Tom O'Connell

Author

Julie M. Luker, Concordia University, St. PaulFollow

Files

Interviewee

Tom O'Connell

Interviewer

Julie Luker

Transcriber

Charlene Botones

Generation

Baby Boom Generation (1946-1964)

Neighborhood

Macalester-Groveland

Document Type

Oral History

Date of Interview

6-3-2022

Keywords

Macalester-Groveland, Saint Paul, 1947

Disciplines

Oral History | Psychology

Abstract

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Tom O'Connell is a white male born on January 7, 1947. He is the second out of 10 children. His father was a city attorney. They grew up in the Mac Groveland area, 1497 Fairmount. He grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: O'Connell discussed his upbringing in the Quonset huts as well as the neighborhood they later moved to. With a family of 11 or 12 heads, money was a little limited, so O'Connell and his siblings would spend their days playing outside, and he ended up developing a habit of watching his spending money pretty closely. He goes on to describe his religious upbringing and its effect on the neighborhood, noting how the kids in the neighborhood were either Catholic or Protestant, and that the two groups didn't interact with each other. O'Connell briefly mentions how school was for him. He goes on to explain how his house looked - as well as the Quonset Huts - and what it was like to live in the neighborhood, which was peaceful. He notes how kids his age played a lot of sports, and goes on to describe how sports influenced his and his siblings' lives as they were growing up, especially in the summertime. O'Connell explains how the Vietnam War had a considerable effect on the community, and connects it to his own experiences as he was active in the Navy. He ends the interview discussing the issues that exist in that neighborhood in the present day, especially noting how there was a rivalry between Minneapolis and St. Paul.

Copyright

All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced without the written permission of Concordia University Library or Julie Luker, Department of Psychology, Concordia University, St. Paul.

Recommended Citation

Luker, Julie M., "Tom O'Connell" (2022). Saint Paul and Surrounding Area. 20.
https://digitalcommons.csp.edu/tc-ohp_interviews_stp/20