For the Weatherford Oral History Project. Longtime resident of Weatherford, Texas. Family history; birth, childhood, and education in Weatherford; 1961 enlistment in U.S. Army; service at various stateside bases; career in banking industry; changes in Weatherford economy.
His experiences as a prisoner-of-war of the Japanese during World War II. Fall of Wake Island and capture; Wosung Prison Camp, Shanghai, 1942; Kiangwang, Prison Camp, 1942-45; Pusan, Korea, 1945; Hakodate, Hokkaido, 1945; liberation.
For the DFW Metroplex Immigrants Oral History Project. Mexican-born immigrant to Dallas; chef, maintenance director for 2011 Cedar Springs building. Born in Durango, Mexico; early life with family in agriculture in the 1960s; educated in Mexico; crossed the border illegally by swimming the Rio Grande, walked 80 miles and worked various jobs;…
His experiences while employed by the Lone Star Army Ammunition Plant, Texarkana, Texas, during World War II and the postwar years. Move from Akron, Ohio; construction of plant; safety procedures; Bond drives; housing and transportation adjustments; social and economic effects of the plant on Texarkana.
For the Women Veterans Oral History Project. U.S. Army Sergeant, Petroleum Supply Specialist (92F), Operation Iraqi Freedom Veteran. Childhood in Gainesville, Texas; adoption of nephew; enlistment at thirty-two; challenges of being a non-traditional soldier; being openly gay in the military; experiences in combat; diagnoses and treatment of PTSD;…
Hair stylists, community volunteers/activists. His youth working in the cotton fields and gins of South and West Texas; his decision to go to barber school, 1957; his marriage to Guadalupe (“Lupe”), 1960; decision to move to Denton, Texas, 1964; her decision to attend beauty school; their activities with Immaculate Conception catholic Church in…
Mexican American community organizer and political activist in Fort Worth. History of Dallas’ “Little Mexico” community, family history, experiences in Dallas’ segregated public schools, the U.S. Navy, the University of Houston, and Texas Christian University. Decision to settle in Fort Worth. Founding of Fuerza de los Barrios organization,…
For the DFW Immigration Oral History Project. His reflections on growing up in El Salvador during that country’s civil war (1980 – 1992), including curfews, restrictions to electricity and water, access to medical care. Education and starting a career as a journalist/photographer. 2001 earthquake and decision to obtain temporary protective status…
Anesthetist. His experiences as an Army nurse in Vietnam, 1970-71; assignment to the 24th Evacuation Hospital; base entertainment; recreation off-base; his being awarded the Bronze Star; relationship between doctors and nurses; morale; getting leave to come home to attend family wedding; contacts with Vietnamese civilians; attitudes toward the war…
Mexican-born immigrant to the U.S.; immigrant rights activist, and anthropology professor with expertise in immigrant communities from Guanajuato, Mexico, in the U.S. Childhood and education in Mexico City; decision to pursue a career in the field of political anthropology; decision to open the Oak Cliff Center for Community Studies; work with…
Her reminiscences about Texarkana, Texas, 1925-50. Her mother’s political and social activities; relationships with African-Americans; early education; business enterprises; social organizations; family life.
His experiences at Schofield Barracks with Headquarters and Headquarters Battery, 98th Antiaircraft Regiment, during the Japanese attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941.
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, 1942-43; Kanchanaburi, Thailand, 1943; Changi Jail, Singapore, 1943-45; liberation.
Ignaz Gorischek shares his experience being “paid to play” for over forty years as a visual merchandiser in the world of fashion retail. Trained in fashion illustration, Gorischek transitioned into “three-dimensional storytelling” in smaller retail environments before transitioning to Burdines in Florida and then spent decades at the downtown…
His experiences during the assault on Iwo Jima, February-March, 1945. Enlistment and boot camp, San Diego, California, 1942; assignment to the 3rd Marine Parachute Battalion, 1942; jungle training on New Caledonia, 1942-43; transfer to Guadalcanal, 1943; combat on Bougainville, 1943-44; return to the States to help form the 5th Marine Division;…
Attorney, former U.S. Congressman from Wichita Falls, Texas, 1938-51, federal judge. Early law career; his unsuccessful campaign for Congress in 1936; his successful campaign for Congress in 1938 against ardent pro-New Dealer W. D. McFarlane; comments about the New Deal; his personal political philosophy; congressional committees; inner-workings…
For the Eastland County African American Women’s Oral History Project. Longtime resident of Eastland, Texas. Experiences regarding rural life, racial segregation, and race relations in Eastland County, Texas; early childhood in a farming family in Elmo, Texas; family’s move to town of Eastland; decision to move to Los Angles, Cal., in search of…
