2 40 60 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/afc03a513e8697a564128d181f733777.JPG a120c4dd75c572ce33b284cf12077da5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Minnie Bolster Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource 10/18/2014 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eileen McAdam https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/75b50472638edab424f60a2387bc2bd7.mp3 07eedea7b240474d9fd28570fe429400 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/d1f3968a9fe8600daf696c97d7868306.JPG 9ad306c62624df2f85d30d1268e8d45a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Eileen McAdam, Sound and Story Project of the Hudson Valle Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Minnie Bolster Location The location of the interview The Cube, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 45 minutes Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. J. Dym Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 4/8/2015 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Minnie Bolster Interview Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 18, 2014 community member oral history Saratogian https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/b16443279a49e7f060c00d805f6b5edc.JPG 915df209902a5a488580fcc456f7fed6 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/f4fd64738121906af6fbf8db0e9205fe.mp3 784607b8fab70a9814dbdfc7f4935e0a Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Audio Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Jane (Yana) Kjaer Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 2, 2015 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Rebecca Zosia Stern '16 Date Available Date (often a range) that the resource became or will become available. November 18, 2015 Date Created Date of creation of the resource. November 18, 2015 Date Copyrighted Date of copyright. November 18. 2015 Date Submitted Date of submission of the resource. Examples of resources to which a Date Submitted may be relevant are a thesis (submitted to a university department) or an article (submitted to a journal). November 18. 2015 oral history https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/fe55a79c8f42bfb4147ab46bec293719.jpg 3892ed4cb7fadc8eb842f81403a63782 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/a5bc8fa925a5404b7be3b2455f6ad96b.mp3 d294d057639fafc339d4d5649f18d3b9 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/4f8b3e4295aa36c07243430a9bd3c904.pdf dd3529f20b52d5fc0dbeab23ede068a3 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/132c41f4eadfd750431f9aa3b3737cc1.pdf 993a57633e53706747d531993d6554ac Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Mateo Bolado Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Kenneth Klotz Location The location of the interview Saratoga Springs Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Mateo Bolado Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 1/11/19 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Ken Klotz Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 25, 2019 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Saratoga Springs Memory Project Language A language of the resource English Description An account of the resource This is an oral history of Ken Klotz for the Saratoga Springs Memory Project. Ken is a former faculty member of Skidmore College, Ex-Mayor of Saratoga Springs, Former Finance Commissioner, and Former Chair of the Saratoga Democratic Committee. In this one hour interview, we hear about Ken's childhood all the way to his time as the Mayor of Saratoga Springs and everything in between. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Mateo Bolado, '23 Subject The topic of the resource An Oral History of Ken Klotz. Date Created Date of creation of the resource. October 25th 2019 Democratic Party Local Politics oral history Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs Politics Skidmore College Skidmore faculty Yale https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/57d08e4ad6cb7545ba35b102bfb00734.jpg 132511ed2d207cc2661dc8fca6bce113 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/4ac22e1dc72aa54d332218874d5a56b3.mp4 14382406027d8f68e4a8495dc6adcabc https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/9e4fc6a346942127c16d3bffd5febb6e.pdf 1dc29cea790eb1479789ea644f4de798 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/b21e4254d348eadaee87971336d82f0c.pdf a80176cf039b0bd061cacc92885cbaa7 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Samantha Murphy Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Joe Levy Location The location of the interview Lucy Scribner Library, Saratoga Springs N.Y Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Samantha Murphy Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit Nov. 1, 2019 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Joseph Levy Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 26, 2019 Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Samantha Murphy, '23 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Joseph Levy Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project Description An account of the resource This is an interview with Joesph Levy, a photographer who moved to Saratoga in the 70's. He is known for is photography at the Saratoga Race Track, and also ran for state senate with the Green Party. Levy has made an impact on the arts community in Saratoga and is keeping the Green party alive for future generations. In this interview, you will learn about his life growing up, his life in Saratoga and his work in politics. Arts Photographer Green Party Hyde Collection Photographer Photography Saratoga Arts Saratoga Arts Workshop Saratoga County Saratoga County Green Party Saratoga County Politics Saratoga Race Course St Yaddow Track Photographer https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/c485d466be1911234fdd757f0ed649ad.JPG bfb0857ea1b315fd2856f8694ae7d93d https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/470b3872bfe55b90577607eaef10e976.mp3 4b5b7c922d44c1e9dbffc058a87b253d https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/7c2b15b09f5d782bda2bb4de5f805e9e.pdf 9c1b3529981116e1270b4e5d2426d626 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/e593cd5557125fccb070c8e3d94b1faf.JPG b290b262f63003580268a9e5e61aa808 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Elizabeth Picken Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Elizabeth Picken '21 Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Tod Pardon Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Tod Pardon Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 26, 2019 Language A language of the resource eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elizabeth Picken, '21 Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Tod Pardon https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/e7ad604f0fc9e002b1faa0fb64f263ac.PNG 334ef39a8edd5185d9a119c963ffaa59 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/680ad92cfa87e616d488d64ea389bcf7.m4a ecee0cda3372d05855e4a0c59faab43c https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/a4f16589f926600d058b57da8a98e300.m4a d60872ccc9a9381adf6050f7577f8607 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/39183178a3c1f9a885a5ed8039ff953d.pdf 603231a0fae1559ae0790a6caaec5b67 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/54b4cc436010b61a9831032305cd47d0.pdf 5fc7a4ac249337de8b2743c393faffd9 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Cooper Murphy, Skidmore Senior Memory Project Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Lou Schneider Location The location of the interview Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY, 12866 and Saratoga Senior Center 5 Williams St, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 (Zoom) Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Cooper Murphy Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 18/11/2020 Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Audio Recording Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 00:55:17 and 00:23:48 Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound First Transcription of Lou Schneider CM: Today is 10/26/2020 time is 12:55 pm I am the interviewer CM would you like to introduce yourself. Lou Schneider: My name is Lou Schneider, I am 89 born 4/17/1931. What else can I say? CM: That’s about it. Okay so are you okay with this information being stored or shared through the public domain and in Skidmore Saratoga memorial project. LS: No problem. CM: Okay, and let's get started shall we. Okay, first question is, where did you live as a kid. LS: Wander what I’m sorry louder. CM: Where did you live as a kid. LS: Brooklyn, New York. That's where I was born. CM: And what was your family like LS: Well family. I'm the first generation in the United States. My father came from Lithuania, my mother from Poland. CM: Did you have any siblings. LS: I have a younger sister three years younger than me. CM: Did you guys go to the same school LS: Yes, Lafayette high school in Brooklyn New York CM: And how're classes for that. LS: Alone one what. I'm sorry. CM: Sorry, did you have of what we're teachers like back then. LS: I still didn't catch the question, I'm sorry. CM: It's perfectly fine. What were teachers like back at your middle school? LS: What was it like CM: Yeah. LS: Well, I'm being born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. Is uh my stomping ground was Coney Island spent a lot of time, they're. Doing a lot of things. As I was growing up at the age of eight. We used to play had some friends. We used to play chess Pinochle and hearts. CM: And did any of those become hobbies that you did in the future. LS: Hobbies? CM: Hobbies. Yeah. What were your hobbies? LS: Yeah, the only the only hobby. I really had was reading. I enjoy, you know, books, a lot of reading. And just living the good life in Brooklyn, New York, and stomping ground in Coney Island. CM: Sounds fun. Did you have a specific genre that you really liked…Or a topic? LS: Or what? CM: Book. Did you have a topic of a book that you really liked to read about LS: No, I read on. Anything I can get my hands on. But I gravitated more towards mysteries than anything else. CM: Cool. Did you have a favorite type of music as a kid? LS: Did I have a what CM: Did you have a favorite type of music like a type of band or LS: Type of anything. No, really. Enjoyed own music. Yeah. Gravitated a little towards jazz, but that's about it. CM: Did you have a favorite holiday? LS: Favorite what CM: Holiday LS: Any day. I didn't have to go to school with was a holiday to me. CM: That's fair enough. LS: I was not. I was not one of the best students available at the time as growing up as I got older, I want. I want to see college. I got a degree in chemical engineering. So just settle down a bit. CM: Uh, did you have any pets as a kid? LS: Did you ask your question. CM: Yeah, sorry, it looks like our connections, a bit iffy. But, um, Yes. I said, did you have any pets as a kid. LS: No. No, I'll no pets went up by. Those in Brooklyn and a three bed in a three-bedroom apartment. She used to sleep in the bedroom with my folks. I used to sleep in a roll away cot in the living room. Which made it interesting. CM: So you mentioned how you went to community college and we've talked about your. Elementary School. But do you know, do you remember where you went to high school. LS: Yes, Lafayette High School in Brooklyn New York, and I admit though I really weren’t a good student never took any interest in it until I grew up. CM: And I know that you're a veteran. Can you tell me which war he fought in if not wars? LS: Korea I was very fortunate during the Korean War. I was stationed in Washington, DC. I work for the Army prosthetics research lab we did research on different types of materials artificial limbs. And it was interesting. So the work with amputees almost all my life at the time. CM: Uh, did you ever see any combat. During your time there? LS: None at all, no. CM: So you have worked with amputees and just make sure I'm getting this right. And you developed different materials for prosthetics and stuff like this. LS: Right. CM: This might be a very specific question, but did you ever have a specific type of, I guess, limb that you were more of an expert about making a prosthetic about? LS: No, not really. CM: Just all over everywhere? Nice. LS: Yeah. CM: How long did you serve for LS: Well, actually I was in for two years spent a year and a half and Walter Reed as I send a prosthetic sweet. I was… CM: I'm sorry you cut out on my end. Could you say that again? LS: I said, well, I lived off base with my wife. So, All I had to do is come in for inspections every Wednesday and that's about it. I did my work at the prosthetic research lab, you know, work on with different types of materials. Developing them for the prosthetic. Was I was in a medical or even though I was a chemical engineer that was what the army did. CM: That's pretty interesting. And you mentioned that you were married. When did you get married? LS: Married in 1953. We were married now 67 years. CM: Congratulations. LS: Thank you. Maybe you should congratulate her instead. Both: (laugh) CM: Um, so did you have any kids well during those two years. Or was after you. You uh left the war. LS: Oh yeah I have three children. My daughter, the oldest was born in Walter Reed. In December, just before I got out of the army. I got out in February, and the other two my oldest son was born in Newton Massachusetts and the younger one was born in Nassau County, West Burry. CM: Did you move around a lot while being in the army or after the army? LS: No didn't move, but it's spent a year and a half at Walter Reed so. Which was to me. Very good. Good adventure. Really enjoyed that. CM: Do you have any fond memories of the time one years in our watery? LS: But that's, that's hard to say. I enjoy it almost every day live door post was married at the time. So it was interesting working at Walter Reed. The only thing that actually really bothered me. Was these burns. You know, little kids getting burned or something. And you had to treat them so. That that hurt more than anything else, amputees didn't bother me. CM: So you worked with all ages? LS: Pardon? CM: You worked with all age groups. Not just like older people you worked with even children as well. LS: Oh, no. We work with anyone that had a problem as an amputee. You know, we would then with the prosthesis. Get the right match. In fact, any of these soldiers that used to have a hook. We gave an actual. Hand and we had gloves that fit over it. That was just look like skin. And we would color it to the person's coloring, you know if you put one hand up and you have one hand down the one that's up is like a different color was the blood rushes down to the other one. Was interesting is interesting matching it up. CM: Very, fascinating actually. So you said that after you left you still worked on prosthetics? LS: What were you saying? CM: I was saying that after you left the army, you still worked with prosthetics. Correct. LS: No. When I left the army. As a chemical engineer worked in the chemical fields were mainly in plastic companies. My forte was plastics at the time. CM: Uh. oh. Okay, so were. You said what you were born in 1989 was that? LS: No born 1931 CM: Someone gave me the wrong information. CM: You are alive during World War II? Correct? LS: Was I what I'm sorry. CM: You were alive during World War II? Correct? LS: No. I was alive during the World War II, yes. CM: But never fought? LS: Well I was born in 1931. WWII was 41-42 era later. I never got involved with that. Just did the Korean situation. CM: Got it. Uh, you were around when the TV became a thing in the microwave as well. Do you remember that at all impacting your life, those technological developments? LS: Really No really, you know, I was too young. And I think at that time. CM: Uh, did you ever have a favorite president? LS: any have what? CM: I'm sorry. I'll repeat that again. Did you ever have a favorite president when you're alive, like someone you really rooted for LS: Well, when I was born, FDR was president and he's really only one that I grew up with. And of course, it was Truman and Eisenhower. They came later. CM: Let's see. So did you ever go on any trips like family trips, when after, you know, Vietnam, or even? My bad after the Korean War? Or even with your family back when you were younger. LS: Oh yeah, we used to go. Spent a lot of time in the Long Beach and Long Island. We used to rent a little a house there that it was that was good memories at that time. Oh, you're on the beach. He. Well, Everybody takes care you and it was enjoyable. CM: Sounds like a nice community. LS: Yeah, yeah, we can. We try to do things as a family, my father. Is from Lithuania. So I'm first generation. My mother's from Poland. So in fact, at that time I used to speak a lot of Yiddish and some Hebrew, not much anymore. As I was growing up, they learned English with me. So we always spoke English so happy today they became fluent in that time. My father live to 97 CM: And you mentioned that you speak Hebrew? Can I ask what religion you believe in if any at all? LS: Sorry, I didn't catch that. CM: I was just asking what religion you would consider yourself. LS: Oh. Jewish I’m Jewish. CM: Cool. LS: Yeah Hebrew would be the religion really CM: Yeah……..So you got any grandkids now or still just your kids? LS: Well, I got eight grandchildren and one great-grandson. Five girls and three boys the grandchildren and the great is a little boy. Who is now three CM: Do you ever have. Like big family gatherings where everybody comes back together. LS: Yeah, we used to lay back, but not anymore. It's…You know with scattered all over the United States. One sons in Massachusetts, one sons in New Hampshire in North Carolina my daughter is in Michigan so it gets a little difficult to have a family reunion. But thank God for the technology we can have it on their computer like zoom and everything. CM: Did you ever have a favorite sports team or growing up. LS: The what CM: A favorite sports teams. LS: Oh yeah, New York Mets. We were strong Mets fans. Living on Long Island. We used to go to as many games as we could. My wife and I, she's a strong Mets fan and even stronger than me. CM: Do you feel like you've bonded even more because the Mets. LS: Yeah CM: Kid your kids also decide to follow the Mets, or do they have their own sports teams. LS: No it’s a Mets. Always the Mets. CM: Always the Mets. LS: Otherwise, I came my wife, but I think she married me because I was a Mets fan. CM: Uh, did your wife work for living as well or? LS: Yeah, when we lived in Long Island. She used to be the airport manager with Bennington airport in Bennington, Vermont, and she enjoyed that. In fact, I have a private pilot's license and I used to have Brendan, I own the Cessna 150 so comes, you know, weekends I go flying and every once in a while. My wife being a weather person had to report the weather. She asked me to go up and see how high the clouds are so I take the plane and go 6000 feet. Oh it was interesting. Oh, I have a pilot's license. I did a lot of things. Growing up Just…. CM: Sorry, it looks like you froze there for the last second. You said you did a lot of things growing up to do stay anything after that. LS: Well, it's, every day was really an adventure. Got a pilot's license. I'd love flying. You know, private pilots, but whatever I can do, I do. In my younger days. CM: So, how did you meet your wife? LS: I was at that time was going to City College of New York and she was the Brooklyn College and we had a party. So that's when we met but didn't really get together with her until she found out that I had a car she stuck around. CM: Have you have any. What was that, sorry. You seem to freeze these LS: I was gonna say she thought I was crazy. Once I used to tell her I had my socks painted on my feet because anytime I took a bath is something watch the socks at the same time. I thought that she would just leave but never happened. CM: When did you get married, then? LS: 53. Married 67 years. In fact, October 24 was the 67th year CM: Nice. LS: Yeah, it's been a long time I was 20 years old at the time. CM: Let's see. Did you, uh. Did you ever take your grandchildren on a vacations as well or was that more just the occasional visit LS: Yeah, we used to go a lot to Gilbert Lake State Park. That was a in Otsego County New York, we have family gatherings there we rented a couple of cabins. But then as the kids got older, you know, they went their way. We went our way. So this is what happens. I got eight grandchildren and one great. CM: Hmm. So you worked at a plastic factory. You mentioned before, or at least some form of a plant, um, was there a specific product that you were making or just all variety of plastics. LS: It was plastics. Lot of work In a chemical plant. We had vinyl chloride, we may polyvinyl chloride. Plasticizes. A long time ago. CM: Is there a specific year at least that you can think of that stands