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FAIR, Lloyd C. (b. 1921)
Duke & Ayres Company.
FAIR, Lloyd C. (b. 1921)
Duke & Ayres Company.Interview ID: OHB 0089
Supervisor and buyer for stores, Duke & Ayres Company. Family background; farming near Weatherford, Texas; experiences during Depression in Weatherford; employment with Duke & Ayres, 1941; comments on employee rules and regulations; description of ownership changes; comments on merchandise sold in stores; personnel practices; employment with Duke & Ayres variety store in Athens, Texas, 1945; changes in business after World War II; difficulties obtaining popular products in quantity; comments on failure of growth in company after World War II; employment at new store in Lancaster, Texas, 1959; promotion to and experiences as supervisor of stores; transfer to Dallas as buyer for stores, 1966; problems as buyer for variety store chain; comments on management changes; description of First Southwest’s purchase of Duke & Ayres, 1972; management’s cutback in operations, 1982; views on company’s cessation of operations, 1983.
Date of Interview: 24/02/1984
FANSLER, Hershel (b. 1920)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran.
FANSLER, Hershel (b. 1920)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0257
His experiences at Schofield Barracks with the 804th Aviation Engineer Battalion during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 05/12/1974
FARENTHOLD, Frances "Sissy" Tarlton (b. 1926)
Texas State Representative. Texas House of Representatives. Democrat.
FARENTHOLD, Frances "Sissy" Tarlton (b. 1926)
Texas State Representative. Texas House of Representatives. Democrat.Interview ID: OH 2018
Attorney, state representative, candidate for the Democratic nomination for Governor of Texas, college president, and feminist leader. Childhood in a liberal, politically active family in Corpus Christi, Texas; experiences with racial segregation and discrimination; experiences in Corpus Christi public schools, the Hockaday School for Girls, Vassar College, and University of Texas Law School. Her father (Benjamin Tarlton Jr.)’s law practice and her decision to join it for a short period; work as director of Nueces County Legal Aid; decision to run for a seat in the Texas House of Representatives in 1968; experiences in the Texas Legislature, including the Sharpstown scandal and “the Dirty Thirty”; decision to run for governor in 1972 and 1974 and experiences on the campaign trail; career as a law professor, president of Wells College; experiences in various feminist, international women’s, and human rights organizations.
Date of Interview: 16/06/2012
FAULK, John Henry (b. 1913)
FAULK, John Henry (b. 1913)
Interview ID: OH 0542
Humorist, storyteller, radio and television personality, environmentalist. Student days at the University of Texas; comments about J. Frank Dobie, Walter Prescott Webb, and Roy Bedichek; service during World War II; interest in folklore; employment with CBS; Mccarthyism; his suit against Aware, Incorporated; involvement in environmental issues; skirmishes with the Trinity River Authority; comments about Ned Fritz, Randy and J. R. Parten, and Joe Penelli.
Date of Interview: 09/06/1981
FEATHERLING, Howard (b. 1918)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FEATHERLING, Howard (b. 1918)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0443
His experiences at the Submarine Base during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 08/07/1978
FEILD, Carlene B. (b. 1921)
FEILD, Carlene B. (b. 1921)
Interview ID: OH 0942
Her recollections concerning the Crater of Diamonds and diamond mining around Murfreesboro, Arkansas.
Date of Interview: 17/03/1993
FEINGOLD, Susan (b. 1951)
FEINGOLD, Susan (b. 1951)
Interview ID: OH 2055
For the Postpartum Depression and Maternal Mental Health Oral History Project. Susan Feingold is a psychologist with a specialization in women’s perinatal mental health/postpartum depression/postpartum psychosis. Feingold discusses her own postpartum anxiety disorder in 1992, and her subsequent discovery of the postpartum advocacy group Depression After Delivery (DAD). Discusses her work as president of DAD from 1994-1996, as well as her work in private practice seeing postpartum patients, and her later involvement with Postpartum Support International. Then she discusses her work on postpartum psychosis and infanticide legal cases, and her efforts advocating for the passage of IL PA 101-411 (2019). Mentions of Barry Lewis, Nancy Berchtold, Jane Honikman, Lee Cohen, Zachary Stowe, Debra Gindorf, Marcé of North America (MONA).
Date of Interview: 14/04/2021
FELIZ, Jack M. (b. 1911)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FELIZ, Jack M. (b. 1911)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1373
Survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston. His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Sinking of the Houston, 1942; capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; hell ship to Japan, 1942; prison camp at Ohasi, Honshu, 1942-45; liberation.
Date of Interview: 28/02/2000
Interview ID: OH 1374
His autobiography, entitled The Saga of Sailor Jack
Date of Interview: 28/02/2000
FENDELL, Ed (b. 1932)
FENDELL, Ed (b. 1932)
Interview ID: OH 1592
For the Skylab Oral History Project. NASA communications engineer and assistant flight director. Memories of childhood in New Britain, Conn.; service in Korean War-era Air Force; 1963 decision to join NASA; communications work for Apollo, Skylab, International Space Station, and Space Shuttle program missions; trouble-shooting for Skylab missions; lessons learned from Skylab program; personnel issues at Johnson Space Center (JSC); turf battles between JSC and other NASA centers.
