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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Gudrun Gates
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Gudrun Gates, Caucasian female born August 15th, 1954. She had two older brothers. Gates’s father was a machinist. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Gates describes her unique family structure with the many grandparents that she had. She describes the struggles that had growing up poor. Her father worked three jobs. She describes the communal response to poverty at the time where neighbors would take care of each other and how that influenced her as an adult. She talks about attending Swedish Lutheran church with her father and how faith has helped her. Gates talks about the freedom of childhood back then where you’d be able to roam free until the streetlights came on. She also describes the shared values and unspoken rules around the deference that children had for their elders and other people’s property. Gates talks about her time in school, her self-imposed exile from kindergarten, and other teachers she remembers more fondly making an impact. Lastly, she spoke on issues in the community. Gates talks about how addiction and mental illness were present but kept quiet. She describes factories closing and how that affected the neighborhood.
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James Hamilton
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: James M Hamilton is a Caucasian male born on May 9, 1951. He had 10 siblings. His father worked as a printer, as well as some other jobs, whilst his mother did not work for a long time due to her constant births. He grew up Catholic but is now atheist. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Hamilton starts by briefly describing where he grew up, but mainly focused on recounting stories of specific members of the family: such as how poorly his father treated the family due to alcoholism, the pain that his mother went through in her faith life, primarily due to the elders at the church, as well as the lives of some of Hamilton's siblings. He mentions how he wasn't close to his paternal and maternal grandparents until later in life and recounts a couple stories about them. He briefly discusses his religious upbringing and his current thoughts on religion. Hamilton goes on to describe his family's socioeconomic status as well as what his home and neighborhood looked like. He mentions the shared value of learning that the rules that families gave to their children were not absolute, due to his sociological theory on life because of the diverse community. Afterwards, he touches on the activities that were done for leisure time - such as baseball, sleepovers and comic books - as well as schooling and its strict regimen from kindergarten to early high school, followed by some positive experiences during his high school years. He ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, talking about the 1960 election between Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy, Lee Harvey Oswald's death, racism, and a couple wars.
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Jane Anderson
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Jane Anderson Caucasian female born May 23rd, 1957. Her father was a mechanical engineer. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She had two older sisters, one older brother, and one younger sister. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The close relationships her family had with her neighbors on Stanford Avenue. The neighborhood composition of their house on Princeton Avenue. Anderson tells stories of the various pets she had growing up and how they became meals. Anderson describes how her family was economically comfortable, but still lived frugally. She talks about her experience in Catholic school and early confirmations. She still describes herself as a believer, but not Catholic; she describes some discomfort around clergy growing up. She goes on to describe the neighborhood, how everyone would watch out for each other and stores she would visit after school. She describes the values held by her neighbors. Anderson describes her time in school and some disconnection she felt at the time. She also speaks on the relationships she has maintained to this day. Lastly, Anderson talks about global issues of the time. She describes history happening on TV: the Kennedy funeral and spacecraft launches. She also describes some fears at the time: the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Doomsday Clock, and abductions
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Jeannie O'Gorman
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Jeannie Kathleen O'Gorman is a Caucasian female born on October 27, 1946. She is the third oldest of four children. Her father worked various jobs, but primarily worked as a house painter and in other related fields; her mother worked as a federal employee typist. She grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: O'Gorman starts by describing some of her memories whilst growing up in the area, specifically mentioning the extended family and religious influences on her, as well as how she tried to have family pets but would repeatedly fail to keep a pet at home. She mentions how the household chores were divided by gender in her family, including how money was a constant anxiety for her family. She briefly discusses the Catholic branch that she was in, and the way it affected her when she was growing up. O'Gorman goes on to describe what her neighborhood looked like while she was growing up, recalling several memories from that time. She mentions several values that were shared by the community, such as how children are to be seen and not heard, how men are the head of the household, physical punishment is acceptable, etc. She touches on a memory connected to the value of how children's opinions are not important/are powerless. She talks about leisure time and provides a couple examples of activities that they would do, such as swimming and various church activities. O'Gorman describes her schooling and how it was repressive. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as the commonality of physical abuse in the neighborhood and the Korean War.
