OH. Oral Histories / Queens Memory

Scope and Contents Alan Townsend recalls his early time in New York as a counselor for girls’ school Callagy Hall, where he was part of union activism on staff; becoming accustomed to and understanding New York City youth as part of his job at Callagy Hall; starting as a SEEK counselor at Queens College in 1969; living on Christopher Street and the West Village in NYC pre-Stonewall, and later living in Springfield Gardens and Flushing in Queens and the Black communities there; growing up in North Carolina...

Scope and Contents

In the interview, Kouguell talks about joining the music department at Queens College in 1949 as an instructor and as the first cellist at the department. He notes his appreciation for the musical talents and achievements of his parents and reminisces about how different and suburban Flushing was at the time when he was starting at Queens College.

Scope and Contents Allyson Regis discusses growing up Cambria Heights, Queens and attending area schools (private and public); attending Stonybrook University for undergrad and Fordham University for her doctoral program in Counseling Psychology; her work as a SEEK counselor at Queens College; the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on herself and students she was counseling; her reactions to the murder of George Floyd and subsequent protests; and the work of the Black Latinx Faculty Staff Association (BLFSA) at...

Scope and Contents Anthony Tamburri is the Dean of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, City University of New York; Distinguished Professor of European Languages and Literatures at Queens College; and the co-founder of the Bordighera Press. As the COVID-19 pandemic grew worrisome in the United States, Tamburri recalls how the daily tasks and projects he had been working on at the Calandra Institute came to a halt when states began to enforce a stay-at-home quarantine in March 2020. Tamburri shares...

Scope and Contents Arthur Gatti is an author and poet with a long history of involvement in activism and community organizing. In the interview, he discusses his life growing up in Queens, NY in an Italian American household and how he gained political consciousness and awareness through his experiences and the influence of his friends. One friendship he talks about at length is his relationship with Mario “Bob” Savio who later became known for his leadership role in the Free Speech Movement which originated...

Scope and Contents Barbara Schadlow, who grew up in Flushing’s Pomonok housing, attended Queens College from 1965 through 1969. In this interview, she reminisces on her time at the school as an education major and especially as a member of the Doll House house plan. Being a part of Doll House was tremendously influential, she recalls, as it gave her a much fuller experience of campus life and resulted in numerous lifelong relationships. She later returned to Queens College for her master’s in elementary...

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In this interview, Dr. Bette Weidman discusses the start and development of her career as an English professor at Queens College. She also muses about how her interest in Queens College oral histories began, and the appeal of the genre as “a community of scholars conversing.”

Abstract

This collection contains physical and digital items related to several oral history projects and courses conducted by Dr. Bette Weidman, professor of English at Queens College, between 1980 and 2012.

Abstract

Carol Brock, a food writer at Good Housekeeping magazine, Parents, and the New York Daily News, founder of women's professional organization Les Dames d'Escoffier, and Queens College alumna, sits for an oral history with Lori Wallach in March 2015.

Scope and Contents In the interview, Dean discusses his childhood in rural western Washington state; his time at Stanford; his activism, including participation in the Summer Community Organization and Political Education (SCOPE) Project, registering black citizens to vote in 1965; his dissertation research in France; and his career at Queens College, starting in 1971. He describes changes to faculty working conditions, student population, and the curriculum over the years, based on his experience as a...