Recorded oral interviews were collected from participants who grew up in various neighborhoods within and surrounding Saint Paul, Minnesota. Interview topics include family life, economic status, religion, neighborhood experiences, leisure activities, values, schooling, as well as local and global issues.
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Michael Guion
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Michael Guion is a Caucasian male born on April 12, 1951. He grew up in the Saint Paul neighborhood, Linwood on Oxford and Osceola. Both parents raised him, and he was the middle child. Guion has two older brothers, two younger sisters, and a younger brother. His father was an Army Reservist, while his mother was a stay-at-home mom. Guion was brought up as a Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Guion starts his interview by explaining his living situation with his family. They lived in the basement of an apartment building, which he recalled to have been cramped but still found it cozy. He remembers the rent being $135 when his entire family lived there; he moved back to that place once he was older and paid $195 monthly. Next, he discusses his brother Tom's draft into the Vietnam War on a buddy system with his friend. His brother worked in the mailing room, and his friend, Bruce Truhler, was on the field for three days before being killed. Guion recalls spending time with his friends before midnight mass behind Grand Avenue. The group would listen to various groups: The Rolling Stones, Byrds, and The Beatles. His neighbors opened an ice cream shop called "The Parlor" and asked him and his siblings to place an order whenever the couple trained someone new. Lastly, after watching a movie at the Uptown Movie Theater, Guion got the chance to meet O.J. Simpson.
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Natalie Gonzalez
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Natalie Gonzalez is a Hispanic female born on September 8th, 2003. She lived with her father, mother, and older brother in South Saint Paul growing up. Her father worked multiple jobs and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Gonzalez identifies as Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Gonzalez provides a vivid account of their upbringing and family life in two different neighborhoods. Gonzalez fondly recalls their loving family, with a stay-at-home mom and a hardworking dad who made time for them despite a demanding job. Their older brother played a significant role in their childhood, despite the six-year age gap, creating a close and loving immediate family. Gonzalez shares the importance of pets to her upbringing and talks about her beloved dog, Sasha. Gonzalez shares her religious upbringing. She doesn’t attend church but talks about her continued faith. Gonzalez also shares some of her favorite shows and bands growing up. Gonzalez talks about her experience with schooling, memories of her first school and the acceptance she felt there, and having to adapt after transferring schools. She talks about her high school experience which was marked by forming a close friend group and the impact of the pandemic disrupting social connections. Gonzalez highlights the values of acceptance and community prevalent in both their family and neighborhoods, shaping their outlook on treating others with kindness and empathy. Lastly, Gonzalez touches on some local concerns she has around school shoots and substance abuse issues.
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Paula Stuart-Warren
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Paula Stuart-Warren is a Caucasian female born on July 18, 1948. She was born into a family of two sisters and a late younger brother. Her father worked in the automotive industry. Her mother worked at a drugstore making malts and serving sodas. Stuart-Warren grew up on the South end of Highland Park in St Paul. She was raised in a Catholic household. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Stuart-Warren discusses growing up in a tight-knit family. She recalls her family's financial difficulties after her father's company went bankrupt and how that experience shaped her parenting techniques and spending habits. Stuart-Warren shared stories about exploring downtown St. Paul during her teen years and summers spent with the neighborhood kids. She reminisces on the importance of community within her childhood neighborhood. Later in the interview, Stuart-Warren recalls the moment she reunited with an influential teacher from her high school years. Lastly, she elaborated on the financial struggles her previous neighborhood faces today.
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Richard Brynteson
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Richard Brynteson is a white male. He grew up with his father, mother, brother, and sister. Brynteson’s father was the president of his company. His mother worked as an office manager. He grew up Episcopalian. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Brynteson discusses fond memories of playing various sports in their large backyard, watching football games, and his mother's gardening skills. Brynteson discusses how his father emphasized the importance of education. He reflects on his father’s own childhood, which included growing up impoverished and overcoming that through education. Brynteson discusses his upbringing in the Episcopal Church, his active involvement as an acolyte, and his continued connection to the church throughout childhood. Brynteson talks about how religion has remained an important part of his life and how spirituality informs his decisions. Brynteson goes deeper into the key values that were important to his family, including education, family time, and hard work. He touches on the importance of athletics in his family and talks about some other activities they did for leisure. Lastly, Brynteson reflects on some of the issues at the time like the Cold War, the Vietnam War, civil rights, and drugs.