out in your mind like. Whether that was a specific event. I'm not let's hold on let me rephrase that a bit better. Do you remember a global event that you can recall from whatever year you can, I guess? Think of like something that really impacted you? LS: Well, the only thing I can remember is I got a chemical burn and I was six weeks in bandages. So I went up as I was a plant manager at the time in this place to come to me and we've had some problems with one of the filters and as I turned away the gasket blow when they hit me in the back. I ended up in bandages for six weeks. But there's no scarring or anything. Thank God for that. CM: Thank goodness. Was that the worst injury that ever happened, or did you see worse at the plant. LS: That's the what. I'm sorry. CM: Was that the worst injury that happened at the plant. Or… LS: No, it was a work injury. CM: Yeah, I was there anything else. Did you see any other injuries at the plant that may have been just as bad or worse? LS: No, that was, that was the worst one. I used to run the plastic plant also. So I did a lot of experimental work and PepsiCola and PepsiCala bottles and we'd make different type of plastics and every once in a while, a bottle would just rupture. I do remember one point that when I was in a pilot plant. A gasket on one of the reactor just blew and just drove me across the room didn't get hurt or anything was just wild thing like slow motion when you request the room, but unfortunately, I used to take a lot of chances. CM: Uh, so going back to your college years. Do you remember a class that I guess inspired you to go into Chemical Engineering or was it just something that happened? LS: What was interesting because when I signed up. I signed up to be an accountant and at the last minute. And I said, no, I'm going to go into chemical engineering. I like the instructor guy was a Dr. Newman, he dismantle the German planes set to the war, very interesting guy. Unfortunately, he stuttered. So he would look. Write on the blackboard what his right hand and have an eraser in his left hand and as he's writing. He's erasing oh yeah to be quick with him. But hey, he's my one of my outstanding. Versus the other one was a doctor Kalani which we just talked about different types of materials. You know, you, you're bringing up memories that I haven't thought of and years. CM: Did you have a lot of friends in college, or was it more just going there for the work LS: Well, I went to college after. When I was stationed Walter Reed and I got out of the Army and I went back to college on the GI Bill. So gave me up to refinish shopping and get my degree. Was I had interrupted getting the degree to go as I was drafted so. But then I finished up. CM: Uh, What were your feelings. Once you find out you're being drafted? LS: Always my feelings of being drafted? Wasn't too happy about it. I don't leave home. I had to go. Well, you know, that's life. CM: Did you make any good friends while being in the army? LS: Yeah, I had, I had a good friend. But you know when I got out. He didn't live in the same part of the country that I lived in, and we just, you know, we lost contact its unfortunate but… very unfortunate. Know also blame myself on that because I never took the time to reconnect with any of these people, you know, just busy at home and it's more…(Internet issues) CM: So when you finally were able to be home. Did you do anything for, I guess? Did you continue your reading hobby or did you delve into other hobbies? LS: Oh, The time when I got out of the Army. I had, I was married, and I had a daughter was born December 30 and uh Walter Reed. So there was really not too much time to do anything. Just trying to survive at that point. And though we moved back and we live in a small apartment that too far from the folks area. It was nice. Then went out on my own and Got a degree in started to work for our first company I worked for was Dewy and Allyn chemical company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. CM: Did you just freeze or are you still there. Up. You're moving again. Sorry you froze for that you mentioned you worked at Cambridge and then I couldn't the picture. Stop moving and sound stop going through. LS: Yeah Well, it worked for the company called Dewy and Allyn chemical company. And they plastics were really was my forte. I really enjoyed. You know, trying to develop them and whatever. CM: So have the Mets brought you back for any. Baseball games or have you been kind of off the baseball trail for a while. Hold on a second, it appears that a connections a bit unsecure. So let's, I'm just gonna wait for that to settle down, be a bit before I ask any more questions. LS: Okay. I’m at your beck and call. CM: Thank you very much. Let's see, it looks like it's starting to settle down….. Okay. So going back to the Mets. Have you guys been to a recent game or I guess in recent years games? Or have you guys really just been able to watch from a distance at this point? LS: I'm sorry I didn't catch that? CM: Uh, have you been to have you been back to watch the Mets? Like, have you been there in person at all? In recent years, or have it has it had to be more at a TV viewpoint at a radio? LS: Five years ago was. We used to live in Bennington, Vermont. Right now I live in Saratoga Springs live in a 55 and over community. CM: And how'd you end up in Saratoga Springs from Bennington, Vermont. LS: Well, lived in Bennington Vermont first. And we used to come over to Saratoga Springs all the time. So we decided when I had the opportunity CM: To move here. LS: Now, I like Saratoga Springs. Yeah. CM: Did you guys come for the horse racing or just for everything. LS: No. Just, just because we like Saratoga Springs much better than Bennington, Vermont, but more things going on here. And then, my wife never liked Bennington, Vermont CM: Would you say Bennington, Vermont. Was your least favorite place to live. LS: I like Bennington, Vermont, and in fact I've, you know, I've lived in a many places. It's like anything else. And you can live in a big city or a small town, you can vegetate or be active and I enjoyed being active. I enjoy politics so. CM: What so you were a big follower politics throughout the years? LS: My what? CM: I was asking you said that you were very big follower of politics throughout the years? Yes? LS: Yeah, well I enjoy politics enjoy getting involved with the in Bennington and when I was in Saratoga Springs. I got involved with the politics in Saratoga Springs. LS: It just makes life interesting CM: Did you run for anything or was it just more support? LS: Than I will. I'm sorry? CM: Did you run for anything in Saratoga? Was it just more for support? LS: No, I Was a Housing, Commissioner, at one point. Well, five years. I didn't get that much involved. I say, mainly in the background. Now, it was a housing commissioner about 5 years. CM: Did you get into politics anywhere else, or was it just more Saratoga that you really were more involved with? LS: It really was just Saratoga. Somewhat involved in Burlington, Vermont, but It was just a different atmosphere. CM: Where you work in Bennington, Vermont. (Computer issues) LS: When? CM: When I'm sorry continue what you were saying before, I didn't realize you were still going. LS: I'm sorry I didn't catch that. CM: I didn't mean to interrupt you. I thought you. The screen froze again there for a second. So I thought you finished but uh what I asked. Afterwards, was Where did you work. When you were in Burlington, Vermont, or were you retired then. LS: Oh, I worked in a hooskicfalls. Short for company called oh Mitsui. Which made the different types of chemicals and plastics. CM: Did you know what the plastics were used for? Was it just general purpose? LS: General purpose. CM: Did you have a favorite company you worked for or were they all kind of just the same? LS: You know that's a very interesting question. I enjoyed working for a company called Dewy and Allyn chemical company in Cambridge, Massachusetts. In fact, that's one of the first companies. I really enjoyed working for me to companies, otherwise I would not have worked there. CM: Did you ever travel throughout the country, or did you mainly stay on the east coast. LS: Oh no I travel, I used to go to Japan once a year business movement. Mitsui when I worked for them. Of course we had a plant in Osaka. So once a year I used to go to Japan is to go to Tokyo, Yokohama, and Osaka. It was nice. CM: Did you ever take your family with you, or was it just you that went LS: Yeah, I always took my wife with me. CM: Did you have a fun time in Tokyo. I was asking, did she have a fun time in Japan. LS: Yeah, I had a great time in Japan. Yeah, I love the people there. I was very involved with them. When I worked for a company called Mitsui. Mitsui was in Japan was in Osaka. So I used to go there once a year. CM: Did you travel anywhere else around the world.. Sorry. LS: What do you say born? CM: Sorry? LS: And it was nice going. Yeah, I used to take the wife with me, so she traveled almost everywhere that I went, you know, any, any business trip I went I took her. CM: Did you travel and… What was that LS: That really kept me out of trouble taking the wife. CM: A. Is there anywhere else around the world that you traveled LS: Any what CM: I was asking, Did you travel anywhere else around the world. You mentioned Japan did you like go to England? LS: Japan. I had, I had a client in Sweden used to go to Sweden once a year. Was in Belgium. And my son. When he was working. He was working for… he lived in Germany. Frankfurt, Germany, so I used to go visit him. Oh, my wife and I used to visit him. That's when we were able to travel. CM: Did any of your kids decide to follow in your footsteps and get a chemical engineering degree. LS: Yeah, my youngest son is a chemical engineer my oldest son is a industrial engineer. So they both went into engineering, and my one of my grandson's an engineer also worked for Lockheed Martin. I told I wish one of them became a doctor or something so we can have in the family. And work they all became engineers. CM: So you mentioned that your kids live all around the world. One lives in Germany, you've mentioned where the. Do you know where the rest of your kids are currently stationed? LS: My kids are now? CM: Yeah. LS: Yeah, my daughter, which is the oldest is in Michigan. My oldest son is in Littleton Mass and my youngest son is in North Carolina Greensboro, North Carolina. So all scattered also and they all did much better than I had so very happy about that. CM: Do you have a funny story from when you were having to I guess. Take care of your kids or an event that really sticks out in your mind. From the time when you saw them grow up. LS: Well, the only thing that sticks in my mind now. Is one we were watching my grandson, and in our apartment, and my son and I was there and he had a dirty diaper. So we go over Bennington together. My wife back to haven't cleaned him up. As my son said we took crap from no one Let's see. CM: Did you do any volunteer work throughout your life or was it mainly just working at the chemical plant. LS: Mainly chemical engineering CM: Uh, this might be one that I don't know if you have ever been here. Have you ever gone to Disney World, or have your kids ever dragged you to it to it. LS: Sorry? CM: Sorry you froze. Again, I didn't realize you were still talking. Um, I asked. CM: Did you kids ever drag you to like Disney World. LS: We went to Disney World only once. When I took all the kids that was way back Way back. We enjoyed it. We rented a house out there and spent about a week on Disney. CM: Did you ever enjoy going to see movies and stuff Like that. LS: Ever what I'm sorry. CM: Did you ever go to see movies through your life or some point or even like Broadway. Shows or just shows in general. LS: Yeah, we used to go to some we go, Broadway, show. Unfortunately, we can always afford the top tier in a balcony. Never New York I assure, but we took in as many shows as we could.LS: My wife was a folk singer. So she works. She's worked with some group in New York City. CM: Did you get to meet any famous people doing that? LS: Famous people? Yeah, the only people I met was my wife. Both (laugh). Yeah, we met… can't think of his name….Earl, Ray James. Met him on a plane. Can’t think of his name, unfortunately. CM: It happens. Uh, so you used to live in Brooklyn? Then when you got older, you got drafted, then you went. Back to sorry I'm forgetting the name. It is. LS: Whose name. CM: Does you're trying to member my make sure I'm making sure I'm keeping track of the places. What was not Waltz, it's a. Walter reed that was it. You went used to live in Walter reed and then you went t Cambridge and then Bennington? LS: Yes. CM: Okay, just making sure I'm keeping track of everywhere. You've gone in that timeframe. Did you ever take any road trips anywhere? LS: Any road trips CM: Yeah, like a long times in the car. Going from place to place. LS: No, never. Whenever we whenever we travel, we either went by plane or by Bus, but never car. CM: Did you ever have to. LS: No that’s not true. No because we got married. We took a trip down to Florida by car I drove down there. CM: Did you enjoy your time in Florida when you went LS: Pardon CM: I asked, how was your time in Florida? LS: How much time in Florida? CM: How was the trip to Florida? LS: It was good. Those were the days when I can you know drive a car those distances wife also drove. We also had a camping trailer that I used to lug behind my car. So we did a lot of camping used to camp up in Canada. That was nice. CM: Was Canada your favorite place to camp. LS: Montreal we camped up there. CM: Did you ever take your kids camping. LS: You look frozen. CM: I think You're right, I think it looks like our screen, stop being frozen. Did you ever take your kids camping? LS: Well, yeah, we always took the kids, my daughter never liked it. But she wasn't we're not going to leave home. It was not an outdoors person. Boys loved it, of course. CM: Did you ever have a running with wild animals well camping? LS: Never have a what? Sorry. CM: Did you ever run into like wild animals? When camping like deer or moose? LS: No, I never saw any of those things. CM: You ever go fishing while Camping LS: No. I don't, I don't really fish. I went once with my son and equal fish those sunfish wanted to take it home for show and tell. Wouldn’t last anyway. CM: Did you kids ever try and…..Continue saying. No, no, no, it our connection keeps freezing up so I you freeze up and I think you're done. So I tried to ask another question but continue what you were saying. LS: I didn't catch it. I'm sorry. CM: I was just saying it seems that our screens. Keep freezing. So I assumed you finished what you were saying. But continue what you were just saying a second ago. LS: I'm finished CM: Okay. I was going to ask, have your kids ever tried sneaking like something bizarre into the show and tell classes? LS: Not really. Not really nothing bizarre. Everything was nice and calm when we went CM: Did all your kids go the same school or did you send them different places. LS: Now what? I'm sorry. CM: It's okay. Did you send your kids to different schools or did they all start in the same place? LS: Actually they wanted different schools, my daughter went was in Brooklyn, New York, she went to No, no, she was in Walter Reed. So they all wanted different schools. I know that. What schools. I don't remember. CM: That's perfectly fine. Uh, did you back in your high school years, get into any high school quote on quote shenanigans. LS: And I want. I'm sorry. CM: Did you ever get into any mischief and high school LS: No, no. CM: Okay. LS: Went to Lafayette high school, Brooklyn graduated from there and went to ccny CM: Okay, that should be about wrapping up our interview time LS: Pardon? CM: I was saying that that should be wrapping up our interview time it is 150 we started at a 1250 so it's it's been an hour. Thank you for talking with me. LS: Okay. CM: Do you have any questions or anything. LS: No, I want to thank you CM: Thank you so much for spending your time. LS: very interesting. Yeah. CM: Now. Okay. Uh, I'll stop the recording now. Let's make sure I can do that these tech things don't always go well. Second Transcription of Lou Schneider CM: Today is 11/18/2020. I am the interviewer CM and to view it in Luke Snyder, would you like to introduce yourself? Lou Schneider: Pardon? Cooper Murphy: Would you like to introduce yourself? LS: I’m Lou Schneider. CM: So, Lou. Are you find with this recording being used in our project at Skidmore, and possibly be accessed by the public domain. LS: Of course. CM: Okay, so let's get started. So you talked about how a you're in the Korean War for two years. Correct? LS: Well, I was actually during the Korean War situation. I was stationed in Washington, DC. I worked for the Army prosthetics research lab where we did research and development on different type of materials for prosthesis, which was a very interesting job. CM: So what would you say would be the timeframe from. When you first joined to when it finally ended. LS: Well, I wanted 53 to 5519 CM: Okay, so can you kind of walk me through the experience from day getting drafted to basically what happened next to when you were allowed to go home. LS: (clears throat) Well, I was drafted, but I was also married at the time. And because I guess because I was married and being a chemical engineer they station me and Washington DC, Walter Reed Army Medical hospital which I worked for the prosthetics Research Lab, which was good duty. CM: Okay, so you got drafted, you got brought to the prosthetics research lab. And were you given any training and then sent over as well, or did you ever actually go to Korea? LS: No, I had no training at all. You know, was I have a degree in chemical engineering. So they figured smart enough anyway. CM: Sorry, just writing down some stuff. Okay, so you got you had the medical not the medical the chemical engineering degree and you're just flown over. Did you have you ever saw in combat, as you told me before. They never made you do like a boot camp or anything like that. Correct. LS: Oh yeah, oh yeah, we had a go eight weeks of infantry training and then eight weeks of medical training. Was I was assigned to the Medical Corps. CM: Okay, so when would you say you actually got to go over to be stationed in Korea was that between 54-55 LS: Pardon again. CM: Sorry, what was the actual part where you got to go over to Korea was that between like 54 and 55 or was you LS: 53 and 55 CM: You fine. OK. Cool, cool. How many patients would you say you saw a day over at a in Korea? LS: You mean and Walter Reed work they're willing to read amputees. And research and development on different type of materials and now we're actually our test students as I would call them. We work with about eight different amputees that lost limbs that we're not the same, you know, arms, two legs. It was interesting work. CM: Okay. That's your wrap up that little segment. So, uh, what's the war ended did you, uh, did you remember the experience of finding out when people discovered the double helix? Just curious? LS: Not really, no. CM: Yeah, I figured. I just want to see that for myself. I'm a bio major. Okay. So, Uh, sent after the Korean War ended. You were alive during you know the whole space race. Correct. LS: Well, when the Korean War ended, and I got discharged from the army. I actually went back to school. And went back for my masters, but I never completed it. Married at the time had a kid, you know, it's very, very difficult. So how to actually find a job, which I did. I worked for a company called doing Dewy and Allyn chemical company as an engineer, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. CM: Uh, yeah, I remember that actually from last time. So going quickly back to the space race and everything. Do you remember like all those events like Sputnik and everything like that, and if so, how did that make you feel during that time period? LS: Sputnik? CM: Yeah, when the Satellite went up LS: Russia put the spacecraft. I really didn't think much about it at the time. Yeah, I figured that you know I’ve government knew what they were doing it. We're going to put up something also and I was not involved with it so didn't really care too much. CM: What about when you heard about someone was able to go on the moon? LS: That was interesting. I mean, that was the first to me to first have space travel to go to various places the various planets. It was exciting space is very exciting the space station was also very exciting. CM: I bet, especially since I was the first of any of its kind. LS: Yeah. So after the space race. Do you remember anything as well of like when the Cold War was starting to become more of a thing? Like for instance Cuban Missile Crisis. How did that affect you at all during one that was? LS: Not really. Not at all. CM: Just curious. OK, so moving on from that you mentioned that you got married a what time again did you actually get married at LS: Like what I'm