Topic: Immigration and Ethnicity / Type: Sound Recording Nonmusical

1. Interview with Heladio "Lalo" Zavala

Creator:: Zavala, Heladio; United States
Date Created:: 10/18/2010
Description:: Heladio "Lalo" Zavala was born in Asherton, Texas. Zavala decided to move to Minnesota to attend Moorhead State College and studied social work and Spanish. He became involved with the Latino community by becoming the chairman of Migrant Health Services, executive director of the Minnesota Migrant Council, and CEO of Midwest Association of Farmworker Organizations. Zavala is married with three children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - Latino culture in Texas - agriculture in
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

2. Interview with Albert G. Minda

Creator:: Minda, Albert Greenberg
Date Created:: 1967-07 - 1967-11
Description:: Albert G. Minda was born July 30, 1895, in Holton, Kansas. He graduated from the University of Cincinnati in 1918, did postgraduate work at the Universities of Chicago, Columbia and Minnesota, and was ordained rabbi at Hebrew Union College in Cincinnati in 1919. He served as rabbi at Temple Beth El in South Bend, Indiana, from 1919 to 1922, when he became rabbi at Temple Israel in Minneapolis. He was granted an honorary degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1947 by the Hebrew Union College. In 1963 he was appointed Rabbi Emeritus at Temple Israel. He died in 1977. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Personal history, including his education, early rabbinical duties in Indiana, marriage and writing - history and development of Temple Israel - the Jewish community in Minneapolis, Talmud Torah, Jewish charity and community services - anti-Semitism and the status of Jews in Minneapolis - duties of a rabbi - and his travels, lectures and participation in Jewish and inter-faith organizations. COMENTS ON INTERVIEW: MHS received the interview material in 1972 from Mrs. Nathan Berman of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

3. Interview with Rabbi David Aronson

Creator:: Aronson, Rabbi David
Date Created:: 1967-07-19
Description:: Rabbi David Aronson's father was from White Russia, and his mother was from Latvia. Aronson was born in White Russia and came to the United States with his family at age eleven. The family lived on New York's East Side. Aronson went to day school for one year, then high school, college and seminary. He became a rabbi at Beth El Synagogue in Minneapolis in September of 1924. At the time of the interview he was professor of rabbinics in the graduate school of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The 1924 replacement of crosses by Stars of David on markers along Victory Memorial Drive for Jewish soldiers killed in World War I - family history - Jews living on Minneapolis's North Side - first impressions of Minneapolis - the status of Jews in the community - and Jewish organizations including Beth El, Talmud Torah, and Menorah and Hillel at the University of Minnesota. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: MHS received the interview material in 1972 from Mrs. Nathan Berman of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

4. Interview with Maurice and Anna Lee Wolff

Creator:: Wolff, Maurice
Date Created:: 1969-06-14
Description:: Anna Lee (Mrs. Maurice) Wolff was born in Minneapolis in 1886. She graduated from Wellesley College in 1908 and married Maurice Wolff in 1909. In 1914 she was the first president of the Women's Auxiliary of the Temple of Aaron. In 1918 she was a founder of the local organization of the National Council of Jewish Women, and for two terms she was president of the Minneapolis World Affairs Council. At the time of the interview she had been a member of a local writers' group for twenty-five years. Maurice Wolff was born in Minneapolis in 1884. His parents were very active in Temple Shore Tov (later Temple Israel). He graduated from high school in 1902 and went to work for the Rothchild advertising agency about five days later. He worked there until 1919, when he went to work in his wife's family's business. Later he was business editor of Lancet Publications, which included the medical journal Lancet. Wolff was president of the Jewish welfare board during World War I and was active in Masonry and skating. He was also a member of the board for Family and Children's Services of Hennepin County and lectured in advertising at the University of Minnesota, College of St. Thomas, and local business colleges. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Anna Lee Wolff--her early life in Minneapolis - activities in public and religious affairs - general absence of anti-Semitism - and her pacifist beliefs. Maurice Wolff--his career in advertising - interests in skating and social clubs - community service - and an absence of anti-Semitism. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: MHS received the interview material in 1972 from Mrs. Nathan Berman of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service. The interview consists of two parts: part one is an interview with Anna Lee Wolff, and part two is an interview with Maurice Wolff.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

5. Interview with Moses Barron

Creator:: Barron, Moses
Date Created:: 1970-01-01
Description:: Moses Barron was born in Russia in 1883, son of a Hebrew scholar. He came to the United States in 1888 and lived on a farm in Stevens County. Barron attended elementary school in Fargo, North Dakota, and in 1911 he graduated from the University of Minnesota Medical School. He served in France in World War I, married in 1919 and has four children. Barron taught and practiced medicine in Minneapolis until 1964, when he moved to Los Angeles. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood, including his father's immigration and peddling of tinware from New York to Minneapolis, and finally farming in Stevens County - hard life on the farm - education at the University of Minnesota - teaching and practicing medicine, including work on pancreas secretions and on pathology - visitors to his home in Minneapolis, including doctors and Jewish scholars - Jewish literary and cultural organizations - an editorial in the Minneapolis Star - and his move to Los Angeles and his life in that area. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Barron speaks very slowly. It is more a narrative than an oral history interview. MHS received the interview material in 1972 from Mrs. Nathan Berman of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Service.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

6. Interview with Tony Martinez

Creator:: Martinez, Tony
Date Created:: 1975-06-18
Description:: Tony Martinez was born in St. Paul on Oct. 31, 1932, and attended Lafayette, Franklin and Lincoln schools in St. Paul before graduating from Johnson High School. He worked in the fields with the Cortez family, entered the military in 1950, and worked with a private mapping company and the state highway department's mapping department. Later he established the Martinez Orthography Company, of which he is owner and president. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His life as a worker in the fields - schools - the armed forces - and his start as the owner of a business.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

7. Interview with Juan L. Rios

Creator:: Rios, Juan L.
Date Created:: 1975-06-21
Description:: The Rev. Juan L. Rios, pastor of the Latin American Gospel Mission on St. Paul's West Side, was born in Texas in 1922 and moved to St. Paul in 1960 to serve as minister for a Pentecostal congregation. Subjects discussed include: Early life in Texas and Michigan - reasons for entering the Assembly of God ministry - establishment of the Latin American Gospel Mission - and the Spanish Speaking Pentecostal Congregation in St. Paul.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

8. Interview with Matthew Casillas

Creator:: Casillas, Matthew
Date Created:: 1975-06-23
Description:: Matthew Casillas was born Aug. 24, 1931, the fourth of ten children. He was educated locally and entered the armed services. For ten years he lived and worked in California, where he went to college and earned a degree. He returned to St. Paul and went into business for himself in 1965. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: St. Paul's West Side community - Our Lady of Guadalupe Church - the Neighborhood House - new programs by and for Mexican Americans in the local community - family history - family ties - and community cohesiveness. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Much traffic noise from Concord Street. Three or four interruptions from customers entering to do business required recesses from the interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

9. Interview with Gregory Gonzalez

Creator:: Gonzalez, Gregory
Date Created:: 1975-06-24
Description:: Gregory Gonzalez was born in Oklahoma in 1920, came to St. Paul in 1924, entered the military in 1942, attended Macalester College in St. Paul, and works for the Minnesota Department of Revenue. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Establishment of the Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Credit Union in 1948 - personal history and work experiences - and views on the community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

10. Interview with Henry Capiz

Creator:: Capiz, Henry T
Date Created:: 1975-06-25
Description:: Henry Capiz was born in St. Paul on Feb. 18, 1926. He was drafted into the Army in 1944, graduated from college in 1957 with a degree in pharmacy and became chief pharmacist at St. Luke's Hospital in St. Paul in 1960. He was president of a parent-teacher association, commander of a Veterans of Foreign Wars post and a lieutenant colonel in the Air Force Reserve. Subjects discussed include: Educational experiences - background of his parents and family - military service - and civic and social organizations.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

