East Side

Follow

• 

  Allyson Smeed

  Julie M. Luker

  BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Allyson Smeed is a Caucasian female born on July 11, 1980. She grew up in the East Side neighborhood of Payne-Phalen before moving to Cottage Grove at nine. Currently, she resides in Arizona. Smeed was raised by her two parents. Her father was a plumbing salesman, and her mother worked in retail, admissions for St. Joseph's Hospital, and was the marketing director of a material company. She has two younger sisters. Smeed was raised Catholic. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Smeed begins her interview by stating that her family is tight-knit. Her grandparents were also heavily involved in her childhood. She mentions how her parents could buy a home, car, food for a family of five, and clothing for all the kids on one salary, but her parents struggled to maintain that as prices rose. Smeed briefly mentions her ADHD diagnosis and how it has impacted her spending habits, along with her parents' mindset around money growing up. Next, she described the two neighborhoods she grew up in. Payne-Phalen was about spending time with friends outside and going to the library. The Cottage Grove neighborhood had a mix of playing inside and outside and many pool parties. Smeed recalls going to school and pretending not to know the answers to avoid being seen as the smart kid from a young age. She concludes her interview by discussing world events that she remembers, such as the Challenger Shuttle explosion, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

• 

  Gregory Sanchez

  Julie M. Luker

  BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Gregory Sanchez is a Hispanic-White male born on April 7, 1949. Sanchez grew up in the Bluff area of East Side Saint Paul with his parents and three brothers. His father worked two jobs while his mother worked part-time as a waitress. Sanchez was raised Catholic but has distanced himself from religion now as an adult. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Sanchez begins his interview by explaining his living situation. The neighborhood was described as blue-collar. He played football and hockey in school, and his next-door neighbor were the parents of Chief Justice Warren Burger. He fondly remembers his boxer, Bonnie. Next, he explained how his family's economic status taught him to have a good work ethic. His parents worked long hours to enroll the three kids in Catholic school. Sanchez worked as a caddy and became a dishwasher for a post office during high school to make extra money. His family would go on camping trips around Minnesota as family vacations. Sanchez concludes his interview by listing several global and local issues. Those issues included duck-and-cover drills, needing to carry a student with polio out of a building during fire drills, Kennedy's assassination, and riots during the assassinations of JFK and Martin Luther King Jr.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  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.

• 

  Stacie Schubring

  Julie M. Luker

  BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Stacie Schubring is a Caucasian and female born on July 28th, 1961. She lived with her mom, dad and six siblings on the east side of Saint Paul. Schubring's father was a carpet layer. Her mother was a stay-at-home-mom. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Schubring describes her upbringing in a big family. She touches on family members she was closest to growing up, memorable activities such as camping and backyard ice rinks. Schubring talks about her family’s engagement with religion growing up and the importance of religion to her to this day. She describes what it was like to grow up in a neighborhood of big families and lots of children to play with. Schubring tells a story of how she was hit by a car. Lastly, she talks about values she learned from her mother and reflects on changes in the neighborhood in which she grew up.