Michael Torosian Oral History Interview

Armenian, Armenian Genocide, Granite City, immigration, Lincoln Place

Torosian, Michael , “Michael Torosian Oral History Interview,” Madison Historical, accessed April 27, 2024, https://madison-historical.siue.edu/archive/items/show/876.

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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.

• Torosian, Michael

Fall 2001 Granite City Oral History Interviews

• Lincoln Place
• Granite City

Torosian, Michael

Louisa H. Bowen University Archives and Special Collections

November 15, 2001

• Granite City
• Lincoln Place

English

• Oral History

• mp3
• pdf

• 00:55:22

Torosian, Michael M.

Tedrick, John W.

Lincoln Place, Granite City, Illinois

255 kbit/s
254 kbit/s

• Lincoln Place
• Granite City, Illinois

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