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Richard Kimlinger
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Richard William Kimlinger is a Caucasian male born on July 11th, 1958. He grew up in the Arcade-Phalen neighborhood on the east side of Saint Paul. He lived with his two sisters and four brothers. His father worked in manufacturing at Seeger's, which later became Whirlpool. His mother was a stay-at-home mother, but occasionally would take day-work as a maid. Their family grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Kimlinger shares his memories of his family. He talks about being the youngest of seven children in the house. He talks about his parents moving from the farm to the cities. He shares stories about his father passing up the chance to buy the house and a story of his mother during the Armistice Day Snowstorm in 1940. He goes more into details about growing up as the youngest. He talks about the meaning his mother took from taking care of her family. Next Kimlinger shares his and his family's perspective on money. His father's job afforded them a comfortable life, not affluent but also not in need. He spoke on his mother's philosophy on wealth of family ties beyond material things. In speaking about his religious upbringing, Kimlinger describes a devout Catholic life, attending Mass regularly and receiving education in Catholic schools from grade school to college. In reflecting on the impact of religion as an adult Kimlinger talks about some of the difficulty coming from the scandals of the Catholic church over the years but talks about his and his wife's faith in God remaining steadfast, and how it influences their life and values. Kimlinger goes on to share neighborhood memories. He reminisced about a time when unsupervised play was the norm, with children gathering for unstructured outdoor games. He talked about a construction site that the kids would use as a playground and the games they would invent. Kimlinger talks about his schooling experience. He talks about walking to school every day, and shares a story of a time where he helped a man get his car out of a rut. He talks about his siblings all excelling in school. Lastly, Kimlinger reflects on significant local and global issues during his upbringing. He talks about being informed from the newspaper, the assassination of John F. Kennedy and Lee Harvey Oswald, the 1968 presidential election, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination.
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Robert Krueger
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Robert Krueger is a white male born on July 29th, 1971. He lived with his mother, father, and brother. Krueger’s father was a pastor, and his mother was a seamstress. Krueger grew up Lutheran. Subjects Discussed: Krueger discussed what it was like growing up with a Lutheran pastor as his father and how his life revolved around the ministry. He spoke of his family living on a pastor's salary and adopting a frugal lifestyle. They resided in a parsonage, cultivated their own fruits and vegetables, and his mother sewed many of their clothes. Krueger further explains how this upbringing, coupled with his profession as a math professor, influences his present spending habits, emphasizing the importance of not exceeding one's means. Krueger goes on to discuss the integral role of religion in his life, including the people he knew, the activities he engaged in, and the schools and holidays he experienced. He expressed how religion remains a major part of his life. Krueger goes on to talk about how neighborhood demographics have changed over time. He talks about the sports and games he would play with friends. He expressed some disappointment that he wasn’t able to participate in more organized sports at a younger age, softball being the exception that he felt he got started at an early age and was good at. Krueger talks about the positive experience he had with school, lifelong friends he made, teachers that cared about their students’ academic success, and a math teacher that inspired him to go into teaching. Lastly, Krueger reflects on various local and global issues, such as the attempted assassination of Reagan, race relations, the drug war, and high interest rates.
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Roger Schubring
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Roger Orville Schubring is a Caucasian male born on July 1, 1949. He has an older brother and one younger sister. His father worked on the railroad, and his mother worked part time at Brown and Bigelow and later as a teacher’s aide. He grew up Episcopalian. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Schubring starts by sharing what his family looked like and how he was closest to his father. He mentions what family pets they had, as well as how household chores were divided amongst the family members. He briefly discusses some of his favorite dinner meals, as well as how his family's economic status influenced his childhood. He goes on to describe how this has affected him in his current adult life. Schubring talks about how, while it was important to learn about religion, he had trouble understanding everything when he was younger. He describes what the neighborhood looked like, touching on what his home looked like, as well as him and his family's relationship with the neighbors. He shares what some of his favorite pastimes were, such as sports, travelling with his family via train, walking around in the neighborhood with friends, and playing with toy soldiers and plastic cannons. Schubring lists the television shows he enjoyed watching, as well as some bands that he enjoyed. He transitions the topic by talking about his school life and his favorite teachers, as well as sharing a couple of memories about his time in school. He ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, mostly talking about financial issues, the Vietnam War, and poverty.
