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 |
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Theresa and Ronald Petras Oral History Interview | This oral history interview with Theresa and Ronald Petras was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. She recalled several childhood memories of life in Lincoln Place (e.g., taking a bath in a barrel, changing the way she wore her long underwear on the way to school), as well as some of the business people who traveled around the community (e.g., the rag man, the vegetable and fruit vendor, and the Iceman) and regular visits to her cousins' house. She also described several holiday traditions, particularly Easter. |
October 25, 2001 | March 17, 2018 | |
John Percy Oral History Interview | This oral history interview with John Percy was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. In this interview, John Percy describes his experience as a P-47 Fighter-Bomber Pilot in the European theater of World War II, his childhood in rural Illinois, learning to fly, his career after the military as a corporate pilot for State Farm Insurance, and his involvement on the board of the Prairie Aviation Museum. |
October 6, 2001 | March 17, 2018 | |
Margaret Nonn Oral History Interview | This oral history interview with Margaret Nonn was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. Margaret Nonn was born in Lincoln Place to German immigrant parents and lived in the area for over eighty years. In this interview, she talks about the rivalry between Lincoln Place and West Granite, her life growing up in the Lincoln Place community, the diversity of the community and the struggles it experienced due to it, working in a ‘rag shop’ in St. Louis, becoming a bailiff at Madison County Jail, and religious aspects of her life. |
November 6, 2001 | March 17, 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 | |
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 | |
Andreas Matoesian Oral History Interview | This oral history interview with Andreas Matoesian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. Mr. Matoesian is a first-generation American. His father emigrated from Armenia in 1920 and settled in Lincoln Place Granite city. He related a story about his father’s experience coming through Ellis Island. His mother emigrated a little earlier and first lived in Davenport Iowa and then Lincoln Place after they were married. Mr. Matoesian was born in Lincoln Place in 1937 and lived there for 21 years. Mr. Matoesian is a Judge in Madison County Illinois. He worked his way through school as a barber in his father’s barbershop in Lincoln Place. Mr. Matoesian voiced memories about going to the community center in somewhat of a pre-school or day school setting during his pre-school years. He further related, during his grade school years that all of the teachers were very nice. He states that as an adult he found that they, the teachers, had been handpicked due to their sensitivity to the diverse ethnic group. Mr. Matoesian states that he feels that sports is the great levelizer. Being active in sports allowed people to break through other barriers. Mr. Matoesian states that he feels the exposure to multiple ethnic groups made him a more tolerant person, a person more accepting and appreciative of differences. Mr. Matoesian and I spoke briefly about the Armenian Genocide and his thoughts on the lack of publicity and acknowledgement of this horrific event. |
October 11, 2001 | March 15, 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 | |
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 | |
Vartan Kassabian Oral History Interview | This oral history interview with Vartan Kassabian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. In this interview, Father Kassabian talks about his calling to Christ, the role of the Church, the resilience of the Armenian people, the Armenian Genocide, and Armenian history. |
October 29, 2001 | March 14, 2018 |