11. Interview with Frank Rodriguez

Creator:: Rodriguez, Frank
Date Created:: 1975-06-27
Description:: Frank Rodriguez was born March 28, 1920, in Sheridan, Wyoming, moved to St. Paul at age two, and was educated in the St. Paul schools. Subjects discussed include: Family life on the lower West Side of St. Paul while he was growing up during the Depression - his interest in athletics - his activities with the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party - his work with the Hod Carriers' Building and Common Laborers' Union, Local 132 - his involvement in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and various civic organizations - and the importance of his Mexican heritage.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

12. 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

13. Interview with Esiquia S. Monita

Creator:: Monita, Esiquia S.
Date Created:: 1975-07-07
Description:: Esiquia Monita was born in Casas Grandes, Chihuahua, Mexico, in 1902. In 1906 she crossed the border to El Paso, Texas, with her mother. She grew up in Kansas, working in beet fields. She married once in Kansas and moved with her husband to Chicago. She married again while in Chicago and came to St. Paul with her second husband. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - early Mexican settlers in St. Paul - harvesting beets and corn in Kansas, Iowa and Minnesota - her husband's occupations - and food. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English. Part of the tape is garbled and difficult to understand.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

14. Interview with Frank Chavez

Creator:: Chavez, Frank
Date Created:: 1975-07-07
Description:: Frank Chavez was born in Omaha, Nebraska, in 1928. He moved to Minnesota in 1934 and worked in the beet fields with his parents. After high school he joined the Navy, and in 1960 he went into the printing business in St. Paul. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His family - business - and the Navy.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

15. Interview with Guadalupe Cruz

Creator:: Cruz, Guadalupe
Date Created:: 1975-07-07
Description:: Guadalupe Cruz was born in 1894 in Tepatlitan, Jalisco, Mexico. Her parents were Braulio Jimenez and Silvina Gutierrez. She was married in 1914 and entered the United States at El Paso, Texas, in 1921. Cruz lived and worked in California, Arizona and Colorado. Upon the death of her mother, she returned to Mexico for eight months. In April of 1929 she arrived in Minnesota with her husband and immediately became involved with activities in Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and in other activities of the Mexican-American community in St. Paul. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family and life in Mexico - the Mexican Revolution - travel and lice infestation on trains going to the border at Juarez, Mexico - life in the beet fields - life, activities and festivals for the early Mexican-American community in St. Paul - beginnings of activities of Our Lady of Guadalupe Church - leaders of the West Side community - songs sung for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe on December 12 - and family history and family problems. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English. Cruz is one of the oldest members of St. Paul's Mexican-American community. She knew many of the first leaders and was involved with many of the first activities of the church and community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

16. Interview with Alfonso de Leon

Creator:: de Leon, Alfonso
Date Created:: 1975-07-08
Description:: Alfonso de Leon was born in Antila de Nopales, Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in 1902. He traveled with a military band during the Mexican Revolution and in 1918 came to the United States, where he worked in a mine in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. He got married in 1922 in Bridgeport, Texas, where their first child was born. From 1923 to 1929 he worked in beet fields in Wyoming, Colorado, Iowa and Minnesota. They moved to Minnesota in 1929, and he started working in the Armour Packing House. He became involved in Mexican-American community organizations and activities in St. Paul. He retired from Armour in 1965. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in Mexico - the Mexican Revolution - life in Texas - work in the beet fields - the early Mexican-American community in St. Paul, including its organizations and festivals - his family - and personal views and philosophy of life. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English. This is an extremely valuable interview on the early history of the Mexican-American community on St. Paul's West Side.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

17. Interview with Angelo and Marcella Elizondo

Creator:: Elizondo, Angelo
Date Created:: 1975-07-08
Description:: Angelo Elizondo was born in Hidalgo, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in 1909. At the age of three he came to the United State with his parents, who were seeking employment. He grew up working in Texas coal mines during the winter and in beet fields in other states during the summer. Marcella Elizondo was born in Taft, Texas, in 1919. She grew up working in beet fields and came to Minnesota in 1929. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Their families, including parents and siblings - their children's names and occupations - experiences in Marcella's life which include several visits by apparitions - the evil eye" - remedies made from herbs - and advice for their grandchildren and great-grandchildren. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

18. 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

19. Interview with Maria J. Bosquez

Creator:: Bosquez,Maria J.
Date Created:: 1975-07-08
Description:: Maria J. Bosquez was born Maria de Jesus Gutierrez in Saqualco de Torres, Jalisco, Mexico, on May 30, 1906. She remembers the Mexican Revolution's effects on her home town. She took training and became a teacher. At age 21 she married Concepcion Bosquez of Villita de Encarnacion, San Juan de Los Lagos, Mexico. On Feb. 5, 1928, they entered the United States at Laredo, Texas. They arrived in Minneapolis on Feb. 11 or Feb. 12. Mr. Bosquez had been employed by the Milwaukee Railroad. Both she and her husband immediately became involved in the activities of the Mexican-American community in St. Paul, although they lived in Minneapolis. Her family of eight was born and raised in Minneapolis. She was employed by Woolworth's for 15 years. She retired in 1968. Subjects discussed include: Early life in Mexico - the St. Paul Mexican-American community, including its families, activities, leaders and organizations - problems of adjusting to life in the United States - her husband's activities at work and in the Mexican-American community - her family in Minneapolis and Mexico - the Mexican Revolution - the Christeros War in Mexico - her philosophy for living. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview is in Spanish, transcribed into English. Bosquez was very involved in Mexican Independence Day programs and remembers many names.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

20. Interview with Sebastian J. Hernandez

Creator:: Hernandez, Sebastian J.
Date Created:: 1975-07-08
Description:: Sebastian Hernandez was born in 1930, served in the military, taught in St. Paul schools from 1961 to 1971 and became the Mexican-American consultant to the school system in 1973.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

21. Interview with Dionisa "Nicha" C. Coates

Creator:: Coates, Dionisa Cardenas
Date Created:: 1975-07-10
Description:: Dionisa "Nicha" Coates was born in Cambria, Minn., on Oct. 9, 1928. She attended kindergarten in Chaska, Minn., and finished schooling in St. Paul. She worked for the government in Washington, D.C., for three and a half years, then returned to St. Paul. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experiences of her youth - personal history - the Spanish Speaking Cultural Club - the bilingual/bicultural program in the St. Paul public schools - educational opportunities for young people - organizations she is a
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

22. Interview with Frank C. Guzman

Creator:: Guzman, Frank C.
Date Created:: 1975-07-14
Description:: Frank Guzman was born in Mexico in 1934, moved to the United States, served in the armed forces, and was director of Migrants in Action, Inc., of St. Paul at the time of the interview. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Migrants in Action program, including its foundation, history, present status and hopes for the future - and personal history.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

23. Interview with George Galvin

Creator:: Galvin, George
Date Created:: 1975-07-16
Description:: George Galvin was born May 25, 1910, in El Paso, Texas. He spent his early years living in various places, and in March of 1920 he came to Minnesota. As a young man, Galvin pursued a boxing career. In his adult years he held a variety of jobs and was active in organizing unions and the Minnesota branch of the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC). SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - boxing career - unions he helped to organize - LULAC - his store and bar - employment record - future hopes and advice for younger people.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

