Topic: Immigration and Ethnicity / Type: Sound Recording Nonmusical

1. 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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. Interview with Shanti Shah

Creator:: Shah, Shanti
Date Created:: 2004-10-29
Description:: Shanti Shah moved to Minnesota in 1974 and began meeting members of the Indian community. She was involved in the School of India for Languages and Culture [SILC] and the India Association of Minnesota [IAM] and became president of IAM in the 1990s. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Moving to Canada - getting married - coming to Minnesota and meeting members of the Indian community - becoming involved in IAM and SILC - funding for SILC - participation in the Festival of Nations and working in the cafT and the exhibit - participation of Indian children in the Festival of Nations - inception of the Festival of India - European views of India - involvement in the Trustee Advisory Council, which is part of IAM - serving on the board of IAM - gender roles - involvement in the Asian Indian Women's Association [AIWA] and the Minnesota Asian Democratic Association [MAIDA] - events involved in while serving as IAM president - importance of the arts - reasons for the success of IAM - and the younger membership of IAM.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

8. Interview with Shanti Shah

Creator:: Shah, Shanti
Date Created:: 2000-03-19
Description:: Shanti Shah was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. as an adult. She is one of the original founders of SILC and has served as a teacher, administrator and board member. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Personal background; participation in SILC; experiences as a teacher, language instruction; facilitating outdoor activities; establishing SILC; first day; motivation; music instruction; enrollment changes; teaching methods; curriculum development; challenges and rewards of teaching; geography instruction; volunteers; organizational changes; social connections; outreach to adopted children; Festival of Nations; contributions of SILC to Indian community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

9. Interview with P. Richard Szeitz, Regional Oral History Project, Moorhead, Minnesota

Creator:: Szeitz, P. Richard
Description:: Richard Szeitz, born in Hungary, is professor and chair of the Art Department at Moorhead State University. He discusses his life in Hungary, his move to the United States, the Art Department at MSU, and art involvement locally.
Contributing Institution:: Heritage Education Commission
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

10. Interview with Idalia "Charly" Leuze

Creator:: Leuze, Idalia
Date Created:: 2009-08-11
Description:: Idalia Leuze was brought up in San Antonio, Texas and moved to Minnesota. Leuze was raised in Willmar and went to Ridgewater College (formerly Willmar Vo-Tech) studying legal administration. She worked for the Chamber of Commerce, Public Defender's office, as an interpreter, as a corrections counselor, at PACT 4 Families, and as director of West Central Integration Collaborative. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood - family - Latino culture in Texas and Minnesota - religion - education - lack of diversity in Willmar - suing the Willmar School District over Latino student rights - dangerous living conditions - having to get tamale ingredients from Chicago - grand opening of Taco John's restaurant - Somali integration - visit to China - and funds and grants.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

11. Interview with Maria Argueta

Creator:: Argueta, Maria; United States
Date Created:: 2/23/2013
Description:: Maria Argueta was born in 1989 in Santa Tecla, El Salvador. She moved to Los Angeles at the age of five before later moving to Minnesota. At the time of the interview Argueta resided in Crookston, Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - Salvadoran community - ESL education - Salvadoran food, culture, and identity - Latino cultural retention.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

12. Interview with Miguel Diaz

Creator:: Diaz, Miguel; United States
Date Created:: 2/23/2013
Description:: Miguel Diaz was born in 1987 in Uriangato, Guanajuato, Mexico. He graduated with his Bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Concordia College. At the time of the interview was working on a Master's degree at North Dakota State University and was living in Moorhead, Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - Latinos in Pelican Rapids and broader Minnesota - Lutheran Social Services - Mexican cultural traditions, celebrations - cultural events in Pelican Rapids.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

13. Interview with Ruben Garcia

Creator:: Garcia, Ruben; United States
Date Created:: 2013-02-22
Description:: Ruben Garcia was born in Hart, Texas in 1960. After serving eight years in the military, Garcia graduated with an associate's degree in law enforcement from the University of Miami. At the time of the interview Garcia was living with his family and serving as a police officer in Moorhead, Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - childhood - language - Mexican cultural traditions - food - prejudice in the military - experiences with a family involved in the Ku Klux Klan - membership in Disabled American Vets.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

14. Interview with Eh Thweet

Creator:: Thweet, Eh
Date Created:: 2011-05-11
Description:: Eh Thweet was born in Burma in 1986. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life - Burmese military burning his village - struggle to pay for school - running from the Burmese army - finding food - landmines - fleeing to Thailand - living in a refugee camp in Thailand - religion - religious persecution - taking children from Burma to Thailand - coming to the United States - working for Catholic Charities - hopes of further education in Minnesota - Karen folktales.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

15. Interview with Olga Viso

Creator:: Viso, Olga; United States
Date Created:: 2/16/2011
Description:: Olga Viso was born in Melbourne, Florida. She attended Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida as an art major. Viso later attended Emory University for graduate school and afterwards became a curator at the High Museum. She later held the position as director of the Hirshhorn Museum for twelve years before becoming the executive director of the Walker Art Center. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - art as her passion - childhood - education - lack of diversity in Melbourne - Cuban exile - Cuban cooking - museum experience - Latino artists - Latino community - networking - community involvement - local art - immigrants - Walker Art Center as a resource for artists - organizations - global image of the Walker - multiculturalism - and embracing her heritage.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