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Joan Perrault
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Joan Perrault is a Caucasian female born on July 22, 1950. She lived with her family in the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood until fourth grade, after which they moved to Roseville. Her father was a police officer. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Perrault describes the two neighborhoods she grew up in. In the Dayton's Bluff neighborhood, she recounted fond memories of this neighborhood, including large birthday parties, walking to Sacred Heart Catholic school with her elder brother, and enjoying the company of many friends. In the Roseville neighborhood, Perrault describes a vibrant community where children played freely, neighbors engaged in daily coffee gatherings, and engaged in religious customs. She shares intersections of world events and her personal life. Reflecting on the economic status of her childhood, Perrault notes that despite their limited means, they often found creative ways to enjoy life. She shares stories of ways they had fun and saved money. Perrault shares her early memories of how deeply ingrained her religion was to her life. She goes on to talk about an issue with their church and how their family gave up on religion. In the next section, Perrault goes on to describe and share more stories of the two neighborhoods she grew up in. In speaking on values, she shares the values held rooted in religious belief and the Ten Commandments. She shares some of the recreational activities her family engaged in such as beach visits, drive-in theaters, and picnics. Perrault describes her schooling. She contrasts her private Catholic school days with her time in public school. She talked about the struggles that came with the strict environment of Catholic school. After a period of adaptation, she found a better fit in public schooling. Lastly, in reflecting on local and global issues Perrault describes being sheltered from world events. She talks about developing more awareness of issues over time. She describes her struggles with those same protective instincts when it comes to raising her own children.
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Jody Cohen Press
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Jody Anne Cohen Press is a white female born on August 8, 1958. She is one of two siblings. Her father worked as a sales manager in the liquor industry. Her mother worked for the State of Minnesota until she became a stay-at-home parent. She grew up Jewish. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Press starts by mentioning which external and immediate family members she interacted with the most as she was growing up, noting her relationship with her maternal grandmother, as well as her cousins and parents. She briefly discusses how her, and her brother were not forced to do household chores. She mentions how they were a middle-class family, and how her father was good at his job. She goes on to talk about her religious upbringing, and how she was raised in a conservative Jewish family, and keeps to her customs to this day, as well as her involvement with her synagogue, in which she's on the board of directors. Press talks about how she spent a lot of her childhood at Edgecumbe Playground, and how she was in the tumbling sport until the sixth grade and won some medals. She describes what her home looked like, detailing the bookcases and China cabinets that they had. She discusses how her family knew everybody in the neighborhood, and how they would look after some of the neighbors. She mentions the value of being respectful and nice to others, the golden rule, as well as following what their faith said. Press mentions some of the leisure activities that her family did, such as backyard barbecuing, going boating on the St. Croix, stay at Lake Itasca. She goes on to describe what she did during her leisure time, which was participating in activities such as tetherball, going to the playground, being hide and seek, riding bikes, as well as playing with barbies and an easy bake oven. She talks about the entertainment that she enjoyed, like That Girl, American Bandstand, and the Beatles. She continues by describing some of the teachers that she has, as well as what her student body looked like, and how her school was pretty integrated for both race and students with disabilities. Press ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as the Vietnam War, Democratic Convention in Chicago, and Woodstock. She also talks about how they would occasionally take trips to see the fallout shelter in grade school, as well as all of the vaccines that she needed to take.
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John Zalesky
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: John Zalesky, white male born on January 22nd, 1960. He lived with father and mother. Grew up like an only child because he had a significant age difference of eighteen or nineteen years between him and his two older sisters. His father was a mechanic. His mother was a stay-at-home mom. They lived in the Maryland and Arcade area. He is Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Zalesky describes extended family gathering. He describes a family cat that would follow him on his paper route. He describes how he felt love from his parents through acts of service. Zalesky brings up the challenges of the financial situation of his family. Zalesky details his religious upbring and how that has shaped the work he does with groups today. Zalesky goes on to describe the various jobs he had in his neighborhood and the sports played in his neighborhood. The tight knit relationships of his neighborhood and values that were shared was explored. Zalesky explains the importance of music to his life and list the shows he has been to. He talks about one of many teachers that have had a lasting impact on him. Lastly, Zalesky talks about the Vietnam war and values held by his family.
