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.

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	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
	Mary Spaich Oral History Interview	This oral history interview with Mary Spaich was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. In this interview, Mary Spaich discusses growing up in the Lincoln Place neighborhood of Granite City. She was born in Granite City in 1916 to Serbian parents who had immigrated from Yugoslavia in 1914. She describes her life in Lincoln Place and changes in the area since her childhood.	November 16, 2001	April 29, 2020
	Richard and Susan Depigian Oral History Interview	This oral history interview with Richard and Susan Depigian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. Richard and Susan Depigian discuss life in Lincoln Place and their Armenian heritage. They share information about the customs and traditions, as well as the “clans” that developed out of, their heritage. The ethnic diversity of Lincoln Place is addressed. Both Richard and Susan discuss their parents experienced during the Armenian genocide.	November 17, 2001	February 20, 2018
	Ione Gorham Oral History Interview	This oral history interview with Ione Gorham was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History.	November 17, 2001	June 13, 2018
	Carmen Cook Oral History Interview	This oral history interview with Carmen Cook was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. Carmen Cook was born at Lincoln Place in 1943, where she spent most of her life, to Mexican immigrant parents. In this interview, she talks about her childhood and life, the ethnic diversity of the community, the Cinco de Mayo celebrations, the legacy of Ruben Mendoza (the Olympic soccer player), and the scholarship that was set-up in the name of Joe Gonzalez.	November 18, 2001	February 20, 2018
	Arthur Bedian Oral History Interview	This oral history interview with Arthur Bedian was part of oral histories conducted in the fall 2001 semester of History 447: Oral History. Author Bedian lived his whole life in Lincoln Place and was born to an immigrant father from Armenia. In this interview, he talks about his father’s experience immigrating through Ellis Island, growing up in Lincoln Place, the community center, and his time and service in the Armenian Orthodox Church. There was no audio recording of this interview in the original archive, but there is a transcript and biographical summary.	November 18, 2001	September 2, 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
	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
	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
	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