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51. Interview with Brother Simon-H

Creator:
Phan, Brother Simon-H
Date Created:
2010-10-22
Description:
Brother Simon-H=a Phan was born in Saigon, Vietnam. Phan left Vietnam near the end of the war by helicopter from the U.S. embassy before the country fell to the Communist Party. Phan and his family sought refuge in Colorado and California. He later made his way to Minnesota to join the Benedictine monastery and completed college in the seminary. He then acquired a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and a Masters of Fine Arts in film. He teaches at St. John's University in Collegeville, Minnesota. Subjects discussed include: Family background - Vietnam War - immigration - childhood memories - family business - seeking refuge from the Communists shelling the air force base - warfare and traumatic experiences - education - Asians in Vietnam and America - film and art - religion - celebrating Vietnamese culture - feeling discrimination as a minority - Vietnam Culture camp - being bilingual in Vietnamese and English - and the Vietnamese community.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

52. Interview with Carlos and Marcelina R. Urvina

Creator:
Urvina, Carlos; Urvina, Marcelina R.
Date Created:
1975-07-08
Description:
Carlos Urvina was born Nov. 11, 1922, in Piedad, Michoac_n, Mexico, and came to the United States under a contract to lay railroad tracks when he was eighteen years old. He also worked for a streetcar company. At the time of the interview he worked for the Mason Booth Company. Marcelina Urvina was born Feb. 1, 1918, in Dallas, Texas. Although she was a U.S. citizen, her family had difficulties working in the fields. At age twelve she came to Minnesota with her mother and worked the beet fields near St. Clair, Minn., and at the Green Giant Company in Le Sueur, Minn., until she was sixteen. She is now working for Harrison Elementary School as a nurse's aide. Subjects discussed include: Carlos Urvina describes coming to the United States - working for the railroad and as an iron and metal worker - and the beauty of knowing two languages. Marcelina Urvina describes coming to Minnesota - troubles her mother had as a result of not speaking English - working in beet fields - bringing up their children - the importance of a good education - and Mexican customs in the home. Both emphasize the value of education and bilingualism. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

53. Interview with Carlos Mariani Rosa

Creator:
Mariani Rosa, Carlos
Date Created:
2010-07-26
Description:
Carlos Mariani Rosa was born in Michigan and grew up in Chicago. Rosa moved to Minnesota to attend Macalester College and soon married. He worked at the Minnesota Council of Churches and is now the executive director of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership. He is currently a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1990 and chair of the House K-12 Education Policy Committee. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - jobs held - racial tension in Chicago - diversity - importance of education - networking - factory work - scholarship for college - Minnesota weather - racial differences from Chicago and Minnesota - traveling - community outreach - racism - farmer issues - social issues - church - Hispanic Directors Association - National Institutes for Health - Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio - politics - funding - Latino community - Cinco de Mayo - Lake Street - non-profit organizations - and community involvement.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

54. Interview with Carlotta F. Arellano

Creator:
Arellano, Carlotta Felix
Date Created:
1975-07-30
Description:
Carlotta Felix Arellano was born in 1905 in Las Petacas, in the state of Zacatecas, Mexico. Her father's name was Juan Francisco Felix, and her mother was Josefa Ramos de Felix. The family immigrated to the United States in 1920, crossing the border by train to El Paso, Texas. She arrived in Arlington, Minn., in 1932 and was living in St. Paul at the time of the interview. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Mexican Revolution, including several personal experiences - working in farm fields in Wisconsin and Arlington and Gaylord, Minn. - and St. Paul's West Side community, including her early years here and organizations to which she belonged. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview was done in Spanish and transcribed into English. Most of the tape is slow.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

55. Interview with Carl R. Valdez

Creator:
Valdez, Carl R.
Date Created:
2010-10-19
Description:
Carl R. Valdez was born in the village of Penn Yan, New York. After high school Valdez joined the Air Force as a Russian linguist. He moved to Minnesota to attend Saint Thomas University and later became a school teacher for 22 years. He has worked in the ministry since 1991 working primarily with the Hispanic community. Valdez is married with six daughters. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - jobs held - Catholic religion - father's struggles - importance of education - military experience at the Black Sea - traveling - poem writing - Minnesota winter - issues with the Vietnam War - special education - languages - ministry - Mexican American Cultural Center - Latino community - baptism - Comunidad Latina Unida en Servicio - Lake Street with a strong Latino influence - growing Latino population - immigration topic - racial tension - and bilingual Mass.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