24. Interview with Manuel Contreras

Creator:: Contreras, Manuel
Date Created:: 1975-07-16
Description:: Manuel Contreras was born in Durango, Mexico, in 1904. He was raised by his sisters because his father was shot in a fight and his mother died at childbirth. He and his sisters had ranches that were taken away from them during the Mexican Revolution, in which Contreras fought at the age of ten. Fearing for his life, he escaped from the country in 1924. In that year he and a sister traveled from Texas to Minnesota. Later he worked in the fields in Lake Lillian and Chaska, and in 1933 he came to St. Paul. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Mexican Revolution, including its leaders and its effect on Contreras's family - life in St. Paul in the 1930s - work in sugar beet fields in rural Minnesota and in meat packing plants in South St. Paul - work in a munitions plant in New Brighton - family life and history - and the people and customs of St. Paul's Mexican-American community. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

25. Interview with Francisco and Delores Guzman

Creator:: Guzman, Francisco
Date Created:: 1975-07-17
Description:: Francisco Guzman was born in San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico, on Oct. 4, 1900. Dolores Rodriguez de Guzman was born in a small town in the state of San Luis Potosi. They met in Mexico and married in Ojinada, Chihuahua. In 1922 they came to the United States and settled in St. Paul in 1929. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Mexican Revolution - Francisco Guzman's military service in Mexico - his employment with railroads, sugar companies and various contractors - Mexican traditions and food - and family life. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

26. Interview with Teresa M. Munoz

Creator:: Munoz, Teresa M.
Date Created:: 1975-07-17
Description:: Teresa Munoz was born in Mexico in 1919, immigrated to the United States in 1944 with her husband, David L. Munoz, and settled in St. Paul in 1945. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family and community life - the art of making pi
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

27. Interview with Maria R. Moran

Creator:: Moran, Maria Rangel
Date Created:: 1975-07-22
Description:: Maria Moran was born in St. Paul in 1928. Her parents had come from Mexico in the 1920s. In the late 1950s she founded the Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano, which strives to preserve the regional dances of Mexico. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano - childhood life in the West Side community, including early childhood experiences in dancing - regional Mexican dances, costumes and music.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

28. Interview with Lalo Sanchez

Creator:: Sanchez, Lalo
Date Created:: 1975-07-23
Description:: Lalo Sanchez was born in Dallas, Texas, and moved to Minnesota after serving as a military policeman during World War II. He organized his first soccer team in Minnesota in 1947, and as coach of the Azteca Soccer Club, which he organized in 1969 with youth players from the West Side community, he has received many awards for himself and the team. Azteca won state championships in 1973, 1974 and 1975. Subjects discussed include: Soccer, including the following topics: league structure in Minnesota - awards received by Azteca - type of training required - reasons why Humboldt High School should have a soccer team - and discrimination and exclusion by the Minnesota Soccer Association.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

29. Interview with Stella Alvo

Creator:: Alvo, Stella
Date Created:: 1975-07-24
Description:: The main interest of this interview was Ms. Alvo's organization of Mi Cultura, a bilingual and bicultural day care center for children in St. Paul. Subjects discussed include: Mi Cultura Day Care Center - the human resources to be found in St. Paul's West Side community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

30. Interview with Joseph E. Anaya

Creator:: Anaya, Joseph E.
Date Created:: 1975-07-25
Description:: Anaya was born in New Mexico in 1927 and moved to St. Paul with his family in 1939. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His role in organizing the St. Paul chapter of the American G.I. Forum - and his work with Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Credit Union, with Brown and Bigelow, and since 1973 with the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, a private organization providing services to minority businesses.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

31. Interview with Esther M. Avaloz

Creator:: Avaloz, Esther M.
Date Created:: 1975-07-28
Description:: Esther Avaloz was born February 21, 1911, in Topeka, Kansas. She worked in the fields from the age of eleven and attended school for one year. She lived in Colorado and California and came to Minnesota in 1935, where she met and married Gabriel Avaloz. She has five children. Subjects discussed include: Family history, her own and her husband's - St. Paul's Mexican-American community when she arrived - holidays celebrated by Mexican Americans - weddings and baptisms - and advice to younger generations. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

32. Interview with Alfonso Galvan

Creator:: Galvan, Alfonso
Date Created:: 1975-07-30
Description:: Alfonso Galvan was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in 1898. He fought in the Mexican Revolution and came to the United States in 1919. In 1923 he came to Chaska, Minnesota, and worked in the fields. He also worked as a butcher, for Armour for four years and for Swift for six years. He worked for Cudahy's for twenty-five years until 1954, when the plant closed. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The Mexican Revolution - crossing the river and entering the United States - working for railroads, in farm fields and in the meatpacking industry - the first people in the West Side neighborhood of St. Paul - the Anahuac Society - celebrations on the West Side - his philosophy and advice to the young. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

33. 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

34. Interview with Antonio and Petra T. Zepeda

Creator:: Zepeda, Antonio; Zepeda, Petra Trevino
Date Created:: 1975-07-31
Description:: Antonio Zepeda Cardona was born in San Juan de Allende, Coahuila, Mexico, in 1902. He came to the United States with his family in 1907 and was raised in Rio Hondo, Texas. He was married to Petra Trevino Zepeda in Mexico at age sixteen, and in 1923 they came to the United States. He worked for the railroad for three months then came to Minnesota to work in the beet fields. He died in 1977. Petra Trevino Zepeda was born in Cuatro Cienigas, Coahuila, Mexico in 1906. She helped her father harvest his crops and take them to sell in the marketplace in Piedras Negras. She married Antonio Zepeda at age thirteen. Subjects discussed include: Their childhood and immediate family in Mexico - courtship in Mexico - the Mexican Revolution - crossing the border - job history - their twelve children - people and festivals on St. Paul's West Side - and advice for younger people. Mr. Zepeda also explains techniques for harvesting sugar beets. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

35. Interview with Juanita R. Moran

Creator:: Moran, Juanita Rangel
Date Created:: 1975-07-31
Description:: Juanita Rangel de Moran was born in 1921 in Aguascalientes, Mexico. In 1926 her family visited relatives in Topeka, Kansas, and her father decided to remain in the United States. After her father worked for the railroad for some time, the family moved to St. Paul in 1928. She married Salvador Moran in 1943 and was an active member of St. Paul's Mexican-American community. They have seven children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - childhood in Mexico, Kansas and Minnesota - marriage and children - holidays and celebrations in the community - Our Lady of Guadalupe Church - and the importance of retaining the Mexican language and customs. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

36. Interview with Francisco Rangel

Creator:: Rangel, Francis
Date Created:: 1975-08-04
Description:: Francisco "Frank" or "Kiko" Rangel was born in 1936 on the West Side of St. Paul, was a member of Guadalupe Parish, attended Lafayette Elementary and Roosevelt Junior High, and graduated from Mechanic Arts High School. He became a musician in 1953 and played for most fiesta celebrations. He works in the microfilm laboratory of the Minnesota Historical Society and leads an orchestra that plays all types of music. Subjects discussed include: Family life on the lower West Side in the 1940s
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

37. Interview with Leonard Lopez

Creator:: Lopez, Leonard
Date Created:: 1975-08-04
Description:: Leonard Lopez was born in Bass City, Kansas, on Jan. 24, 1921, and moved to St. Paul in 1933. He enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1942 and joined the St. Paul Police Department in 1949. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood - work in beet fields - service in World War II - his Spanish and Indian ancestry - his career as a police officer - and his family and marriage.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

38. 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

39. Interview with Felicitas Herrera

Creator:: Herrera, Felicitas
Date Created:: 1975-08-05
Description:: Felicitas Herrera was born in Pirindaro, Mexico, in 1909 and came to the United States in 1920 by crossing the river at Laredo, Texas. She came to Minnesota to work in 1927 and continued to work throughout her life, while also being active in the Guadalupanas, who work to continue religious customs celebrating the fiesta day of Our Lady of Guadalupe on Dec. 12. At the time of the interview she lived in St. Paul. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in Mexico - various jobs in field work and meatpacking - religious life - and the Guadalupanas. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English. A photocopied newspaper column on Herrera is in the Mexican-American Project file in the oral history office.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