16. 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

17. Interview with Ted Guerrero

Creator:: Guerrero, Ted
Date Created:: 2010-04-19
Description:: Ted Guerrero was born in Saint John's, Michigan. He was drawn to Minnesota to work on the farms and stayed for financial support offered by Moorhead State University. Guerrero received his bachelor's degree from Moorhead State University in guidance and counseling. Guerrero later worked for the University as a recruiter for minority students for over 35 years. He served as president of the Hispanic Caucus of Minnesota Education Association promoting bilingual education and ESL (English as a Second Language). Guerrero also served four years on the Minnesota State Board of Health under Governor Rudy Perpich. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - education - moving to Minnesota - jobs held - Minnesota winter - Hispanic music - speaking Spanish and English in the family - Latino culture - Tejano band - his five sons - education system in Minnesota - comparing North Dakota to Minnesota - cascarones - religion - Mexican food - diversity - racism renting a home - immigration - and networking.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

18. Interview with Hector Garcia

Creator:: Garcia, Hector
Date Created:: 2011-02-14
Description:: Hector Garcia was born in Mexico and raised in Mexico City. Garcfa graduated from the Instituto Tecnol=gico Aut=nomo de Mexico studying business administration. He moved to Minnesota in 1973 and later created MEX-US, a consulting company. Garcia worked as executive director for the Spanish Speaking Affairs Council and the National Conference for Community and Justice. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - campesino movement - childhood - pollution in Mexico City - poverty - racism - education - Latino culture - lack of diversity in Hawthorne, California - Minnesota weather - jobs held - businesses opportunities explored - North American Free Trade Agreement - decline of Mexican peso - anti-Semitism - wanting to help the lower class - organizations - Latino community - and the Legacy Fund.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

19. 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

20. Interview with Florence Glick Greene

Creator:: Greene, Florence Glick
Date Created:: 1979-08-13
Description:: Florence Glick Greene was born January 1, 1900, in Muscatine, Iowa. Her parents came from Laskova, Lithuania, a small town near Riga. Her father came to the United States in 1890, and her mother came with their four children more than three years later. Florence Glick married Louis Greene on January 23, 1926, and they had two daughters. She died November 24, 1985. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in a small Iowa town - life in Minneapolis in the 1920s - work experience - anti-Semitism - the Depression - social and cultural activities - immigrants' poverty.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

21. 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

22. 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

23. 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

24. Interview with Robert Zan

Creator:: Zan, Robert
Date Created:: 2011-05-11
Description:: Robert Zan is the son of Mahn Ba Zan who was a prominent leader in the Karen struggle for independence. In turn Robert Zan was a leader in Karen struggles for independence. He is the author of a concise history "Mahn Ba Zan & The Karen Revolution", published in 1993. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early memories of Burmese atrocities against the Karen - family - his father Mahn Ba Zan founder of Karen National Defense Organization and leader of the Karen resistance - becoming a solider - fighting
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

25. 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

26. Interview with Thure Nyberg

Creator:: Nyberg, Thure
Date Created:: 1990-02-02
Description:: Thure Nyberg was born in 1907 in Sweden. He settled in Minneapolis in 1929 after spending a year in Montana with his brother. He enrolled in goldsmith training on Lake Street, Minneapolis, and he joined the Jewelry Workers Union. He worked for Nelson & Nelson Jewelry until his retirement.
Contributing Institution:: American Swedish Institute
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

27. Interview with Lloyd Johnson

Creator:: Johnson, Lloyd
Date Created:: 1999-09-04
Description:: Beginning in 1998, the City of Duluth (Minn.) Sister Cities Commission collaborated with the Iron Range Research Center to record a series of oral history interviews. Independent scholar Dr. JoAnn Hanson-Stone acted as the lead interviewer. The voluntary, self-selecting participants were second-generation Swedish Americans whose parents settled in northeast Minnesota in the early 1900s. The interviews were initiated to create supplementary material for a planned exhibit, "A Long Way Home: Swedish Immigrant Life in Duluth and Northeast Minnesota, 1890-1940."
Contributing Institution:: Iron Range Research Center
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

28. Interview with Iver Anderson

Creator:: Anderson, Iver
Date Created:: 1999-08-19
Description:: Beginning in 1998, the City of Duluth (Minn.) Sister Cities Commission collaborated with the Iron Range Research Center to record a series of oral history interviews. Independent scholar Dr. JoAnn Hanson-Stone acted as the lead interviewer. The voluntary, self-selecting participants were second-generation Swedish Americans whose parents settled in northeast Minnesota in the early 1900s. The interviews were initiated to create supplementary material for a planned exhibit, "A Long Way Home: Swedish Immigrant Life in Duluth and Northeast Minnesota, 1890-1940."
Contributing Institution:: Iron Range Research Center
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

29. 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

30. Interview with Lourdez Ortega Schwab

Creator:: Schwab, Lourdez Ortega
Date Created:: 2009-05-10
Description:: Lourdez Ortega Schwab was born in El Paso, Texas before moving to Minnesota. Schwab worked at Housing Redevelopment Authority helping low income families. She currently works in a bank where she enjoys educating the Latino community about finances. Schwab also is serving in the Navy Reserves and is married with three children. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - childhood - opportunities in Minnesota - farm work - different racial perceptions from Minnesota to Texas - importance of education - relationships - immigration - Latino community - educating about banking - jobs held - Heartland Community Action Agency - being bilingual in Spanish and English - West Central Collaborative - mercado - Latino culture and foods - businesses - diversifying community - religion - citizenship - family ties - fishing memories - difficulties translating English to Spanish for her parents - quincea
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

31. Interview with Tenzin Chodon

Creator:: Chodon, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-09-05
Description:: Tenzin Chodon was born in Nyigo, Tibet. She moved with her parents to India in 1959. Chodon was a teacher in India until moving to the United States as part of the U.S. Tibetan Resettlement Project. She is one of the principal founders of the Tibetan Women's Association (TWA) in Minnesota. Subjects discussed include: Parents, family, traveling from Tibet, Tibetan Institute for Performing Arts (TIPA), Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), school in India, teaching in India, death of husband, separation of family, deciding to come to the United States, first jobs in the U.S., transportation, translating, community, immigration clinic, Tibetan Woman's Association (TWA), Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), preserving culture, community, challenges, children, adjusting to the U.S., food, Buddhism, activism, differences and similarities between India and the U.S.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