56. Interview with Carmen Robles

Creator:
Robles, Carmen
Date Created:
2011-02-05
Description:
Carmen Robles was born in the New York City borough of Brooklyn but grew up in Neillsville, Wisconsin. She went to school at Harvard. Robles has two children and one grandchild. She is the program director for the Association for Nonsmokers-Minnesota focusing on Latino outreach. She works primarily with at risk youth through her program Jovenes de Salud (Youth Community Health Workers). SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - moving as a child - early marriage and children - working for Honeywell, Governor Arne Carlson, and various Latino organizations - her art - travel - being a Latino Republican - working with children - improving communities - perception of the Latino community - contributions by the Latino community to the state. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Along with her interview Carmen includes
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

57. Interview with Chamreun Tan

Creator:
Tan, Chamreun
Date Created:
1992-07-30
Description:
Chamreun Tan primarily grew up in Battambang City in Cambodia. He was working as a police officer in Phnom Penh City on April 17, 1975 when the Khmer Rouge came to power. He became separated from his parents and siblings and was sent to the village Phum Chhouk to work for the Khmer Rouge until 1979. He married in 1981. Tan attempted to leave Cambodia more than once and was sent back, eventually living in Thai refugee camps until coming to the United States in 1984. He has held a variety of jobs here and is currently a financial worker for Ramsey County.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Moving Image
Format:
Oral histories

58. Interview with Chanmany Sysengchanh

Creator:
Sysengchanh, Chanmany
Date Created:
2012-01-29
Description:
Chanmany Sysengchanh was born in 1983 in a refugee camp in Napo, Thailand. His parents were refugees from Laos. At the time of the interview he was working for Saint Cloud University as part of a pre-college program for minorities. Subjects discussed include: Early life and family - coming to Minnesota as an infant - his parents silence about their struggles in Laos and Thailand - living in a large Lao community in south Minneapolis from an early age - going to school, and not speaking English - excelling at school - struggling to identify as Lao or American - working for Saint Cloud State University and the importance of higher education - helping kids get into college - being a positive Asian role model in the school environment - his writing and poetry - being the first in his family to graduate high school - how tempting it was to sell drugs or steal - thinking college was out of his reach - Asians clubs and support groups - his influence on a younger generation of Lao kids - his hope for more Lao civil engagement in the community - being happy that he ended up in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

59. Interview with Channy Som

Creator:
Som, Channy
Date Created:
1992-08-11
Description:
Channy Som lived in Battambang with her family when the Khmer Rouge came to power. They were made to leave their home and live in the forest before they were separated and put into work camps. She now lives in St. Paul with two siblings and works in catering. One sister is in a refugee camp in Thailand and two others are still in Cambodia with their father.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Moving Image
Format:
Oral histories

60. Interview with Charles Goldfus

Creator:
Goldfus, Charles
Date Created:
1978-05-25 - 1978-05-26
Description:
Charles Goldfus was born Oct. 1, 1897, in north Minneapolis. Both parents were from Lithuania. In 1929 he married Sylvia Jacobs of St. Paul. Goldfus opened a liquor store in downtown Minneapolis in 1934, and in the 1940s he became a partner in the Dorset Hansen Catering Company. In 1947 he sold both businesses and moved to California. At the time of the interview, he and his wife lived in Palm Springs, California. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His family's house on Lyndale Place, near 6th Avenue North and Lyndale Avenue - many north Minneapolis businesses and people in the Jewish community - receiving liquor license number 1 after the repeal of Prohibition, and opening his liquor store in February of 1934 in the Plymouth Building, 523 Hennepin Avenue - developing his own private brand labels, such as King's Favorite scotch - and entering the catering businesses.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