40. Interview with Angel M. Fernandez

Creator:: Fernandez, Angel M.
Date Created:: 1975-08-08
Description:: Angel M. Fernandez was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in September of 1932. He came to the United States in 1956 in response to an advertisement by the American consulate in Mexico that offered opportunities for single men to go to the United States. He enlisted in the Air Force and soon was stationed at Fort Snelling. He was married in 1959 to Anita Morales Liscano. He held several jobs and at the time of the interview was an accountant for the Minnesota Department of Public Welfare. Subjects discussed include: Family history - life in Mexico - employment record - religion - alcoholism - adapting to marriage - experiences in the Air Force - educational systems in the United States and Mexico - adapting to life in the United States and to the English language - and advice to the young. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

41. Interview with Jesus A. Patlan

Creator:: Patlan, Jesus Asencion
Date Created:: 1975-08-09
Description:: Jesus Asencion "Jesse" Patlan was born in Mexico City in 1940 and immigrated to Minnesota in 1960, settling in St. Paul in 1962. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in Mexico - current conditions in Mexico - problems of language and cultural adjustment encountered in the United States - job discrimination against Mexicans in Minnesota - comparisons between the two countries. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

42. Interview with Arturo and Elvira Coronado

Creator:: Coronado, Arturo
Date Created:: 1975-08-18
Description:: Arturo Coronado was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico. His father was a successful railroad conductor in Mexico, but in 1915, when Arturo was ten years old, the family left the country because his father didn't want to be involved in the Revolution. They returned to Mexico later, only to go back to the United States again. He arrived in Minnesota in 1923 and held a variety of jobs, primarily tailoring and dry cleaning. Elvira Coronado was born in 1908, also in San Luis Potosi. Her father had an accident while in the United States seeking his sister, and the family came to join him in Houston, Texas. She came to Minnesota with her husband. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Immediate family, including names, birth dates and occupations - personal life history - the community in St. Paul - Arturo Coronado's dry cleaning business, and his work in organizing a labor union for that trade (1930-1946) - their first restaurant in St. Paul, La Casa Coronado, and their later restaurant in Minneapolis - Guadalupe Church - and advice for future generations.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

43. Interview with Marcelino and Irene Rivera

Creator:: Rivera, Marcelino; Rivera, Irene
Date Created:: 1975-08-19
Description:: Marcelino Rivera was born in Mexico City in 1906, fought in the Mexican Revolution and left the army when he was 18 to come to the United States. He crossed the river into Texas and worked at various jobs, ending up in St. Paul, where he met his wife. Irene Rivera was born in Texas in 1910. She worked in the fields before coming to Minnesota in 1925. She settled in St. Paul in 1931. The Riveras were married in New Ulm, Minn., in 1932. Subjects discussed include: Marcelino Rivera's life in Mexico and the United States - Irene Rivera's life in the United States - community life on the West Side in St. Paul - the Our Lady of Guadalupana Society, established in 1931 - community customs and celebrations - and advice to younger Mexican Americans. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Irene Rivera spoke for Marcelino Rivera, who was ill
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

44. Interview with Federico Saucedo, Senior

Creator:: Saucedo, Federico Sr.
Date Created:: 1975-12-22 - 1977-10-16
Description:: Federico Saucedo, Sr., was born in Real de Catorce, San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in 1891. He came to the United States and settled in St. Paul in 1916. Subjects discussed include: He recalls family history and the Mexican Revolution and discusses early Mexican families in St. Paul and organizations such as the Anahuac Society, El Comite Patriotico, and the Comite de Reconstruccion. He also describes his work in silver and coal mines in Mexico, with a railroad in Illinois, and in a meat-packing company in St. Paul from 1922 to 1952. Note: Interview is in Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

45. Interview with Joseph Leibman, United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project Phase 1, St. Paul, Minnesota

Creator:: Leibman, Joseph
Date Created:: 1976-01
Description:: Leibman's account of his journey to the United states and experiences entering the country, traveling by train to St Paul to join his brother, his first home on the Lower West Side and a detailed description of the neighborhood. A PDF version of the transcript available at http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/pdf-assets/jhs-leibman.pdf
Contributing Institution:: University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

46. Interview with William Mayberg

Creator:: Mayberg, William
Date Created:: 1976-01-15
Description:: William Mayberg was born in Russia in 1887. He married in 1911, came to the United States in 1913, and had two sons. He was self-educated but was a teacher most of his life. He also operated small grocery stores in Minneapolis and St. Paul. He died in 1978. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Jewish children's education in Russia and the United States - poverty of immigrant life - history of the Zionist movement - a Zionist farm and school in Champlin, Minnesota - and religion.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

47. Interview with Vera Nissenson Lyons

Creator:: Lyons, Vera Nissenson
Date Created:: 1976-02-11
Description:: Vera Nissenson Lyons was born in 1912 and came to Minneapolis in 1924 from Privarog, Russia, with her mother and father, an Orthodox rabbi. She married Arnold Labowitz (Lyons) in 1935. She graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in social work and worked during the first years of her marriage. She has been a local and regional officer of Hadassah, a women's Zionist organization, and served as a resource person for Judaism and Jewish holidays for the Minneapolis public schools. She also teaches kosher cooking. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Anti-Semitism in Russia, including a graphic description of a pogrom - flight from Russia to Minneapolis - life as an immigrant child - the 1930s Depression - working her way through college - the Jewish community in Minneapolis - and Jewish cooking.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

48. Interview with Ida Levitan Sanders

Creator:: Sanders, Ida Levitan
Date Created:: 1976-02-16
Description:: Ida Levitan Sanders was born in Russia in 1900 and arrived in Minneapolis in 1905. She married Max Sanders - they had two children, David and Mrs. Deera Tychman. She is an active member of Talmud Torah Auxiliary and Alumni and is a founder of Young People's Synagogue and Beth El Synagogue. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early childhood experiences - secular and religious education - the founding and early history of Minneapolis Talmud Torah - anti-Semitism - the Depression - her home and neighborhood - and child-rearing experiences.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

49. Interview with Edward P. Schwartz

Creator:: Schwartz, Edward P.
Date Created:: 1976-02-25
Description:: Edward P. Schwartz was born in Minneapolis in 1903. He was a newspaper reporter, weekly newspaper publisher and publicist, particularly for show business. He inherited and expanded his father's business (Schwartz Printing and Ad Art Advertising). Schwartz played a leadership role in the Variety Club of the Northwest and the Variety Club Heart Hospital. He was also involved with the fund drive for building Mount Sinai Hospital, with Temple Israel and with Democratic Farmer Labor politics. He was also a founder of the Henry Miller Society. Schwartz and his wife, Mae, were married in 1928, and they have one daughter. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - his working career - intermarriage - anti-Semitism in local business and city affairs - the 1930s Depression - Temple Israel - the Variety Club of the Northwest and the founding of the Variety Club Hospital - Mount Sinai Hospital - the 620 Club and other Minneapolis restaurants - DFL politics, Hubert Humphrey's early career - and the Henry Miller Society. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Schwartz bar mitzvahed with Ernie Fliegel, who was also interviewed for this oral history project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

50. Interview with Lillian Besler Cohn

Creator:: Cohn, Lillian Bessler
Date Created:: 1976-02-25
Description:: Lillian Besler Cohn was born in Minneapolis in 1895 of immigrant parents (from Niomsk, Romania). Her father had been a miller. In this country he worked on a farm in New York and at the 1893 Chicago World's Fair. In Minneapolis he worked as a miller with Pillsbury Mills but became ill. After recovering he was self-employed with various occupations, including making and selling grits, running a secondhand-tool store, locksmithing and making and selling umbrellas. Lillian Besler married Louis Cohn in 1917 and has one son, Victor. She has been active in study groups, Democratic Farmer Labor Party politics and the Soviet Jewry Action Committee. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Charitable organizations in the early Jewish community - her father's hard work and hard times - her lack of education (she quit school so that her brothers could be educated) - social life in the Jewish community - anti-Semitism - and prominent citizens in the Jewish community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