32. Interview with Sylvia Garcia

Creator:: Garcia, Sylvia
Date Created:: 2010-12-22
Description:: Sylvia Garcia was born in Crystal City, Texas but grew up in a migrant farming family. She married and settled in Moorhead, Minnesota where she raised her two children. Sylvia has a bachelor's degree in American Studies from Moorhead State University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - migrant farming - education - community - Latino and American culture - raising her children - Latino foods - prejudices - Latino education in Moorhead - Spanish/English language barrier and medicine - Somali and Latino relations.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

33. Interview with Rev. J. Pablo Obregon

Creator:: Obregon, Reverend J. Pablo
Date Created:: 2009-07-14
Description:: Rev. J. Pablo Obregon was born in Lima, Peru. Obregon attended Lutheran Bible Institute in southern California for ministry. He later attended Luther Seminary in Saint Paul, Minnesota on his path towards becoming a pastor. He accepted a pastor internship in Willmar where he would meet his future wife. Obregon would become the Pastor Chaplain for Bethesda Health and Housing in Willmar. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - Peru's religious stance - Peru weather and culture - Chinese influence in Peru introducing rice to diet - holidays and New Year's celebrations - playing the guitar - education - teacher strikes and social injustice - learning English by watching television shows along with classes - calling to become a pastor - Minnesota weather - dealing with stereotypes - immigration - racial tensions and discrimination in Willmar - ELCA - and educating the community of Willmar about God and understanding different cultures.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

34. Interview with Ruby Ostrom Thomas

Creator:: Thomas, Ostrom
Date Created:: 1999-07-22
Description:: Beginning in 1998, the City of Duluth (Minn.) Sister Cities Commission collaborated with the Iron Range Research Center to record a series of oral history interviews. Independent scholar Dr. JoAnn Hanson-Stone acted as the lead interviewer. The voluntary, self-selecting participants were second-generation Swedish Americans whose parents settled in northeast Minnesota in the early 1900s. The interviews were initiated to create supplementary material for a planned exhibit, "A Long Way Home: Swedish Immigrant Life in Duluth and Northeast Minnesota, 1890-1940."
Contributing Institution:: Iron Range Research Center
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

35. Interview with Val Vargas

Creator:: Vargas, Val
Date Created:: 2011-2-14
Description:: Val Vargas was born in Minneapolis. Vargas grew up in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and later in New Brighton. She attended Oklahoma City University and studied accounting. She worked at Metropolitan Economic Development Association as a business consultant and owns the Vargas Company. Vargas is the founder and current president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Jobs held - family background - Catholic religion - lack of Latino community in Minnesota - Latino culture and foods - Lake Street - being bilingual in Spanish and English - financial struggles growing up - childhood - Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio - Choices - lack of services for Latino community - growing Latino population - emphasis on Spanish language - layoffs - budget cuts - and politics.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

36. Interview with Ramon Leon

Creator:: Leon, Ramon
Date Created:: 2010-08-23
Description:: Ramon Leon was born in Mexico City before moving to the state of Mexico. Leon worked as a journalist in Mexico, but relocated to California and dedicated his time to business. He later moved to Minnesota for an opportunity to open his own furniture manufacturing company. He would soon wed in Minnesota and continued to build his businesses and help the Latino community establish their own businesses. Leon formed the Joint Committee on Immigration and was the chair of the board for Mercado Central. He envisioned Latinos solving their social issues through community programs, businesses, and involvement. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - education - jobs worked - climate and social differences of California to Minnesota - bonding with Latino community - business - financial struggles - religion - Mex-Am Vending - Latino Economic Development Center - financing - protecting the local Latino businesses - Latino Scholarship Fund - immigration issues - and the Institute for Economic Development of the Americas.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

37. Interview with Roberto Trevino Jr.

Creator:: Trevino, Roberto Jr.
Date Created:: 2010-12-15
Description:: Roberto Trevino Jr. was born in Eagle Pass, Texas. Trevino moved to Willmar, Minnesota for better educational and financial opportunities. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Baylor University. Trevino was the director of human resources at a turkey processing plant in Marshall, Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - farm work - religion - growing Latino community in Willmar, Minnesota - financial struggles - differences between Willmar and Moorhead - racism - childhood - family reunion - bilingual in Spanish and English - retaining traditions and cultures - economics - Ecumenical Council - County Fair Board - immigration - Willmar Area Multicultural Marketplace Group - politics - and community involvement.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

38. Interview with Rafael E. Ortega

Creator:: Ortega, Rafael E.
Date Created:: 2011-02-28
Description:: Rafael Ortega grew up in New York City. He received his bachelor's degree from Fordham University and his master's degree in social work from the University of Minnesota. Ortega is the first minority to be elected to the Ramsey County Board (5th district) and the first Latino to a county board in Minnesota in 1994. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family and early life - Puerto Rican parents - growing up on the Lower East Side - growing up in the era of social unrest and protest - being one of a few Latinos in college - student activities and organizations and racial issues in college - coming to Minnesota to do his master's - CLUES [Comunidades Latinas Unidas en Servicio] - challenges facing the Twin Cities Latino community in the 1980s-early 90s - getting Latinos appointed to state wide posts - Ramsey county commissioner - his children - campaigning - Highland Park neighborhood.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