61. Interview with Cheng-Khee Chee and Sing-Bee Ong

Creator:
Chee, Cheng-Khee
Date Created:
1979-12-07
Description:
Cheng-khee Chee was born in 1934 in a rural village near the city of Xiamen (Amoy), in the Xiangyu District of Fujian Province, China. He attended the village school for four and a half years before his family immigrated to Malaysia in 1948. Chee completed elementary and high school in Penang, Malaysia, and graduated from Nanyang University in Singapore. He arrived at the University of Minnesota in 1962 as a graduate student in library science. He completed a master of arts degree in 1964, and in 1965 he took a position as librarian at the University of Minnesota, Duluth. Chee is an active member of the American Watercolor and Midwest Watercolor Societies. He paints in watercolors in both Asian and Western styles, has exhibited in both national and state exhibitions and won numerous awards, including the Gold Medal of Honor from the Allied Artists of American, 1980, and the Colorado Centennial Award from the Rocky Mountain National, 1976. Sing-bee Ong was born in Penang in 1934 of a Chinese family. She and Chee were classmates at Nanyang University. Ong arrived at the University of Minnesota, Duluth, for graduate study in education in 1965. Chee and Ong were married in August of 1965, and all their four children were born in Duluth. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background in China and Malaysia - Chee's decision to seek professional training in the United States - the later decision of Ong and Chee to remain in the United States and to raise their family in Duluth - their feeling of acceptance by the University community and townspeople - concerns on bringing up children in an area where few other Chinese live - Chee's work and recognition in the field of watercolor painting in addition to his work as librarian. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The family background of both Chee and Ong illustrates the traditional pattern of emigration from Fujian Province in China to Malaysia. Their later experience also exemplifies the secondary migration from Malaysia to the United States that has occurred among overseas Chinese since the 1950s. Their interview provides material on the experience of Chinese in Minnesota who live outside the Twin Cities metropolitan area.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

62. Interview with Cher Vang

Creator:
Vang, Cher
Date Created:
1992-02-03
Description:
Cher Vang immigrated to the United States from Laos in April, 1976. Currently, Cher Vang is the St. Paul Children's Hospital Hmong parent representative/interpreter. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Cher Vang talks about the immigration of his family to the United States. He describes what he thought life would be like in the U.S. before he arrived. Cher Vang also discusses the importance of his job at St. Paul Children's Hospital and what duties his job entails.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

63. Interview with Chitra Subrahmanian

Creator:
Subrahmanian, Chitra
Date Created:
2001-11-11
Description:
Chitra Subrahmanian was born in India and immigrated with her parents to the U.S. She attended SILC as an older student and now serves as the principal of SILC. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Personal background; participation in SILC; carpooling; experiences as a student; social connections; SILC Achievement Project; SILC Day; Festival of Nations; visits to India; benefits of attendance; experiences as an administrator; comparing and contrasting professional and volunteer administration; focus groups; facilitating knowledge transfer; school board; committee work; preschool program; outreach to adopted children; vision for future.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

64. Interview with Choup Lat

Creator:
Lat, Choup
Date Created:
1992-07-31
Description:
Choup Lat was a farmer in Battambang Province when the Khmer Rouge came to power on April 17, 1975. Along with his wife and children, he was sent to a different village, and forced to work long days with very little food. They arrived at Khao I Dang refugee camp in Thailand in 1979 and came to America shortly thereafter.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Moving Image
Format:
Oral histories

65. Interview with Concepcion Huerta

Creator:
Huerta, Concepcion
Date Created:
1976-08-03
Description:
Concepcion Huerta was born in Mexico and arrived in Minnesota with her husband, Matias, and their one-year-old daughter, Maria, in June of 1916. Her husband had come to Minnesota under contract to work for the railroad. He later became the first Mexican American drafted in Minnesota - he served in World War I and was discharged in 1918. He later worked for Swift and Company until his retirement. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Concepcion Huerta lived on the West Side since 1916 and insisted that all her ten children learn Spanish. In this interview she talks about their arrival on the West Side - Mexican families who lived in St. Paul in 1916 - early religious services conducted in Spanish at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church - the beginning of the annual Mexican celebrations - and buying groceries without knowing English. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