51. Interview with Esther Schanfield Rosenbloom

Creator:: Rosenbloom, Esther Schanfield
Date Created:: 1976-02-26
Description:: Esther Schanfield's family came to Minneapolis in the early 1900s, prospered and became community leaders. She studied music at the University of Minnesota and the Julliard School of Music in Boston. She married Eli Rosenbloom in 1924, and they had two sons and one daughter. She was involved in the Jewish community's cultural affairs in the 1940s and is an active Zionist whose daughter lives in Israel. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - arts in the Jewish community in the 1940s - and her honeymoon tour of the United States and Europe. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In much of the interview Rosenbloom speaks of herself in the third person. She would not discuss her childhood, anti-Semitism or the Depression. Her brother Maurice Schanfield was also interviewed for this oral history project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

52. Interview with Shepsel (S.R.) Roberts

Creator:: Roberts, Shepsel R.
Date Created:: 1976-03-05
Description:: Shepsel Roberts was born in Russia in 1914 and came to Minneapolis in 1921 with his parents and older brother and sister. He was educated at Yeshiva (Jewish school) in Chicago, married his wife Tibey at age 21 and has four children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Immigration and poverty - his family's chicken business - selling newspapers as a boy - peddling - the Depression - his work as a shochet (ritual butcher) and mohel (ritual circumciser) - and the role of religion in his life.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

53. Interview with Florence Karp Kunian Schoff

Creator:: Schoff, Florence Karp Kunian
Date Created:: 1976-04-29
Description:: In 1904 Florence Karp's parents came to the United States from Russia, where her father was a university student, and Karp was born in New York City on May 28, 1906. After two years in New York, the family moved to South Dakota to raise sheep. Five years later they moved to Edmonton, Alberta, to take up another land grant, but they lived in the town. In 1922 they moved to Minneapolis, where Karp's parents became superintendents of the Jewish Home for the Aged (later the Sholom Home). In 1926 Karp graduated from the University of Minnesota with a degree in music. That year she also married Paul Kunian, and they had two children, Michael and Diana (Mrs. Bruce Lewis). She was active in Reform Judaism at Temple Israel and was a leader of the Zionist women's group Hadassah and of the Minneapolis Federation for Jewish Services. She also was an early supporter of Hubert Humphrey and a Democratic Farmer Labor Party activist and fund raiser. Paul Kunian died in 1964, and in 1973 she married Francis Schoff, a non-Jewish widower. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life on the South Dakota sheep ranch - working her way through the University of Minnesota - her courtship and marriage - her parents' background, motivation for emigration, and religious and political beliefs - her own religious and political beliefs and activities - the Depression - anti-Semitism - and Israel.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

54. Interview with Blanche Halpern Goldberg

Creator:: Goldberg, Blanche Halpern
Date Created:: 1976-05-04
Description:: Blanche Halpern Goldberg was born in Minneapolis in about 1906. Her family had come from Politork, Romania, in 1900. In 1910 they moved to Hebron, North Dakota, returning to Minneapolis in 1921. She is one of twelve Halpern children. She attended West High School and the University of Minnesota, from which she received a bachelor's degree in education in 1926. Also in 1926 she married Dr. Isadore Goldberg, and they have two sons, Stanley and Arthur. Goldberg taught in Minneapolis public schools for a short time after World War II. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Immigration of extended family to Minneapolis - life as Jews in a small North Dakota town - anti-Semitism at the University of Minnesota and in teaching and medicine - education - the Depression - and child-rearing, including her two sons and her sister's two children. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Goldberg's husband, Isadore Goldberg, was also interviewed for this oral history project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

55. Interview with Angelo Cohn

Creator:: Cohn, Angelo
Date Created:: 1976-05-05
Description:: Angelo Cohn was born in Bucharest, Romania, in 1914, and in 1920 he immigrated with his parents and two brothers to the United States, where they joined an extended family of cousins in Minneapolis. Both his parents were professionally trained, his mother as a language teacher and his father as a lawyer. Angelo Cohn graduated from the University of Minnesota in 1936 with a degree in journalism and worked as a reporter on the Minneapolis Star. He married in 1948 and has three children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Immigration of his extended family - early life in the Minneapolis immigrant community, including geographical locations of community institutions and synagogues - education and recreation - the Depression - religious institutions - bootlegging - anti-Semitism - and the Teamsters strike in 1934.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

56. Interview with Viola Hoffman Hymes

Creator:: Hymes, Viola Hoffman
Date Created:: 1976-05-10
Description:: Viola Hoffman Hymes was born in Chicago and moved to Minneapolis at age 10 in about 1916. Her mother was born in Sweden, and her father was born in Romania and came to the United States at age 20. She graduated from West High School and the University of Minnesota, with a degree in education. She taught high school for five years before marrying Dr. Charles Hymes in 1930. They had two sons. Hymes was national president of the Council of Jewish Women and was elected to the Minneapolis School Board in 1963. She was an unsuccessful candidate for alderman in 1970 and was a founding member of the Citizens Committee on Public Education (COPE). She died in 1991. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early family life and family history - friendships - education - anti-Semitism - community service activities - the Depression - politics - marriage and family - and religion.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

57. Interview with Isadore Goldberg

Creator:: Goldberg, Isadore
Date Created:: 1976-05-12
Description:: Isadore Goldberg was born in Minneapolis in 1900. His parents came from Lithuania in about 1894 and married in Minneapolis in 1896. He graduated from North High School and the University of Minnesota Medical School and served in the U.S. Army in World Wars I and II. In 1926 he married Blanche Halpern, and they have two sons, Stanley and Arthur. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early childhood - family poverty - his newspaper route - education - early experiences in his medical practice - the Depression - anti-Semitism, especially in medicine - World War II - and religion. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Goldberg's wife, Blanche Halpern Goldberg, was also interviewed for this oral history project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

58. Interview with Nathan M. Shapiro

Creator:: Shapiro, Nathan M.
Date Created:: 1976-05-12
Description:: Nathan M. (Nate) Shapiro was born in Minneapolis in May of 1911. His father had come to Milwaukee several years earlier and then moved to Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin, to work as a coppersmith for Leinenkugel Breweries. Next his father moved to Minneapolis, established an auto repair business and later owned a confectionary. Shapiro graduated from North High School and worked at a Snyder's drug store, later becoming its manager. When Prohibition ended in 1934, he and his brother Monroe (Curly) opened Curly's nightclub. When his brother died in 1945, he sold it and went into the theater business and later the insurance business. He married his brother's widow and adopted their son and daughter. Shapiro was a regional officer in the Sertoma Club and a community fund raiser. He was also a close friend of Hubert Humphrey and active in the Democratic Farmer Labor Party. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background, including his grandfather's supervision of a distillery in Russia and his work as a peddler - his own childhood and education - business experiences - the breakup of a theater owners' monopoly in the 1940s in Minneapolis - concerns about child-rearing and Jewishness - anti-Semitism - intermarriage and strong concern for the relationship between the Gentile and Jewish communities (he and his children are Unitarians) - friendship with Hubert Humphrey - leadership in the Sertoma Club - and activity in the DFL. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Schwartz was very ill with cancer at the time of the interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

59. Interview with Jose Valdez

Creator:: Valdez, Jose A.
Date Created:: 1976-06-21
Description:: Jose Valdez was born in Texas in 1940 and moved to Minnesota to be director of the Minnesota Migrant Council. Subjects discussed include: Council history from 1969 to 1976 - its goals, structure, staff, function and funding - accomplishments - and possible future ventures.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