39. 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

40. 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

41. Interview with Luis Fitch

Creator:: Fitch, Luis - Uno Hispanic Branding
Date Created:: 2010-10-11
Description:: Luis Fitch was born in Tijuana, Mexico. He grew up in California and Mexico, and moved to San Diego to attend New School of Architecture and San Diego City College where he found his calling in art. He would work as a freelancer and gained admission to the prestigious Art Center College of Design. Fitch continued his art career focusing on Latino arts and was truly inspired by his heritage. His talents allowed him to work in both the corporate and local communities. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - childhood - attending Catholic schools - interest in art - mother's influence in his life - financial struggles - questioning the United States Mexico border or the tortilla wall" - bilingual (Spanish and English) - Latino culture - commercial and local art - Minnesota art - CreArte - internet's impact on Mexico - working for Fitch
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

42. Interview with Mao T. Yang

Creator:: Yang, Mao Thao
Date Created:: 1999-11-01
Description:: Mao Thao Yang is the mother of Mai Vang Thao and the grandmother of Bo Thao. She is fifty-two years old, married and has three children, two are living. In Laos, she lived in the village of Tha Cho (Thaj Chauv) and her mother was of the Lee clan. She is of the group of Hmong that lived in Xieng Khouang. Her family was poor and she didn't have an opportunity to attend school. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Biographical information and religious affiliation. Childhood-school attendance, duties at home, community service, skills taught, social activities as a child, aspirations as a child. Hmong women's roles-decision making inside and outside of home and clan, women in leadership roles and how they are seen in the community, what women do to support their families, family planning, when women feel respected or disrespected. The war and living in refugee camps-memories of fleeing Laos, of refugee camps, difference in treatment of men and women in the camps. Adjustments since coming to the U.S.-skills needed to adjust, learning English, skills from Laos and Thailand that are adaptable or useable in the U.S., citizenship, leadership roles for women in the U.S. versus Laos, public contributions by Hmong women. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview was conducted predominantly in Hmong. The Hmong transcript and an English translation are bound together for this interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

43. Interview with May Y. Hang

Creator:: Hang, May Yang
Date Created:: 2000-01-17
Description:: May Hang is the daughter of You Vang Yang and is the granddaughter of Nhia Vang. She is twenty-six years old, married and has two children. She is a registered nurse. Her family immigrated to the U.S. in 1977, when she was four. She was born in Pha Khe, Laos. She is both Blue and White Hmong. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Biographical information and religious affiliation. Childhood-school attendance, duties at home, community service, skills taught, social activities as a child, aspirations as a child. Hmong women's roles-decision making inside and outside of home and clan, women in leadership roles and how they are seen in the community, what women do to support their families, family planning, when women feel respected or disrespected. The war and living in refugee camps-memories of fleeing Laos, of refugee camps, difference in treatment of men and women in the camps. Adjustments since coming to the U.S.-skills needed to adjust, learning English, skills from Laos and Thailand that are adaptable or useable in the U.S., citizenship, leadership roles for women in the U.S. versus Laos, public contributions by Hmong women. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview was conducted predominantly in Hmong. The Hmong transcript and an English translation are bound together for this interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

44. Interview with Yang C. Ying

Creator:: Ying, Yang Cha
Date Created:: 1991-11-20
Description:: Yang Cha Ying immigrated to the United States on October 7, 1980. Prior to his immigration he was an assistant to the mayor of Por Far, Laos. Yang Cha Ying also served as a soldier from 1950-1953. Currently, he is retired, though he acts as an advisor for the police when making domestic calls. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Yang Cha Ying describes his life in Laos, particularly the time he spent fighting in the wars, in detail. He talks about his adjustment to life in the United States and his role as an advisor for the police in domestic situations, explaining cultural differences. Yang Cha Ying hopes that the youth of his culture will learn to respect the elderly. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Interview translated by May Herr.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

45. Interview with Lincoln Gada

Creator:: Gada, Lincoln
Date Created:: 1998-12-14
Description:: Lincoln Gada was born in India where he attended school and college. He worked in Singapore before coming to the U.S. in the mid-1990s. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - education - experiences in Singapore - arrival and adjustment to Minnesota - Indian community in Minnesota - work experience in India and Minnesota - differences in work environments, promotional opportunities and resources between India and Minnesota - consulting work and traveling - prevalence of computers in India - marriage - differences between Indian and American parenting styles - family values - maintaining ties with family in India - participation in Indian associations - future goals - impressions of U.S. before and after moving here.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

46. Interview with Xeng S. Yang

Creator:: Yang, Xeng Sue
Date Created:: 1991-11-13
Description:: Xeng Sue Yang is a Hmong man, 44 years old. He was a soldier for the CIA (1960-1975) and farmer in Laos. Since arriving in the United States in 1979, he has lived in Minneapolis. Presently he is a story teller and a musician. He is married to Khou Xiong Yang. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Xeng Sue Yang talks of his life as a CIA soldier in the Vietnam War and his feelings of patriotism. Tales of adjustment to life in the United States are related as well as observations regarding the differences in the legal systems of the two countries. Xeng Sue Yang concludes the interview with a statement of hope to keep his culture alive. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Interview translated by May Herr.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

47. 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

48. Interview with Ger Yang

Creator:: Yang, Ger
Date Created:: 1992-04-03
Description:: Ger Yang immigrated to the United States with his family in 1979 at the age of six. Ger Yang is married to Sheng Cha. Presently he is a full time student at St. Paul Technical College, studying to become a lab technician. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Ger Yang talks of his expectations for life in the United States, with special emphasis on going to college and beginning a career. Ger discusses briefly the roles his parents and elders play in their family.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