what CM: What year did you get married again. LS: 1954 CM: Okay, and where did you say the wedding was LS: Wedding was in Brooklyn, New York. CM: Do you remember where you went for your honeymoon. LS: Well, I was in the army at the time and I had a week off so we stopped off in Rahway, New Jersey. The first night was it was raining and then we ended up in Atlantic City. And then, of course, I had a week before I was had to go back to Walter Reed. In fact, my daughter was born in Walter Reed in 1954. The fact, December 30 1954 CM: Okay. So you mentioned before and unfortunately wasn't able to get this down to my notes. You said that your favorite place was either New port, a Walter Reed? LS: Was what? CM: You mentioned that you moved around a lot in your life, last time when we talked, and you mentioned that either your favorite place was Walter Reed or Newport, do you remember which one was LS: Walter Reed. Fact, though I was stationed there for a year and a half, and the prosthetics Research Lab, which was to me very interesting work, you know, working with these amputees. They were our test specimens on the materials that we developed and we work with about eight amputees. They were fun group. CM: Do you remember any of the uh I guess. Patients you had like anything specific about them. Besides, you know, I'm being amputees’. LS: Well, there's one thing that always sticks out on my mind. We had a nurse that lost part of her nose. And she came in to be fitted for plastic nose, but we come back every week because there was a stain on the on the nose. She smoked so what we did is we gave her a dozen noses and said, go home and do what want. In fact, we had one amputate that lost his left arm, and he built his friend that he can swim beat him in one lap and no water in the pool at Walter Reed and we fitted him with a fin. So yeah, I'll tell you, we had a lot of fun. They were a fun group they didn't feel sorry for themselves. I said, this is it. And we'll do the best we can. CM: So, if you don't mind? Actually, could you give me like a walkthrough figure daily I guess life back when used to live and watery? LS: Well, I was married at the time. So we live off post and of course, I had a car so how do. (cough) Excuse me, actually I was assigned to Walter Reed, but I worked in a place called Forest Glen. That's where the prosthesis was. Every day we had a call for an inspection. At seven o'clock in the morning. That was about it. Was just a routine. My daughter was born and Walter Reed 1954 December 30 CM: And when you got home here. What do you normally do when you got back to your house? LS: In Washington, DC. CM: Yes. LS: Was it. No, just nothing just stayed with the wife, and we went to various places. I love this Smithsonian Institute. So we used to go there pretty often but till being in the army. I think we got a stipend of 250- $280 a month and we had to make that thing last I remember that she's we saved up so we could buy, one egg roll. CM: A fan of egg rolls? Are you a fan of egg rolls? LS: Oh yeah, I like, first of all, I like Asian food. CM: Can you remember where you tasted the best Asian food? LS: Where, what I'm sorry. CM: Can you remember where you test my bad, tasted the best Asian food. LS: Best Asian foods that actually were testing best for when I used to go to Japan. It's not the same. It's, it's, it's different. CM: Okay, so after working with amputees’ and everything you said you worked at a chemical plants. Correct? LS: Of work where CM: I'm sorry had you worked at multiple different chemical plants. LS: Work for a company first company was Dewy and Allyn Chemical Company, which was in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And then I took a job than on Long Island and I worked for a company called Rubber Corporation of America, mainly in plastics. Plastics was my forte. That's what I've always studied CM: Yeah. You mentioned that that's a quite a bit. And it's very interesting, too. But I want to ask, did you ever remember having to witness the implement of the stationary computers. Business computers into the workplace, like those giant machines on the wall that you plug in numbers to. LS: Oh, no. In fact, the first time I work with computers is when I left the army. When I went to work for Rubber Cooperation of America. They gave me a computer take home so CM: Cool. Did you like using a computer. LS: Yeah. Haven't been without one since. CM: Especially in this time I'm betting? LS: My wife has the laptop, of course, but I use the one stationary here in my office at home. CM: Yeah, I have a stationary too LS: I like it CM: Oh, let's see. So you mentioned. Actually, speaking of your wife and family and everything. You mentioned that you like to go camping, in Montreal. Correct? LS: Yeah, we had a camping trailer had a 16 foot. Uh what was it called I can't think of the name, but we used to do a lot of camping up and down the East Coast spent time of Florida Hollywood, Florida. I remember that, But I enjoy camping up in Canada. In those days you had no problems getting through into Canada. Long time ago. CM: Yeah. I've been to Canada. A couple times real nice up there, but I was gonna ask. Did you just like start camping out of a whim, or did you use to go camping before he had you got with your family and everything. LS: Oh yeah, when I was growing up in Brooklyn, New York, I belong to the Boy Scouts. So we always camp. And I just continue doing that. I enjoyed it. But my daughter never did. CM: So you were a boy scout when you're younger? LS: pardon CM: You were a boy scout when you were younger? LS: Oh, yeah. LS: Did a lot of things when I was younger. Some foolish some not CM: You got any stories from the Boy Scouts or was it just kind of a normal experience as you would say LS: Normal experience. You know, you read about what they what was going on with the abuse. We never had that in Brooklyn, New York. CM: Be my guess. I'll pause the recording. (Time passes for the phone call) Yeah, sorry about that. That's new. I'm definitely gonna have to talk to my phone provider about that one. LS: Interesting, though. CM: I know. so, uh, speaking of what is there anything about your life that you'd like to share discuss just anything that you thought you wanted to share from last time that you didn't get to? LS: I don’t know, growing up in Brooklyn, New York was an adventure because Coney Island was my stomping ground used to go there pretty often. And uh but that's really, that's about it. I enjoyed living in Brooklyn. My wife still has family there. So we go back occasionally, spent a lot of time in Coney Island. In fact, and Coney Island we were up on the subway, which is the L and we watch Luna Park burn when that the big fire. CM; Oh, yeah, yeah. LS: Then I think Trump put up his building or whatever. CM: So when I'm not actually I don't have to remember the date that have Luna Park apart burned do you? LS: What date. CM: The date when a Luna Park burn. LS: Don't even know how had to be in be in the early 50sif I am not mistaken. CM: I'll look it up later I was just curious if you knew off the top of your head. LS: No, I don't. CM: That’s probably fine. Well, I guess we've reached the last question, unless you have anything else you want to say before then? LS: That everything that CM: So if you had to give advice to, I guess, the current generation, what would it be if you don't have any that's fine. Just curious what you? CM: Great advice. LS: Have a sense of humor. CM: That is a good one….What do you think it's important to have a sense of humor? LS: What if you if you what? CM: Sorry, I was asking, why do you think it is important to have a sense of humor? LS: Oh, You can't be serious soul, your life and the lifetime. You got to find humor in everything. I think that levels you offer keeps you know basic. You know, if you don't have a sense of humor. I mean, like to be very boring. CM: Indeed, Okay. Actually, I did have one question. Did you ever go camping with your parents. LS: My friends? CM: Your friends or your parents? LS: No. First of all, my father came from Lithuania and my mother from Poland, so of course they do that, you know, they were of the older generation. No, we went most camping I did was with friends. When I was in a boy scouts or, when we got older and I had a family. We have a 16 foot trailer camper that we used to use. I Love that daughters and never did. But I did that the boys did of course. So we used to camp all the way up. Used to go to Hollywood, Florida. We camped up in, as I said in Canada. Those were the days when you get into Canada pretty easily, which you can't anymore. CM: Okay, well that's all the questions I had so unless there's anything again, you can think of that you want to add that would basically wrap it up. LS: I can't think of anything at this point. I think you did a good job. CM: Thank you. I hope my teacher thinks that too. LS: I hope so. CM: Okay, I'm gonna stop the recording. Now then. Okay. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Lou Schneider Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 26, 2020 November 18, 2020 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Saratoga Senior Memory Project Description An account of the resource An 89-year-old Koren war vet from Brooklyn describes his life history. From his time in Brooklyn as a kid. His experience as a medical core in Korea, and then finally his life after with his family as a chemical engineer. This interview was conducted as part of the Saratoga Springs Senior Center project “Preserving Our Past”. Language A language of the resource English (en) Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Cooper Murphy Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Cooper Murphy Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Skidmore College Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Audio recording Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History 1950's camping Chemical engineer Korean War Medical Core oral history fall 2020 saratoga senior center https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/b962768874556c2de708c2ba9dc8265e.m4a d46b84b2b2df6cadbe13ffa146eaf136 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/79930eb0c641e7ba0a8c8b2fda1ade4c.pdf fdc46015e6acd5e2f16a50df38aec497 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/59213eb0ac9ef7a29e199eb939664ceb.pdf ba2ebbf2c35e87925a93188eb2000991 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Justin Rizzi Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Johann Miller Location The location of the interview Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (Zoom), and Milton, NY (Zoom) Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Justin Rizzi Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Audio recording Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 56:44 Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 06/11/2020 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Johann Miller Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Justin Rizzi Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 26, 2020 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project Description An account of the resource In this interview, recording by a student in the Fall 2020 oral history class, as part of the project titled "Preserving Our Past," Capital Region resident Johann Miller describes her life, from leaving her childhood home at 18 to attending Woodstock with her future husband. Language A language of the resource English (en) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Justin Rizzi Johann Miller Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Date Created Date of creation of the resource. December 4, 2020 fall 2020 oral history oral history fall 2020 saratoga senior center https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/92637a302d763b7aca4b34756fca4fb4.png b5c1ab1a581c3576b1cbdc4963900a41 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/de5dfa3e5054ca3d727696343078fc4c.mp3 49469dba0c1a4932facb2fef9a1febf2 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/4f734966b92b1f0d61fad28ac159e5c4.pdf 56077aba05c538b94d503f382d438d1c https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/115566a603ddb65e7b7cc090ce97d2be.pdf 8e09d0a66766973b790704c32d9f6634 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Sophia Spelman Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Sophia Spelman Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Herta Spencer Location The location of the interview Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY (via Zoom) & Saratoga Springs, NY (via Zoom) Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 01:09:54 Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 13/11/2020 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Herta Spencer Language A language of the resource English (en) Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Herta Spencer Sophia Spelman Lois Celeste Nursing Home Staff Member Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sophia Spelman Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 27, 2020 Description An account of the resource This interview was conducted by a student in Skidmore College’s oral history class and is part of the Saratoga Senior Center project, “Preserving Our Past.” Herta Spencer—originally from Austria—has lived in New York City, New Jersey, Switzerland, Connecticut, and the Capital Region of New York State. In this interview she recounts fleeing Nazi-occupied Austria, attending college and medical school, and working as a psychiatrist during the mid-twentieth century. Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project Date Created Date of creation of the resource. November 29, 2020 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/e7dab351090afd4678110ac7287e69ad.png 990aabf62c6437ee549ffd5f2ae37fee https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/01100df398b2011ea8e43869e406baae.mp3 a5a1638e222e2326e0efba87ed8c63e7 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/741e4635f544d36741ea40d4b40558c2.pdf d53727555a1b57c903bd2591255e9ac0 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/caf3ce928db5a10ace0bf5ab9740b8bb.pdf bc3acdd8895bea076fef2cbacbd2ec7b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Isabel M.R. Long Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Lauren Roberts Location The location of the interview Saratoga County History Office Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Isabel M.R. Long Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 07/12/2019 Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Isabel Long: My name is Isabel Long. Today is October 28th, it is approximately 2:35pm. I am in the Saratoga County History Office. I am here with Lauren Roberts and we've here to talk for the Saratoga Memory Project. Lauren, could you introduce yourself, please? Lauren Roberts: Yeah. My name is Lauren Roberts, and I am the Saratoga County Historian, and I am also a Skidmore alum. IL: Wonderful, thank you. So, just to get things going, what's your earliest memory of Saratoga Springs? LR: Hmmm. Well I grew up about an hour away from Saratoga Springs, so when I was young, we used to come to Saratoga to go to the racetrack and to shop downtown. I was born in 1982, so my memories would be probably from the early 90s of coming, coming to Saratoga. But that's primarily why we would come over here. I grew up in a pretty rural town, so Saratoga would have been one of the closest malls to shop in. But also, my family always went to the race track in the summer time, so we would come for that. IL: Could you describe where you grew up? LR: Sure! I grew up in the village of Northville, actually, let me say, I grew up in the town of North Hampton because I'm actually outside the village. But for all intents and purposes we all it, Northville, which is in Fulton County. And, ah, small town. I grew up in a – I grew up on several acres of land that used to be an old farm, the Simpson farm, which probably started in the late 1700s, so. I lived in a modern house that was built on the farm, but there were a lot of remnants in the woods around that you could tell that it used to be farm land. We had apple trees from the old orchard in our yard and I had a neighbor who was about the same age as I was and we would go in the woods and find old milk pails, and barbed wire fences, and pieces of ceramic in the old stream bed. So, it was a good place for someone who had a budding interest in local history, and I'm pretty sure that's why I was interested in local history. But also, the story of the great Sacandaga Lake was of interest to me because Northville sits on the Great Sacandaga lake and the lake was a man-made lake. It was flooded in 1930. They put a dam in, the Continental Dam to be able to control the flow of the Hudson River downstream, and to prevent flooding. So there were a lot of hamlets that were flooded out in order to do this and I became interested in that because in the fall, when the water levels went down, you could find lots of different artifacts along the shores of the beach: places we would hang out or go swimming, things like that. (3:25) And I went to a very small school. The name of the school is Northville Central School. It was K through twelve in one building. I graduated with about 60 kids in my graduating class. So, but I had a great, what I thought was, you know, a great elementary school and high school experience. I had some really great teachers. I grew up in a really – You know a lot of people will look on small town life as pretty nostalgic, and it has its pros and cons, but I had a pretty good, I had, what I consider, a really good time growing up in a small, rural town. IL: (4:10) Thank you. So, could you elaborate on what you mean by pros and cons. LR: I would say, you know– When you choose to live in a small town you know there are sacrifices that you have to make. I live in a small town now, so I would say commuting, to work, but maybe when I was younger some of the pros and cons is no public transportation. We rode our bikes everywhere. I lived outside of the village so, it was a couple miles to ride to school. No cellphones then, so, you know, we could use the pay-phone to have your mom come and pick you up in the village. (4:47) And you know, maybe there would be less programing offered in the school. Rather than having to play one sport, were people where cut for the team, you really needed all of your friends to go out for the team so you had enough people just to field a full team. I can remember, you know, kind of recruiting people for our sports teams so that we had enough people to fill the roaster. And, you know, I did everything I could. I was in the chorus, and I was in the band, and I was in drama, and I played all the sports. So, you really needed a lot of participation. (5:27) Most of the kids I went to school with I knew from the time I was probably pre-school age. And we grew up, you know, we were like a family. I don't want to make it sound perfect, you know, but that's – you know, it was pretty great, and we spent a lot of time outdoors, you know. We were in the southern Adirondacks there so, you know we lived on a lake. We did a lot of swimming. A lot of my friends – we had boats, beaches, a lot of four-wheelers, snowmobiles. We spent a lot of time hiking. We had trails- miles and miles of trails behind our houses that, you know, even before we were sixteen and had our licensees, we had different kinds of off-road vehicles. But we spent a lot of time outside. And like, you know we didn't have – yeah, we didn't have cell phones, we didn't have a lot of electronics, but I don't even think – I don't think I had cable until I was maybe a junior or senior in high school. We just had, like, the local channels. But it didn't matter, I was busy enough. I didn't have time for that anyway. And, you know, you can still see the way small towns pull together when you have, let's say, like a family has a tragedy like a house fire or someone passes away unexpectedly, and they don't have enough money for the funeral. You know, spaghetti dinners, and basket raffles, and all that kind of stuff the community seems to pull together for, so. Some of those things that I'd say are maybe cliché about small towns were really true about Northville. IL: Thank you. Could you help me understand how your trips to Saratoga fit into that for you. (7:15) LR: So we were about– in Northville, were about 45 minutes to an hour away from either Glens Falls or Saratoga. So doctor’s appointments, like I said like malls, things like that, those were kind of nearby. We played sports – we actually played Spa Catholic because we were a small school and they were a small school, so we would come over here. We played against them in softball, sometimes soccer I think too. So, you know, they weren't like major trips, they would just be – I think when you live in a rural area an hour trip is par for the course. You need to get, to get anywhere that has what you need, it's about an hour. IL: So, em, thank you. Help me understand the role the races