60. Interview with Louis Medina

Creator:: Medina, Louis
Date Created:: 1976-06-25
Description:: Louis Medina was born in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, in 1907, moved to the United States in 1916 and to Owatonna, Minn., in 1929, and got married in St. Paul in 1929. He worked at a variety of jobs and retired from Cudahy Packing Co. in 1973. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in Mexico - struggle against poverty in the United States, which appeared to be a new land of promise - work in the beet fields, Twin City Rapid Transit Co., and the Northern Pacific Railway - marriage and children - life in the United States - and community involvement and social life, particularly the League of United Latin American Citizens.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

61. Interview with Leo Castillo

Creator:: Castillo, Leo
Date Created:: 1976-07-02
Description:: Leo Castillo was born in Venadito, Texas, on Aug. 19, 1945. He left Texas in May of 1964 to work in Nebraska and Minnesota. He worked in Minnesota and returned to Texas annually until 1968, and in 1969 he became a welder and lived in Litchfield to the time of the interview. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Work experience, including field work, self-employment as a trucker, and welding - social gatherings - and plans for the future. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

62. Interview with Luz and Virginia Campa

Creator:: Campa, Luz; Campa, Virginia
Date Created:: 1976-07-02
Description:: Luz Campa was born in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, in 1909. He came to Bridgeport, Texas, in 1914 and to Minnesota in 1929. In 1967 he opened a restaurant. Subjects discussed include: Life in Mexico, Bridgeport and Brownton - and how he got started in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

63. Interview with Santa Mies

Creator:: Mies, Santa
Date Created:: 1976-07-02
Description:: Santa Mies was born in 1945 in Chihuahua, Chihuahua, Mexico, and arrived illegally in the United States in 1953. She lived and worked in Texas until 1963, when she contracted to work for the Jennie-O turkey company in Litchfield, Minn. She became a permanent resident of the United States in 1969. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Loyalty to the company - difficulties in becoming a United States citizen - help she received from her employer in making her residence legal, and cooperation of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service - assistance she gives to non-English-speaking employees - and limited involvement with the church. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

64. Interview with Alberto Villarreal

Creator:: Villarreal, Alberto
Date Created:: 1976-07-12
Description:: Alberto Villarreal was born in Blue Earth, Minn., in 1933 and grew up in Iowa and Albert Lea, Minn. He has worked in a packing house, a foundry, construction, a hospital and a furniture store. Since 1960 he has been a member of the Albert Lea Police Department. Subjects discussed include: Education, work and family history - involvement with the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) - and the Azteca Club.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

65. Interview with Jesse and Josephine G. Jimenez

Creator:: Jimenez, Jesse
Date Created:: 1976-07-12
Description:: Jesse Jimenez was born in Hollandale, Minn., in 1935 and spent most of his childhood in southern Minnesota towns. He entered the service, then came back to Minnesota and worked in 1958, when he and Josephine Gallo Jimenez were married. The following year, he went to Tallahassee, Fla., where he lived for six years, then came back to Minnesota in 1965. Josephine Gallo Jimenez was born in Mason City, Iowa. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Jesse Jimenez discusses his family background - education and employment experiences - participation in social and fraternal organizations - his drive-in restaurant, which he bought in 1969 - hopes for his children - boxing and other sports - and subtle discrimination. Josephine Jimenez discusses her family - employment as an office worker - and her children. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Josephine Jimenez's comments are at the end of the interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

66. Interview with Ann Zuvekas

Creator:: Zuvekas, Ann
Date Created:: 1976-07-14
Description:: Ann Zuvekas was director of Migrant Health Services, Inc., from 1974 to 1976. Subjects discussed include: Migrant Health Services, Inc., including its history, organization, funding, objectives, services, innovative projects and achievements, new programs, goals, and areas needing improvement.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

67. Interview with Juan Rodriguez

Creator:: Rodriguez, Juan
Date Created:: 1976-07-14
Description:: Juan "Johnnie" Rodriguez was born in Crystal City, Texas, on Aug. 27, 1930, and worked as a migrant worker in Minnesota from 1941, at age eleven, until 1948. He entered the military during the Korean War and returned to Minnesota in 1954, settling in Moorhead as an employee on a wheat farm. His later activities included being director of Migrant Health Services, Inc. Subjects discussed include: Personal history - migrant work - his work at Migrant Health Services, Inc. - farm duties and responsibilities.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

68. Interview with Antonio Morales

Creator:: Morales, Antonio
Date Created:: 1976-07-15
Description:: Antonio Morales, one of nine children, was born in 1934 in San Antonio, Texas, and moved to the Blooming Prairie, Minnnesota area with his family in 1947. Married in 1952, he and his wife, Genevive, have eight children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His independent trucking business - his family - working in the fields in southern Minnesota - his philosophy in raising children - and continuing the Mexican heritage.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

69. Interview with Arturo Zamora

Creator:: Zamora, Arturo
Date Created:: 1976-07-15
Description:: Arturo Zamora was born in Benjamin, Texas, in 1925, one of eleven children. He came to Cloquet, Minnesota, in 1931 with his parents and settled in 1938 near Hollandale, Minn., where his family has owned a farm since 1940. Zamora has worked at Wilson Meat Packing Co. in Albert Lea since 1945 and operates a restaurant near Albert Lea with his three brothers. Subjects discussed include: Family and early life - work in the meatpacking industry - Club Azteca, League of United Latin American Citizens and Knights of Columbus in Albert Lea - and his restaurant.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

70. Interview with Luis Martinez

Creator:: Martinez, Luis
Date Created:: 1976-07-15
Description:: Luis Martinez was born Sept. 6, 1931, in Raymondville, Texas. He first came to Minnesota with his family in 1935. He followed crops in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Michigan before settling in East Grand Forks, Polk County, in 1953. He worked at several auto dealerships before becoming self-employed as an auto dealer in 1973. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Work and business experience, including how he became the manager of an auto dealership - family history - his Spanish-language radio programs on Crookston and East Grand Forks stations - and his role in establishing the first school for migrants in the Red River Valley.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

71. Interview with Jesus and Ramona Mendez

Creator:: Mendez, Jesus A.
Date Created:: 1976-07-16
Description:: Jesus Mendez was born in Zamora, Michoac_n, Mexico, on Aug. 4, 1910 and immigrated to East Grand Forks, Minn., in 1927 on contract with a sugar company. Ramona Mendez was born in Texas and moved to Minnesota in 1942. They married in 1943 and had ten children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - education of their children, including discouraging children from working in the fields - Mexican customs - and Jesus Mendez's employment with the Migrant Education Program in Crookston at the time of the interview. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

72. Interview with Francisco and Casimira Gomez

Creator:: Gomez, Francisco
Date Created:: 1976-07-26
Description:: Francisco Gomez was born in Pueblo Diario, Jalisco, Mexico, in 1907. He came to the United States in 1922 and Minnesota in 1927 and worked for 23 years at the Armour Packing Company in St. Paul. Later he and his wife, Casimira Gomez, retired to a small farm in Hollandale. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Francisco Gomez's early years in the United States - his move to Minnesota - community on St. Paul's West Side - advice to younger people - family history - holiday celebrations and Mexican food. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

73. Interview with Ralph Delgado

Creator:: Delgado, Ralph
Date Created:: 1976-07-26
Description:: Ralph Delgado, his older brother, Ray, Jr., and his younger brother, Francis, run a 900-acre potato farm, one of the largest in southern Minnesota. They, along with their father, Raymond, Sr., started buying land in 1953 after many years of doing farm work for other farmers. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Management and operation of the farm - hobbies and interests - family - education - discrimination - and advice to future generations.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

74. Interview with Romaldo Jimenez

Creator:: Jimenez, Romaldo
Date Created:: 1976-07-26
Description:: Romaldo Jimenez was born in Jalisco, Mexico, in 1912 and left the country in 1926. He worked in Texas and Kansas and arrived in Walters, Minnesota, in 1933. At the time of the interview he was living in Albert Lea. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Working in the beet fields - renting land to plant his own crops - and raising his 13 children. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