Date of Interview: 27/10/2006
FENOGLIO, Charley (b. 1918)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FENOGLIO, Charley (b. 1918)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0549
His experiences while aboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 07/12/1981
FENOGLIO, Melvin (b. 1923)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FENOGLIO, Melvin (b. 1923)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1347
Educator, farmer-rancher. His experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Early family history in Montague County, Texas; his pre-war education; his enlistment in the Navy in December, 1942; his acceptance in the V-7 Program, 1943; Midshipman School, Columbia University, 1943; his failing out of Midshipman School and transfer to the U.S. Naval Training Center, Newport, Rhode Island, for yeoman training; assignment to the USS Little at Bremerton, Washington, August, 1944; gunnery practice off the Hawaiian Islands, December, 1944-January, 1945; Iwo Jima Campaign, February-March, 1945; his personal observations of the flag-raisings on Mount Suribachi; Okinawa Campaign, April, 1945, and the Little’s assignment to radar picket duty at Station Ten; his ship being hit by four kamikazes and sinking on May 3, 1945; rescue in the water by his shipmates; survival in the water for three hours before being picked up by LCS(L)-25; lasting effects of his World War II experiences.
Date of Interview: 19/07/2000
FENOGLIO, W. H. (b. 1909)
Haverty’s Furniture Company.
FENOGLIO, W. H. (b. 1909)
Haverty’s Furniture Company.Interview ID: OHB 0080
General and regional manager, Haverty’s Furniture Company, Houston, Texas. Family Family background; Fenoglio settlement in Montague County, Texas; farming in Montague; comments on grape production and effects of Prohibition on business; education in Montague; effects of Depression in Montague; employment with Haverty’s Furniture, 1928; history of company; work as door-to-door salesman and origin of $1.00 down and $1.00 a week credit business; expansion of stores in Houston; promotion to store floor salesman, 1939; promotion to assistant manager and manager of Houston stores; appointment to and experiences on board of directors, 1960; purchasing and closing out of National Stores chain, 1961; building stores in Houston suburbs, 1960s; experiences as western regional manager of stores; comments on buying merchandise for stores; views on management training; sales volume and competition in Houston market; closing of Houston stores, 1980; financing of stores and organizational structure; comments on unionization of Haverty’s stores in Houston; experiences dealing with warehouser’s strike; use of advertising; views on success of Dallas store; comments on Depression in Houston; participation in trade associations; dealings with OSHA and EEOC; managerial practices; civic activities in Houston and Nocona, Texas.
Date of Interview: 06/01/1983
FERGUSON, George (b. 1906)
Caltex Petroleum Corporation.
FERGUSON, George (b. 1906)
Caltex Petroleum Corporation.Interview ID: OH 0665
Executive. Educational background; employment with Texaco; transfer to Caltex; Australian experience; origins of Caltex; Caltex (Australia); activities during World War II; expatriates in Caltex; Ampol, Alba, H. C. Sleigh; Kurnell refinery; navy fuel oil contracts; president, Caltex East; Caltex in Japan; nationalization; president, Caltex West; Texaco’s and Socal’s reentry into Europe, 1967; Caltex’s move from New York to Dallas.
Date of Interview: 04/10/1985
FERGUSON, Hattie Bell (b. 1911)
FERGUSON, Hattie Bell (b. 1911)
Interview ID: OH 0070
Farmwoman, homemaker. Her observations on land speculation, settlement, and development in the Coastal Bend area of South Texas, 1910-70. Small town social life; agrarian life; Mexican-Anglo relations; King Ranch.
Date of Interview: 13/03/1970
FERGUSON, Joe Frank (b. 1914)
FERGUSON, Joe Frank (b. 1914)
Interview ID: OH 1161
Musician, vocalist. His experiences as a musician/vocalist with Bob Wills’s”Texas Playboys” and the “Light Crust Doughboys” western swing bands, 1936-42; comments about Bob Wills and band members Marvin Montgomery, Kenneth Pitts, AL Stricklin, “Smoky” Dacus, “Knocky” Parker, Leon McAuliffe, Eldon Shamblin; forming his own groups and playing the Fort Worth, Texas, nightclub circuit, 1950-70; comments about western swing, big band, and pop music.
Date of Interview: 09/11/1996
FERNANDEZ, Francis X. (b. 1933)
FERNANDEZ, Francis X. (b. 1933)
Interview ID: OH 0690
Roman Catholic priest. His recollections of customs, folklore, and superstitions in the Basque country of Spain; experiences as a Capuchin seminarian; reminiscences about the Spanish Civil War; recent social changes in the Basque country.
Date of Interview: 28/04/1985
FERRIER, Donald E. (Don) (b. 1951)
Ferrier Companies.
FERRIER, Donald E. (Don) (b. 1951)
Ferrier Companies.Interview ID: OH 1990 Ferrier, Don
Don Ferrier, CGB (Certified Green Builder), is the Owner and CEO of Ferrier Companies. As the third generation of Scottish immigrants who were stone masons and builders, he founded his business in 1984 in response to an increased need for high-performance construction methods addressing energy efficiency. Ferrier was one of the first builders in Texas to use structural insulated panels (SIPs) which provide high energy efficiency, superior strength, fire-resistance and sound insulating properties beyond typical stud construction. Additionally, SIPs combine pre-cut components and expedited assembly, positively impacting business operations due to time and cost savings. Ferrier has also advanced sustainable building best practices through expertise in site development, earth-sheltered construction, water conservation and net-zero technologies. In response to customer needs, the initial company split in 2004 designating Ferrier Custom Homes to address the residential market and Ferrier Builders to focus on commercial and remodeling services. The Ferrier mission is characterized by a family-owned and operated entrepreneurial business model, evidence-based performance research for green building technologies, award-winning projects and prototypes for new materials and methods, public education through on-site tours and case studies, increased rigor for green building credentials, and alliances with local, regional and national industry partners. Don Ferrier continues to advocate for green building as a speaker, teacher, and advisor to local, regional, national and international audiences.
Date of Interview: 26/03/2019
FERRILL, Herbert (b. 1925)
FERRILL, Herbert (b. 1925)
Interview ID: OH 0605
College instructor, former assistant football coach at North Texas State College. His experiences concerning the desegregation of athletics at North Texas State College, 1956.