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Roxanne Beyer
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Roxanne Beyer is a Caucasian female born on November 16th, 1953. She lived with her three older brothers and parents in the North End neighborhood in Saint Paul growing up. Beyer's father worked for the Great Northern Pacific Railroad, and her mother was primarily a stay-at-home mom but helped deliver newspapers. She identifies as agnostic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Beyer shares her memories of her family life. She talks about being the youngest of four kids. She talks about the different dynamics experienced by the older children in the family compared to how the youngest two were raised. She talks about the German Shepherd that she took when she went out. She also shares a few stories about the paper route that everyone in their family was a part of. Next Beyer shares her history with Catholic school and the issues she had with it. She talks about her parents' relationships with religion and reflects on her beliefs. Beyer reflects on the neighborhood in which she grew up. She describes the rural nature of the city at the time and compares it to the city nowadays. She talks about everyone having trust in one another. With kids playing in fields, making bonfires, and sharing spooky stories. Leisurely activities also included raiding apple trees, picking wild asparagus, and rhubarb, and the neighborhood children often gathered for bonfires. In talking about her schooling Beyer talks about some issues she had with Catholic school, not being a good student and comparing herself to others. She talks about friendships that she has maintained from that time. Lastly, talking about local and global issues, she talks about fallout shelters, sonic booms, an incident during the Winter Carnival, and shares a story of middle school fashion trends.
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Susan Schmidt
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Susan Schmidt is a Caucasian female born on April 30, 1958. She is the youngest of six siblings. Her father worked in the water department of South St. Paul, as a deputy sheriff, and as an aide on the psychiatric ward of a veteran's home. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. They lived on the North end of South St Paul. She grew up with a unique religious background. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Schmidt discusses growing up in her family home near a memorial site for the remains of the last group of Kaposia Indians. She recalls living with crows, which her mother loved. Schmidt tells the story of her childhood home being haunted by the previous owner's son. Later in the interview, she recalls the influential teachers throughout her elementary to high school career. Lastly, Schimdt discusses the prejudice in her neighborhood.
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Timothy Blaeser
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Timothy Blaeser is a German-Norwegian male born on April 7, 1960. His family consists of his father, mother, and three younger siblings, a sister and two brothers. His father owned five beauty shops, and his mother worked part-time in a factory called Brown and Bigelow, then later became a beautician. Blaeser grew up in West Saint Paul, specifically between Oakdale and Robert on Haskell. He was raised in a Catholic household and continues to practice the religion. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Blaeser speaks about his time attending the University of Minnesota and needing to pay $350 per semester. He notes how the tuition rose yearly and eventually reached $1500 once he graduated. The neighborhood he grew up in was described as serene and a storybook. He recalls playing sports with the neighborhood kids, forts in trees, and building go carts. He mentions spending time at his cabin and having lake days with his neighbors. Blaeser concludes his interview by discussing how the Vietnam War impacted him at a young age, losing a neighbor during the war, and his love for The Beatles.
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Beth Zambino
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Beth Zambino is a white female born on July 8th, 1959. She grew up living with her father, mother, and brother. Zambino’s father was a lab manager at Whirlpool. Her mother worked as an education assistant in Saint Paul schools. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Zambino talks about her family life and childhood memories. She talks about the age gap between herself and her younger brother. She also mentions the various pets she had growing up. Zambino reflects on her fond memories of House of Hope Presbyterian and the activities her family was involved in with the church. Zambino talks more about going to Harding High School and various games the neighborhood kids would play. She talks about the values of her neighborhood and how respect, manners, and community were deeply ingrained. Next, Zambino goes into activities her and her brother were involved in growing up, and various trips her family went on during summer vacation. Zambino reminisces about her school days, sharing anecdotes about the challenges of dealing with large class sizes and highlighting her active participation in various extracurricular activities. Lastly, Zambino recalls some major historical events like the Bay of Pigs, the assassinations of President Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr., the moon landing, and the resignation of President Nixon, but acknowledges that she was young and didn't fully grasp the significance of these events at the time.