75. Interview with Ben Gonsalez

Creator:: Gonsalez, Ben
Date Created:: 1976-07-27
Description:: Ben Gonsalez was born in Laughton, Oklahoma, in 1921 and came to Minnesota with his mother in 1930 to work in the beet fields and canning industry. He was drafted into the military in 1942 and discharged in 1945. In 1946 he got married in Winnebago, and he worked at Fairmont Canning Company for sixteen years. At the time of the interview he was involved in the Pentecostal movement. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: His move to Minnesota - Minnesota Citizens for Migrant Affairs - and his work as acting minister and missionary for the Temple de la Fe, a Pentecostal church in Guckeen, Faribault County.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

76. Interview with Bill Villarreal

Creator:: Villarreal, Bill
Date Created:: 1976-07-27
Description:: Bill Villarreal was born in Sabinas, Hidalgo, Mexico, in 1909 and came to the United States in 1923. He settled in Albert Lea in 1948. Subjects discussed include: His early years working in agriculture in the United States - his involvement in clubs and societies in southern Minnesota, including the League of United Latin American Citizens - his role in founding the Azteca Club - the education and careers of his children - the need for Mexican Americans to be organized - and philosophies and viewpoints on progress and reform of society and its subcultures. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish, transcribed into English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

77. Interview with Maria G. de Palomo

Creator:: de Palomo, Maria Garcia
Date Created:: 1976-08-02
Description:: Maria Palomo was born in March of 1901 in Bustamante, Nuevo Leon, Mexico. She was married in Piedras Negras, Coahuila, Mexico, and then moved with her husband to Fort Worth, Texas. In 1930 they moved to Fairfax, Minn., and later that year to St. Paul, where they settled. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Maria Palomo narrates her early family life and her brother's involvement in the revolution in Mexico in 1910. In 1930 her family was contracted to work in Fairfax, Minn., and in that same year they moved to St. Paul. Because the employment situation was poor, the family worked during the summer months on the farm and returned to St. Paul with the Salinas and Guzman families in the winter. She describes numerous Mexican foods and dishes, including the preparation of atole de mesquite, mole and queso de panela. She talks about her frequent visits to Mexico and her failure to understand why her American-born children hesitate in trying new foods and dishes while visiting relatives in Mexico. She also describes her husband's job with the railroad, her factory work, and the houses they lived in on St. Paul's West Side. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

78. Interview with Marilyn McClure

Creator:: McClure, Marilyn
Date Created:: 1976-08-02
Description:: Marilyn E. McClure was born in Blooming, New Mexico. She attended an Albuquerque high school and Macalester College in St. Paul. She holds a master's degree, has worked for the St. Paul schools and at the time of the interview is a bilingual, bicultural social worker for Ramsey County Mental Health. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Educational and employment background - the Ramsey County Mental Health Spanish American Project - referrals - graduate students in social work - future of the program - and change in the Mexican-American community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

79. 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

80. Interview with Rev. Dagoberto Aguilar

Creator:: Aguilar, Reverend Dagoberto
Date Created:: 1976-08-03
Description:: Born in Turialva, Costa Rica, in 1927 - studied and became a minister in Mexico City - worked as a missionary in Central America - received an assignment in Philadelphia, where he worked for several years - called to work in 1973 with Spanish-speaking people in Minneapolis, including some Mexican families. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: History of the Primera Iglesia Bautista in Minneapolis - religious and social activities and social services at the church - the need to maintain Spanish in that church - hopes of church members, including continued parishioner growth and construction of a church building of its own. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

81. Interview with Jesus J. Mercado

Creator:: Mercado, Jesus John
Date Created:: 1976-08-05
Description:: Jesus John Mercado was born in Spearville, Kansas, on Dec. 19, 1921. His family moved to St. Paul in 1935, and in 1941 he graduated from Mechanic Arts High School in St. Paul and won the middleweight championship of the city's Golden Gloves amateur boxing organization. He enlisted in the Marines in 1942 and served in the South Pacific. He won the Guadalcanal light-heavyweight Golden Gloves title, was wounded on the island of Guam and again at Iwo Jima, and was discharged in April of 1945. A month later he married Mary Salas and returned to St. Paul. He joined the St. Paul Police Department in 1948. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - schooling in Kansas and Minnesota - his service in the Marine Corps - and his career in the St. Paul Police Department. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Supplementary papers on family history are in the Mexican-American Project file in the oral history office.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

82. Interview with Angel and Maria Garcia

Creator:: Garcia, Angel
Date Created:: 1976-08-06
Description:: Angel Garcia was born and lived his early years in Houston, Texas. Maria Garcia was born in Chicago. In 1951 they moved to Winona County, where they raised three children. Angel Garcia is the prosperous owner of a trucking business, a tavern in Stockton, Minn., a farm and other real estate. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Their reasons for moving to Minnesota - educational history - their employment records - organizations - ways in which Mexican heritage has affected their lives - and continuation of Mexican culture. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Their daughter, Chris, also speaks in the interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

83. 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

84. Interview with Peter Moreno

Creator:: Moreno, Peter
Date Created:: 1976-08-06
Description:: Pete Moreno was born Oct. 6, 1924, in Renville, Minn., moved with his family to St. Paul in 1925 and has lived in Minnesota his entire life. He has worked with a housing authority and the Ramsey County Office of Equal Opportunity, and at the time of the interview is state director of federal Migrant Education Program for children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Experience in government agencies - goals, philosophies and activities of the Migrant Education Program - and directions in which the program is moving.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

85. Interview with Maria A. Alvarado (Sister Engracia)

Creator:: Alvarado, Maria Antonia
Date Created:: 1976-08-08
Description:: Sister Engracia was born in Mexico in 1947 and assigned to St. Mary's College in Winona in 1966. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Her childhood in Mexico - her three years of religious training - her apostolate in the United States, mostly in Minnesota as a Lasallian Sister of Guadalupe. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

86. Interview with Sebastian R. Jara

Creator:: Jara, Sebastian Ramon
Date Created:: 1976-08-08
Description:: Sebastian Ramon Jara was born in Monterrey, Nuevo Leon, Mexico, in 1906 and immigrated to Texas a year later with his mother. He spent his next seventeen years on a ranch, "Los Quinientos Acres," near Edinburgh, Texas. He and his mother left the ranch after a feud, and he worked as a chauffeur in Edinburgh for some time. After another controversy, they ended up in North Dakota, where Sebastian Jara worked the beet fields for one year and later worked in a mill. Next they came to St
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

87. Interview with Matilda Mejia (Sister Marta)

Creator:: Mejia, Matilda
Date Created:: 1976-08-09
Description:: Sister Marta was born in Mexico in 1930 and spent her early years there. She became a Lasallian Sister of Guadalupe in her twenties and in 1955 arrived in Winona for her assignment to live and work at St. Mary's College. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - her religious work in Mexico - and her assignment to St. Mary's College. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

88. Interview with Rudolph Saucedo Jr.

Creator:: Saucedo, Rudolph Jr.
Date Created:: 1976-08-09
Description:: Rudolph Saucedo, Jr., was born on the West Side of St. Paul in 1951. He was an active member of the Brown Berets, an organization of young Chicano men, from 1968 to 1973. He died in 1979. Subjects discussed include: History, goals and activities of the Brown Berets - community feelings toward the group - police harassment and other problems encountered - leaders - and the group's future.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