66. Interview with Constancio F. and Luz A. Argueza

Creator:
Argueza, Luz A.
Date Created:
1978-12-12
Description:
Constancio Argueza was born in 1939 in the Philippines, in Munoz, Nueva Ecija, his mother's home town. He spent his early childhood in Bauang, La Union, at his father's home. His father died when he was six, and his mother died a year later. An only child, Constancio was raised by his father's sister, who took him to Quezon City, near Manila, to attend elementary school. After that he attended the Far Eastern University's Boys High School Department in Manila, and the Far Eastern University Institute of Finance. He majored in accounting and auditing and passed the required examinations to become a certified public accountant. His first job was in a government office, the Bureau of Commerce, where he met his future wife, Luz. After a year and a half in this job he changed to a private firm, the Liberty Insurance Company, before immigrating to the United States in 1972. Luz Argueza was born on February 6, 1941, in Alcala, Pangasinan, in the central Philippines. She attended high school and the Philippines College of Commerce, both in Manila. After graduation she obtained a job in the Bureau of Commerce and later changed to a position in an American firm before the family immigrated to the United States. Luz is also a certified public accountant. The couple was married in 1968, and their two children were born in the Philippines. Soon after their marriage they were urged by Luz's brother, a CPA in San Francisco, to move to the United States. He pointed out that they would qualify for admittance under an immigration preference for professionals. They applied in December of 1968 and were accepted by the United States in 1972. Constancio is a CPA for Honeywell Corporation in Minneapolis, and Luz is a CPA for Good Value Homes in Anoka. Both are active participants in Filipino community organizations in the Twin Cities. Luz is secretary of the Fil-Minnesotan Association, secretary-treasurer of the Filipino Advisory Council, and a board member of the Minnesota Asian American Club. Both have been officers of the Filipino American Club. The Arguezas believe it is very important for their children to appreciate their Filipino heritage, and that the family's participation in Filipino organizations is the best way to attain the appreciation. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Arguezas discuss the post-1965 Filipino immigrants, known as the New Immigrants, who are largely professionals. This group has been predominantly doctors and nurses in Minnesota, but a sizeable number of accountants and other professionals have also settled in the state. The Arguezas point to greater economic and professional opportunities as the primary motivation for this group's immigration to the United States. They also note the recent efforts of the Marcos government to stem the brain drain" of medical personnel in particular. They discuss the goals and activities of Filipino organizations and also the growing usage of the term "Pilipino" rather than "Filipino" among the recent immigrants. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The Arguezas are typical of the many young professionals who have immigrated to Minnesota from the Philippines since the liberalization of United States immigration law in 1965. Like the Arguezas
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

67. Interview with Crecencia Rangel

Creator:
Rangel, Crecencia
Date Created:
1975-07-02
Description:
Crecencia Rangel was born in Mexico City in the early 1900s and married in 1921 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. She and her husband settled in St. Paul in 1928 after living in Kansas for some time. She worked in rural and urban Minnesota and was an active member of the Mexican-American community in St. Paul. Subjects discussed include: Early life in Mexico - the Mexican Revolution - working for the railroad in Kansas - work in Minnesota beet fields in Bird Island, Chaska and St. Bonifacius - problems and development of the Mexican-American community in St. Paul - social and religious groups - observance of special days among Mexican Americans - and her husband's appointment as Mexican consul in 1948 and his involvement in community affairs and in handling language problems and Mexican immigrants in St. Paul.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

68. Interview with Cristeta Andrada

Creator:
Andrada, Christeta
Date Created:
1978-10-20
Description:
Cristeta Andrada, a daughter of Benigno and Belen Andrada of Richfield, Minnesota, was born in 1964. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Growing up as a second-generation Filipino - the importance of family and the Filipino community in the Twin Cities - and discrimination. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Andrada's sister Marietta was also interviewed for this oral history project.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