Date of Interview: 20/07/1983
FICKEL, Albert (b. 1920)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FICKEL, Albert (b. 1920)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0319
His experiences while aboard the battleship USS Pennsylvania during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 14/05/1976
FICKLIN, Frank W. (b. 1922)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard.
FICKLIN, Frank W. (b. 1922)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard.Interview ID: OH 0691
Businessman, member of the “Lost Battalion.” His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Fall of Java and capture; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; building the Burma Thailand Death Railway, 1942-44; Kanchanaburi, Thailand, 1944; Changi Jail, 1944; liberation.
Date of Interview: 16/01/1987
FIELDS, Brenda (b. 1943)
FIELDS, Brenda (b. 1943)
Interview ID: OH 1786
For the Desegregating DFW Oral History Project. Texas Civil Rights activist and NAACP youth council member. Childhood in Dallas; desegregation protests of the State Fair of Texas, Picadilly’s, H. L. Green, and the Majestic; memories of Juanita Craft and NAACP youth movement; Civil Rights movement; Dallas Independent School District desegregation case; contemporary Dallas NAACP and continued activism.
Date of Interview: 03/03/2014
FIELDS, Le Verne (b. ca. 1935)
FIELDS, Le Verne (b. ca. 1935)
Interview ID: OH 0835
Community leader. Her experiences as a resident of Hamilton Park, Texas, 1959-90. Youth in segregated East Texas; lack of housing for African Americans; decision to buy a home in Hamilton Park; home improvements; flooding problems; employment; entertainment and social activities; church activities; desegregation of the Hamilton Park School; Pacesetter; zoning problems; Civic League; traffic problems; park development; the “Buy Out.”
Date of Interview: 09/07/1990
FIELDS, Marshall (b. 1919)
U.S. Marine Corps WWII Veteran.
FIELDS, Marshall (b. 1919)
U.S. Marine Corps WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0105
His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Capture on Wake Island; Wusong Prison Camp, Shanghai, 1942-44; Pusan, Korea, 1945; Hakodate, Hokkaido, 1945; liberation.
Date of Interview: 13/02/1972
FIELDS, Randell (b. 1952)
FIELDS, Randell (b. 1952)
Interview ID: OH 1537
His experiences while attending the Texas International Pop Festival, Lewisville, Texas, August 30-September 1, 1969. His early youth in rural Texas (Jack County); his mother’s interest in music and honkytonks; attendance at the “Big D Jamboree” at the Sportatorium, Dallas, Texas, during the Sixties; effects of his parents' divorce; influence of his young stepmother’s interest in current music; his transfer from Mesquite, Texas, High School to North Mesquite High School; student challenges to authority at North Mesquite High School; comments about the rock ‘n roll music of the Sixties; influence of the radio station KZEW; his decision to attend the Texas International Pop Festival; his trip to the festival accompanied by his brother, sister, and father; observing the festival from outside the grounds; significance of the festival.
Date of Interview: 04/12/2003
FILLMORE, Benjamin D. (b. 1920)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard.
FILLMORE, Benjamin D. (b. 1920)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard.Interview ID: OH 0162
Horticulturalist, member of the “Lost Battalion.” His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Fall of Java and capture; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; building the Burma Thailand Death Railway, 1942-44; Tamarkan, Thailand, 1944; liberation.
Date of Interview: 09/10/1973
FINCH, Louis L. (b. 1919)
U.S. Marine Corps WWII Veteran.
FINCH, Louis L. (b. 1919)
U.S. Marine Corps WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1115
His experiences as a member of the 7th and 15th Defense Battalions during World War II.
Date of Interview: 18/12/1995
FINLEY, Dean (b. 1938)
Braniff International Airways.
FINLEY, Dean (b. 1938)
Braniff International Airways.Interview ID: OH 1955
Finley, Dean: Ticket Agent. The in-flight and ground experiences of Braniff International Airways by Abra Schnur through a collection of former Braniff employee interviews. Interviewees include flight attendants, pilots, ticket agents, ground crew, executives and family members. Content includes personal reflections of Braniff’s impact on the DFW area and the airline industry as a whole with the “End of the Plain Plane” campaign brought in by Harding Lawrence. Discussions on being a part of the Braniff family and Braniff’s rise to the top of preferred airlines to its bankruptcy on May 12, 1982.
Date of Interview: 15/02/2014
FINLEY, Mary (b. 1950)
FINLEY, Mary (b. 1950)
Interview ID: OH 1859
For the Dallas LGBT Oral History Project. Administrator and co-founder of the UNT Ally program. Building LGBT resources at the UNT library and Ally program; Safe Zone programs; faculty training to support LGBT students in the DFW Metroplex; education and work experiences; influence to become an Ally; support of the gay community.
Date of Interview: 08/08/2013
FISH, Herbert M. (b. 1907)
Caltex Petroleum Corporation.
FISH, Herbert M. (b. 1907)
Caltex Petroleum Corporation.Interview ID: OH 0660
Executive. Educational background; U.S. Army in World War II; employment with Shell; Area Petroleum Office; employment with Caltex; China experience; Japan, 1949-1955; Nippon Oil Company and Koa Oil Company; supervisor, West Mediterranean Area, 1955; regional director, Inner Europe Division; refinery expansion; French experience; Socal’s and Texaco’s assumption of European operations from Caltex, 1967; comments about Phil Lefevre, Shun Nomura, Jose Alvarez, Henri Bellande.
Date of Interview: 31/07/1985
FISHER, J. W. (b. 1903)
Fischer's Meat Market.