89. Interview with Frederico "Fred" Saucedo, Junior

Creator:: Saucedo, Frederico Jr.
Date Created:: 1976-08-11
Description:: Frederico "Fred" Saucedo, Jr., was born March 1, 1934 on St. Paul's West Side and grew up there as the youngest of six children. He joined the Marine Corps in 1952 and was president of the men's club at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church. He married Sylvia Ruiz, and they have four children at the time of this interview. Subjects discussed include: Personal history - history of the men's club at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church - role of the Catholic church in the Mexican-American home and family
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

90. Interview with Angelita R. Martinez

Creator:: Martinez, Angelita Reyes
Date Created:: 1976-08-20
Description:: Angelita Reyes Martinez was born Sept. 27, 1927, in Waterloo, Iowa. She moved to St. Clair, Minnesota, with her parents in 1930 and moved to Minneapolis in 1934. She married Ramon Martinez in 1946. At the time of the interview she had three grandchildren, Ramona, Vicente and Georgie Ann. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family history - education - visits to Mexico - founding of the Twin Cities chapters of the League of United Latin American Citizens - Mexican customs and holidays - and the meaning of being a real Mexicana. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: In Spanish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

91. Interview with Manuel P. Guerrero

Creator:: Guerrero, Manuel P
Date Created:: 1976-08-24
Description:: Manuel P. Guerrero was born May 31, 1935, in Marion, Indiana. He served in the army from 1954 to 1956, attended the University of Notre Dame and Franklin College in Indiana and graduated from Indiana University Law School in 1962. In 1964 he was elected to a six-year term as an Indiana circuit court judge. From 1971 to 1974 he was a visiting professor in criminal justice at the University of Minnesota, and in 1974 he became chair of the university's Department of Chicano Studies. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Moves of his parents in the United States - his brothers and sisters - early years in Marion, Indiana - school years - service in the army - college years - the role of church in his life - professional career - family - the role of Chicanismo in his life, and the role he hopes it will play in the lives of his children and grandchildren.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

92. Interview with Maurice Schanfield

Creator:: Schanfield, Maurice
Date Created:: 1977-01-13
Description:: Maurice Schanfield's father came to Canada from Romania in 1883, landing in Montreal and working on the Canadian Pacific Railroad until reaching Winnipeg - from there the family hitchhiked to Minneapolis. Schanfield was born in 1904 in Minneapolis. His father died in January of 1911, leaving a widow and four small children. Schanfield entered his uncle's insurance business, attended the University of Minnesota, married his wife, Norma, in 1943 and has four daughters. Although refusing to join organizations, he is active in Alcoholics Anonymous. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: The early Jewish immigrant neighborhood in south Minneapolis - the Depression - religious training and beliefs - anti-Semitism - education - experiences with card gambling and alcohol addictions - intermarriage and child-rearing - and religious faith and peak experiences. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: His sister Esther Schanfield Rosenbloom was also interviewed for this oral history project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

93. Interview with Ramedo J. and Catalina Saucedo

Creator:: Saucedo, Ramedo J.; Saucedo, Catalina
Date Created:: 1977-04-06
Description:: Ramedo Saucedo was born in St. Paul in 1930. Catalina Saucedo was born in Maxwell, Texas, in 1930 and moved to St. Paul in 1943. They were married in 1956 and have two children. Subjects discussed include: Ramedo Saucedo discusses life on St. Paul's West Side - his education at the University of Minnesota and several graduate schools - his teaching career at University and Southwest High Schools in Minneapolis, including the Hispanic Cultural Enrichment Program in that school system - and his work as the state's Mexican consul. Catalina Saucedo discusses her work at the consulate and her career as accountant, tax consultant and real estate agent as well as her participation in the Mexican-American community in St. Paul. They also discuss travels to Mexico. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Ramedo Saucedo compiled Mexican Americans in Minnesota: An Introduction to Historical Sources"
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

94. Interview with Lena Senensky, United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project Phase 1, St. Paul, Minnesota

Creator:: Lena Senensky, 1893-1984
Date Created:: 1977-07-13
Description:: Audio file of an interview with Lena Senensky conducted by Lois Devitt. The interview includes: family history in Russia and immigration to the United States; daily life on St Paul's Lower West Side; creation and early years of the Jewish Home for the Aged.
Contributing Institution:: University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

95. Interview with Sylvia Peilen, United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project Phase 1, St. Paul, Minnesota

Creator:: Sylvia Peilen, 1896-1986
Date Created:: 1978
Description:: Audio file of an interview with Sylvia Peilen conducted by Ann Greenberg. The interview includes: Peilen family history, including growing up on the East side and moving to the West side of St. Paul; Jewish-gentile relations; Sylvia Peilen's schooling and early employment history. Peilen also recalls her work with several different community service organizations, including Sholom Home, Youth Allyah, United Jewish Fund, the St Paul Jewish Community Center and Temple of Aaron.
Contributing Institution:: University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

96. Interview with Gladys Jacobs Field

Creator:: Field, Gladys Jacobs
Date Created:: 1978-01-29
Description:: Gladys Jacobs was born in 1903 and raised in Minneapolis. Her father operated Jacobs Jewelry in Minneapolis, and her mother's family was involved in the G. Pflaum and Sons cigar factory in St. Anthony. Jacobs married Harold Finkelstein (of the Finkelstein and Rubin theater chain) of St. Paul in 1926. In 1936 they changed their last name to Field. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Growing up in a large German-Jewish family - her close relationships with her grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins - incidences of anti-Semitism that she experienced - her involvement with the Minneapolis Art Institute, the Walker Art Center, and community and Jewish organizations - and her feelings about being Jewish.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

97. Interview with Dr. Irwin Epstein, United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project Phase 1, St. Paul, Minnesota

Creator:: Epstein, Irwin, 1900-1986
Date Created:: 1978-04-04
Description:: Audio file of an interview with Irwin Epstein conducted by Laia Berstein. The interview includes: Epstein's experiences growing up in St. Paul; schooling; religious education; and medical school.
Contributing Institution:: University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

98. Interview with Esther Sirott and Ethel Levy, United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project Phase 1, St. Paul, Minnesota

Creator:: Sirott, Esther, 1908-1993; Levy, Ethel, 1904-1982
Date Created:: 1978-05-04
Description:: Audio file of an interview with Esther Sirott and Ethel Levy conducted by Steve Foldes and Shirley Milgren. Esther Sirott was born in Lithuania and settled with her father and brothers on lower West Side of St. Paul. Ethel Levy was born in Iowa and lived briefly on the West Side of St Paul before moving with her family to a dairy farm where her father hired out as a tenant farmer. In the interview, the women discuss life on the West Side of St Paul, including employment opportunities for Jews, Jewish Socialists, keeping kosher, Jewish neighborhoods and social strata and the meaning of Yiddishkite. The interview is part of the United Jewish Fund and Council Oral History Project, Phase 1. The location of the interview is unknown: the interviewers are Steve Foldes (SF) and Shirley Milgram (SM).A PDF version of the transcript available at http://reflections.mndigital.org/cdm4/pdf-assets/jhs-sirott-levy.pdf
Contributing Institution:: University of Minnesota Libraries, Nathan and Theresa Berman Upper Midwest Jewish Archives
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

99. 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

100. Interview with Benigno Andrada

Creator:: Andrada, Benigno
Date Created:: 1978-10-09 - 1978-11-01
Description:: Benigno Andrada came to Minnesota from the Philippines in 1928 at the age of 16. His first job was as a waiter at the Minneapolis Athletic Club. In 1930 he married a Norwegian-American woman, and they had three sons. His wife died in 1956, and in 1957 he married his second wife, Belen, a Filipino woman. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: In the first interview, Mr. Andrada discusses his adjustment to life in Minnesota, his family, his jobs and the Filipino community in the Twin Cities. In the second interview he tells about the Philippine Echo newspaper, work during the depression and World War II, Filipinos who worked on the farms near Albert Lea and Chaska, Minnesota and his return trip to the Philippines in 1966.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

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