played in your life at that point. (8:11) LR: Oh, it was just an entertainment kind of thing. My father's family came from Corinth, which was nearby, and my grandfather and some of his brothers used to really like horses. So, my father would go to the races, and we would go too. We were always backyard people, which is where you bring your own picnic and you sit on the picnic tables. You know, we weren't sitting in the club house but we were walking up to the fence in the paddock watching the horses be saddled before the races, that kind of thing. So, it was just sort of something we enjoyed. IL: Wonderful. So, thinking about, kind of, the next step for you. So, you – coming to Skidmore. Were you the first person in your family to go to college? Or – LR: Nope, both my parents went to college. My dad was actually an RPI engineer. And actually, I didn’t start out at Skidmore. When I was a senior in college [high school], I had planned to apply to several small liberal arts schools. I knew that's where I wanted to go. I applied to St. Lawrence University and they got back to me first because I applied early admit, and they offered me one of their presidential scholarships. And if I accepted their scholarship, I need to agree that I would not apply to any other schools. So, I decided to accept their scholarship, so I didn't apply, I didn't finish my application to Skidmore. So, I ended up, Freshman year I went to St. Lawrence, and it just wasn't a fit for me. There wasn't any one thing in particular except that – I should say I went with the intention of studying anthropology. That was what I wanted to major in. And I liked anthropology, but during that year I was kind of looking around at other programs and I heard about American Studies, which they didn't have at St. Lawrence, and Skidmore did have. And it was a– I thought it was a really intriguing program, and some of the other things, ah, St. Lawrence had a really big sports program, and I didn't play sports, so it wasn't something that was beneficial to me. The other thing I am really interested in is musical theater. I've been involved in musical theater my whole life. We have a – Sacandaga Musical Theater which is our home town musical theater company that I've been kind of a director for a long time, so St. Lawrence didn't really have that and Skidmore did have Cabaret Troupe which was a student run organization, which I really liked. Because I knew I wasn't going to have a career in musical theater, but I still wanted to be involved in it. So, I decided to apply to transfer to Skidmore, and I was accepted. So, I finished the year out at St. Lawrence, and then I started my sophomore year at Skidmore. Started out living in Moore [Hall], which is the old dorm that was downtown. And, my first week at Skidmore was when 9/11 happened. (11:33). So, I can still remember I was in Spanish class, in, ah, Tisch. I think it was Tisch. The first plane hit right before we went into class. And at that point we all thought it was an accident. And then when we left Spanish class, there was kind of like a little lounge area, and all the teachers were watching on TV, and at that point the second plane had hit and they knew it was no longer an accident. And I was on my way to one of my first Anthro classes with Professor [Gerry] Erchak, and we went in, and sat down, and everyone was kind of in shock, and he just said go home. And, ah, it was, ah, a shocking, you know it was shocking for everyone. I was kind of in a group of transfer students cause they put all of the transfer students in Moore for our first semester. I am not really sure why. Hm. But there were some transfer students from New York City who were obviously much more affected because they had family members very close to the city. And that afternoon, the president of Skidmore at the time was Jamie Studley, and they called a meeting on the green and I can remember – it was a beautiful day. Warm, sunny, and, you know just trying to figure out how to cope with what had happened and what was still unfolding that day. You know, it was really kind of – it was a terrible way to start my Skidmore experience, but at the same time watching students come together and comfort each other and not really knowing where we'd go from here and how our country was going to change because of this attack you know it was, um, maybe it was a little bit easier to have a community around you that, you know, we were all trying to figure it out together. (13:37) IL: That's sounds wonderful to have that Skidmore community in place. Thinking about that community, how would you define it during your time at Skidmore? Was this moment of 9/11 kind of one of those definitive pieces that you think exemplifies what it means to be part of the Skidmore community? (13:54) LR: I would say, you know, people coming together and thinking about larger context is a way to describe Skidmore. I guess I haven't really thought about my cumulative Skidmore experience. You know that's definitely one of the times that's like a picture in my memory, that I remember being at Skidmore. But there are lots of others also. I think like any time you have like a national traumatic event like that you remember where you were, what you were doing when that happened, and how you felt. But I don't know that it really– that it defined my whole experience there. Maybe it was a good starting point to know how the college was going to be able to bring people together to be able to react to, you know, a common grieving experience. But, you know, overall, my Skidmore experience was, was great. I had a lot of really great professors that I knew on an individual level. That I, you know, I think a lot of college students don't have that. Trying to remember – I had several professors where I actually visited their houses which is kind of a unique, or somewhat unique thing, for I would think, a college student to be able to go to their professor's home. To be welcomed, individually. You know, small class sizes. I was able to – One of the really cool things that Skidmore did was they offered – I was a work study student, and they offered a program where you could work for a local non-profit and Skidmore would pay you to work there. So, um, I – go ahead. IL: Sorry, could you define work-studies as you understand it. Just for the record. LR: So, I believe certain students are eligible to be able to work for– to pay for part of their education. So, they had programs where you could choose a nonprofit and then you would turn in your hours to Skidmore, and Skidmore paid you to work there. So, I choose to work at Saratoga Springs Historical Society, which is now called Saratoga Springs History Museum, which is at the casino at Congress Park. And of course, I lived in Moore for my first semester, so I could walk to the casino. And, ah, I was an intern there, and it was really great to be able to make a lot of connections downtown in the local history community. I was able to work with Jamie Parillo who was the director there, but also, they had a curator and they had someone who administered the Bolster Collection which is an important Saratoga Springs photography collection. So, I worked in the photograph collection, I cleaned exhibits, I helped send out mailings to the volunteers, to the membership list. I worked at their holiday gala, helping. I did research and wrote a panel for one of their exhibits. I got a lot of experience working at a small museum and knowing what it's like to have to wear the many hats that you do if you work for a nonprofit or a small museum, public historian. Ah, so, you know, I thought that, that was a really great thing. It really benefited the community and it benefited me as a student being able to get this experience and figure out what its really going to be like. Because I do think, you know, Skidmore – I don’t know if you still have this terminology, but what we called the Skidmore bubble, you know where people – it's a, it's different than reality when you are at Skidmore because there are really grand ideas. It's a really conducive place to think outside the box and then sometimes when you graduate and you go into nonprofits or small businesses, it’s not always, it doesn't always line up with the grand idea that you think you are going to be able to do. So, having that real-world experience and being, having Skidmore being able to pay for it, because the museum would never have been able to pay you to work. I thought that was a really great thing to do. Trying to think – I ah, after I left Moore, I was there for one semester then I moved to Scribner Village in a drama house. Actually, Cabaret Troupe had their own house. I don't know if they still do it this way but club could live together. You could apply for a house, like environmental – I don't know, I'm trying to think what the other clubs are. IL: Could you, um, explain what Scribner Village are. I am a bit confused. LR: So, Scribner was the old houses, I think they are all torn down now, but on the side of campus that was kind of on the Clinton Avenue side, I don't know if there is any left, but they were apartments, kind of like the ones, I can't remember what they are called now, Northwoods or something like that. IL: Oh, yes, uhm. LR: It was like that but way older and, like, not anywhere near as nice as those apartments. I mean it was like moldy and our pipes would freeze. They, ah, I mean it's a good thing they tore them down, it was not good. But, at the time you could apply to live in a house, especially if you had a common interest like a club. So, at that point I was involved in Cabaret Troupe which was the student-run musical theater organization. So, I lived with a bunch of kids that were in Cab Troup, and that was a lot of fun. Because we spent a lot of time at the theater, and Cab Troup didn't really have a home, I’m not sure if they do now, but we would use the Dance Theater as a performance space because we did a full musical in the fall semester and a full musical in the spring semester. Once I got, I think my junior and senior years the spring musical had to be in Falstaff’s. I think we did two shows there, maybe just one show. Because the dance theater – there wasn't enough – there was never enough performance space on campus. That was before you had Zankel. IL: Yeah. So, thinking about shifts then with Skidmore, I know you were there at a time of change for the president. You'd mentioned President Studley before; it's President Glotzbach's last year, so could you talk about that? Was that something that was, um, part of the campus consciousness at all? LR: I remember going to the ceremony when Glotzbach was inducted. But I don't know that really a – I can't remember anything specifically about it or, I don't remember being either concerned or excited about a change in presidency. I would guess that for your average student, things like who your roommate is going to be the next semester or am I going to change my major, or who's my advisor going to be, you know, those, what I'd say local level kind of changes matter much more in my consciousness than who the president of the univ– of the college was. IL: So then thinking about more local consciousness, could you talk about how you, what your relationship with the town was as a student, cause you were talking about living in Moore, and that is not something today Skidmore students experience. Could you expand? LR: Yeah, ah, I mean I – let me think. So, I didn't like living in Moore because you were far away from the rest of the campus. It was like one lone building in the middle of downtown. And especially because we were transfer students, um, you didn't really get the on-campus experience. You weren't, ah, you weren't really, you know like things that happened – There was a bus. There was a bus that ran at certain time that brought you back and forth. But I have a car there, but parking in Moore, there were like literally ten parking spaces and then you had to park on the street., which was hard to get a parking spot. So, it was not convenient to live in Moore even though I had a car. I would have much rather lived on campus because that was where all the events were happening. The one nice thing about being at Moore was because I worked for the Casino I could walk down there. But it was kind of tough not being on campus, especially as a transfer student. I transferred in my sophomore year. So, it was kind of like starting over. And they did kind of group us in with the freshmen a lot because we did have to do orientation and we did have to take out, not sure what you call it now, but LS1, LS2, do you have that? IL: No. LR: Liberal Studies one, it was like a freshman program that you had to take. They made us take it too as transfer students. So, ah, you know, I loved the community, but I think as far as being acclimated and being enveloped into the college community it was tough to be in Moore. So, I was only down there for one semester. But, you know, I think that the community, because I worked in the community, you know, I was able to form relationships with people that were downtown. The woman who was in charge of the Bolster collection at the time I was working at the casino, her name is MaryAnne Fitzgerald, she was a UWW– what's it called, yeah, University Without Walls? Do you still call it that? IL: Um, – can you elaborate? LR: There was a program for mostly adult students. Yeah, I'm thinking that's what it was called. IL: I think that was, but I'm not sure we have that anymore. LR: Okay. She was able to get her degree though Skidmore as an adult. So, she was a Skidmore alum and she had gone through the American studies program, but much later in her life. And she now serves as Saratoga Springs city historian. So, I work with her all the time now, but I was introduced to her as a Skidmore student and she was a Skidmore alum, so, you know I thought that the connection between Skidmore and the community was a good one. IL: Fantastic. Could you talk about what it was like to then go downtown once you were on campus and removed from that more. LR: Um, I was still downtown a lot. My, my junior and senior years, I worked for– I worked at the library. I was a student supervisor; I spent a lot more time on campus then and because I was working at the library. And I still – I had a job at home. I only lived an hour away. Working for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. There was a camp ground on the lake, so I would actually drive home on the weekends as soon as the camp ground opened and work. But, I, I still went downtown all the time. I mean I had a lot of friends who lived Downtown. Cause once you get into upper classmen; they were all moving off campus and living in apartments downtown. So, I spent a lot of time downtown still. And I always loved downtown, um, you know, all the restaurants and shopping, and uh, trying to think. I think my sophomore year there was like a Skidmore community chorus, I don't know if they still do that, but it was members of Skidmore– Skidmore students and members of the community singing together in a chorus. We did that. IL: So then could you talk about how your relationship has changed with Skidmore now that you have graduated. LR: Sure. So, you know, I feel very grateful to Skidmore, I feel like I really got a great education there. I went on to get my masters right after I left Skidmore. I went to U Albany and got my master’s in public history and I started working right way for an archeologist. So I graduated in, May of '04, and in August I got a job working for Curtain Archeology, and the, the two owners of the company, Ed Curtain used to, he would teach – he wasn’t a professor there but he would teach archeology, I think, at Skidmore, and his partner Carry Nelson was a Skidmore alum. I actually got the job, well, I knew about the job because it came through the Skidmore career network, I don't know what you call it now, but I was able to get the notice that they were looking for a researcher. So, and my, I should say, I graduated with a dual degree in anthropology and American studies, so it was pretty awesome that I was able to get a job in my field right away after graduation cause when you get a degree in something like anthropology, the first thing people want to say is [effecting voice] you will never get a job in that! Why are you studying anthropology? Why aren't you in Business? Why aren't you a nurse? Why aren't you a teacher? [drops voice] But that wasn't what I wanted to do. So, I do feel lucky that I was able to find a job right away, in my field, and that job was in Saratoga Springs. They worked, it was cultural resource management, or CRM, so they worked mostly for developers who need to comply with New York State regulation in doing archeological surveys before developers or companies were allowed to build on, you know, mostly develop large sites. So. So I was able to get the job there, and um, I worked there for five years, and in the course of working there I spent a lot of time coming to this office. The Saratoga County Historian’s office, because of their collection here. I needed historic maps and census records, and things like that that weren't always online, so I spent several trips here. I got to be friends with the county historian, and then when this position came open, I left the archeology world to become a historian. And I’ve actually, I've been here for ten years. And I also feel lucky to have this job. It is a great job. And, you know, I've had a lot of interaction with Skidmore since I’ve graduated. I went back to see several of the Cabaret Troupe performances because by the time I was a senior, I was president of the organization. I had a lot of underclassmen that I was friends with and I continued to back. I've seen performances there. I still go back to the library. As an alumni you can use the library, so I still use the library. Any time that any of the professors have asked me to come back and speak about my role in public history, my career, any of that. I've spoken to American Studies classes, and history classes. I served on a panel about public history last year, ah, and actually I was able to get some help through Jordana [Dym] when I was making a documentary on the history of the Great Sacandaga Lake where I had some material – original material – that I was borrowing that Skidmore had the right equipment to be able to scan at a high resolution which I needed for the documentary, and they were able to use an intern to scan all those documents and return the originals to us. They were able to keep a digital copy of the information and I got one for my office and one for the regulating district who allowed me to use the documents. So, I mean I think, I think Skidmore is great for the community. I also serve on, what is sometimes called the Round Table, but is kind of a collaborative historical group that includes Skidmore and the museums in Saratoga Springs and Brookside, which is the county historical society, and my office. And we talk about where collections should go. I did a um – we all worked on a mapping exhibit together in 2015. 