His father was a chef and ran a tavern and boarding house for many years. Naz also owned and ran a tavern for a number of years. While in high school, Naz got a job at the U.S. Army depot just down the street and worked there for part of his senior year. After graduation, he worked there a short period of time at the depot before being drafted, he entered the U.S. Army in June 1943 and was assigned to the U.S. Army Air Corps. He received training as a airplane and engine mechanic and spent a total of32 months in the military. The war ended before he was shipped overseas and upon discharge he returned to Granite City. He had return rights to his former job at the depot. After being home for two weeks and listening to his dad constantly asking him when he was going to get a job, Naz returned to work a the depot. He held a number of jobs and over the years suffered a number of Reduction In Force (RIF) realignments of personnel. However, after each RIF he was fortunate enough to move up in pay grade and after forty two years of combined military and civilian service, retired as a GS-12.
November 3, 2001 February 20, 2018
Charles Merzian Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Charles Merzian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Mr. Charles Merzian is a second generation American. His father emigrated from Armenia in 1910, and his mother emigrated from Armenia shortly later. They were married in 1925 and became naturalized American citizens in 1945 and 1946 respectively. They had two children, Charles (born in 1928) and Nell (born in 1933). In this interview, Mr. Merzian describes life while growing up in Lincoln Place in two primary locations for socialization, the community center (the clubhouse) and Sim’s place (later honored as Sim’s college), and how they impacted the lives of virtually everyone living at Lincoln Place. Mr. Merzian stresses that the multi-ethnic relationships established when growing up were a definite asset in preparing him for his working career.
November 1, 2001 March 16, 2018
Nelle Bogosian Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Nelle Bogosian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Nelle Bogosian was born to Armenian parents and spent most of her life in Lincoln Place. In this interview, she talks about her parent’s escape from the Armenian Genocide and lack of US recognition for the event, her schooling and social experiences in Lincoln Place, the community center, pool hall, and different cultural celebrations within the Lincoln Place community.
November 1, 2001 February 20, 2018
Linda Garcia Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Linda Garcia was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History

Though Linda Garcia was born in St. Louis, she only lived there for three years and spent the rest of her life in Lincoln Place. In this interview, she describes her childhood, the diversity of the community, the different jobs her and her sisters had to do to help her widowed mom, her Mexican heritage, and religious experiences.
October 31, 2001 March 4, 2018
Ruben Mendoza Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Ruben Mendoza was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

In this oral history interview, Ruben Mendoza discusses his career as a soccer player and coach. He describes growing up in Lincoln Place and moving to Mexico at the age of eight in the late 1930s, where he discovered soccer. After moving back to Lincoln Place, he played soccer for St. Louis teams and played for the United States in the 1958 World Cup and in the 1952, '56, and '60 Olympics. He also discusses how he expanded soccer programs in Lincoln Place, Granite City, and the larger Metro East region as a coach starting in the 1960s. This interview had no transcript in the original archive. It was transcribed by Madison Historical staff.

There were two interviews conducted with Ruben Mendoza as part of the course. The other interview was conducted by Lisa Smithe.
October 30, 2001 September 2, 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
Anne Kovach Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Anne Kovach was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Anne Kovach was born in Macedonia in 1907 and immigrated to the United States with her father as a young child and has lived in Lincoln Place for most of her life. In this interview, she talks about her father’s career as an American Steel employee and saloon owner, the grocery store she owned with her husband, the education of girls learning English as a second language, the sowing girls did for the war effort during World War II, the Bulgarian-Macedonian Ladies Aid Society, and the Cyril and Methody Bulgarian-Macedonian Church in Lincoln Place.
October 29, 2001 March 14, 2018
Tomea Kirchoff Oral History Interview This oral history interview with Tomea Kirchoff was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.

Tomea Loman Kirchoff speaks about her childhood, particularly her education, learning English, and her father’s employment at American Steel in Granite City. She discusses the Community Center as well as the Bulgarian-Macedonian Church located in Lincoln Place, as well as other aspects of Macedonian culture that she had experience with. Mrs. Kirchoff additionally speaks to World War II and contributions that women in Lincoln Place made to the war effort.
October 29, 2001 March 14, 2018