FISHER, J. W. (b. 1903)
Fischer's Meat Market.Interview ID: OHB 0038
Founder of Fischer’s Meat Market, Muenster, Texas. [Note: Name changed to Fisher. Original family name, Fischer, maintained only to identify business.] Family background; farming and public education in Muenster; establishment of meat market, 1927; business expansion to include groceries, 1933; effects of Depression in Muenster; production and marketing of Fischer’s Sausage; opening of retail store in Denton; description of deer processing; business volume; sale of business, 1975; views on government regulations; civic activities in Muenster; dominance in area food markets.
Date of Interview: 17/04/1980
FISK, William J. (b. 1925)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran. VPB-123.
FISK, William J. (b. 1925)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran. VPB-123.Interview ID: OH 1160
His experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Assignment to the crew of a PB4Y2; his unauthorized participation in a combat mission out of Okinawa over the Sea of Japan; battle damage to his plane; description of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from aerial observations after the dropping of the atomic bombs.
Date of Interview: 26/12/1996
FISKEN, Geoffrey B. (b. 1915)
Royal New Zealand Air Force WWII Veteran.
FISKEN, Geoffrey B. (b. 1915)
Royal New Zealand Air Force WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0998
His experiences in the Pacific Theater as a combat pilot in the Royal New Zealand Air Force during World War II. Fall of Singapore; Guadalcanal operations; air combat against Japanese Zeros; release from duty, December 1943.
Date of Interview: 01/05/1993
FITCH, John “Jack” C. (b. 1921)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FITCH, John “Jack” C. (b. 1921)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1070
His experiences as an officer aboard the destroyers USS Nicholas, Lavallette, and Benner in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Battle of Kula Gulf, June, 1943; Battle of Kolombangara, July, 1943; rescue of cruiser USS Helena survivors; various naval skirmishes off Guadalcanal; invasion of Tarawa and Makin Islands, November, 1943; invasions of Roi, Kwajalein, and Eniwetok; invasion of Hollandia; battle off Biak Island; radar picket duty off northern Japan, 1945.
Date of Interview: 19/03/1995
FITZGERALD, Armaiti Shahidi (b. 1976)
FITZGERALD, Armaiti Shahidi (b. 1976)
Interview ID: OH 1727
For the DFW Metroplex Immigrants Oral History Project. Iranian-born immigrant to Plano, Texas; graphic designer, business owner, and beauty pageant winner. Childhood, home life and school in Tehran, Iran; Al Zahra University in Tehran; coming to America as a young bride; attending the University of North Texas and finding a career as a fine artist in Dallas; serving as Mrs. International 2009; establishing the Fight Oral Cancer Foundation.
Date of Interview: 17/03/2011
FITZGERALD, Diane (b. 1940)
FITZGERALD, Diane (b. 1940)
Interview ID: OH 1882
For the American History: Voluntary Simplicity Oral History Project. Homesteader and simple life advocate. Childhood; early experiences with farming and outdoors; move to Maine; discovery of the Nearings; decision to homestead; memories of the Nearings.
Date of Interview: 24/07/2014
FITZPATRICK, Dorothy Mabry (b. 1896)
FITZPATRICK, Dorothy Mabry (b. 1896)
Interview ID: OH 1031
Her recollections of women’s lives and activities in Texarkana, Texas, during the period around World War I. Courtship and marriage to “Fitz” Fitzpatrick; social activities; Liberty Bond drives; church activities; education; Texarkana during World War I; divorce, attitudes toward.
Date of Interview: 31/03/1994
FLANAGAN, John, Jr. (b. 1923)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran.
FLANAGAN, John, Jr. (b. 1923)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1631
For the Tarrant County War Veterans Oral History Project. Memories of childhood and education in Shreveport, Louisiana; drafting into U.S. Army and assignment to an air base security battalion; overseas service in Pacific theater; enrollment at Tuskegee Institute and flight instruction under Charles A. (“Chief”) Anderson; career with Federal Housing Administration and Housing and Urban Development agencies.
Date of Interview: 27/07/2006
FLATLEY, Robert H. (b. 1923)
U.S. Army Air Forces WWII Veteran. 12th Fighter Squadron. 18th Fighter Group. 13th Air Force.
FLATLEY, Robert H. (b. 1923)
U.S. Army Air Forces WWII Veteran. 12th Fighter Squadron. 18th Fighter Group. 13th Air Force.Interview ID: OH 1348
Business executive. His experiences as a P-38 pilot in the Pacific Theater during World War II. Enlistment in the Aviation Cadet Program, November, 1942; basic training, Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, Texas, 1942-43; pre-flight training, Santa Ana, California, 1943; primary flight training at Rankin Air Base, Tulare, California, 1943; basic flight training, Marana, Arizona, 1943; advanced flight training, Williams Field, Chandler, Arizona, 1943-44; gunnery training, Ajo, Arizona, and Victorville, California, 1944; P-38 training at Santa Maria Air Force Base, Santa Maria, California, 1944; his description of the intricacies of flying a P-38; assignment to Nadzab, New Guinea, and mission to Rabaul, 1945; assignment to the 13th Air Force at Morotai, 1945; transfer to various airstrips in the Philippines, 1945; mission to Sumatra and the destruction of forty-seven locomotives, 1945; various missions to targets in the Philippines, 1945; activities between combat missions; postwar military activities in the Philippines; postwar adjustments to civilian life.
Date of Interview: 27/10/1999
FLATO, Edwin F. (b. ca. 1885)
FLATO, Edwin F. (b. ca. 1885)
Interview ID: OH 0115
Retired businessman. His observations on land speculation, settlement, and development in the Coastal Bend area of South Texas, 1904-30. His ventures in the hardware business; origins of the Santa Gertrudis breed of cattle; Kleberg interests.
Date of Interview: 13/03/1970
FLEMING, Donald (b. 1920)
U.S. Army Air Forces WWII Veteran. 781st Bomb Squadron. 465th Bomb Group. 15th Air Force.