2015 was the centennial anniversary of Saratoga Springs becoming a city. We did a mapping through the hundred– through the centennial, I guess. [laugh] I can't remember what it was called but we all used different maps from our collections. And we, ah, were able to put up an exhibit at the casino showing the history of Saratoga Springs through mapping. And it was the Skidmore class that actually put it all together and we just gave our input. IL: Seems like there are a lot of joys in being the county historian. Can you speak to any of the challenges of practicing history in this area? LR: Absolutely. Funding. Funding is always an issue for historians because you are always competing with all the other departments in government. And everyone's always trying to keep the costs down, not raise taxes, um, so you're always scrambling for funding, for getting grants, things like that. We're lucky here in Saratoga county that our elected officials are very supportive of history. We use history as part of our economic tourism base. People are drawn here because we have a significant history, one that's well known. And not just the mineral waters, but there's the racetrack, and Saratoga Battlefield. There are lots of different kind of important events that centered around this area. So, I would say, you know, staffing. It would be great to have a bigger staff so that, you know, there's so much work that could be done here in the collections, in historical preservation, research, writing. There's lots to be done and not enough hours in the day to get it all done. So, you know, I think there's always going to be challenges but I think it's, um, I don't want to say easier, but – I think there's more support for the history community now than there has been in the past. And I think that's a good thing. We are moving in the right direction. IL: [33:53] Fantastic. So, um, one of the things I've understood about Saratoga in general is there has been kind of a historical – a movement for historical preservation. Is that something you feel is still ongoing? You said there's a lot of funding available, or a lot of interest in funding history at least. So, how – could you help me understand how that feeds into the tourism industry. LR: Sure. You know there's a lot of different groups that provide different kinds of historically experiences. Whether you're looking for a cemetery tour, or whether you are looking for genealogical information to find one of your ancestors, historic tours of the race track, visiting a museum. We have lots of different options here, and they all bring in tourist dollars. If they visit the museum, they're going to eat in town. If they're coming to the track, they're going to stay overnight in one of our hotels. If we are interested in our history, you know, people are going to come and see how did you preserve this building, how were you able to fund restoring this cemetery? And then people are more interested in passing on important history to you because they know, or they believe, you will be more able to care for that collection forever, in perpetuity. When you take something on, they want to know that you are going to be open and accessible to the public, and that you are going to continue on caring for the collection. I think the county has done a really good job. There are also several communities and towns and cities in Saratoga county that have historic preservation commissions. They all might call it something different. Historic buildings and structures committee, I think Saratoga Springs is called the Design Review Commission. [cough] Excuse me. So, you know, there are– even in the governments, there are plans and committees in place that are interested in preserving the history so that we don't just wipe out our pasts and start from scratch. And I think that's important. IL: Thank you. Um, so what have – you’ve been talking about your recent project with the Sacandaga Lake. Have there– is there anything you've found while being your time as county historian that you’ve found particularly exciting and that are, kind of, hidden pieces of this history? LR: I mean, I find something interesting every day. I love looking through old documents, you never know what you are going to find. Some of the interesting projects I've worked on – I mean, I think definitely that the Great Sacandaga Lake Project is nearest and dearest to my heart because that's where I grew up. I think that that story really needed to be told, and we told it from the perspective of the people who had to move. Whose land was claimed by eminent domain and they had to leave their homes. So, I think I'm probably most proud of that documentary which hopefully will be on PBS next year. [laughs] IL: Oh, congrats! LR: Thanks. So, there’s lots of other good projects I’ve worked on. I give a presentation about the county– the Homestead which is the Saratoga county Tuberculosis hospital that I think had a lot of myths around it, thank you, internet. And, um, [laughs from both] we were actually able to put together a really good collection. We had some good donations come from that because, you know, when you get the truth out about something – and it’s not always easy to do because a lot of times people don’t want their history debunked. They want to believe what they have always been told in the past. There’s always more clarity to be added to those stories. And we continue to do that, right? I mean this is not the defining moment of history. From twenty years from now there’s going to be more information to add to those stories also. So, I am not of the mind that you just are able to say well that's not true, this is the real story. There'll always be interpretation connected to the past. But you know a couple different county institutions that are able to get information out about – the other is the county court poor house. That's really important to our past and the way we treated people who didn't have the money or the means, or maybe the ethnicity that we valued at different points during our history. Right now, I'm actually co-hosting a podcast with a New York State Historian called "A New York Minute in History." I was actually at WAMC studio's today recording our script for that. That's Northeast Public Radio. So, you know, there's lots of different projects. And even here, just looking through documentation, I keep finding lots of really interesting cases all the time. And I get hundreds of inquires a year with people looking, either at their house histories, their property histories, a farm, genealogy absolutely. There's tons of questions about genealogy. Quaker history, all those different kinds of things like that. You know, there are small gems everyday that you are able to help people find or add to the collection, so. There is no typical day. It's different all the time, and I really like that and the county has given me a lot of support with being about to choose which direction I'm going day-to-day. And of course, 2020, we've got some pretty important anniversaries coming up including the centennial anniversary of the nineteenth amendment and women getting the right to vote. It's also the seventy-fifth anniversary of end of World War Two. We still have some WWII veterans alive here. Few, but some of them. But being able to celebrate that and their generation is really important too. IL: [40:40] So, thank you, that's very illuminative of your interaction I think with the broader county history. Can you talk about your interaction with Saratoga as a private citizen? So, do you go into town still, often? Do you– is it a less frequent thing, are you more over here in Ballston Spa, or with your family? How's that kind of evolved for you as time's gone on? LR: You mean Saratoga Springs, the city? IL: I mean, kind of generally I guess, yes. LR: Hmm, yeah, I still go to Saratoga Springs all the time. It's a great community. I am in Ballston Spa a lot, because that's where my office is. I still go back to Skidmore, and I still visit the track. Yeah, I mean Saratoga Springs is a great place, and I’m still very involved in some collaborative groups up there. As far as historic preservation, we actually have an oral history group that's lead up by Laurie Weese of the Saratoga Springs public library. She works in their Saratoga Room, which is their local history room. We're actually working on some collaborative oral history group projects, including digitizing what we already have in our collections, and hopefully soon, phase two will be adding more oral histories. So, yeah, absolutely, I'm still there all the time. IL: So, of course, this is part of an oral history, so that living memory. It's a very valuable part of how we understand things. Do you feel that the con– How– Let me rephrase that. How continuation of memory – How has that factored into your experience? LR: I'm not sure what you mean. IL: So the fact that there's institutions that have been set up to preserve memory, but then also working with people to capture, whether oral histories and thinking about sustaining these institutions as you were talking about having a place for people to deposit their histories. So that sort of continuation. LR: So, do I think it's important to continue capturing oral histories? IL: Mmm, more, how have you personally engaged with preserving memory beyond, ah, physical paper records? LR: So, yeah, I've done a few oral histories, and I do think they're important to take. I actually am working on a project right now. I have someone in my family, my grandfather, was one of five brothers form the same family who served in World War Two, and when I was at Skidmore, two of those brothers were still alive. And I took a class from Professor [David] Eyman, in History, about WWII, and my final paper was about these five brothers and their rolls in WWII. And I have their oral histories that I did when I was a Skidmore student that I have digitized and added to the collection here because they lived in Saratoga County. So, I think it's really important. We did lots of oral interviews for the film, The Great Sacandaga Lake. And we did both people who had their own memories and then we also did historians in the area who had collected information from other people. And then we also had some modern programs that are going on today, like invasive species stewards, people who check for water quality, things like that. So, you know I think it's really important to capture that, digitize it. And, you know, obviously you have to take– [paused] Marian Fitzgerald who’s the city historian always says we have to call them oral narratives, rather than oral histories because you're talking about someone's memory. You're not talking about a fact, a published fact of history, and sometimes they get it wrong. And I'm sure there are somethings in here that I'm getting wrong, but it’s what– it’s my narrative. So, that being said, I don't think it takes away from what those memories are and the including bias that you are getting as part of that interview– I think it changes, for instance, what pieces of the interview you include in the film or you'll include in whatever piece you're putting together. But I don't think that by any means that takes away from what those memories are. In fact, I think it adds more to what they believe was happening at the time, what their perception of that history is, or what it has become. Evolved. Because a lot of times, you know, we were asking people – we were asking someone who was in their nineties to remember what it was like when she was five years old. ... IL: So then to circle back a bit. So, one thing I am interested on hearing your perspective on is Cabaret Troupe. So, they've been struggling recently to have the number of members to make musicals. LR: Really. IL: Yeah. So, this is one of these on-going stories on the Skidmore campus. So, can you talk about what Cabaret Troupe was during your time. LR: Yeah, mmm. Cab Troupe– Cab Troupe was student run, which was different than the department. So, we didn't get credit for what we did. We always had to fight for performance space, we had to fight for a budget. And it was a ton of work. But there was really no other place to perform musicals because the department never did musicals, they did straight plays. And– but we pulled in, we had a lot of people, that– department kids that were also in Cab Troupe, and we usually had an orchestra that was taken from Skidmore's orchestra. [IL: Yeah.] A pit band, I should say, from the orchestra. So, we had other people that were not just musical theater geeks. But it was a ton of work that you didn't get credit for, but we did it because we loved doing it. And we – you know, we had to hire people for sound, and [laughs] and set construction. But I'm surprised to hear that because we always had a huge group of people. IL: So then could you elaborate on the relationships with the departments. So you said you had people from the orchestra and the theater, so this was kind of outside of the department, and just students who came in, or was this partly department, I’m going to say– not told to do, but the departments would kind of express support for. LR: I would say it was pretty separate because we were completely student run. We did have some, you know fighting for performance space was really tough because the dance theater– I mean, the dance department at Skidmore was really big, and they were, there were always other groups that wanted to be able to perform at the dance theater and we always ended up getting into conflicts with other groups because, I'm sure you know to put on a musical you need a lot of rehearsal time. And you have a set- [phone rings in background] Sorry. I'm going to wait till it’s over. IL: Okay. LR: So, we need a lot of rehearsals time there, and it was tough to fight for, and that's why I think my senior year we ended up coming to the compromise that we would have one musical at the dance theater and one at Falstaff’s. Because Falstaff’s was not an ideal performing space. In fact, in I think my senior year the heat broke there, and it was broken while we were rehearsing. We had to wear like hats and gloves and coats inside the building. It took forever to get the part they needed. Definitely less than ideal and we couldn't fit a lot of people in there. And we used to sell out most of our performances in the dance theater. So, I don't think the departments were against us, but it was difficult, we really had to work at being able to find our way and find support. I don't want to say there was anybody that wasn't supportive, and we did have help from the theater department at times. But we were really kind of our own entity. IL: Thank you. Um, so thinking then about, your experience with the American Studies Department. It seems like it was very formative for you. Could you talk more about what the program was while you were at Skidmore? LR: Yeah. I liked the interdisciplinary approach because I had a lot of different interests. And I think that probably goes back to growing up in a small school where you had to be involved in everything, to make it work, to have enough kids to participate or make a go of it. So, I had already said I was interested in anthropology. That's kind of how I started out my freshman year. So, I already had some classes in anthro, and then when I started with American Studies, I took an intro class with Professor Greg Pfitzer, and I just, I fell in love with the class. I thought it was just great. there were so many different aspects to it, and the idea that you could take classes in the history department, or women's studies, or English and have them count towards your American studies degree, I thought was a really innovative approach. And there were some students in my class that had – I can't remember what it was called – where you – self determined major. So, you know, it was, kind of Skidmore's idea that you didn't have to fit your studies into a box and have a single degree that said this is what I know how to do. But that you could in cooperate all these different pieces to fit into the puzzle of, you know, how you could be a well-rounded researcher. Because you know that's something that is very interdisciplinary. So, I just, I really liked the classes. We had a lot of decades classes. I don't know if they still do that, but I had one on the 1930s which was kind of like our methods class. I took one on the 1950s. And then senior year, the class that everybody wanted to take was the seminar on the 1960s with Professor Pfitzer. It just, you know – really understanding in our country where we came from. And when I was– when I was little, elementary school, I think probably fifth grade and seventh grade, my parents decided we were going to take these road trips. It used to be you had two weeks off at Easter instead of one week off for President's week and then one week for Easter, we had two weeks off at the same– put together. And, um, the first time we had a minivan. And I have a brother who’s two years older than me and my parents drove us across country, over two weeks, in the minivan. And we got to see all of these American history sites first hand. Things like the Indianapolis speedway, the St. Louis Arch, and the museum of westward expansion. Mount Rushmore, Custard's Last stand, intertwined, like, with Americana. Like the Corn Palace which is a building made completely out of corn. So, you know, there were all of these things. we did like a northern route the first time we went, and two years later we kind of like a southern route that include like Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico. And I really think that those trips and seeing what the country was like in all the different areas, ah was, really helped form what I was interested in as history goes. And I think taking those decades classes of, you know, what the country was going through, not just east coast, the whole country at different times. I think that was really formative in helping me figure out, you know, what is America? How did we get here? What is important about our past? How we place value on different things we've done, accomplished. Or maybe things we haven't done, or things that we want to sweep under the rug and not talk about. So, so I think American studies helps you explore that and come to terms with being an American and studying our past and, you know, I just– it was really a perfect, a really perfect fit for me. IL: That sounds amazing. Um, before we're get to the end here, is there anything we haven't discussed that you'd like to bring up? LR: Not that I can think of. I'll probably think of it you know ten minutes after. IL: Of course, of course. LR: That's how it works. [laughter] No, I think that's it. IL: Then is, ah, I'd like to just kind of reflect for a moment on, sort of, your journey, and it seems that Skidmore offered you a place to have a different way of thinking about things. How do you think that's a, kind of, been something that you've taken with you? LR: Hmm. I mean I think Skidmore really allows you to think not within a certain constructed box. And, you know, the idea of being interdisciplinary is something everyone can benefit from. And I think that's kind of been a theme through my life. You know, I'm thinking my senior seminar in American Studies, I dealt with reenactors, so, um, and kind of the bad rap they get, but also what they do to push historical study, historical interpretation. You know, places like colonial Williamsburg, or you know, or just pop-up reenactments, Civil War reenactments, things like that. And I think that probably reflects my interest in history with my love of performance, musical theater. So, I think– And that's something that I continue today. I'm still am– I co-direct drama club for my kids at school and I'm in musical theater all the time. But I also am still interested in local history– history on a local level, stories that haven't been told. So I think, you know it just allows you to develop those skills that– Here's Skidmore that’s like a really, I'd say, well-funded institution. They've got a lot of equipment and resources at their finger tips. They allowed me to work for a small museum that didn't have any of that. You got to see both sides of how that kind of works. And I'm somewhere in the middle, I guess, today. Cause I do– I'm employed the government, but I, you know I do a historian's job. So, I guess maybe it gave me confidence that it can be done. You can find a middle-ground, and you can pull from different areas of your interest, and um, and your talents to be able to make whatever that journey is that you're on to try– to make it work, to make it successful, and accomplish whatever it is you set out to do. IL: Thank you. I've just one quick thing you've mentioned, and I'd just like to elaborate on quickly. You mentioned that you co-direct for your children's elementary school. Could you help me understand what your kind of being a parent in the community is like? LR: Sure, so I actually live in Edinburgh, which is a tiny little town on the Great Sacandaga Lake. It's within Saratoga County, but it's ten minutes from where I grew up. So, my kids, I have a nine-year-old son and a seven-year-old daughter, and my kids go to a very small school, only pre-K through six, and my son has like nine kids in his grade, and my daughter does too. So, I am able to help co-direct their drama club that was started just a few years ago in their elementary school. So, it's just kind of giving back to the community, letting the kids have the same kind of opportunity I did when I was little, to be able to perform. And hopefully instill a love of theater in them too. IL: Wonderful. Thank you very much and thank you for agreeing to do this interview with me. It's been really wonderful talking with you Lauren. LR: You're welcome, thank you. Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data MP3 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 58:41 Bit Rate/Frequency Rate at which bits are transferred (i.e. 96 kbit/s would be FM quality audio) 44.1 kHz Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview 00:00:00 Header 00:00:51 " used to come to Saratoga to go to the racetrack" 00:01:28 Grew up in Northville 00:02:40 budding interest in local history from exploring as a child 00:02:46 Great Sacandaga Lake 00:03:23 School growing up 00:04:12 Life in a small town 00:07:13 Trips around the area 00:08:10 Races at 00:08:56 going to college, first St. Lawrence, then transferring to Skidmore 00:10:41 musical theater 00:11:30 Experiencing 9/11 at Skidmore College 00:13:52 Reflection on the Skidmore community. 00:15:52 Work-studies 00:17:36 " and knowing what it's like to have to wear the many hats that you do if you work for a nonprofit or a small museum, public historian" 00:19:02 old Scribner village 00:20:09 Cabaret Troupe 00:21:12 Glotzbach's induction was not especially significant to the students 00:22:11 Living in Moore away from campus in town with other transfer students. 00:24:33 University Without Walls 00:25:35 Work 00:26:45 Community Chorus 00:27:03 Post-grad 00:31:21 The Round Table discussions in Saratoga county about history. 