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Bonnie Resig
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Bonnie Resig is a Caucasian female born on December 26, 1946. She lived with her mother, father, and older sister. Her dad owned a grocery store called Most Food Market. Her mom began working when she was in junior high. Resig is Jewish. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Resig gives a description of their home life and extended family that they would visit and were close with. She describes her cultural Judaism and the holidays they would celebrate. Resig goes on to talk about her childhood and the games she would play with the neighborhood kids. She talks about the values that permeated her neighborhood at the time, live and let live, and the “Golden Rule”. Resig goes into detail with her experiences in school, sharing a lot of stories of her time there. Resig touches on important figures in history. She shares the story of when she met Paul Newman. Lastly, she reflects that her best memories involve her parents and says how lucky she was to have them as her parents.
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Bradford Cochrane
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Bradford Fleming Cochran is a European (German and Swedish descent) male born on April 27, 1956. He is the youngest of five children. His father was a doctor - an ophthalmologist - and his mother's occupation wasn't shared. He grew up Presbyterian. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Cochran starts by describing some of his memories of his family and pets, as well as how household chores were divided up between him and his siblings, mentioning how the chores were divided among their traditional gender jobs. He also describes mealtime, and how that was when the family got together to share food, memories, and intellectual conversations together. He mentions how his family was very well off financially, and how he and his siblings needed to have good reputations, because his father was a well-known doctor, and his mother was politically well connected. He discusses his religious upbringings, recollecting some short memories of that area of his childhood. Cochran goes on to describe the neighborhood he grew up in, putting a lot of emphasis on the abundance of children in the neighborhood, as well as the different outside activities he was able to participate in. He discusses how his method of transportation changed as he was growing up. He mentions the value of behaving well, as well as being respectful of people and their family's practices. He goes on to explain a couple examples of how he spent his leisurely time, such as biking, going on vacation with his family, and watching TV. Afterwards, Cochran touches on his experience with schooling, going into great detail about several memories he had correlating with it. He ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as talking about integration, Vietnam War, generation cap, as well as economic issues.
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Carol Bisek
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Carol Bisek is a white female born on December 15, 1945. She is the oldest of six children. Her father owned a printing business, as well as moonlighted as a bingo number caller, whilst her mother was a stay-at-home parent. She grew up Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Bisek starts by describing her family and siblings, as well as their family pet. She briefly discusses how household chores were distributed and mentions how she felt most engaged with her sister Christine. She talks about how she felt that they lived financially well, though because her mother came from an affluent family, and her father grew up on the farm, she was influenced by both of their spending habits and financial ways of thinking. She goes on to talk about how she was raised Lutheran, and how they were heavily involved in church. Bisek goes on to describe what her neighborhood looked like, and how the kids all got along together, but how Bisek and her siblings had difficulty bonding with them because they went to a school outside of that community. She briefly explains what her home looked like. Bisek mentions the value of honesty and respect. Afterwards, she touches on what leisure time looked like for her, which consisted of mostly church activities, and playing outside. She continues by listing what kinds of music and shows she ingested. She then describes her experience with schooling, and how her experience with going to St. Paul Central was quite rich; touching on how her music teacher got her involved with music, opera, and English Literature. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, talking about how there wasn't any discrimination in the neighborhood, but how there was a lot of Jewish people living in the neighborhood, so dealing with their religious differences was foreign to them; as well as how it was a big deal when one of the neighbors' parents got divorced.