FLEMING, Donald (b. 1920)
U.S. Army Air Forces WWII Veteran. 781st Bomb Squadron. 465th Bomb Group. 15th Air Force.Interview ID: OH 1498
Grain elevator operator. A personal diary of his experiences as a B-24 navigator in the European Theater during World War II. Preparations at McCook, Nebraska, for overseas duty, February, 1944; description of flight overseas to Pantanella, Italy, April, 1944; missions to Wiener Neustadt, Toulon, Vienna, Budapest, Munich, Friedrichshafen, Ploesti, Krakow (all in 1944-45); enemy flak and fighter opposition; American fighter escorts.
Date of Interview: 30/05/2003
Interview ID: OH 1505
His experiences as a B-24 navigator in the European Theater during World War II. His education through college and graduation from Kansas State University, 1942; decision to enlist as an Aviation Cadet in the Army Air Forces, 1943; navigator training, San Marcos, Texas, 1943; bomber transition training, McCook, Nebraska, 1943; assignment to Pantanella Air Base, Italy, 1944; his description of various missions to Austria and Rumania, 1944; fighter escorts by the Tuskegee Airmen (332nd Fighter Group, 15th Air Force); raids against oil refineries and marshalling yards; enemy flak and fighter opposition; his return to the States after fifty-one missions, 1944; his crew’s pet dog; correspondence with his wife; postwar business career.
Date of Interview: 30/05/2003
FLEMMONS, John W. (b. 1923)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FLEMMONS, John W. (b. 1923)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0766
His experiences while aboard the target battleship USS Utah during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 18/03/1989
FLIGHT, Michael (b. 1972)
FLIGHT, Michael (b. 1972)
Interview ID: OH 1708
For the DFW Metroplex Immigrants Oral History Project. Argentinian-born immigrant to Roanoke, Texas. Childhood and education in Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo, Brazil; parents’ backgrounds; life under military dictatorship; perspectives on Cold War; stories of the “disappeared”; Argentinian government’s inability to manage the economy; Falkland Islands War; Argentinian politics; effects of hyperinflation; courtship of and marriage to Maria Andrea Busico; experience as a university student; work in import-export and manufacturing fields; wife’s work in information technology field; 2001 economic collapse and ensuing constitutional crisis, including five presidents in span of a week; “cacerolazo” and “choripan and a coka” protests; memories of September 11, 2001, attacks and difficulty of travel to U.S. in aftermath; real estate investments; daughter’s birth; wife’s job offer from Westlake Academy in Westlake, Texas; decision to emigrate; acculturation struggles; difficulty finding work in midst of recession; perspectives on various aspects of American culture and politics, including debates surrounding immigration policy; participation in North Texas Caledonian Pipes and Drums Band.
Date of Interview: 02/11/2009 to 25/01/2010, 02/05/2010 to 09/07/2010
FLINN, Leland L. (b. 1911)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FLINN, Leland L. (b. 1911)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1121
His experiences aboard the submarine USS Silversides in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Date of Interview: 06/03/1996
FLOYD, John B. (b. 1916)
Schmitz-Floyd-Hamlett Funeral Homes. Inc..
FLOYD, John B. (b. 1916)
Schmitz-Floyd-Hamlett Funeral Homes. Inc..Interview ID: OHB 0072
Owner and president, Schmitz-Floyd-Hamlett Funeral Homes, Inc., Denton, Texas. Family background; description of Denton, 1920s; employment as taxi cab driver for Dixie Motor Company, 1935; effects of Depression in Denton; employment in grandfather’s furniture store, 1937; employment with Schmitz’s funeral Home, 1938; description of embalming process and ambulance service; departure of Jack Schmitz from company, 1947; geographical areas served by funeral home; discussion of area cemeteries; description of personnel and financing of business; views on advertising; discussion of legal requirements for burial operation; views on advantages of operating family business; comments on funeral expenses; civic activities.
Date of Interview: 22/10/1982
FOMBY, William W. (b. 1919)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FOMBY, William W. (b. 1919)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0564
His experiences while aboard the battleship USS Oklahoma during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 15/05/1982
FOOTE, Charles P. (b. 1922)
FOOTE, Charles P. (b. 1922)
Interview ID: OH 0923
His experiences while employed by the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression. Childhood in Hunt County, Texas; joining the CCC; assignment to a camp at Wolfe City, Texas; description of camp; life in camp.
Date of Interview: 21/02/1993
FORBES, Jonathan (b. *)
FORBES, Jonathan (b. *)
Interview ID: OH 1694
For the DFW Metroplex Immigrants Oral History Project. Canadian-born immigrant to Plano, Texas, and UNT undergraduate student. Childhood and education in Halifax, Nova Scotia; parent’s decision to immigrate to the U.S.; comparison and contrast of life in Canada and U.S.; first impressions of U.S.; experiences with U.S. immigration and customs bureaucracy; perception of changes due to 9/11 attacks; intention to remain in U.S. and gain citizenship; views on contemporary political issues.
Date of Interview: 01/12/2009
FORD, Sid (b. 1897)
FORD, Sid (b. 1897)
Interview ID: OHB 0097
Rancher-farmer, Denton, Texas. Family background; farming near Blue Mound, Texas; experiences during Depression in Denton County; work as cattle and sheep raiser; experiences buying, selling, and transporting cattle; discussion of Bang’s Disease in cattle; comments on Denton area ranchers; contracting out of grain farming business; experiences in hog raising business, 1960s; real estate activities in Denton; activities with Denton Livestock Association and North Texas Wool Association; experiences as inspector and collector of loans for Denton County Bank; employment with Production Credit Association.
Date of Interview: 18/09/1985
FORD, Wilbur “Bill” H. (b. 1917)
U.S. Army Air Forces WWII Veteran. 613th Bomb Squadron. 401st Bomb Group. 8th Air Force.