00:32:22 Funding of history in the area. 00:34:22 Historical tourism in Saratoga. 00:38:18 Practice of history 00:40:58 Still come to Saratoga Springs and Skidmore, as well as being part of a historic preservation group. 00:41:32 "Collaborative oral history group projects" between the Saratoga Library and the county. 00:42:44 "I've done a couple oral histories" as an interviewer. How she personally is engaging with oral history, including oral histories done as a Skidmore student. 00:45:36 Defining Cabaret Troupe her time at Skidmore. 00:47:34 Departments and Cabaret Troupe "pretty separate." Eventually compromising on fighting for space by using Falstaff's. 00:49:36 Liked the "interdisciplinary approach" of American Studies. 00:50:41 Self-determined major "Skidmore's idea that you didn't have to fit your studies into a box." 00:51:16 "Decades classes" on each decade of US history. 00:51:45 Family road trips when she was little, seeing sites of American history and American. "seeing what the country was like in all the different areas." Shaped her interest in history. 00:53:54 American studies "helps you come to terms with being an American and studying our past." 00:55:00 "Skidmore allows you to think not within a certain constructed box." 00:55:27 Senior seminar in American studies "dealt with reenactors." 00:56:08 "I co-direct drama club for my kids' at school," and her application of things she was involved in at Skidmore in her life now. 00:56:36 Experience while at Skidmore prepared her for job today and reflecting on the journey. 00:57:40 Being a parent in her community and doing drama for her children's school. 00:58:41 END Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Lauren Roberts Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 28, 2019 Language A language of the resource Eng Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Isabel Long, '21 Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lauren Roberts https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/cc8038814c5e62f770f4bac5413ef3b5.JPG 2869b9d9a3cf0e65dda9587598353851 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/8b70ad1e4a064010f854d607b987498d.mp3 fb50e97167f893d59365fdaeccc83337 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/1844591779534a0324bb2be123a09160.pdf 6211e04b033deb7d8269c8be1de3bbee https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/bafa16de22996c19723c641191f07468.JPG 7a1b9774eb6b3f32579317e95e22375e https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/7abc3a4b940ddbc03035eb0a01548878.JPG c788632722d7d840f347bdd10a00362c https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/1ce586bc5b14dd64b75ad8ee5ec35d6a.JPG 598bc109b6c1b08b410fe9a408ddc908 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/615b531a4fb466502ffabc4c9fa8b6ca.JPG 45606424bc352d16ceb8fb8208e1fe89 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/25ba143b7c301ecb415263c0b7f2725e.pdf c1ece65511f6074dfa0abd8411e9b7c6 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/bcdaafd5f24bb7942cca1ccb8a0c5acf.pdf f7f539e4f9e1f79d4e8ffa36d77a3327 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/a3ff99faf8ea448fa30520c4cf4777f8.pdf 2828f0342526d891a429ae8368be35dd https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/6d9743a03fda2099f8d2aa847a31db64.mp3 b5c2561388de58e1571c03021a19b19b https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/50821ea7a3ad7958932123cbdc0cb6b8.m4a 5db3f4f36182b00eaf1bb342fbc1caae Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Milan Stimler Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Beverly Mastrianni Location The location of the interview Saratoga Springs, NY Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Beverly Mastrianni Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 28, 2019 Language A language of the resource English Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project Description An account of the resource This is an interview with Beverly Mastrianni for the Skidmore Saratoga memory Project. Mastrianni is an alumna of Skidmore College, arts advocate, and artist in Saratoga Springs. She chronicles her work with the community and in the studio in this ninety minute interview. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Milan Stimler, '21 Subject The topic of the resource Interview with Beverly Mastrianni Date Created Date of creation of the resource. October 28th 2019 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/748554e93a20a2c92cf3b21a9dfba295.png 4913b70da521bd9c0072cdee7b2152ec Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Dora Daley https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/4dd06166e4e45cf7afed7dbb313f5a76.mp3 27d5f2ba820b87c7eb64ee444859a8af https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/bfb881fa70c9843716140ed8b872531c.mp3 86ef23ce24c783fa402d5fcd4d31bab9 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/d9eb2795d37e727f80b23ec32338b447.pdf 47e25a35b5e2dea45a1d84dd936edbb1 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/1d3049984c6f7c8be345c4f28661637b.pdf 44d424a573dddf552f141de620f16d61 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/10cfb0c43b48723d4dc861b03c41508f.pdf 7570344b29b17da9f088284b63e9b1b9 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/4e0a60a9553c61ed801200073a0cecb8.pdf bef3040bab495d4811821378145c0b54 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview James Eason, Lois Celeste Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Dora Daley Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Zoom meeting Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:12:84 Location The location of the interview Skidmore College (Zoom), Saratoga Springs (Zoom) Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Attached Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview Attached Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. James Eason Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 11/18/20 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Dora Daley Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 30, 2020 November 14, 2020 Language A language of the resource English Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource James Eason Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource James Eason Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Mp4 Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Abstract A summary of the resource. This is a interview with Dora Daley through the Saratoga Springs Senior Center about her life spanning from childhood to recent years. Description An account of the resource Dora Daley is a lifetime resident of Saratoga County. In this interview, she describes how In her youth she worked at a newspaper and as a young adult she worked at the paper mill in Mechanicsville. She left work to raise her children. Dora has then surrounded herself with a large, close, and caring family. oral history fall 2020 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/e6112c467fd6d6fc0070e0c782d4708c.jpg ff4143e60812cce296b351aa308e9ee4 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/cb72d792baa4ce68ba7d8653fb31517d.wav a85dbe1e772cf2ef62d752aebd9f3fce Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Cavicchi, Julia Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Blackhurst, Kelly Location The location of the interview Skidmore College, Scribner Library, DocLab Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Dym, Jordana Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 07/10/2017 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Kelly Blackhurst, '14 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 7, 2017 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. SSMP Oral History Project Description An account of the resource Kelly is currently the interim head field hockey coach at Denison University. She was a managament and business major. Language A language of the resource eng https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/1d3b00a42690890337d0c233ffc2261b.jpg 28fae9c3f949ea33590ed3370f1f9625 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/80900b752d2abee6c3495653b36e230b.wav b3376f3bb6413ff88c111b2af7eaef16 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Cavicchi, Julia Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed O'Brien, Brittany Location The location of the interview Skidmore College, Scribner Library, DocLab Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data audio recording Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Dym, Jordana Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 17/10/2017 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Brittany O'Brien, 2011 Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 7, 2017 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. SSMP Oral History Project Description An account of the resource Brittany, a psychology major at Skidmore, is currently working for ESPN. Language A language of the resource eng Type The nature or genre of the resource audio recording https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/82676819845cedcc39bf08fe914f6bcc.mp3 237c9119e026eab284c9906ad36a128f Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Mopsik, Jerome Mopsik, Emily Location The location of the interview Skidmore College, Scribner Library, DocLab Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Dym, Jordana Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 17/10/2017 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Emily and Jerome Mopsik (2007 and 2006) Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource October 7, 2017 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. SSMP Alumni Oral History Project Language A language of the resource eng https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/06132d52f1ef8948f343635358135e71.jpg 36c9d3ab01003ff6012b70309c498154 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/27655ae9ba2744505e7cebfc0dbef633.m4a 1ff80bafbf9bb7e23e2f2c298e81d8b5 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Eberhardt, Sophia Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Woodworth, Marc Location The location of the interview Saratoga Springs, New York Skidmore College, Palamountain Hall Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data mp3 Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Eberhardt, Sophia Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound [SE] What was an av-average week at Skidmore? [00:00:06.418] [MW] I don't know, I was thinking about being here in the very early 80s, oh, I arrived in fall of 1980, and, what I was thinking first about was how much Saratoga's different, which may not pertain exactly to your Skidmore question, but, um, I remember my freshman suitemates and I went downtown and found a really, kind of seedy, backroom pool hall, and we used to like to play pool there once a week and it seemed to me, that that represents the kind of Saratoga that's no longer here. You know, it wasn't entirely upscale bourgeois at that point, it was still a little bit seedy in some places there were a lot of buildings that were unoccupied, there were a lot of storefronts without stores in them, um, I think there were, maybe, more, maybe this is a fantasy, but more, artistic people who, you know, could afford to live in Saratoga, rather than wealthy people, as there are now who can afford to live in Saratoga, so it feels like the, the, the feel of the town is considerably different. [00:01:13.403] Um, a normal week in town would also have meant, in those days, for me, taking the bus to Moore Hall, which was our dorm on Union Avenue, uh, [it] was the last dormitory that Skidmore kept from the old campus which was still in place, and was still, um, a place where sophomores, juniors, and seniors would live, so, I do remember the first year I lived there, taking the bus around twilight in the winter and feeling, you know I was kind of isolated and far away from campus, so it felt sometimes a little bit, uh, like you were out of the mix of your normal, collegiate life, which was both good and also a little strange, sometimes, [inaudible], um, so that was part of the week, definitely, going back and forth on the bus that I remember. [00:02:06.524] It was also, I think, the dorm that I would say, [had] a more bohemian element, that the college lived in, so there were a lot of, uh, artist types there, and, uh, people who thought of it as a little bit of a different place to live, on, on campus, so there was quite a cast of characters there, and, it had its own dining hall, so, um, of course there was still a dining hall on campus here, but it had- it retained its old dining hall which was Skidmore's old dining hall, so, um, the denisons of that particular dormitory would, you know, gather in that dining hall, I remember an interesting cast of characters, a guy named Clark who would always take, uh, the effervescence, or the carbonation, out of his sodas, so he would spend a lot of time filling up soda, uh, filling up glasses of soda and then with his spoon, uh, clinking, the spoon, around through the ice and getting the effervescence to get away so he could drink it [00:03:07.929] Um, there were quite a few people who were, you know, notably eccentric, and it was also, it must be said, at that time, um, quite a drug center I would think. You know, Skidmore didn't, I mean, Saratoga didn't necessarily have a lot of, uh, a lot of industry at that time, but I think there were a number of young people who were selling elicit drugs out of, out of Moore Hall in those days, um, there were some international students, I remember, who, you know, seemingly have a very lucrative full time job it seemed, outside of their studies, in those, in those days. And that seemed to be a little bit based in Moore Hall, so, uh, that was, you know that wasn't, that wasn't part of my week, because I was, I was on an abstinence plan, and I never took drugs of any kind, um, my mother, wisely, made me very [afraid?] of all that stuff, but there were others, probably, who did, so, [there would be?], there would be a little bit of, uh, that kind of element going on down there. But it was, you know, it was still almost the 70s, it was early 80s, and, I guess there was still some of that permissiveness, not that the college would've permitted it, I don't suppose, but it seemed, I think, a little looser now -- then -- than it does now, probably, in all manner of things, and maybe, maybe students weren't, weren't quite so, um, overseen, I guess, in a way. So that's not really much of a schedule of a week but a scan of reassociation. [00:04:37.098] [SE] Do you feel like the students who were on Skidmore's campus then reflected the community in the -- like, in the Saratoga public more, um, and does that correlate to how Skidmore students are with correlation to the public now? [00:04:53.924] [MW] Ya that's a good question, um, it's a little hard for me to remember. I don't feel, that at least, I and my group of friends had a lot to do with Saratoga, I mean, despite going to play pool in the pool hall or, uh, going downtown. When I arrived at Skidmore the drinking age was 18, so people did go to bars and certain ones were Skidmore identified, I would guess, so we, we -- uh, I guess we socialized downtown, maybe, you know, maybe earlier than some Skidmore students do now, but I don't remember having a lot of interactions with townspeople outside of, you know, people who worked at the bank, or bartended, or served food. So I don't know if that's different, I mean, you have a better sense of what it's like now, but it's not your interview, we don't have to talk about that [laugh]. Um, but it, it feels to me that the campus and the people on the campus are more intergrated and perhaps a little more welcome and also welcoming to the people of the town now than they were then, [it] seems still pretty separate, um, I think it was, it would have been, of course, quite a while since the school became co-ed, so it was, you know, no longer thought of as a women's college, but there were still many more women at the college than men, I think it was still 3 or 4 to one ratio, maybe, at that time. And, I think the town still, probably, certainley people who had been here for a while still thought of it as, as -- as a rather posh school for wealthy young women and maybe that made them feel that it was still a separate entity from them, um. And, certainly there were still, you know, kids of means who went to the college and kids who drove very fancy cars, the likes of which I certainley didn't have or wouldn't have seen, and, I think, you know, in this town that wasn't booming economically at that point there was still probably a perception that this was a place for the wealthy to go to school and that probably retained something of a divide in there, before. [00:07:01.722] [SE] Um, so, since you weren't really involved with, like, the Saratoga public when you were here, what factors made you decide to come here and teach and live here? [MW] Hm, well I suppose that had to do largely with wanting to come back and work with Robert and Peg Boyers on Salmagundi Magazine, so uh, that, that became, kinda, my family when I was here as an undergraduate and they became my family in a way, I was very close to them. As a student I worked on the magazine, um, and spent a lot of time in what I aspired to, which was kind of their adult world of being intellectuals and loving arts and writers, um, so for me, Skidmore represented, uh, that world very strongly, and it was something that I was powerfully drawn to because I was here. And when I came back I came back initially, in a way that maybe, wasn't necessarily, going to seem permanent, but, Bob and Peg were on sabatical. I had a reason to want to -- nothing criminal -- but I had a reason I wanted to leave where I was and do something else and, um, and there was this opportunity to come back and, and help on the magazine while they were gone, and teach a few courses, so I came back for those reasons, and it wasn't, I don't think, at all because I didn't enjoy Saratoga when I was here as an undergraduate, um, I did I loved the town and I loved walking in the town, I love the architecture, um, I loved, actually, some of the sense that the grandness of the town had become compromised, because people couldn't keep up the houses anymore and there were numbers of houses on North Broadway which seemed unoccupied, weren't used in the summer even, and weren't kept up, and that was true all over town. So it's still, it kind of had a, had a bit of, um, degenerated charm, in some way, which I liked in a, uh -- and the town had a lot of, uh, a lot of charm for me in that way so I, I always loved being here even if I didn't feel, you know, like I did all that much with people in town off campus. [00:09:22.806] Um, but, so coming back was not dictated by the fact that Saratoga is Saratoga but it certainly helped that it was an interesting town, um, and when I -- when I was here as an undergraduate I didn't have anything to do with Caffe Lena, but by the time I came back I was much more involved I guess with folk music and contemporary singer-songwriter music was something I cared a lot about in Boston and Cambridge when I was in grad school before I came back, and by, so by the time back, Caffe Lena was really on the map for me, almost immidiately when I got back here, and I spent a lot of time at Caffe Lena. One of my classmates at Skidmore was, at that point, running Caffe Lena, in the early 90s, and I, I came back in 1990, and I spent a lot of time at the Caffe, playing and hanging out, and sometimes helping and doing things there, um. I remember when Ani DiFranco, which may not be a musician you know or might be, was sending her first tapes around, and Barbara ?Harris?, who was the manager at the Caffe at that time, opened the tape and, I guess I came in later that day or that night and she said "Oh, I want you to listen to this, it's really different and I think it's something we should consider," and it seemed very out of the box for the Caffe, I mean, it was identifiably singer-songwriter, acoustic-based music, which was their bread and butter, but it was sharp and it was, you know, irreverent, and it was political and it was edgy, um, in terms of its sexual content, um, all things like that. [00:11:05.066] So it wasn't a given for Caffe Lena, which, you know, probably hadn't had that much edge in that way, and we listened to it together and thought "Wow this is great," so Barbara invited Ani to come and play, um, at the Caffe, and I got to open that show, which was terrifically fun, small crowd the first time, maybe 14 people, 20 people, I don't know, and she was just a knock out. So that's to say, um, there was a lot going on, still, artistically, in town, that I started to discover when I came back in the early 90s, and for me Caffe Lena was really central to that. And at that time, and I guess that's a good way to, sort of, answer, not so much how students interacted with town in my day, but how they did in the 90s at least, there were a number of students who were