Andreas Matoesian Oral History Interview

Armenian, education, Granite City, immigration, Lincoln Place

Matoesian, Andreas , “Andreas Matoesian Oral History Interview,” Madison Historical, accessed April 18, 2024, https://madison-historical.siue.edu/archive/items/show/860.

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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.

• Louisa H. Bowen University Archives and Special Collections

Fall 2001 Granite City Oral History Interviews

• Lincoln Place
• Granite City

Matoesian, Andreas

October 11, 2001

• Granite City
• Lincoln Place

English

• Oral History

• mp3
• pdf

• 00:51:26

Tedrick, John W.

Matoesian, Andreas

Lincoln Place, Granite City, Illinois

256 kbit/s
254 kbit/s

• Lincoln Place
• Granite City, Illinois

• Matoesian_Andreas-O-001
• Original archive accession number: A02:43