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Kate Shelley
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Kathleen (Kate) Mary Shelley is a Caucasian female born on November 21, 1953. She is the older of four children. Her father was a brewer and her mother was an RN. She grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Shelley starts by describing her home life, mentioning which family member she felt closest to, as well as what pets they had, such as a seahorse, as well as how the household chores were divided. She briefly discusses her family's economic status, stating how she was able to have access to the necessities, but felt that they were in lower to middle class. She goes on to discuss her religious upbringing and recalls a couple of her memories. Shelley talks about what her neighborhood looked like: detailing what the interior and layout of her home was, as well as how almost everyone in the neighborhood got along with each other. She mentions the value of calling adults by their titles (Mr. and Mrs.). Afterwards, she touches on the activities that were done for leisure time, such as taking vacations, playing board and card games, and watching TV. She described how it was common to spend a lot of time down at the river, dancing, and partying. She briefly talked about the things her family would watch on the TV, as well as what music they would listen to. Shelley described what schooling looked like for her, mentioning that it was strict, but there were a lot of good experiences - as well as what lunchtime during the school day looked like for her. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, mostly talking about when JFK was assassinated, the Civil Rights movement, the war in Vietnam, bomb practices in school, and growing up in the Cold War.
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Kathleen Povolny
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Kathleen Povolny is a Caucasian female born June 11th, 1954. She is an only child and grew up in Battle Creek. She was very close to her parents and also paternal grandmother as well. Her father worked for the Minneapolis post office and her mother was a stay-at-home mother. Her father was Catholic and her mother was Protestant. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Povolny grew up religious with going to church every Sunday and with going to Sunday school but is not aligned with religion anymore. Povolny reflects back to how her family was frugal but always having enough money for what they needed. She remembers enjoying time with friends, exploring the woods, and going to lakes around Minnesota and Wisconsin. Povolny often rode bikes around the neighborhood with her friends and doing activities at different friends' houses. She remembers the freedom of being able to go wherever they wanted to play as long as they got back before supper time. At the end of the interview Povolny reflects on some of the larger global issues impacting the world but not necessarily impacting her neighborhood. She remembers major events like the war protests, Bobby Kennedy being shot, and the Kent State shootings.
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Kathy Wallace
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Kathy Wallace is a Caucasian female born on November 21st, 1956. She was one of five children. Wallace's father was a printer at St Paul Companies. Her mother was a bookkeeper and worked various part-time jobs. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Wallace gives an overview of her extended family. She describes her poodle Pepe. Wallace talks about her family's history with religion growing up, which included attending Sunday church services, participating in Sunday school, and going through confirmation. She also talks about how religion has remained a part of her life as an adult. Wallace recalls her childhood memories. She remembers spending a lot of time outdoors playing with neighbors, cousins, and other children. Playing on swing sets, kiddie pools, and picnics in their yards. They also participated in activities such as playing softball, sledding, and ice skating. Wallace fondly recalls her time in school. Lastly, Wallace talks about local and global issues and how they affected her. She touches on the JFK assassination, severe weather events, Martin Luther King Jr. assassination, Bobby Kennedy assassination, Vietnam War, racial tensions, and bomb threats.