actively, um, involved in Caffe Lena either as volunteers or as musicians who played regularly or came to open mics, um, and so my students who became friends, uh, during that period would spend a lot of time at Caffe Lena too, so there was a real connection there, uh, for the students who liked that kind of music and wanted to involve themselves. So that was a really great bridge to town, I think, for a lot of people, and I believe, even though I didn't have that experience as an undergraduate, since the 60s that's been a really strong bridge between town and campus for people who like that world. [00:12:26.977] [SE] Do you feel like that's something that, like, music especially, is something that Skidmore values, and maybe how -- it's more of like how, what are some of the values of Skidmore that you have seen change, and that you hope to not change, and maybe some things that you hope to change, but, I know that music here is such, is such a scene and obviously that is reflected in the town as well and at SPAC and... [00:12:56.207] [MW] No, that's a, that's a good point, um, I'm trying to think back to undergraduate days in the music scene and, I think it was strong, I definitely knew a number of musicians and [had] a couple of bands of certain kinds that weren't particularly formal, I guess, but we did play, played out a little bit and there were certainly students who had musical inclinations and the culture was strong and certainly classical music culture at the college was strong then as well. There were, I think, already, no -- yea, maybe Filene, there were Filene scholars already, at that point, so some friends were gifted classical pianists, what have you. Um, and then certainly when I came back in the 90s there seemed to be, maybe, more musicians somehow, I don't know if that's true or quantifiable, and ever since there's been a great string of musicians, bands, individuals, singers, who have found that really important, so yea, I think the college has a definite, um, element that, that's highly musical, and not everyone, I suppose, finds their way to Caffe Lena, but, uh, those who do find that connection pretty strong, and -- I'm trying to think of some more stories of those early days, well, and um, Garrett ?Duten? who now is, I think his last name is Duten, who is the person behind G-Love and Special Sauce, went to Skidmore, which, uh, many people know, but uh I remember when he was in my class, probably in the earlier mid-90s, can't quite remember, um, he's played a lot at Caffe Lena, so he would go down there and, and do open mics, and maybe even had a show or two, I'm not sure, as a student I'm not positive about that, [00:14:47.061] and the [?apocrable?], maybe it's true, [mumble] but maybe [?a powerful?] story was that he told his parents that he really wanted to make a go at being a musician and they supported it with the provisal that if he didn't, within a year, sort of establish himself as a musician, um, he could go back to college and they would support his education, but if he took more than a year and then wanted to go back later, um, maybe they wouldn't, so, within a year, sounds too neat chronologically, but maybe it's true, he had a Columbia Records contract, and that was that [laugh], so there were some, certainly some gifted musicians who played there and, and people whos names you don't know, um, haven't had careers in music or were really talented, it was, it was a good scene, and uh, there was a lot of cross-over between how Lively Lucys on campus in those days and the people who were involved with Caffe Lena, um, Barbara Harris, the manager of the Caffe, whom I spoke of earlier, and I did some cross-over productions, so we'd bring shows to campus. I think when Ani got too big for the Caffe we had some Skidmore shows with her. We brought, uh, a singer-songwriter named Shawn Colvin, who was, um, just on the heels of winning her first grammy when she came to Skidmore for a performance that we, we had here, and those were, kind of, cross, um, promoted, as it were setup by the Caffe and the college and Lively Lucy's, so there was a lot of, uh, a lot of musical culture that was going back and forth at that time, in that way too. [00:16:23.973] [SE] Do you remember any notable performances either than Ani DiFranco? [00:16:29.566] [MW] Um, at the college, um, well I loved the Shawn Colvin show, that was terrific, and, um, and the thing I loved most about that night, perhaps, was that, um, I invited a young woman named Mary Lou Lord to open the show for her, and she was somebody I knew from Cambridge, Mass, and she was a street singer, she played in the subways and in Harvard Square and she was a terrific [00:16:54.073] um, singer-songwriter, and, at a time when the consolation of music meant a lot to me is to go listen to her play in Harvard Square in the subways, just sit there for a couple of hours and she introduced me to a lot of musicians and thier songs, she's a real advocate of great songs, and a great chooser of songs to cover, um, and I just loved her and her work and she was, uh, a close friend of Shawn Colvin, as it turned out and they became friendly, I don't know how Shawn and she found one another. Anyways, so that was a great thing because she got to open the show for Shawn, it was a big sold out house at, um, at u, JKB, and she just won the Grammy, Shawn had, so there was a lot of buzz about the show and it was really packed and exciting, it was a really great show. That was a wonderful show. And then, there's a, there's a New Hampshire singer-songwriter, um, who died a couple of years ago, sadly and prematurely named Bill Morrissey, and he had a show at the dance theater that Lena and Lively Lucy's put on together and I remember that he had a great Irish fiddler named Johny Cunningham who's played with a lot of Celtic bands and it just a terrific musician and Bill himself is a very gifted, kind of literary singer-songwriter, um, who actually had a novel published by Knopf, or [?book of great editors?] who's very literate, interesting singer-songwriter, and I, I love that show, he was very, he was very wry, very great on stage, and that was the show that, that I met my wife at actually, so she came to that show and we met there, and that was the first time we had met one another, which was exciting, of course, so that was a memorable show, and I got to introduce Bill that night and, I don't know, I said something modestly funny, and for some reason Billboard Magazine was convering that show and so they ended up writing a really good live review of the show and they also included the thing that I said, which was supposedly funny in the introduction, which is, you know, kind of weird for this little show at Skidmore, would end up in Billboard, and weirdly a quote from me would end up in a Billboard article, so, I, I remember both of those shows pretty well. [00:19:17.595] Um, and we had a lot of good Lively Lucy's shows and um, I, I guess, it's, what is it now, is it Earth Fest? What do we call it? Something like that... [SE] Earth Day. [MW] Earth Day, sorry. Um, so, it seemed, before that became quite as full-blown as it has been for the last decade or so, it used to be kind of a Lively Lucy's, outdoor, spring music day, um, and I think it evolved to include more facets as it has now, but there were lots of really good events, musical events, around that as well. [00:19:49.084] So, and then that, I guess it was more folk-based then, too, it was more of a singer-songwriter and folk-based show than it necessarily is now, and it was some really beautiful April days just out on the green listening to really good music, um, [?that was a piece?] of those days, musically too. [00:20:07.714] [SE] Do you feel like, as a music writer, you've been able to, you know, excel in this environment? Or do you ever feel like you should be living somewhere else? [00:20:21.757] [MW] No I actually, I've never thought, I've never thought that, but now that you mention it, I suppose, because it's a place that is welcoming for music and has a lot of students interested in music, it's been possible for me to imagine courses and to, uh, figure out a way to include in my teaching life, um, the study of music, in, in a way that I certainly didn't when I first came here. I mean, I would teach classes in writing about the arts and we would include some musical writing as well, that was there from the beginning, but then to feel able to design and offer courses that have to do primarly with music and music writing, um, has probably something to do with the fact that musical culture here, um, which is more of a teaching than writing myself, but, um, but, but I think being around so much music and finding it possible to see so many good things that had been used, like SPAC for bigger shows, or Caffe Lena for smaller shows, has been necessarily something that's kept my head wrapped around music a lot, and maybe that wouldn't happen in a different place as much. [00:21:36.331] Um, and maybe the fact that we're pretty approximate to Boston or New York is - a chance to go see music in those places - is possibly significant, but, but you know that's a good question to think about and to think about how the writing of mu-, about music is place-based, I've never really thought of that before. [00:21:58.238] [SE] Um, you just mentioned how you took a course in writing about arts, and I guess, on a broader term, how have the courses offered at Skidmore changed and hopefully have gotten better? Are there any courses... [MW] [speaking over SE] Ya that was a course actually I taught, not took, but, um, just, that was a class that I used to teach a lot for first-year students who took a writing class in English, as they still do, called 105, um, I don't know, I found I because I have a kind of independent, not independent, but kind of hybrid position because I'm editing Salmagundi and serving in that capacity and also teaching as lecturer I'm not teaching as much as people who are full-time faculty, um, I found that the English department, and more broadly the college and MDOCS, has been very open to my proposing different things to do, which, I think, is a hallmark of Skidmore, you know, the ability of the institution to, uh, use the energy and, and interest of its faculty to come up with things that might increase the opportunities for students to do different things and find a way to make that happen. [00:23:18.981] So, that's always seemed to be a hallmark of the institution, is, you know, "this sounds like an interesting idea, how could we limit that instead of saying 'no that's not in the curriculum' or, um, 'we don't have that kind of course, so, I guess we shouldn't have that kind of course.'" People tend to, if it's a good idea, try to make it happen, and I think that has added, I'm just speaking from my own personal experience but I'm sure that's true for any number of faculty who proposed new courses and figure out how to, you know, implement what they, what they really love to teach in the classroom, I think, um, that's probably something that creates a lot of good energy around what we offer students. Is it different than what happened in the old days? I'm not sure if it was more rigid then or not, I don't know. Um, but, I've always appreciated the openness to ideas and the openness to encouragement of new things that [inaudible] the academic life that I've experienced here, at least. [00:24:17.210] [SE] Ya, that's great. Um, kind of to direct it back to something you said much earlier, you said that you were living at Moore house... [MW] Moore Hall. [SE] Moore Hall, Moore Hall, um, were you here when the campus got switched to... [00:24:30.793] [MW] No, that had happened probably, what, 72... so it was probably about eight, eight or ten years before the switch was happening, I don't know when it was completed. So that was, like, the last dorm, and they kept that dorm for quite a long time and people lived there, I'm not sure, they just tore it down this year, as, um, as they've started to put up condos on that, on that spot, um, and it was a, you know, terribly ugly, but endearingly ugly, building [laughter from SE] that was made of pink, um, rock-like material that was supposed to age to gray, an elegant gray, but it never did, so it was known as the "Pink Palace" and, you know, it-it was kind of a, I don't know what it was -- a 1960's, kind of, failed cubist design that looked very different from anything on Union Avenue, that's for sure. [00:25:20.402] And it had no trace of Victoriana about it, whatsoever, so um, so no I didn't experience that switch, and, you know it was interesting though to be part of that vestigial campus that was downtown because, you know, I also, I also loved the fact, when I wasn't taking the bus that we would walk to campus, which was a significant, a significant walk, a 20-25 minute walk, and just to be part of town in that way and really experience the architecture of the beautiful, old buildings that, that lined all of the streets, and to feel like Saratoga had a deep history, and it had, uh, a sense of place that wasn't fully dependent on the college, though the college was part of that sense of place, seemed to be really important, and, and, you know, it provided a kind of depth to your experience here, I guess, as a, as a student or as a person that is not insignificant. [00:26:13.189] I mean there are so many wonderful colleges within a very short reach of here, um, and some of them are in, you know, tiny towns essentially out in the middle of the country and, I think we have a special, uh, a special reality here because of the town's deep history and what's available to us, maybe the most notable aspect of that is the architecture which we can see and experience and walk past each day, and that gives us that sense, but then the more you start to understand the town as a whole and its history and what's gone on here and how it was first an Indian -- Native American healing place and then became, also, a healing spring for white settlers, um, and established itself in that way, that long history is not what you have everywhere. [00:27:08.412] [SE] Yea... [MW] So... [SE] Yea. Um, so I guess to wrap it up, how do you define your relatinoship with that Saratoga history that you were just talking about and also just Saratoga today and especially Skidmore College. [00:27:26.818] [MW] Hmm, um, I don't know, I find [that] because I grew up in an area of Massachusetts, um, I grew up in Carlisle but my friend was from Concord, the next over, which has itself a very rich history and was, you know, obsessed with the American Revolution when I was a boy and I went to high school in a town where Thoreau and Emerson wrote and were buried, that, it's sort of unthinkable to me to live in a place that I don't know the history or care about it, so for me, understanding upstate New York history, which I didn't know that much about, coming from Massachusetts, and starting to look into the Native American history around here and how this land was contested by the Mohicans and the Mohawks, the Iroquois and the Algonquian, different peoples, and how the Dutch influenced the area -- that's become something I've really spent a lot of time reading about and thinking about and that I'm deeply interested in. [00:28:30.077] So, so for me part of, part of being a Saratogian is, is really having a sense of the importance of that past and the detail of that past as much as I can and that makes the place, for me, livable, in some way, I mean that's really important to me, is to-is to have a sense of place of -- a place's history, and, you know, there's a lot more to learn, I don't know anything like all I could but what I do know has made this place feel rich and feel very much like home or a home, um, in a way that it wouldn't if it didn't have history. [00:29:08.296] And Skidmore's sort of impossible to think of in any objective way outside of my own experience because it's been home for so long, you know, aside from, um, six years when I was at graduate school , you know, I've lived here since I was eighteen years old and it's inextricable from every development that's -- that I could imagine for myself I suppose. Um, and, it's really where I, you know, as a-as a place, as, Skidmore, as a place where I lucked into a relationship with some of the smartest people I've ever met who are incredibly good-hearted and incredibly brilliant, um, in the English department, in Salmagundi-at Salmagundi, uh, Magazine, at the development of my love of literature which I came to Skidmore with, but which changed and deepened when I was here, uh, and continues to do that and to talk, you know, in these offices with Robert and Peg and our student assistants and other colleagues in the department about work that we love and to communicate with some of my favorite authors who I happen also to be friends and contributors to our magazine seems like a really extraordinarily rich way to live and to me that's completely inextricable from Skidmore and from living in Saratoga. [00:30:35.810] [SE] Yea, that's great, that you so much. [MW] You're welcome, thanks. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Marc Woodworth Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource Spring 2018 February 21st, 2018 Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project Description An account of the resource An oral history interview with professor and alumni Marc Woodworth. He discusses his time as a student on campus versus as a professor, and life as a Saratogian in general. Language A language of the resource ENG Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Eberhardt, Sophia '19 1980s 1990s Caffe Lena downtown campus Lively Lucy's Moore Hall music public history Salmagundi Skidmore faculty https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/daf751948e1d097767a5ec451ecc5953.jpg 043b9f62a8a4aad22bbb6ed73824c65a https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/05e4d29b23c0ba2dc6d9830aeea3570a.mp3 ff6259f1759f07125b156f82e3fb96ba https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/516384fac4f44cf011fcd7a2c54514c9.pdf e3b75bf026f6bac65ff10bfd8ca91372 PDF Text Text 00:00:00.000 Jd: Are we recording? Okay. Kris: Ready? Okay. 00:00:04.322 Kris: Hi! My name is umm Kris Leggiero and I've been here, I am the SGA accountant at Skidmore for 17 years. Jd: Umm my question is, cause I know you are from long Island and then you came here, but before we get into the transition, what was your favorite childhood memory in long Island? 