69. Interview with David B. Limon

Creator:
Limon, David B.
Date Created:
1975-08-05
Description:
David B. Limon was born in 1886 in Encarnacion de Diaz, Jalisco, Mexico. He came to the United States in 1913, arrived in St. Paul in 1923 and worked for the Burlington Northern Railroad for thirty-eight years, retiring in 1961. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His work for the railroad - picking cotton in Texas - Mexican remedies for physical ailments - his home and family life - and advice for others. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

70. Interview with David Ramirez

Creator:
Ramirez, David
Date Created:
7/22/75
Description:
David Ramirez was born in 1936 in North Dakota, delivered by his father in a chicken coop. His parents had come to the United States in the 1920s, and the family came to Minnesota in 1936. He graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in humanities and did graduate work at the university in industrial relations. At the time of the interview he was director of the Minneapolis Civil Rights Department, in charge of La Voz, a monthly bilingual publication, a professional photographer, and producer of a radio program. Subjects discussed include: Personal history including education, the armed services, and employment - community involvement - La Voz - racial discrimination - ethnic activism in Minneapolis - and the meaning of Chicano.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

71. Interview with Deepak Nath

Creator:
Nath, Deepak
Date Created:
1997-03-20
Description:
Deepak Nath was born in the U.S. His parents emigrated from India in the 1960s. He attended school in Minnesota and college in Massachusetts. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, familiarity with parents' language, childhood memories, socializing with other Indians, maintaining ties to India - family values - discrimination, high school memories, religion, future plans, travels to India, Indian films - Babson Dance Ensemble (Massachusetts) - college life and experiences - balancing Western and Indian cultures, advantages and disadvantages of being a child of immigrant parents.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

72. Interview with Deep Shikha Gupta

Creator:
Gupta, Deep Shikha
Date Created:
2005-06-23
Description:
Deep Shikha Gupta came to Minnesota in 1986 and completed her PhD in economics. She became involved with the School of India for Languages and Culture [SILC] and also the India Association of Minnesota [IAM]. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Growing up in India - having an arranged marriage - teaching economics - moving to the United States and completing her PhD in addition to raising two children - meeting other Indians in the community - involvement in SILC - involvement in IAM and participation in events such as India Day - personal rewards of involvement in IAM and problems faced by the Indian community - impact of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the Indian community - controversial issues faced by IAM - membership and future of IAM - second-generation Indian-Americans and identity issues - gender inequality in India and in the United States - and opportunities for women in the United States.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

73. Interview with De los Reyes Family

Creator:
De Los Reyes, Carl
Date Created:
1979-03-16
Description:
The De los Reyes children: Carl (born in 1959), Alfredo (1961), Gene (1962), Nelson (1964), Marie-Rose (1965), and John (1969?). All were born in Manila, Philippines, except for John. The family moved to Seattle in 1968 and to Minnesota in 1969. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Fil-Minnesotan meetings and activities - importance of family and respect for parents.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

74. Interview with Diana Villarreal

Creator:
Villarreal, Diana
Date Created:
1976-08-06
Description:
Diana Villarreal was born in Texas in 1928 and moved to Minnesota in 1955. She is president of the Spanish Speaking Cultural Club, which was formed in 1971 by about four people and grew to a membership of about 25 within its first few years. Subjects discussed include: The Spanish Speaking Cultural Club's philosophies, financing, meetings, goals, activities and plans for the future - her activities since coming into the community - and the ways in which the activities led to her involvement with the club. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Tape speed vacillated in sections, resulting in poor voice reproduction but not severely hampering comprehensibility.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

75. Interview with Dilip Mallick

Creator:
Mallick, Dilip
Date Created:
2005-05-23
Description:
Dilip Mallick immigrated to Minnesota in 1985 and became involved with the India Association of Minnesota [IAM] shortly thereafter. He became president of the organization in 2005. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - education and working in India - immigrating to the United States and finding a job - getting married - initial involvement in IAM - mission statement of IAM - serving on the board of IAM - coordinating service projects such as fundraisers for environmental disasters - providing humanitarian aid to India - funding process and role of non-governmental organizations in relief projects - challenges faced by IAM - involvement in the annual India Day event - life in the United States versus life in India - involvement in Bengali Association - IAM member recruitment.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories
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