FORD, Wilbur “Bill” H. (b. 1917)
U.S. Army Air Forces WWII Veteran. 613th Bomb Squadron. 401st Bomb Group. 8th Air Force.Interview ID: OH 1386
His experiences as a B-17 pilot in the European Theater during World War II. Induction into the Army, March, 1942, and basic training at Abilene, Texas; transfer to the Army Air Force, 1943; College Training Detachment, Cedar City, Utah, 1943; primary flight training, King City, California, 1943; basic flight training, Lemoore, California, 1943-44; advanced flight training, Marfa Army Air Field, Marfa, Texas, 1944; B-17 transition training, Hobbs, New Mexico, 1944; crew assignment, Lincoln, Nebraska, 1944; crew training, Biggs Field, El Paso, Texas, 1944; assignment to the 401st Bomb Group, Deenethorpe, England, 1944; enemy flak; comments about the highlights of his nine missions over Germany, April 4-20, 1945; battle damage to his plane; Dresden raid, April 17, 1945; return to the States and transition training in B-29s for transfer to the Pacific Theater.
Date of Interview: 18/11/1999
FORRY, Alfred (b. 1925)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 362nd Battalion. 91st Infantry Division.
FORRY, Alfred (b. 1925)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 362nd Battalion. 91st Infantry Division.Interview ID: OH 1261
Foundry worker. His experiences as a member of the 91st Infantry Division in the Italian Campaign during World War II. Induction into the Army, 1943; basic training at Fort Hood; advanced training in the California mountains; troopship to Oran and then to Naples; assignment as a replacement to the 362nd Battalion, 91st Infantry Division; small unit infantry combat tactics; designation as the squad's BAR man; Rome-Arno Offensive, 1944; importance of artillery support for infantrymen; baptism to combat; Apennines Campaign, 1944-45; life on the front lines for forty-five consecutive days; winter quarters in the Apennines; Po Valley Campaign, 1945; end of the war and mustering out of the military.
Date of Interview: 12/08/1998
FORSMAN, Melfred L. (b. 1921)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FORSMAN, Melfred L. (b. 1921)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0521
Survivor of the sinking of the USS Houston. His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Sinking of Houston, 1942; capture and imprisonment at Serang, Java; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway, 1942-44; Kanchanaburi, Thailand, 1944-45; solitary confinement and torture by the Kempei Tai; liberation.
Date of Interview: 28/07/1980
FORT, Robert L. (b. 1922)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FORT, Robert L. (b. 1922)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1093
His experiences while aboard the cruiser USS Raleigh during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 28/10/1995
FORTENBERRY, George E. (b. 1920)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. Medical Detachment. 112th Cavalry. Texas National Guard.
FORTENBERRY, George E. (b. 1920)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. Medical Detachment. 112th Cavalry. Texas National Guard.Interview ID: OH 1551
College professor. His experiences in the Southwest Pacific Theater during World War II. His attendance at various schools in Texas and Oklahoma during the Great Depression; decision to join the Texas National Guard, 1940; basic cavalry training, Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas, 1940; assignment as a clerk to the veterinary section; assignment to Fort Clark, Brackettville, Texas, February, 1941; return to Fort Bliss, 1941, for additional training; return to Fort Clark; shipment overseas to Noumea, New Caledonia, July 8, 1942; his transfer to the Medical Detachment as a clerk; various stories about his experiences in New Britain, New Guinea, and the Philippines; first-hand and second-hand accounts of combat at Aitape, New Guinea; tropical diseases, combat-related psychological problems; everyday camp life in the Southwest Pacific.
Date of Interview: 24/09/2003
FOSQUE, John D. (b. 1911)
Caltex Petroleum Corporation.
FOSQUE, John D. (b. 1911)
Caltex Petroleum Corporation.Interview ID: OH 0661
Executive. Educational background; employment in Haiti with Texaco; transfer to Caltex; marketing activities of Caltex (India), 1936-41; service in the China-Burma India Theater during World War II; postwar Caltex (India) marketing strategies; partition of India; refinery at Vishakhapatnam; relationship between home office (New York) and field operations; transfer to New York office as general manager of the Central East Division, 1954; relationship between Caltex and shareholders; president, Caltex West; refinery expansion in 1950s; reorganization, 1957; nationalization and expropriation; OPEC.
Date of Interview: 02/08/1985
FOSTER, J. Fagg (b. ca. 1922)
FOSTER, J. Fagg (b. ca. 1922)
Interview ID: OH 0015
His involvement in the Rainey controversy while a graduate assistant at the University of Texas, 1944-45.
Date of Interview: 28/08/1967
FOSTER, Trudy (b. 1924)
FOSTER, Trudy (b. 1924)
Interview ID: OH 0706
Realtor, community activist. Her experiences concerning the activities of the Denton Christian Women’s Inter-Racial Fellowship during the 1960s and 1970s. Early organization and social activities; desegregation of public places in Denton; desegregation of housing in Denton; desegregation of public schools; tutoring program and Denton Christian Preschool; street paving in the African-American section of Denton; urban renewal; evolving nature of the group.
Date of Interview: 17/11/1987
FOUTS, Alan A. (b. 1920)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FOUTS, Alan A. (b. 1920)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1424
His experiences while assigned to the Submarine Base during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941; his subsequent service aboard the submarine USS Pogy in the Pacific Theater during World War II.