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Carol Lemke
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Carol Lemke is a Caucasian female born on December 27th, 1946. She is the oldest of three children. Her father mainly worked for American Post and Dairy, whilst her mother would occasionally work as a waitress at the Southview Country Club. They lived around several neighborhoods within the Saint Paul area, including West Saint Paul, Lilydale, and Mendota Heights. She grew up Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Lemke discussed how her and her family moved around several times during her childhood. She briefly mentions how school was for her.One of her biggest recollections is the flood of 1952 in Lilydale. She regularly discusses her connection with her grandparents as well as placing great emphasis on how active she was outside. Some other activities include describing what activities and games she played outside, as well as some popular TV shows. Lemke mentions how religion affected her childhood - such as her values - as well as how religion influences her current life. Lastly, she ends the interview discussing the issues that existed in the community, such as the polio vaccine, as well as the Vietnam War.
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Carol Mayer
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Carol Mayer is a Caucasian female born on March 18, 1950. She lived with her parents and two older sisters in Como Park. Mayer’s father was a jeweler. Her mother was a housewife who later worked in retail. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mayer shares memories of her extended and immediate family. Mayer goes on to describe her family's religious practices growing up, fondly recalling Easter and Christmas, and appreciating the beauty of the church decorations. She discusses her current relationship with religion, expressing her reservations about organized religion but maintaining her faith in a higher power. Mayer shares some traumatic experiences involving the suicide of a neighbor and the death of a friend having a lasting impact. Mayer describes leisure time and playing with neighborhood kids, hosting square dancing, and enjoying car rides around Lake Salem. She talks about taking vacations to places like Deer Pass Resort on the Whitefish chain of lakes, and the memories of pine tree-lined roads. Mayer reminisces about their experiences in elementary and junior high school, including walking or biking to school, participating in winter carnivals, and feeling compared to their academically successful sisters. They also mention their involvement in activities like marching in parades, being in the band and theater. Lastly, Mayer reflects on various local and global issues that impacted her neighborhood while she was growing up. These issues include the Cold War, sonic booms, the Korean War, communism, the UNIVAC computer, the Rosenberg case, Queen Elizabeth's coronation, segregation, Castro and Cuba, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Walmart's origins, JFK's assassination, Martin Luther King Jr., women's liberation, the Beatles, Malcolm X, the Vietnam War, and local events such as mayors, school trips, and a notable murder case.
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Charles (Charlie) Stoerzinger
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Charles (Charlie) Stoerzinger is a white male born on September 23, 1941. His father was a tradesman in the printing industry, and his mother was an at-home parent. He is the middle child of three kids. He grew up Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Stoerzinger starts by describing his family life, centering around how he grew up with a tight family relationship, as well as his mother's experience with tuberculosis and their family pets. He mentions some of the household chores that were divided by the members of the family, as well as the economic status that his family had due to his father's work. He briefly discusses his religious upbringing. He goes on to describe what his neighborhood looked like, going into extensive detail about the physical surroundings of the neighborhood and homes, as well as a couple of the families that lived there. Stoerzinger mentions the values of honesty. Afterwards, he touches on the activities that were done for leisure time, such as playing neighborhood games, and traveling for vacation. He goes on to give a short story of a memory he has of schooling. He ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as the racial divide and minority labor.
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Cora Wheeler
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Cora Repke Wheeler is a white female born on February 14, 1950. Her father was a bus driver and her mother worked in sales. She was the oldest of four children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Wheeler starts by sharing a couple memories that she had of her family whilst growing up; recalling how her father would take the children out to do outdoor activities, as well as remembering family pets and household chores that were shared amongst the children. She briefly discusses how religion was a touchy subject for her and her family, and still remains a sore spot for her. She mentions how her house looked, as well as the relationships neighbors within the community had. Wheeler talks about the values of looking out for each other. Afterwards, she touches on the activities that were done for leisure time, such as sports, painting, watching tv, and listening to music. She briefly touches on what school was like, mentioning how the teachers were very old-school. She ends the interview by describing the local issues that affected the neighborhood, such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the election and assassination of John Kennedy, as well as getting tested for tuberculosis and receiving a polio shot.