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Marilyn Sobiech
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Marilyn Sobiech is a Caucasian and Native American female born on April 13th, 1946. She grew up as an only child with her adoptive parents in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood. Her religious affiliation is Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Sobiech recounts her upbringing in the Macalester-Groveland neighborhood as an only child with a lot of friends. She recalls the neighborhood being a quiet, idyllic, Catholic neighborhood with a lot of young kids her age to play with. She remembers the city switching from street cars to buses and was adamant about the extent to which children traveled via bicycles and on foot to get where they needed to go most of the time. Sobiech notes that while the neighborhood she grew up in politically skewed slightly Republican, her parents were Democrats and she remembers her mother was involved in volunteering with elections. She attributes the mix of political ideologies to the socioeconomic status of most of the residents in the area being more middle class or upper class in certain blocks near the river. Sobiech recalls that her neighborhood was tight knit, safe, and parents kept a close eye on the kids, if you got into trouble somewhere out in town, there was a good chance your parents would be made aware of it by another member of the community. Sobiech proudly explained that she was a tomboy growing up, so when discussing leisure activities, she mentioned that her father was an avid fisherman and she would routinely join him to go fishing. She would gleefully join her father for a number of outdoor activities including hunting and ice fishing together. Sobiech fondly recalls her father bringing her for toboggan rides near the Highland Park water tower in the winters. She mentions that in her neighborhood there were over 100 kids and boys and girls often played together in large groups. The children would play baseball and during the winter a local hangout spot that was popular amongst the young kids was a wood stove warming shack that Groveland had. Sobiech said she preferred to play with the boys during a lot of activities because she argues that they were more fun and she took a strong interest in the organized sports that they were able to arrange. While discussing organized sports, Sobiech recalls how difficult it was for girls to compete in organized sports at the time, due to a lack of funding or established girls-only league. Sobiech remembers that her mother and other mothers made the effort to organize sports opportunities for the girls to participate in since girls’ sports were not popular and had yet to be established in schools and other institutions at the time. When discussing more topics in entertainment and technology she divulged that her family had the first TV on their end of the block. She mentioned that aside from most households having house phones or transistor radios, the technology boom didn’t really happen until she was an adult with children already. She recalls walking to school because of how close her family lived in proximity to most of her schools. Since she lived so close to school she was required to walk home for lunch and return to school afterward. Sobiech recalls her mother being involved in her Girl Scout troop and Sobiech enjoyed participating in the Girl Scouts. Prominent local and global events that stood out to her was donating to an organization that helped underprivileged children and acknowledges a sort of irony that every generation has a group of underprivileged children to feed in regard to the donating to assist with alleviating the effects of tragedies in the wake of wars, economic instability, and natural disasters. As a child, Sobiech does not remember politics or news being discussed at length or at all for that matter. Sobiech mentions the first political event that struck her was when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. Another event that stands out in her memory was her opportunity to share Girl Scout cookies with Eleanor Roosevelt during a visit to Minnesota. She still is uncertain of the reason for Eleanor’s visit to St. Paul but remains proud that she was able to give this historical figure a box of Girl Scout Cookies. Sobiech also shared her thoughts on how the political climate in America today has become so much more polarized than she remembers politics being when she was growing up. Sobiech recalls her father’s skepticism about unions and his firm opinion that they were corrupt and irresponsible with other people’s money.
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Mary Olson
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Mary Olson is a Caucasian female born on May 26, 1957. She is one of five children. Her father was an artist but worked at the depot as well. She grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Olson begins by describing what her family looked like, and how she was close to all of her family members - as well as mentioning the pets that she had. She describes her family's economic status, explaining how her mother was able to stretch the dollar to the limit, and how they didn't have an extravagant childhood, but they still had everything they needed. She briefly discusses her religious upbringing, and how religion wasn't really forced on her or her siblings. Olson goes on to describe what her neighborhood looked like, and how there are a lot of kids around, and how it didn't feel unsafe. She talks about how the best part of growing up in her neighborhood was the security of knowing her neighbors, and how there was a nice variety of ages in the community. She mentions the value of certain expectations of children, as well as respect. Afterwards, she touches on the activities that were done for leisure time, such as going to a cabin and visiting museums. She mentions that schooling was a favorable experience for her. Olson briefly discusses how because her mother was Italian, she was able to grow up with a bigger cultural variety of meals. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, mostly talking about desegregation, being against the war in Vietnam, involvement with health concerning vaccines and health checkups, as well as practicing drills, and Kennedy's death.