Date of Interview: 06/12/2001
FOWLER, F. W. (b. 1915)
C. R. Fowler Hardware.
FOWLER, F. W. (b. 1915)
C. R. Fowler Hardware.Interview ID: OHB 0060
Owner and operator, C. R. Fowler Hardware, and mayor, Krum, Texas. Family background; origins of Denton County Library; school experiences in Krum; experiences in Dallas during Depression; employment at father’s hardware store in Krum, 1933; effects of Depression on Krum; effects of World War II on hardware business; phase-out of farm implement business, 1958; experiences with appliance division of store and its phase-out, 1965; purchase of store from father, 1967; description of shelf hardware stock; sale of business, 1981; description of clientele, market area, profit margin, and financing of store; farming in Krum; decline of business activity in Krum, 1940s; incorporation of Krum and election of mayor, 1954; efforts to develop Krum; civic activities; impressions of Sam Rayburn, Lyndon Johnson, and Graham Purcell.
Date of Interview: 28/09/1981
FOWLER, Wick (b. 1909)
FOWLER, Wick (b. 1909)
Interview ID: OH 0018
Journalist. His early career as a reporter; impressions of Martin Dies; Shivers gubernatorial campaign of 1950; his experiences as appointments secretary to Governor Allan Shivers; observations of Stevenson-Johnson senatorial race of 1948.
Date of Interview: 28/09/1981
FOX, Jerome “Jake” D. (b. 1925)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FOX, Jerome “Jake” D. (b. 1925)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 1512
His experiences as an OS2U Kingfisher gunner aboard the cruiser USS Detroit in the Pacific Theater during World War II. His youth on a ranch in West Texas; his decision to enlist in the Navy, June, 1943; boot camp at San Diego, California, 1943; aerial gunner school at Naval Air Station, Modesto, California, 1943; assignment to the OS2U crew aboard the Detroit, February, 1944; patrol duty in the Aleutian Islands, 1944; bombardment of the Kurile Islands, June, 1944, as part of Task Force 94; South American patrol, July-December, 1944; shipboard routine; assignment to the Central Pacific Theater as an escort for the Tanker Division in refueling carrier battle groups, 1945; kamikaze attacks; operations off Iwo Jima and Okinawa, 1945; the Japanese surrender in Tokyo Bay, September 2, 1945; his postwar activities.
Date of Interview: 21/08/2003
FRANCISCO, Donald E. (b. 1942)
FRANCISCO, Donald E. (b. 1942)
Interview ID: OH 2042
Experiences as a North Texas student (BA, Aquatic Biology, 1964; MA Aquatic Biology/Microbiology, 1966), including involvement in Denton’s civil rights movement, experiences as a PhD student at UNC (Applied Aquatic Microbial Ecology, 1971) and professor at UNC, experiences with water treatment and wastewater treatment.
Date of Interview: 14/04/2022
FRANCO, Pedro F., D.D.S. (b. 1969)
FRANCO, Pedro F., D.D.S. (b. 1969)
Interview ID: OH 1720
For the DFW Metroplex Immigrants Oral History Project. Columbian-born oral surgeon living in Irving, Texas. Family Background; childhood experiences in Cali, Colombia; father kidnapped by guerilla group; college and dental school in Bogota; playing on the college soccer team; residency in guerilla-dominated portion of Colombia; educational experiences in Chicago; return to Colombia, and decision to come to Dallas after being threatened by guerillas; impact of father and mother shaping values and work ethic; dealing with American stereotypes of Colombia; description of Colombia’s violent history; experiences working for a new constitution in Colombia; Apathy of new generation in America; Mexico becoming the “new Colombia”; legalization of narcotics; expectations upon coming to America; thoughts on the importance of philanthropy; importance of immigrants in making America great.
Date of Interview: 10/03/2011
FRANKLIN, Mary (b. 1949)
FRANKLIN, Mary (b. 1949)
Interview ID: OH 1836
For the Dallas LGBT Oral History Project. Long-time LGBT activist. Childhood in New York City; coming out; awareness of sexuality; self-identification; lesbian community in 1960s and 1970s; discrimination; activism; move to Dallas; Dallas LGBT community and history; AIDS crisis in Dallas; continued AIDS activism.
Date of Interview: 18/10/2013
FRANZ, Wanda (b. 1943)
FRANZ, Wanda (b. 1943)
Interview ID: OH 2028
For the Postpartum Depression and Maternal Mental Health Oral History Project. Wanda Franz is a developmental psychologist and an anti-abortion activist, who has been involved in that work since the 1970s. She was president of the National Right to Life Committee (NRLC) for twenty years, between 1991-2001. In this interview she speaks especially on her research and activism around “post-abortion syndrome,” the idea abortion can lead to psychological illness, including a 1988 congressional hearing. Interviewee discusses developmental psychology, C. Everett Koop, Ronald Reagan, and Vincent Rue.
Date of Interview: 21/02/2020
FREEBORN, Sidney M. (b. 1885)
FREEBORN, Sidney M. (b. 1885)
Interview ID: OH 0131
Farmer-rancher. His observations on land speculation, settlement, and development of the Coastal Bend area of South Texas, 1920-70. Summer vacations; ranch experiences; hurricane of 1942; tourism; local hotels and saloons; sports.
Date of Interview: 02/07/1972
FREELAND, Gene (b. 1928)
FREELAND, Gene (b. 1928)
Interview ID: OH 0515
Labor official. His experiences as a member of the Dallas council of AFL-CIO. Early experiences in International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers at Dallas Power and Light; union steward in Meter Service Division, 1958; union president, 1960; union business manager, 1962-65; secretary-treasurer, Dallas AFL-CIO, 1965-79; problems of labor organizing in Texas; Texas government and organized labor; women and organized labor; ethnic minorities and organized labor; Texas “right-to-work” law; organized labor and community involvement; Dallas city government and organized labor; industrial unions versus construction unions.
Date of Interview: 12/10/1980
FREEMAN, Fred (b. ca. 1910) and Verna Belle (b. ca. 1910)
FREEMAN, Fred (b. ca. 1910) and Verna Belle (b. ca. 1910)
Interview ID: OH 1213
Farmers-ranchers. Comments about Denton and Denton County, Texas, 1924-86. Farm and ranch life; North Texas State Normal School; North Texas Fair; comments about various residents of Denton.