00:00:25.000 Kris: Okay. My favorite childhood memory on Long Island, uh does it have to be in Long Island, or, cause I did, you know I did, umm , I grew up also, you know, I lived in Brooklyn for a short period in time and for, I think more of my memories come from Brooklyn actually, which is really interesting. I just remember cause when we, when we lived in Brooklyn, It was, we lived in an apartment building. I grew up with my four sisters in a one bedroom. So by the time we moved to long island, it was a little bit different, and we had a house and you know everyone had their own bedroom so It was a little bit different growing up, but being in a room with my four sisters with these beds lined up one after the other, and, it, those are the memories that really stick in my head, because we were so bonded because we spent that much time, you know together in that room, whether it was fighting or laughing, or whatever, being silly. Or jumping from, this is a really good memory because I just remember it so vividly. We would jump from bed to bed to bed and go back. And we all, we all waited for my parents to come in and yell at us. [00:01:35.000] And they never did, I guess they figured we were, you know having so much fun and we were staying out of their hair. So, they, were like just let them do. It's funny because there are so many memories, but those are the ones that stick in my mind. Just the four of us in that room, late at night, probably staying up later than we should have been and just laughing and bonding and til this day we are just so close. [00:02:00.368] And I think it’s because of those moments of being so close back then. Jd: It's so interesting that you say that because a lot of times when you speak about your accent and you refer to it as your long island accent but then your memories are just from Brooklyn. Kris: Yes? Long Island I guess, you know, I moved to Long Island when I was in fourth grade and umm, but I guess. we were kind of, well my sisters were older and we just started going our own ways. And Long Island, I think my biggest memories of Long Island which is you know, I don’t know, it was just more of like when I was older and able to go out. And going to the different clubs and having fun with friends, and that period of my time as opposed to, but the �memories that I love the most are when I was younger and that's why I kind of go back to Brooklyn. [00:02:57.752] Jd: Those were the foundations. I wanted to know what influenced you to move to Saratoga. Kris: Oh! That's a good question. If you ever been to Long Island, there's a lot that influenced me. (laughing). So actually, what really happen so my children were not in school yet and a good friend of mine who I grew up with, I knew since oh my gosh, we were probably nine or ten years old, knew her through school and till this day we are best friends, [00:03:34.487], umm she went to school up here. By the time, she was in grad school, I guess and moved up here. I was already, I was married, I had kids, she was you know still in her path. I would come and visit her. I always use to come up. The funny thing is about is, she lived in Albany. The funny thing is, when they say you know you're from Long Island, and you may appreciate it this, I am not really sure, but when they say you know you are from Long Island when you think that Westchester is upstate, well that is so true. [00:04:05.000] because I never realized there was something to up North. I use to come visit her in Albany, and it was nice whatever. One weekend she says, "Let's go to Saratoga" and I'm like, "What is Saratoga?" (Laughing) So we came up actually for the big race, the Travers race, and we came up and I was like oh my goodness why did you not bring me here. It was just a beautiful town, everything I was looking for, and I love simple, I love being simple. At the time it was just a very simple [00:04:50.000] quiet town, fell in love with it. Ended up getting in touch with the builder, had a house built very quickly, before my kids got into school, and just moved up. And love it. I feel like I am on vacation every single day. Jd: Till this day? Kris: Till this day and I've been up here since '93. Over, way over 20 years, just absolutely love it. Jd: That leads me to my next question. What surprised you the most about Saratoga, what made you love it so much? (Laughing) Kris: So, what really surprised me about Saratoga, again that's a really good question again because this is another vivid memory. I was, I was probably on my first couple weeks here, and I am on Broadway, [00:05:32.608] and grab a cup of coffee, just kind of getting use to the town and seeing what stores are there. That was just about the time where bigger stores were popping up like Eddy Bauerer, Anne Taylor and all that section was not even there, and those hotels were not even here. And I grab my cup of coffee and I am walking through town and you know, just kind of minding my own business, and every �person, I am not joking, every person I pass was like "good morning, good morning" and I am looking around, are they talking to me. I was just not use to that. People are just umm, you know. people are just really friendly and they stop to talk to you. That, and on Long Island everything is just rush, rush, rush, people aggravated, traffic and then moving up here and just like living and it’s a funny thing, I was talking to someone just yesterday and she was making fun of my walk actually because I walk to slow, but that never was like that. As soon as I moved up here, I'm like that’s it, I am not rushing around anymore. I am just taking my time. That moment in town when people were saying hello to me, and I figured someone was behind me (laughing) [00:06:55.870], that they were talking to someone else. It's a great town, it’s an absolutely fabulous town. Jd: That's why I came to Skidmore, and financial aid, but when I came to visit everyone was so nice and saying hi all the time. It is so different in New York City. You don't say hi to anyone, you barely make eye contact. Kris: It is so different. It’s like this is the way I want to live. This is the way, you know, I knew in my core, that’s who I was because I love talking to people and I love being friendly, but down in Long Island. They will look at you with three heads, they are not going, you know, there like, "What do you want?" [00:07:37.333] Jd: It's almost suspicious when people are too nice in New York City. Kris: Yes, exactly. Jd: What was one thing that New York City had that Saratoga didn’t? Kris: Long Island? Something that Long island had? Jd: or Brooklyn Kris: Well, I have to go back to Long Island, so the thing that Long Island had that Saratoga does not have, and something that I wish it had, ugh the beaches. Without a doubt, without a doubt. I grew up ten minutes from the ocean. We use to ride our bikes down there and spend my whole summers there. The lakes are lovely, I will not go in a lake. But they are lovely. But the beach I so miss, but I do go back just for that. Jd: Are there beaches by here? Kris: You know, it will take me about three and a half hours to get to Jones beach on Long Island, but I guess Massachusetts. Everything is still probably around three hours away. �Jd: Nothing around here Kris: No lovely lakes, that’s about it, but it doesn’t compare. (laughing)You can’t jump in the waves in a lake.[00:09:02.705] Jd: You kind of just stay in the lake. Kris: Its beautiful to look like at, its serene, but it’s not the same, not the same. And bagels and pizza. Have to throw those in. Jd: Pizza is a big one. Kris: Yes, very big. Jd: And I feel like even when I go back now, it’s hard to find a good New York City Pizza because I don’t know where the good spots are anymore. Kris: I know, yeah that’s true. Yeah that’s true. Jd: So I wanted to transition into now your life at Saratoga and Skidmore, but more towards club life and the transitions in the seventeen years you’ve been here, Going towards your life, what’s your favorite part about it?[00:09:55.328] Kris: Favorite part about my job. Well. so, there's two favorite parts if I may. I've been doing bookkeeping, accounting, financial work since I've been 18 years old, and I love it! I absolutely love it. Umm, but I did work for an accounting firm, small accounting firm and I loved my work, but I am a people person, so it was very difficult for me. So, when this job became available I interviewed for it, and got the job. [00:10:40.870] I was able to do my love, the accounting that I love. I'm a little bit of a nerd. But then to be with the students and I have to say, working with students, and working with, you know, I consider you adults, but you know what I am saying, when I say adult, right two different things. The students here are amazing, they are motivating, they, and still seventeen years later I am still in awe of the students here. And, but they give me that you know, that motivation, seriously to do things in life. Like, everything that they can, like I can’t and I say this to everybody because I amazed at everything that you guys do. The clubs, and keeping up your grades, and working, and just like being these beautiful people. I was walking across campus the other day, again here we go again, the students, like three students, didn’t even know, it was early in the morning, I was heading over to a meeting and their just like, "good morning," and I am like, "really." These students are so nice too, and I am sure there are a few that are trouble makers, but for the most part the children are amazing. [00:12:05.870] And I am very fortunate, and every day I come to work and say "I �love what I do, I love my job." After 17 years, and it's because of you, it seriously is. Jd: It is so interesting, this conversation keeps coming up this week. I keep on talking to people about how amazing the students at Skidmore are and of course I am thinking about the pants that people wear because there are so amazing. Just looking at people's pants, especially in the fall or in the spring, I’m just like, because they are always so subtle, a lot of Skidmore students are always subtle but always doing a lot with their work [00:12:46.710]. So many interesting things too. It’s insane, like the art students, the students with computer science, like animation, like I just realized this week that that’s a whole sector of a course, that someone can specialize in animation. I’m just like, what, that’s awesome, that people are gaining these skills here, like that’s such an interdisciplinary space. Kris: You do, the students do so much, and they do everything so well. Even the fashion show, it’s like all the time you spend on that, that blows my mind because I work and I go home and I am like on the coach. [00:13:32.312] (Laughing) I'm done, but it’s so amazing. It keeps me young, it keeps me motivated. Like constantly striving, I can’t imagine if I worked in the CPA office, I couldn’t imagine where I'll be. I will probably be ten years older than I am. Just being here and the energy from the students. I feel so grateful on that end that I get to stay young and refreshed. I am very challenged in some areas like technology, but the students help me so when I go out in the real world, my world, I look pretty smart. (Laughing) Thanks you too. Jd: So my next question is, no actually, I am going to transition to somewhere else. What has been your favorite memory with a student at Skidmore? Kris: A student? Oh wow. That is so hard because I’ve met so many incredible students and bonded with so many incredible students. I think, I don’t know a specific memory here, because there is so many. But I think my, I think, when students graduate and we still have that connection, and I am still invited to weddings, and baby showers, [00:15:19.648] a specific memory, I have a student who calls me, I think almost every week and he graduated six years ago. And it’s you know, those things, those are just, those to me, mean so much. It will be very hard for to pick a specific memory for here. Jd: I think that answered it perfectly. Shifting over to clubs, umm, how have the clubs shifted over the years, if they have? Kris: I don’t know if there's been a big shift, what I see, it’s very typical, very consistent. The clubs that are really active, tend to remain active year after year after year. There may be a few clubs that have been active, that all of a �sudden, we have to have that conversation like "what’s going on," "how’s the membership, how’s the eboard working" because we can tell. We can tell the clubs that have been so active, and the ones that have been active all of a sudden are kind of. I think it’s very consistent about the clubs that are created each year or chartered each year and then the other clubs that have been chartered and kind of the eboned flow. You have that interest for one year or two years and then it declines and then the club gets sunsetted because there is no interest. All of a sudden, two years later, "Hey, there is this kind of a club, I am interested." [00:17:19.263] I think it is very consistent in that way. I know the clubs that are active, consistently are active. The ones that we kind of know, that have the eboned flow and we expect it. You know, we expect it. I personally, on my end, what I do, I don’t see any major shifts in clubs. It is interested to see the ideas on the clubs that are created and the interest, you each year and some clubs where the interest it’s like, "Woah we can’t do that," so I think it’s all consistent how it ah plays out. Jd: Do you have a favorite event you like to go to? Kris: Well every year I try to go to an event I have never been before so I go to the circus club or I go to an acapella event. One of my favorites, and not because you are sitting in front of me, this happened a long time ago, it’s the fashion show. I love, and maybe it's because I know all the work you put into it, but then again, I love fashion. So it’s something that I am passionate about. [00:19:06.847] But, the other events I love going to, I love going to the culture dinners, love whether it be Hillel, Hayat, I love those dinners. I love the performance, the food. It expands my world. I also love going to sporting, I love watching the men’s hockey team. Love it. And I've been to the alpine ski races, absolutely love that as well. Jd: And those are a little bit further? Kris: Yes, I'll go up to gore mountain which is about an hour away. I’ve been there a couple of times, absolutely love those too, but I do try to go to, I've been to Comfiest. And. I’ve been to the outing club, they have the film screening I've done that. So, I try to spread it out, things I haven’t been to, Fun day? I'll show up if I have to. [00:20:20.870] No, I love fun day but, Jd: It can be a little hectic sometimes. Kris: I pop in, I pop in, say hello early enough and then I am usually out of there. Jd: A little bit pf a personal question, I really want to know the answer to. How has student fashion shifted since you've been here? �Kris: Oh! How has student fashion shifted? You know and this is amazing, and I do, I watch student fashion. I love seeing what the students wear. [00:21:00.870] I can’t mimic it, but I may throw in something a little age appropriate for myself every now and then. What I see is like the different styles from when I Jd: They are coming back. Kris: They are coming back! and I love it. One year I saw leg warmers and I’m like, "Wait that’s the 80's" Umm, I’ve seen the wide, the bell bottom pants. I love, and I am like oh gosh, I should have saved all those clothes. [00:21:32.190] Jd: There are a few pieces I took from my mom, she was going to throw them out. I was like no these are going to come back. I am going to keep these. Kris: As I go through my closet, I am like why did I give it up. But you know, but here is something I am very impressed by. I have been on other college campuses, most people in their Pajamas. Not at Skidmore. (Laughing) you know and its, students just love to, whether they mean to or not, they look great, and of course I miss my little hall way downstairs, like a little fashion, cause that’s you know, I love to dress uniquely. i know quite a few students who do. As a matter of fact, I ran into a student the other day and she was wearing these animal print booties and I am like oh my god. I have those booties, I am so cool. I think its Diane. I have the same booties as her, I wouldn’t wear them here, but that was so cool to me. Jd: Seeing the fashion here, is just, is incredible to see what people wear and how they put it together. And everyone has such a different style. Kris: Exactly, sometimes the same. There’s this joke, everyone at Skidmore dresses the same which is so true because me and tory have come in with the same outfit and we will take a picture. And it’s like, and again, and here is how the students inspire me. Because I am like, I love your headband. I’m like, "That might look good on me: so I go out and I’m like, let me try it. Here is my work, this is what I do day in and day out. It is just so amazing that I can take so much more away from this beautiful campus that we are on. And that’s why every day I am so grateful for my job, for what I do here, cause I love what I do, I love working with the students, I love bonding with the students, I love what I learn from students. And it’s like, sometimes, alright I am too happy. [00:24:29.375] Jd: I think that was a perfect ending to our interview. Usually for interviewing I have to let you speak, and we are so interactive, I have to stop my thoughts all the time and I want to say mmhmm. And I think I did a few in here. �Kris: But that’s okay because when we are interacting that brings out different, you know, thoughts in my head. I am like oh yeah, that’s what interviewing and talking is about Jd: Is there anything you like to mentioned that you feel like we haven’t covered or any last final thoughts? Kris: about what in particular? Jd: About anything Skidmore/Saratoga Community Kris: You know, again, I just feel very grateful. In my little world, I feel very grateful. Obviously, we are not without struggles, but I also see those struggles being addressed. And I am grateful for that as well because I’ve also seen in the past where they weren’t. I am glad to see that we are getting to a place where we are more conscious and moving ahead. That is great to see on this campus. The college itself, the students remain to be amazing. The one thing I have noticed about students though from when I first started there wasn’t a passion for a stance and now I feel like students, all group of students when they have a passion they are going for it. And that to me, and seriously, for years and years and years, we've talked about. "Why isn’t there passion" on campus like why isn’t everyone like, you know. Then all of sudden there, boom, and it’s become this snowball effect and that’s great. That’s part of the college experience, tis not only academic. Its finding your spirit, its finding your voice. [00:26:50.870] Its really important as well and I am so glad that a lot of students have found their voice and are pushing us forward. Jd: I think a lot of that also has to do with the growth of social media, where we are constantly connecting with people who might not have the same views as us. Makes us even more passionate about what we believe in. "Wait, but I believe this and I want to speak about this" and I think it triggers conversations in ways where before may have been closed into a space that not everyone had access to. Kris: That is true. That is very true, and it’s also learning, I think it’s a hard thing to do, but learning to appreciate someone else’s opinion and learning to respect someone else's opinion and respecting their opinion. [00:27:40.870] I think that’s such a hard thing, because you are like "No, you're wrong." Jd: And as soon as you hear something that you don’t agree with you want to respond, but the trick is to listen. I need to understand someone else’s point to be able to articulate mine. �Kris: And respect, that’s your perspective, that’s your view, that’s great, In my mind your wrong (laughing) [00:27:59.925] But I am not going to say that. So yeah, that’s the shift I see in students, just that compassion and passion and speaking up and moving forward. It is great to see. Jd: Thank you for allowing me to interview you and have this conversation. I really enjoyed it. Kris: Me too. Me too! That was great. � Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Location The location of the interview 3rd Floor of Case, Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY Transcription Any written text transcribed from a sound Add in subscription here Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 08/03/2018 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Interview with Kris Leggiero Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource The date you did the interview. Is Part Of A related resource in which the described resource is physically or logically included. Skidmore Saratoga Memory Project. Description An account of the resource Two to three sentences about the interview. Language A language of the resource Eng. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource De La Cruz, Jamerly, '18 Format The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource Audio https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/4d33950c94bc655985c40dc76031f4b2.jpg 2f2a9859cb417db2e4810ec0bf4cfc1b Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Aldo and Dennis-Cenus Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sarah Coburn https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/8444139072e711b47e6d656476755e9d.jpg 9586bbe014d52fd0f899ecfeffc1f6fa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Aldo and Dennis- Are Latinx United? Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Sarah Coburn https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/b6199091b1801d2297de44ca0fb763ee.jpg 01b0669d457b30039b2a36be49493e93 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/ec0af0c5b8d3c17c02525dcbc3fe0720.mp3 033430ad730c9c207a22a0342e5d310d Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Stories of Preserving our Past: Working with Medical Patients https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/fba11dcebf4aec30b1f02b7dbd91c0bb.m4a 95577a53c8e128a03889a2ad5cf98147 https://www.ssmp.mdocs.skidmore.edu/files/original/0bbb6e9499ee13018ace549bb74bde18.pdf b7e39ef16a649ef49a88990981dd41c1 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Oral History Description An account of the resource Many people who have worked or studied at Skidmore College or lived in Saratoga Springs or the surrounding area carry the memories that help us tell the stories of our communities. This collection offers a glimpse into our past in the voices of those who have shared their stories. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Rimmele Wood Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Rachel Clothier Location The location of the interview Virtual Interview (Zoom) Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data Audio Recording Record Contributor Individual who prepared the item and/or edited it. Jordana Dym Record Creation Date Day/Month/Year of record creation/edit 12/4/2021 Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Life History of Rachel Clothier Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Wood, Riimmele Clothier, Rachel Subject The topic of the resource Saratoga County (N.Y.) -- History Corinth (N.Y.) -- History Malta (N.Y.) -- History cemetery childhood church Cold War Corinth COVID-19 education General Electric Malta Malta Ridge Saratoga Springs school Vietnam War