49. Interview with You V. Yang

Creator:: Yang, You Vang
Date Created:: 2000-01-18
Description:: You Vang Yang is the mother of May Hang and is the daughter of Nhia Vang. Her maiden clan name is Vang and she married into the Yang clan. She is sixty years old and has nine children. She is widowed. She immigrated to the U.S. twenty-four years ago. She was born in Xuv Npuv, Laos. She is a White Hmong by birth, Blue Hmong by marriage. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Biographical information and religious affiliation. Childhood-school attendance, duties at home, community service, skills taught, social activities as a child, aspirations as a child. Hmong women's roles-decision making inside and outside of home and clan, women in leadership roles and how they are seen in the community, what women do to support their families, family planning, when women feel respected or disrespected. The war and living in refugee camps-memories of fleeing Laos, of refugee camps, difference in treatment of men and women in the camps. Adjustments since coming to the U.S.-skills needed to adjust, learning English, skills from Laos and Thailand that are adaptable or useable in the U.S., citizenship, leadership roles for women in the U.S. versus Laos, public contributions by Hmong women. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: All interviews were recorded in Hmong. Transcripts in both English and Hmong are available for each interview.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

50. Interview with Anoop Mathur

Creator:: Mathur, Anoop
Date Created:: 2001-10-07
Description:: Anoop Mathur was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. as an adult. He has served as a teacher, administrator and board member of SILC. He developed the SILC Achievement Project class. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Personal background; positions at SILC; SILC Achievement Project; curriculum development; language fluency; school board meetings; Festival of Nations; SILC Day; India Day; volunteer participation; changes over time.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

51. Interview with Kim Sueoka

Creator:: Sueoka, Kim
Date Created:: 2012-03-09
Description:: Kim Sueoka was born in Kaua'i, Hawaii. She was a trained musician and singer. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in Hawaii and family history - picture brides and how her family came to Hawaii - education - singing and music - traditional Hawaiian music - coming to the Evansville, Indiana to study music therapy - coming to Minnesota - identifying herself as a Japanese American - working as a freelance singer and as part of the Rose Ensemble as a story teller and performer - religion - going back to Hawaii - comparing living in Minnesota to Hawaii - controversy around singing ancient Hawaiian songs - goals for the future, to be and making her career in the arts work financially.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

52. Interview with Neena Gada, 2000

Creator:: Gada, Neena
Date Created:: 2000-03-15
Description:: Neena Gada was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. as an adult. She is one of the founding members of SILC. She has served as a teacher, administrator and board member. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Personal background; founding of SILC; purpose and goals of SILC; first day; organizational structure tuition; student and staff recruitment; managing an all volunteer organization; teaching materials; experiences as a teacher; rewards and challenges of teaching; school board; enrollment; secularity; outreach activities; maintaining ties; important visitors; discipline; special events; Festival of Nations; programming for adopted children; parental perspective; SILC experience and trips to India.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

53. Interview with Ben Ho

Creator:: Ho, Ben
Date Created:: 2012-03-15
Description:: Ben Ho was born in 1936 in Hawaii. Ben was in the Marine Corps and later worked for Univac. He is the brother of singer Don Ho. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life - family history - living in Hawaii during World War II - different languages spoken at home - his career in the Marine Corps - working for Univac - meeting his wife - being a brother to the famous singer Don Ho - living in New York, Los Angeles, London, and finally Minnesota - not experiencing racism in the Marine Corps, and experience racism working for Univac - his children - growing up Mormon in Hawaii - Hawaiian traditions and how his family kept very few of them - being involved in Hawaiian issues, particularly the Hawaiian Situation - being on the water in Hawaii and Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

54. Interview with Rama Padamnashan

Creator:: Padamnashan, Rama
Date Created:: 2000-03-12
Description:: Rama Padamnashan was born in India and immigrated to the U.S. as an adult. She served as a teacher, administrator and board member at SILC. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Personal background; participation in SILC; experiences as a teacher, principal, and board member; curriculum development; personal benefits; Festival of Nations; language; arts; teaching materials; challenges and rewards of teaching; future plans; enrollment; social connections; demographics; Indian festivals; school board; twentieth anniversary celebration; outreach to adopted children; Ragamala Music and Dance Theater.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

55. Interview with Makalio "Max" Leo

Creator:: Leo, Makalio
Date Created:: 2012-05-15
Description:: Max Leo was born November 2, 1962 in Samoa. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life in Samoa - family history - Samoan traditions and village life - becoming a priest - traveling to Rome - leaving Rome and coming to Minnesota - participating in Polynesian festivals in Minnesota - Samoans around the United States - working - helping Samoans back in Samoa - meeting his wife and getting married - traveling to New Zealand - hopes for the future.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

56. Interview with Tenzin Ngawang

Creator:: Ngawang, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-07-21
Description:: Tenzin Ngawang is a former student and instructor at the Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA) in Dharamsala, India. Ngawang is currently the instructor of Tibetan dance and music at the Tibetan Cultural Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts (TIPA), dance, music, opera, plays, including teaching and performing, decision to come to the United States, touring the U.S., lack of traditional arts, differences and similarities in students in India and the U.S., differences and similarities between Tibetan, Indian, and American culture and lifestyle, adjusting to life in Minnesota, community, including support and challenges, future goals, Tibetan Cultural Center, preserving culture, American influences, weather, transportation, Tibet.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

57. Interview with Tashi Lhewa

Creator:: Lhewa, Tashi
Date Created:: 2005-08-28
Description:: Tashi Lhewa was born in Mussoorie, Uttaranchal, India. He moved to Montana at the age of 17 and later moved to Minnesota. Lhewa obtained an undergraduate degree from the University of Minnesota and is attending the University of Minnesota Law School. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family, parents, attending school in India, moving to the United States, differences between schools in India and the U.S., diversity, deciding to move to Minnesota, college experiences, community, challenges, deciding to study law, parental influence, future plans, similarities and differences between living in small and large Tibetan communities in the U.S., Student for Free Tibet (SFT), overcoming cultural challenges, similarities and differences between Tibetan and American culture, Tibetan Cultural Center, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), expanding community, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), obligations of being Tibetan, civic duty, preserving culture, economic differences within the community, assimilation, parenting.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