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Craig Armstead
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Craig Armstead is a white male born on February 11, 1959. He has four siblings. His father was an entrepreneur, and his mother was originally a stay-at-home parent, but then later worked at a perfume company. He grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Armstead starts by describing some of his close and extended family life, recalling some of his memories associated with them. He mentions how his father's job allowed him to open up a sandwich shop. He goes on to describe some of the family pets that they owned, as well as the income his family received to meet their basic needs. He briefly discusses his family's religious practices. Armstead talks about the neighborhood that he grew up in, recalling some memories about his neighbors and their families, and the neighborhood's safety. He mentions the value of loyalty and being a gentleman. Afterward, he touches on the activities that were done for leisure time - such as sports - as well as his schooling and his involvement with school activities, such as band. He continues by recalling some memories about school and the teachers that he likes, as well as how he left his school district to go to a military high school. He ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as Watergate, Nixon, and the Vietnam War.
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Cynthia Rieck
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Cynthia Rieck is a white female born on April 1st, 1957. She lived with her mother, father, and sister. Rieck’s father had a cleaning business. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She was raised Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Rieck describes her extended family. She tells a story of her father playing Santa at school and how she found out. She talks about the chores and neighborhood jobs she took to pay for her horse care. Rieck goes on to talk about her experience with religion growing up and involvement with the church she has now. Rieck describes how Christmas decorating was a big event in her neighborhood. She talks about the sense of community she felt from her neighbors. Rieck recalls the trips her family went on. She describes her time in school and how she believes she is left-handed but was forced at that time to use her right. Lastly, Rieck reflects on local and global issues, including elections, prejudice, assassinations, and women’s liberation.
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Dana Rousseau
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Dana Marie Rousseau is a Caucasian female born on September 16, 1959. She was an only child. Both of her parents had jobs. She grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Rousseau begins by going into her grandparents and parent's upbringing, and her relationship with those individuals, mentioning how she went to her maternal grandparents house almost every weekend. She also goes into the family pets that they had, and how pets were treated in her neighborhood, whilst detailing what her neighborhood looked like with the variety of animals that were there. She mentions how she thought that her family was comfortable in their financial situation, listing how they were one of the only houses with two cars, and how her father was involved with a lot of sport activities and work trips. She discusses how she transferred from a Catholic private school to a public school because the nuns were leaving from the private school, and mentioned how this was around the time her parents got divorced. She goes into detail about what school looked like for her throughout the years. She continues by explaining how almost everyone went to church with their families, and how people would cut through a neighbor's huge backyard to get to school and church. Rousseau also describes how it was religiously strict. She goes on to describe what the neighborhood looked like, that there were a lot of outside opportunities for activities such as skating rinks and playing in the neighbors yards. Through this, she describes some memories of playing outside, in the gymnasium, and in the church, as well as how there was some rebelliousness such as rock throwing. She mentions the value of working hard, and how it was normal to discipline anybody - which as a result, normalized corporal punishment in school. She details the leisurely activities her and her peers did, such as spending a lot of time outside in the woods, riding bikes, sledding - emphasizing how almost everything they did was outside. Rousseau includes how they listened to music and would try to tan outside, as well as expand their friend groups during junior high and high school. Within this, she mentions how once they were 16, many of them got jobs in babysitting, farm work, and dining. Continuing on, she recalls some activities they would do in the summer, such as going to drive-in's, as well how there were a lot of keggers and parties in high school; mentioning how once the drinking age in Minnesota turned to 18, there were individuals who would go to a bar and drink during lunch, and then come back to school. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood. In this topic, Rousseau describes how she was young during the Vietnam War, so she didn't pay much attention to it. Additionally, she talked about how she didn't hear very much about poverty, and how there was an energy crisis - where public buildings couldn't have the temperature above a certain degree and how mortgage rates were really high. The last points that she discusses is how she didn't experience seeing a lot of nonwhite individuals as she was growing up, and how whilst there were discussions about the Cold War and Vietnam War, she didn't remember her parents or relatives talking about these topics or having any other political discussions.
