Danbury Remembers – Conversations With a Community

danburyOralHistory Guide to the Danbury Remembers – Conversations With a Community : Danbury History Project Oral Histories. 2002-2004 OH 001 Processed by Meg Moughan

This version was derived from various MS Word inventories, indexes and transcripts.

Ruth A. Haas Library/ Archives and Special Collections Special Collections and Archives 181 White Street Danbury, CT 06810 Phone: 203-837-8992 Fax: 203-837-9108 E-mail: stevensb@wcsu.edu

Ruth A. Haas Library/ Archives and Special Collections

Western Connecticut State University, Publisher Machine-readable finding aid derived from a MS Word dcouments, dated: 2004. Machine-readable finding aid created by Brian Stevens. Description is in English. Descriptive Summary Danbury Remembers – Conversations With a Community : Danbury History Project Oral Histories.2002-2004 OH 001 The language of the materials is English 1 linear foot (2 boxes, 12 audiotapes) Western Connecticut State University

Danbury History Project Ruth A. Haas Library/ Archives and Special Collections Oral histories from the Danbury Remembers project. The goal of the project was to record a series of oral history interviews with various present and past residents of Danbury. Provenance

Histories collected by the Archives between 2002-2004

Access Restrictions

Open for research without restrictions.

Use Restrictions

Permission to publish materials must be obtained in writing from the:

Ruth A. Haas Library/ Archives and Special Collections Special Collections and Archives 181 White Street Danbury, CT 06810 Phone: 203-837-8992 Fax: 203-837-9108 E-mail: stevensb@wcsu.edu

Preferred Citation

Published citations should take the following form: Identification of item, date (if known); The Danbury Remembers – Conversations With a Community : Danbury History Project Oral Histories.; OH 001; box number; folder number;

Western Connecticut State University ;

Historical/Biographical Note

Danbury Remembers – Conversations With a Community was part of the Danbury History Project designed to aid with curriculum revision in the Danbury public schools, centralize historical resources, and develop an oral history program that described Danbury's evolution into the city it is today.

Scope and Content Note

The collection contains interviews with persons raging in age roughly from 50 to 90. There are 11 interviews conducted with 10 interviewees recorded on cassette. Interviewers volunteered for the project and were given training by Meg Moughan at the WCSU Archives. Description of the oral histories was contructed by the interviewer with guidelines provided by the Archives. Interviewees were chosen at random. Interviews contain reflections on life of working people from the 1930s to the present. Transcripts, where they exist, are linked to from the inventory.

Arrangement

Item are arranged alphabetically.

The tapes are grouped into 1 series:

Inventory Access Points Subject Names: Boyce, Milton. Fusco, Sharon. Johnson, Dorothy. Moody, Ted. Moody, Marilyn. Parkhurst, Doug. Leahy, John W. Friedman, Sylvia. Ruderman, Lilyan. Enke, Anna. Don, Cal. Subject Organizations: Balmforth High School (Danbury, Conn.) Danbury High School (Danbury, Conn.) Subject Topics: Danbury (Conn.) -- History. Railroads Employees. Danbury State Fair. Danbury (Conn.) -- Flood, 1955. English language Study and teaching Foreign speakers Subject Places: Danbury (Conn.) Document Types: Audiotapes. Transcripts. Oral histories (document genres). Oral histories (discipline). Other Names: London, Nancy -- Interviewer. Hollander, Janet -- Interviewer. Hermann, Beatrice -- Interviewer. Buzzaid, Theresa -- Interviewer. Container List

[The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in the collection.]

Inventory 1 1 Boyce, Milton (interview) Oct 21, 2003

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Number of tapes : 1 (90 minute) Total minutes of recording : 90 min Quality of recording: Overall, good, but interview ends abruptly and the microphone falls 3 times causing distraction. Interviewer : Nancy London Location: Milton Boyce's home? Interview topic (overall subject): Milton Boyce's life in Danbury, emphasis on his work and civil service; Childhood; Family history; employment & education; Danbury social life; Marriage; World War II years; Civic organizations; Danbury changes; History and politics of Danbury. Years span covered by interview: 1910-2003 Interview #: 1

1 2 Don, Cal (interview) Oct 21, 2003

No transcript available.