58. Interview with Wing Young Huie

Creator:: Huie, wing Young
Date Created:: 1979-03-25
Description:: Wing Young Huie was born May 3, 1955, in Duluth, Minnesota. He is the youngest son of Duluth restaurateur Joe Huie, who emigrated from China to Duluth in 1909 at age 17 and operated the widely known Joe Huie Cafe from 1951 to 1973. Because of restrictive United States immigration laws, Joe Huie's family remained in China until after World War II. Wing Young Huie, born after their arrival in Duluth in the early 1950s, is the only American-born member of the family. Wing Young Huie spent his childhood in Duluth, where he attended public elementary and secondary schools. After graduation from high school he enrolled at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and received a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1978. Since then he has been engaged in freelance writing and photography. He has had articles with his own photos published in Lake Superior Port Cities and Minneapolis-St. Paul Magazine. One of his photos appears in a 1981 book published by the Minnesota Historical Society Press, They Chose Minnesota: A Survey of the State's Ethnic Groups. He also contributed photographs for an exhibit on Asians in Minnesota that opened at the Minnesota Historical Society in May of 1982. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: He discusses the experience of growing up in a Chinese immigrant family, his sense of loss in knowing little about his own heritage, and his searching for roots by enrolling in Chinese history and language courses at the University of Minnesota. He also discusses the isolation of his mother, Lee Ngook Kum Huie, who does not speak English, and the cultural barrier between Chinese students and Chinese-American students at the university. He points out that although racial discrimination was relatively mild in Duluth, his father had a difficult time getting a haircut in the early years, and he himself encountered problems in interracial dating in high school. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Wing Young Huie is an articulate member of the second generation who grew up in the Chinese community in Duluth, and his interview is particularly valuable for the insights into this experience. Part of the tape is marred by poor audio quality, but most of it can be understood.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

59. Interview with Faamati Winey

Creator:: Winey, Faamati
Date Created:: 2012-02-28
Description:: Faamati Winey was born in Samoa in 1976. At the time of the interview she was the owner of four Snap Fitness franchises. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life and family - education - meeting her husband - her Snap Fitness franchises - coming to Minnesota - languages spoken at home and learning English - Samoan traditions and history - the village she grew up in - Samoan foods - life in Minnesota and life in Samoa - Samoans and rugby, and playing in Minnesota - Samoans and gambling - her passion for camping, mountaineering, and scuba diving and playing sports - her goals for the future climbing Mount Everest and starting a new business.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

60. Interview with Oy Huie Anderson

Creator:: Anderson, Oy Huie
Date Created:: 2003-02-23
Description:: Oy Huie Anderson was born in Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family - childhood - Chinese community in Minneapolis in 1930s - Westminster Presbyterian Chinese Sunday School.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

61. Interview with Tashi Lhamo

Creator:: Lhamo, Tashi
Date Created:: 2005-09-08
Description:: Tashi Lhamo was born in India and grew up in Mysore. She studied Tibetan medicine at the prestigious Tibetan Medical and Astrological Center in Dharamsala. Lhamo has practiced Tibetan medicine in India and in the United States. She moved to Minnesota in 2002. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, Tibetan medicine, studying at the Tibetan Medical and Astrological Center, moving to the United States, nursing, practicing Tibetan medicine in India and the U.S., teaching at the University of Minnesota, similarities and differences between Tibetan and Western medicine practices, common ailments of Tibetans, changes in Tibetan health, preserving culture, Tibetan Cultural Center, similarities and differences between India and the U.S., living with parents.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

62. Interview with Tendell Sangmo

Creator:: Sangmo, Tendell
Date Created:: 2005-07-27
Description:: Tendell Sangmo was born in Tibet. She moved to India in 1960 with her parents. Upon arriving in the United States, Sangmo first lived in Ithaca, New York. She then moved to Minnesota in 2000. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, attending school in India, attending secretarial course in Delhi, working for the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), first jobs in the United States, finding housing in Minnesota, attending nursing school, working as a nurse in Minnesota, parenting and the challenges thereof, community, Tibetan Woman's Association (TWA), preserving culture, transportation, Tibetan youth, challenges, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), activism in the community, busy lifestyle, similarities and differences between Tibetan, Indian, and American culture, dangers of assimilation, Tibetan Cultural Center, Tibetan language, Tibetan Green Books, Tibetan Government in Exile, children dating in the U.S., Miss Tibet Contest, future of community, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Buddhism, Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

63. Interview with Dr. Tsewang Ngodup

Creator:: Ngodup, Dr. Tsewang
Date Created:: 2005-07-24
Description:: Dr. Tsewang Ngodup grew up in Dehra Dun, Uttaranchal, India. He attended high school in Dehra Dun, pre-medical school in Chandigarh, and medical school in Amritsar, India. Ngodup has worked as a doctor in the Tibetan camp of Kollegal in Mysore, Karnataka, India, in Chandigarh, in a missionary hospital in Nepal, in the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), Dharamsala, and in Minnesota. Ngodup moved to Minnesota in 1997 to continue his medical training. His family followed him in 1999. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, being the first generation educated, decision to come to the U.S., family separation, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), community, Tibetan Association of Minnesota (TAM), challenges, including gangs and violence, similarities and differences between Tibetan, Indian, and American culture, adapting to new culture, Buddhism, working as physician in Minnesota, Tibetan medicine, Tibetan Community Center, Tibetan language classes for youth, preserving culture, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Minnesota, future plans for the community, obligations to Tibetans in India and Tibet.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

64. Interview with Kalsang Phuntsok

Creator:: Phuntsok, Kalsang
Date Created:: 2005-09-02
Description:: Kalsang Phuntsok was born in Pithoragarh, India. He grew up and attended high school in Dharamsala. Phuntsok then attended college in the United States at Berea College in Kentucky. He now lives in Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, similarities and differences between India and the US, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), leadership in the community, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), Tibetan Cultural Center, community, preserving culture, His Holiness the Dalai Lama's visit to Minnesota, Tibetan Cultural School, Tibetan Association of Minnesota (TAM), citizenship, marriage, Tibetan politics, Tibetan Welfare Office, Students for Free Tibet (SFT), youth, challenges, future of Tibet.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