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Mary Reed
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Mary Elizabeth Reed is a Caucasian female born on March 10th, 1964. She grew up living with her sister and their adoptive parents. Both of her parents worked. Her mom owned her own business. They lived in Battle Creek. Reed grew up Lutheran but is non-religious as an adult. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Reed describes her idyllic life growing up in Battle Creek. She discusses her family relationships with her mother owning her own business and the close relationship she had with her grandparents. Reed talks about how chores were to be done to her mother’s neat standards. Reed shares how meals, such as Kentucky Fried Chicken, were staples in their household. Reed mentions how family meals on Sundays were important to the family, even though her mother was a horrible cook. Growing up Reed considered her family uber-Lutherans; she went to Lutheran schools and spent much of her time in church groups and events. Reed doesn't consider religion relevant to her life as an adult. She reminisces about her neighbors and how they each provided a variety of interesting things for neighbor kids to do. Reed talks about her time at school, how much she loved school and how teachers always kept them busy with schoolwork to bring home. Lastly, Reed mentions global events such as the gas crisis, the Vietnam war, and the impeachment of Nixon.
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Meghan McKee Lehman
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Meghan McKee Lehman is a Caucasian female born on April 3rd, 1961. She lived with her mother, father, and two sisters growing up. Lehman’s father was a mortician. Her mother was a teacher. Lehman is Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Lehman describes her family structure, her parents' jobs, and mealtimes. She goes on to describe the comfortable life that was provided by her parents. Lehman talks about how religion was important to her upbringing and community. She describes how faith is still important to her. How it brings happiness, a sense of simple times, and valuing family and the church community. Lehman fondly reflects on her neighborhood: block parties, Christmas caroling, ice rinks, and other sports played by the kids. She describes the freedom kids had to roam around on their bikes after school before dinner time. She talks about her love of music and friends she has stayed in touch with. Lehman touches on some events that happened locally and globally: an abortion clinic in highland, inflation and rising gas prices, and changes around St. Thomas. Lastly, Lehman reflects on the values she learned through her parents and how she encourages that in her own children.
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Nancy Eder
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Nancy Eder is a white female born September 26th, 1945. She grew up with her mother, father, and sister. Her father worked at 3M. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. Eder grew up Lutheran but is now Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Eder gives a picture of her extended family, a story of cats in her family, and describes mealtimes at her house. She talks about how living through the Depression shaped how her parents’ relationship with money. Eder tells of her time at Cross Lutheran School. She describes how views Christianity as an adult; a social Christianity that respects others and tries to make the world a more just place. Eder describes her neighborhood, activities that the children engaged in, and her childhood home. Eder tells about the values held by her family; how privacy was important to her parents. Eder also talks about going to resorts up north for family vacations every year. She talks about her love of school and the friends she made. Lastly, Eder talks about issues that happened as she was growing up. The reactions that she had and how they differed from the reactions and attitudes of her parents.
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Pamela Ehrlich
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Pamela Ehrlich is a Caucasian female born on December 29, 1949. She had eight siblings. Her father worked at a factory. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She is not religious. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Ehrlich describes what it was like living in such a big household. She tells of her time in Catholic school. She describes her neighborhood, the freedom to roam around, and playing games like hide and seek, baseball, and “Green Light, Red Light” with other kids in the neighborhood. Ehrlich reflects on how her family instilled a strong work ethic in her. She finds it interesting how children from large families can turn out differently. She reminisces about their childhood, filled with playing outside, spending time with friends, and summer drive with her dad. Ehrlich looks back at her time in school recalling memorizing catechism, extracurricular activities, and stories of punishments by teachers. Lastly, Ehrlich recalls memories from their childhood regarding topics such as World War Two and the Nazis, racial tensions between neighbors, Kennedy's assassination, and awareness of politics and welfare.
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Phoebe Antonio
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Phoebe Antonio - biological name Judy Ann Heuer - is a white female born on September 21, 1950. She is the oldest of four daughters. Her father was a mechanical engineer, and her mother worked as a special-ed teacher. She grew up Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Antonio starts by briefly touching on the socioeconomic status that her family maintained, as well as some household pets that they have. She mentions how one of the things she valued about her parents were their thoughts of education and explains her education paths. She goes on to describe the impact that religion had on her and her family's life growing up, explaining the ways that they were involved with church. Antonio talks about the neighborhood that she grew up in, and how a lot of leisure time was spent doing outside activities. She mentions the values of composting and recycling, being kind, and sharing. Afterwards, she explains several more examples of leisurely time, such as playing board games, dolls, vacations, road trips, and television. She touches on schooling. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as racism, Kennedy's death, the Vietnam War, and videos that taught individuals how to protect themselves from a nuclear warhead.