Number of tapes : 1 (90 minute) Total minutes of recording : ~60 min Quality of recording: Good Interviewer : Hollander, Janet Location: Danbury Senior Center Interview topic (overall subject): Don's life in Danbury, Marion Anderson, Russian Orthodox Church, Dr. Weil, Still River mercury poisoning, Land Trust, Tarrywile Park, Danbury Fair, Charles Ives, James Pegolotti, Howard Turelle. Years span covered by interview: 1950s-present Interview #: 1

1 3 Enke, Anna (interview) Sep 1, 2004

No transcript available.

1 4 Friedman, Sylvia (interview) Sep 7, 2004

No transcript available.

Number of tapes : 1 (90 minute) Total minutes of recording : ~60 min Quality of recording: Poor, substantial background noise Interviewer : Hollander, Janet Location: "The Garden?" Interview topic (overall subject): Friedman's life in Danbury; Childhood; Working in a bakery Years span covered by interview: 1917-present Interview #: 1

1 5 Fusco, Sharon (interview) Jan 8, 2004

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Number of tapes : 1 of 2 90 minute Total minutes of recording : 90 min Quality of recording: Tape 1 side A: very good side B; very good, stopped before tape ran out. Interviewer : Beatrice Hermann Location: WCSU Archives Interview topic (overall subject): Sharon's life and her work in developing an ESL program in the Danbury Public Schools; Early years; College at WestConn; Danbury, first impressions of city; Church; Teaching Certification; Laboratory Schools; First Years of Teaching; Teaching in Ridgefield; ESL in Danbury, the start; ESL transitions in district; Danbury immigration trends; ESL today Years span covered by interview: 1945-2004 Interview #: 1

1 6 Fusco, Sharon (interview) Feb 4, 2004

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Number of tapes : 2 of 2 90 minute Total minutes of recording : 25 min Quality of recording: very good. Interviewer: Beatrice Hermann Location: WCSU Archives Interview topic (overall subject): Sharon's life and her work in developing an ESL program in the Danbury Public Schools; Educational institutions and associations Years span covered by interview: 1945-2004 Interview #: 2

1 7 Johnson, Dorothy (interview) Oct 22, 2003

No transcript available.

Number of tapes : 1 90 minute Total minutes of recording : 35 min Quality of recording: no background noise, good overall Interviewer: ? Location: WCSU Archives? Interview topic (overall subject): Life in Danbury Years span covered by interview: 1921 - present Interview #: 1

1 8 Moody, Ted and Marilyn Moody (interview) Oct 9, 2003

No transcript available

Number of tapes : 1 90 minute Total minutes of recording : 50 minutes Quality of recording: Side A: no background noise, good overall; Side B: same Interviewer: ? Location: WCSU Archives? Interview topic (overall subject): Life in Danbury Years span covered by interview: 1920 - present Interview #: 1

1 9 Parkhurst, Doug (interview) Oct 9, 2003

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Number of tapes : 1 90min Total minutes of recording : ~60 min Quality of recording: Good Interviewer: Nancy London Location: WCSU Archives? Interview topic (overall subject): Life in Danbury, Business transition in Danbury Years span covered by interview: 1950-present Interview #: 1

1 10 Ruderman, Lilyan (interview) Nov 11, 2003

No transcript available.

Number of tapes : 1 (90 minute) Total minutes of recording : ~60 min Quality of recording: Fair Interviewer : Morris, Anne Location: Dr. Ruderman's home, 5 Washington Ave. Interview topic (overall subject): Dr Ruderman's life in Danbury; Early years in New York; Working at Hunter College; Meeting Albert Einstein; Special Education; Danbury Hospital; Victor Ruderman; Singing; Metropolitan School of Music. Years span covered by interview: 1930s-present Interview #: 1

1 11 Stetson, Jack (interview) Oct 8, 2003

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Number of tapes : 1 of 2 90min Total minutes of recording : 90 min Quality of recording: Good Interviewer: Theresa Buzaid Location: WCSU Archives? Interview topic (overall subject): Danbury Fair Years span covered by interview: 1940-1975 Interview #: 1

1 12 Stetson, Jack (interview) Oct 8, 2003

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Number of tapes : 2 of 2 90min Total minutes of recording : ~30min Quality of recording: Interviewer: Theresa Buzaid Location: WCSU Archives? Interview topic (overall subject): Danbury Fair Years span covered by interview: 1940-1975 Interview #: 1

2 Documentation Files 2003-2004

Contains training materials, correspondence with interviewers, and planning documents.