Date of Interview: 23/07/1986
FREEMAN, Frederick R. (b. 1925)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Platoon. E Company. 101st Infantry Regiment. 26th Infantry Division.
FREEMAN, Frederick R. (b. 1925)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Platoon. E Company. 101st Infantry Regiment. 26th Infantry Division.Interview ID: Oh 1338
Accountant. His experiences as a combat infantryman in the European Theater during World War II. Basic training at Fort Benning, Georgia, 1943; his selection for the ASTP program and schooling at Northeastern University, 1944; cancellation of the ASTP program and his transfer to the 26th Infantry Division at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, 1944; advanced infantry training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, 1944; initial combat on the front lines in France, September, 1944; his description of survival techniques under combat conditions; Ardennes Offensive and the Battle of the Bulge, December, 1944-January 1945; effects of combat losses and acclimation of individual replacements; his bout with combat exhaustion and reassignment to a replacement depot as a clerk; participation in the Army of Occupation, 1945-46; postwar adjustments to civilian life.
Date of Interview: 31/03/2000
FREEMAN, L. Vinson (b. 1923)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 83rd Infantry.
FREEMAN, L. Vinson (b. 1923)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 83rd Infantry.Interview ID: OH 1863
Administrator. Childhood in St. Louis, Missouri; draft into infantry; basic training; deployment to the European theater; Battle of the Bulge; attending University in France; return stateside; post-war life; veterans group involvement.
Date of Interview: 28/05/2015
FRIEDSAM, Hiram (b. ca. 1925)
FRIEDSAM, Hiram (b. ca. 1925)
Interview ID: OH 1054
College professor. His experiences concerning the desegregation of North Texas State College, 1954-56.
Date of Interview: 28/04/1995
FRITZ, Edward C. (b. 1916)
FRITZ, Edward C. (b. 1916)
Interview ID: OH 0603
Attorney, environmentalist. Texas Water Plan; Trinity River Project; general comments concerning water resource planning in Texas; Trinity Improvement Association; Trinity River Authority; his philosophy on conservation and environmentalism.
Date of Interview: 07/02/1983
FUJITA, Frank (b. 1921)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard).
FUJITA, Frank (b. 1921)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard).Interview ID: OH 0058
Artist, member of the “Lost Battalion.” His secret diary that he kept as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II.
Date of Interview: 09/11/1970
Interview ID: OH 0059
Artist, Army veteran (2nd Battalion, 131st Field Artillery, Texas National Guard), member of the “Lost Battalion.” His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Fall of Java and capture; imprisonment in Surabaja, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; hell ship to Japan, 1943; Nagasaki shipyards; Tokyo, 1943-45; liberation.
Date of Interview: 09/11/1970
FUKUI, George (b. 1921)
FUKUI, George (b. 1921)
Interview ID: OH 0538
Microbiologist. His experiences during the relocation of Japanese-Americans in World War II. Family history; Pearl Harbor; Tanforan Assembly Center; camp life; Topaz; leave clearance.
Date of Interview: 19/10/1980
FUKUI, Yuri (b. 1922)
FUKUI, Yuri (b. 1922)
Interview ID: OH 0522
Geneticist. Her experiences during the relocation of Japanese-Americans in World War II. Childhood; pre-Pearl Harbor discrimination; Pearl Harbor; Tanforan Assembly Center; camp life; Topaz; registration of Japanese-Americans for military service; leave clearance; Issei-Nisei conflicts.
Date of Interview: 19/10/1980
FULLER, Vernon (b. 1921)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.
FULLER, Vernon (b. 1921)
U.S. Navy WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0211
His experiences while aboard the repair ship USS Argonne during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
Date of Interview: 03/07/1974
FULTZ, J. H. (b. 1915)
Fultz's News Agency.
FULTZ, J. H. (b. 1915)
Fultz's News Agency.Interview ID: OHB 0046
Owner and operator, Fultz’s News Agency, Denton, Texas. Family background; comments on development of Sweetwater and Abilene; selling newspapers in West Texas; comments on Depression period in Abilene; magazine delivery business in Abilene; operation of wholesale magazine business in Denton, 1939; retail operation, 1941; business and social activities on Denton Courthouse Square, 1940s; expansion of magazine franchising; sale of wholesale operation, 1979; magazine delivery schedule; views on demise of popular magazines, 1950s; comments on comic book controversy; financing of business; comments on Golden Triangle mall development; views on government regulations; civic activities; comments on book prices.
Date of Interview: 14/10/1980
FUNG, Edward (b. 1922)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard.
FUNG, Edward (b. 1922)
U.S. Army WWII Veteran. 2nd Battalion. 131st Field Artillery. Texas National Guard.Interview ID: OH 0404
Member of the “Lost Battalion.” His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Fall of Java and capture; Bicycle Camp, Batavia, 1942; Changi Prison Camp, Singapore, 1942; building the Burma-Thailand Death Railway, 1942-44; Kanchanaburi, Thailand; Nakom Paton, Thailand, 1945; liberation.
Date of Interview: 21/12/1977
FUNK, Clyde (b. 1918)
U.S. Army Air Corps WWII Veteran.
FUNK, Clyde (b. 1918)
U.S. Army Air Corps WWII Veteran.Interview ID: OH 0276
Physician. His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Germans after being shot down over Nazi-occupied France during World War II. Normandy invasion, 1944; shooting down of bomber and capture in France, October 12, 1944; interrogation at Dulag Luft, Wetzlar, Germany; Oberursel; Stalag Luft III-A, Sagan; Stalag Luft I·-A, Moosburg; forced marches; liberation by American troops.
Date of Interview: 22/02/1975
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