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Renee Ryan
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Renee Ryan is a Caucasian female born on February 15th, 1957. Ryan grew up with her parents and her four siblings. Ryan’s dad worked at the post office. Her mother was a stay-at-home mom until she was 13. Ryan was raised Methodist. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Ryan tells the story of her extended family roots. She shares her little brother’s sledding accident. Then she shares stories of her best friend growing up. Ryan talks about religion and how it is a part of her and who she is today. She talks about attending church, youth groups, and Sunday school. Ryan goes on to talk about her diverse neighborhood and the communal spirit of the neighborhood. Ryan talks about the values instilled to her by her parents, grandparents, other relatives, and neighbors. She talks about where she gets her work ethic from and shares stories of how her parents imparted moral lessons. Ryan talks about the activities she did outside growing up. She talked about how she bonded with her dad over sports. Ryan reflects on her experience with schooling, talking about her love of school and overcoming some teasing and issues she experienced early on. Lastly, Ryan talks about the local and global issues that affected her. She talks about wearing a bracelet with a P.O.W’s name on it until they were released, and the impact that it had on her. She talks about the bomb drills they had and how frightening it was to her. She reflects on how the political assassinations affected her and her interest in politics.
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Rick Krueger
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Rick Krueger is a Caucasian male born on February 13, 1949. He grew up with an older sister and younger brother. Krueger's father worked in school administration in Saint Paul. His mother was a homemaker. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Krueger talks about his home life; his father worked while going to school for a school administration degree. He talks about long summer days roaming around the neighborhood. Krueger talks about the stability of neighborhoods at the time and how that fostered a sense of communal values. Krueger talks about the various sports he played. He talks about more inclusive changes around women in sports and other activities. He talks about sweeping technological changes that happened in his life. Krueger describes the questioning era, events such as the Kennedy assassination, the civil rights movement, and the Vietnam war, leading to a deeper examination of society. Lastly, Krueger looks back on society changes around diversity, LGBT, disabilities, and pregnancy; looking at the harsh realities of his time and progress made.
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Robert Anthony Roy
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Robert Anthony Roy is an Italian American born on June 22nd, 1948. He grew up living with his parents, grandparents, two sisters, and a brother in Falcon Heights. Roy’s dad was involved in sales. His mother was a stay-at-home-mom. Roy is Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Roy talks about growing up in a tight-knit Italian-American family in the Twin Cities. Roy describes the family's traditions, including Sunday feasts and attending Catholic school, as well as the family structure with a stay-at-home mom and grandparents living in the same house. Roy tells of his strict Catholic upbringing. He still identifies as Catholic and raised his boys Catholic. Roy describes his childhood growing up in Falcon Heights, describing the free reign kids had and various activities done with that free time. Roy reflects on the sense of community felt by his neighbors and the respect for elders held by children. Lastly, Roy describes his childhood as largely apolitical, although his family did support Kennedy, and shares how he shook hands with John and Jackie Kennedy.
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Robin Moede
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Robin Moede is a Caucasian female born on April 29th, 1960. She lived with her parents and younger sister in Saint Paul growing up. Her father was a social worker. Her mother was an educator. Moede is Unitarian. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Moede describes her extended family and family members she was close to. She describes what her home life was like, such as chores, pets, and the music they enjoyed. Moede describes the differences between her liberal Unitarian practices compared to her Catholic friends and neighbors. She goes on to explain how spirituality and community are important to her. Moede gives a picture of what it was like growing up in a neighborhood with a lot of kids. Talking about the games they would play and the dog that would follow her around. She explains how connected the neighbors were in their neighborhood. Moede describes her experiences with open school and the theater activities she was involved in.