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Diane Driscoll
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Diane Harrelson Driscoll is a Caucasian female born on October 4, 1945. She is the second oldest out of five children. Her father worked for a phone company and would do a part-time gig managing the Capitol theatre; her mother worked for the Pearson Candy Company, and then worked at the central cafeteria in the St. Paul schools. She grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Driscoll starts by describing some of her memories of her immediate and extended family, going into summaries of her parent's upbringing, followed by a few recollections she has from how her and her siblings spent their leisure time and schooling. She mentions how they had a family dog named Sandy. She briefly discusses how her family's economic status affected her family, that whilst they didn't have a lot of money, it didn't limit what activities they could do. She goes on to describe the impact that religion had on her and her family and recalls a couple memories of little children who died during fire-related incidents - and talked about how guilt was heavily driven in the Catholic church. Driscoll talks about how much she loved the neighborhood, and how safe it was, even though it was a poor neighborhood: she continues by describing what her name looked like, as well as sharing some memories from the house. She mentions the value of respecting people and their property, as well as acceptance, and how everyone was private about their own things. Afterwards, she touches on the activities that were done for leisure time, such as sports, family picnics, going to the cabin, and other sorts of entertainment like playing cards. Driscoll mentions what schooling looked like. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, mostly talking about the impact war had on the community, as well as discrimination.
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Frank Flaherty
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Frank Flaherty is a white man born on February 28th, 1956. He lived with his parents, three brothers and five sisters in the St. Mark's area, Saint Paul. Flaherty’s dad was a litho plate maker. His mom didn’t have to work. Flaherty is Irish Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Flaherty talks about what it was like to grow up in a large Irish Catholic family, discussing church and school, family vacations, chores, and mealtimes. Flaherty talks about his father's job and how he was able to provide for a family of nine. He describes the liberal values held by his parents and the welcoming and inclusive attitude they had towards others. Flaherty talks about his neighborhood and recalls some memorable figures from his neighborhood growing up. Flaherty goes on to talk about the values shared in his neighborhood including treating everyone right, not looking down on anybody, and taking responsibility for your actions. Flaherty brings up leisure time with family, particularly sports. He mentions playing baseball, step ball, wiffle ball, football, and basketball, as well as participating in neighborhood games of chase. Flaherty talks about discipline from Catholic school and military school and some figures that left an impact on him. Lastly, Flaherty goes into the global issues of the times: Vietnam War, Kent State, riots, political assassinations, and the hippie generation.
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Gordon Bergholtz
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Gordon Bergholtz is a Caucasian male born on February 13th, 1960. Bergholtz was the fourth of five children. His father was a truck driver. His mother was a homemaker. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Bergholtz talked about his family growing up in a small house. He talked about how he would spike to improve some of his mother’s dishes and how he and his father bonded over their adventurous food taste. He tells him and his family history with the Catholic church. He is no longer a practicing Catholic, but still believes in a sense of godliness and doing the right thing. Next, he spoke on activities around his neighborhood, including tennis, basketball, baseball, softball. Bergholtz spoke about his love of exploring downtown. He goes on to describe neighborhood relationships, values, and the sense of community shared by those who lived there, such as neighbors helping one another. Bergholtz told of the vacations his family took, the places they went on holidays, and the sights they saw. He talked about news of the day: Nixon visiting China, Larry Flynt, the assassination attempt on Reagan, reflections on other presidents and the economy. Lastly, he reflects on his philosophy on life and investing.
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Greg Simbeck
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Greg Simbeck is a white male born on January 9th, 1959. He lived with his parents, two brothers, and a sister in the Midway neighborhood growing up. Simbeck’s father was a local area truck driver and his mother was a custodian for the local school district. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Simbeck talks about his family life. He tells about what it was like growing up with an Italian mother and waking up to the smell of spaghetti sauce cooking. Simbeck mentions how close him and his mother were and things they shared in common. Simbeck talks about his religious upbring and his movement away from religion. He goes on to talk about his spiritual and ethical beliefs. Talking about his neighborhood, Simbeck talks about roaming around the neighborhood and how similar upbringing had neighbors with similar values. Simbeck brings up his love of books and bands his older brother introduced him to. He goes on to talk about his experience with schooling and two teachers that influenced him. Lastly, Simbeck talks about Vietnam, racial unrest and how these shaped him going forward.