65. Interview with Namgang Tsering

Creator:: Tsering, Namgang
Date Created:: 2005-08-20
Description:: Namgang Tsering was born in Tibet and later moved to India. He studied engineering at the University of Bangalore. Tsering moved to Minnesota in 1993 as part of the United States Tibetan Resettlement Project. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family, parents, school in India, grades, difference in engineering and technology between India and the United States, raising children, community, Buddhism, moving to the US, Minnesota weather, decision to come to the U.S., transportation, adjusting to life in Minnesota, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), preserving Tibetan culture.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

66. Interview with Tenzin Yangdon

Creator:: Yangdon, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-09-24
Description:: Tenzin Yangdon was born in Rajpur, India. She moved to Minnesota in 1996. Yangdon graduated from high school in Minnesota and is pursuing her undergraduate degree at Hamline University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, being sent to boarding school, differences and similarities between schools in India and the United States, family separation, coming to Minnesota, initial reaction to Minnesota, making friends, deciding to go to college, selecting a college, selecting a career, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Middle-Way, autonomy, independence, Tibetan politics, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), Westerners and the Tibetan cause, community, college experiences, Tibetan Cultural Center, preserving culture, differences and similarities between Tibetan, Indian, and American culture, working on the Minnesota Tibetan Oral History Project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

67. Interview with Wangyal T. Ritzekura

Creator:: Ritzekura, Wangyal T.
Date Created:: 2005-08-19
Description:: Wangyal T. Ritzekura was born in Dzonga, Tibet. At a young age he moved with his parents to India. Ritzekura was teacher in India from 1976 until leaving for Minnesota in 1992 as part of the United States Tibetan Resettlement Project. Since arriving in Minnesota, Ritzekura has been a teacher, translator, and education liaison for the Tibetan community. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, traveling from Tibet, attending school in India, being a teacher in India, deciding to come to the United States, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Tibetan Government in Exile, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), activism, serving the Tibetan community in India and Minnesota, U.S. Tibetan Resettlement Project, Tibetan Green Book, coming to Minnesota, expectations of the US, first jobs in Minnesota, family separation, differences and similarities in teaching in India and the U.S., Tibetan Homeschool Liaison, community, challenges, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), education, Tibetan Cultural Center, Tibetan Culture School, preserving culture, preserving language, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American culture, youth, adjusting to Minnesota education system, parenting, future of community, Buddhism, stereotypes, Tibetan responsibilities, Tibetan Association of Minnesota (TAM), citizenship, educating Westerners about Tibet, U.S. politics, China, Tibetan holidays.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

68. Interview with Sheila Chin Morris

Creator:: Morris, Sheila Chin
Date Created:: 2002-10-02 - 2003-02-23
Description:: Sheila Chin Morris was born and educated in Minnesota. She is a graphic designer. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Childhood - impressions of mother and father - reaction to learning about father's past - education and career.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

69. Interview with Tenzin Khenrab

Creator:: Khenrab, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-08-29
Description:: Tenzin Khenrab was born in Bhandara, India. He grew up in Dharamsala attending the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV). Khenrab moved to the United States in 1997. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, siblings, Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), difficulties adjusting to American teaching styles, college experiences, youth, future education plans, English, working in the United States, adjusting to food in the U.S., music, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), activism, community, citizenship, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American culture, Tibetan Green Book.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

70. Interview with Marissa Theis

Creator:: Theis, Marissa
Date Created:: 2011-11-02
Description:: Marissa Theis was born in San Simon, Pampanga, Philippines. Subjects discussed include: Early life in the Philippines - her family - leaving the Philippines for Saudi Arabia to work - working as a domestic worker in Saudi Arabia to financially support her family back in the Philippines - meeting her husband in an online chat room - coming to the United States and arriving in Baudette, Minnesota - running a business with her husband - her family coming to visit her in Baudette from the Philippines.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

71. Interview with Abdisalam Adam

Creator:: Adam, Abdisalam
Date Created:: 2004-06-24
Description:: Abdisalam Adam grew up in Somalia, went to school in Nigeria, and came to the United States on a student visa. Adam worked for a magazine in Madison, Wisconsin, before coming to Minnesota. He has been married and raised a family since moving to Minnesota, and he currently works as an ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher. Subjects discussed include: Growing up in Somalia; attending school in Nigeria; living in Saudi Arabia; moving to the United States on a student visa; first impression of the United States; working for a magazine in Madison, Wisconsin; Somali communities in Minnesota; religious awareness of Minnesotans; Somali weddings; recently visiting Somalia and returning in the future; important aspects of Somali culture; maintaining Islamic and Somali culture in the United States; the role of families in Somali culture; influence of television; opportunities for Somali teens; working as an ESL teacher.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

72. Interview with Gyatsho Tssering

Creator:: Tssering, Gyatsho
Date Created:: 2005-07-29
Description:: Gyatsho Tssering was born in Sikkim. He was one of the principal founders of the Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA) in Dharamsala, India. Tssering moved to the United States in 1999 to join his wife. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, Tibet, Buddhism, Indian Foreign Services, community, Library of Tibetan Works and Archives (LTWA), Central Tibetan Administration (CTA), Tibetan Government in Exile, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, raising children, Tibet House, Tibetan Museum, early Tibetan communities in India post 1959, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), preserving Tibetan culture, challenges, future of community.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