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Sally Heuer
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Sally Jean Heuer is a Caucasian female born on June 29, 1952. She is the second oldest of four girls. Her father was a mechanical engineer, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom. She grew up Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Heuer starts by describing several memories that she has about her family life: recalling some of the animals that they had, how her immediate family was close to their extended family, as well as sharing some vacation memories. She goes into detail about how household chores were divided amongst the family members, as well as the organization of them, including how they were a tradition-based household. She mentions how she felt like her family's socioeconomic status wasn't too different from the rest of her neighborhood; describing it as somewhere in between middle and upper middle class. Heuer talks about her family's religious upbringing, and how her family and the friends around her were involved with the church and their religion. She briefly discusses how the neighborhood around her home looked: explaining the nature and types of people that lived there, and how it was quite peaceful. She mentions the value of being nice and not bullying one another, as well as the roles that mothers had in their neighborhood and kids. Afterwards, she touches on the activities that were done for leisure time, which consisted of a lot of outside and inside game-playing, as well as watching the TV. Heuer recollects some of her memories of her schooling. She ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, talking about topics such as civil rights, discrimination, environmental awareness, nuclear energy, Vietnam War, and fallout shelters.
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Sandra Kelly
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Sandra Kelly is a Caucasian female born on July 12, 1947. She was one of the older siblings out of five. Her father was a mail carrier, and her mother was a stay-at-home mom, who would occasionally work at the packing plant when the family needed extra money. She grew up Methodist. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Kelly starts by describing the kind of work that her parents would do. She mentions how both of her parents had different upbringings from her, with her father being a hobo and both of her parents not finishing high school. She discusses how her and her dad would walk together for miles and would pass the packing plants: as a result of this, she once saw workers wading in blood and started refusing to eat meat, which continues to the present day. She describes her religious upbringings and how it didn't really shape her adult life. Kelly talks about the neighborhood she grew up in, describing what her house looked like, the families that lived next to them, as well as the safety of that neighborhood. She mentions some of the values that her parents taught them, touching on having a hard-working ethic and cleanliness. Afterwards, she gives an example of how her family would spend their free time together, and talks about her experience with school and how the lunch system worked. She ends the interview by describing the local and global issues that were happening during the time, mostly talking about race relations and her personal experiences with it, as well as the Vietnam War.
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Thomas Achartz
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Thomas Paul Achartz is a white male born on February 11th, 1957. He grew up with 2 brothers. His parents are divorced. His mom worked as a Go-Go dancer. They lived in the Roosevelt Housing Project on the east side of Saint Paul. Achartz grew up Catholic but converted to Lutheran. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Achartz discussed struggles of growing up poor in the projects. The internal struggle of coming from a divorced household at that time. Achartz spoke of his mother’s emphasis on keeping a clean house. Achartz talks about how his struggles growing up poor has affected how he relates to money now; he still appreciates saving money and getting a deal. Achartz describes the techniques he learned to get by and how his focus was on having enough food and money for rent. He discusses his non-engaged Catholicism as a child and what it means to him that he is brand loyal to Jesus as an adult. He speaks on the long afternoons of childhood, roaming the neighborhoods and reading at the library. Achartz tells about how music opened a broader world to him. Achartz explains how his teachers and friendships have shaped him into the man he is today.
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Timothy (Tim) Scanlan
Julie M. Luker
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Timothy (Tim) Scanlan is a Caucasian male born on September 15, 1946. He is the third out of seven kids. Both of his parents worked. He grew up Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Scanlan starts by describing how he came from a big family, and talks about how they were all close knit, as well as what family pets they had. He mentions how it seemed like they were financially getting by, but that his parents probably had a depression-era mentality when it came to conversations about money. He briefly discusses his religious upbringing, and how it was important in their family. He goes on to describe his experience with growing up in the neighborhood, and how everyone knew each other and would have huge neighborhood nights. Scanlan mentions the value of loyalty. Afterwards, he touches on the television shows that he watched when he was growing up, as well as how schooling was very positive. He ends the interview by describing the local issues affecting the neighborhood, such as how they grew up in a time of economic boom, the Vietnam war, Kennedy’s, and Martin Luther King Jr.'s assassination, and growing up with people that were different from him.