73. Interview with Tenzin Khando

Creator:: Khando, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-09-20
Description:: Tenzin Khando was born in New Delhi, India. She moved to Minnesota in 1997 at the age of twelve. Khando is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, moving to Minnesota, family separation, experiences in boarding school in India, similarities and differences between schools in India and the United States, expectations of Minnesota, American TV, making friends, change in diet, college experiences, future education plans, service, community, similarities and differences between Tibetan, Indian, and American culture, Buddhism, preserving culture, identity, stereotypes, working on the Minnesota Tibetan Oral History Project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

74. 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

75. Interview with Tenzin Tsering

Creator:: Tsering, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-08-26
Description:: Tenzin Tsering was born in Dharamsala, India. He attended school in Mussoorie, India before moving to Minnesota in 1998 to attend DeLaSalle High School. He is pursuing his undergraduate degree at Hamline University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, wanting to come to the United States, first impressions of school in Minnesota, differences and similarities between schools in India and the U.S., English, future career, Chinese language, selecting a college, college experiences, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), activism, including youth and college, Hamline University, attending college with other Tibetan students, starting a political organization, community, preserving culture, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), citizenship, challenges of being an international student, race, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Westerners and the Tibetan cause, China, roots, identity, Middle-Way, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American culture, Tibetan politics, religion.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

76. Interview with Yangchen Dolkar

Creator:: Dolkar, Yangchen
Date Created:: 2005-08-26
Description:: Tenzin Dolkar was born in Dingri, Tibet. She moved to Nepal when she was young with her family. Dolkar moved to Minnesota in 1993 as part of the United States Tibetan Resettlement Project. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, leaving Tibet, living in a Tibetan settlement in Nepal, United States Tibetan Resettlement Project, Tibetan Green Book, deciding to come to the U.S., family separation, coming to the US, challenges, including gangs and violence, community, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, finding work in Minnesota, immigration challenges, caring for ill husband, death of son, Buddhism, opportunities in the U.S., Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), singing. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: This interview was conducted in Tibetan and transcribed in English.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

77. 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

78. Interview with Tashi Khongertsang

Creator:: Khongertsang, Tashi
Date Created:: 2005-08-24
Description:: Tashi Khongertsang was born in India and moved to Nepal with his parents. He attended school in Kalingpong, India. Khongertsang moved to Seattle as a teenager to live with family. He then moved to Minnesota in 1996. He is the owner of Tibet's Corner, the first Tibetan-owned restaurant in Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, attending school in India, moving to the United States, adjusting to life in the U.S., weather, first jobs in the U.S., opening a restaurant, generational differences within community, Tibetan food, educating Westerners, running a business, community, stereotypes, differences and similarities between Tibetans and Westerners, citizenship, preserving culture.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

79. 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

80. 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

81. 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

82. 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

83. Interview with Tsewang Sangmo Lama

Creator:: Lama, Tsewang Sangmo
Date Created:: 2005-09-19
Description:: Tsewang Sangmo Lama was born in Boudha, Kathmandu, Nepal. She graduated from the Tibetan Children's Village (TCV) in Dharamsala, India. Lama moved to Minnesota in 2000 to attend St. Cloud State University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, Tibetan Children's Village (TCV), school in India, coming to Minnesota, first impressions of Minnesota, adjusting to the United States, college experiences, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), starting a political organization, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), activism, U.S. politics, influence of older Tibetans, community, future education plans, international students, adjusting to weather, preserving culture, Tibetans in Nepal, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American values, working on the Minnesota Tibetan Oral History Project.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

84. Interview with Tenzin Dolsel

Creator:: Dolsel, Tenzin
Date Created:: 2005-09-02
Description:: Tenzin Dolsel was born in Bylakuppee, India. She moved to Minnesota in 1997. Dolsel is a graduate of Edison High School and is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, moving to Minnesota, expectations of Minnesota, growing up in a Tibetan settlement, similarities and differences between India and the United States, English, school experiences in India and the U.S., Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), making friends, moving to a big city, college experiences, nursing, Middle-Way, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), autonomy, Tibetan political issues, Buddhism, non-violence, preserving culture, China, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

85. Interview with Thupten Dadak

Creator:: Dadak, Thupten
Date Created:: 2005-07-26
Description:: Thupten Dadak was born in Dingri, Tibet. He moved to India with his family when he was young. Dadak is a former Gyuto monk. He moved to Minnesota in 1986. Dadak was an instrumental figure in assisting Tibetans moving to Minnesota as part of the United States Tibetan Resettlement Project. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, life as a monk, having an American wife, deciding to come to Minnesota, Tibet, politics, Buddhism, U.S. Tibet Committee (USTC), deciding to leave monastic life, United States Tibetan Resettlement Project, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), His Holiness the Dalai Lama, leading Tibetan community in Minnesota, community, educating Westerners about Tibet, Tibetan traditions, preserving Tibetan culture, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American values, aiding Tibetans in Tibet, finding work in Minnesota, starting business, non-violence, China, Tibetan Education Action, learning from Americans, starting monastery in Minnesota, holy sites, retiring.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

86. 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

87. 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

88. 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

89. 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

90. Interview with Dr. Bingkun K. Chen

Creator:: Chen, Dr. Bingkun K.
Date Created:: 2012-02-03
Description:: Bingkun Chen was born December 4, 1961 in Hegang in Heilongjiang province China. He earned a PhD in pathology from Kochi University in Japan and an MBA from the University of Minnesota. At the time of the interview he was working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Subjects discussed include: Early life in China - religion - early education and medical school in China and then Germany and Japan - coming to the Minnesota to work for the Mayo Clinic - working for the Mayo Clinic - family in Minnesota - going back to China - living in Rochester, Minnesota - the Chinese community in Rochester - being grateful - diversity.
Contributing Institution:: Minnesota Historical Society
Type:: Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:: Oral histories

91. 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

92. 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

93. 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

94. 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

95. 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

96. 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

97. 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

98. 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

99. 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

100. 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

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