Kevin Rose

We want to record and preserve your story for future generations. During the sequestering required by the novel coronavirus, the Turner Foundation is moving its oral history project online. Every week, we will attempt to interview two people about their time and experiences in Springfield, Ohio. We will conduct these oral history interviews remotely using computers with video and audio capabilities. If the interviewee does not possess this technology, it is also possible to conduct interviews over the phone. All interviews will be digitally recorded by the Turner Foundation, transcribed, and subsequently preserved in two local archives. To recommend someone to be interviewed, or to volunteer yourself, please send this person’s name, age and a brief bio to Kevin Rose at krose@hmturnerfoundation.org. We will be interviewing people of all ages, 18 to 100+, so do not hesitate to recommend someone with a story to tell. While we will not have the time to interview every person who is recommended, we will do our best to reach a broad, diverse population of people who have lived and worked in the Greater Springfield Region.

Interview Process

Once an interview has been scheduled, we will email information about how to connect. We begin every interview with a standard disclaimer and a verbal agreement in which both the interviewer and interviewee agree to release the recording to the public domain. This means that neither party owns the interview and that it is free to be used for educational purposes. We then start by asking the interviewee to clearly state their name and provide their birthdate. This allows future viewers to easily distinguish between people with the same or similar names. We then start our conversation, which will last between 40 and 60 minutes. While we tailor oral history questions for every interview, below are some sample questions to help you better understand the process. A typical interview contains between 10 and 15 questions. Of course, in these extraordinary times, we will also take a few minutes to discuss how this unfolding crisis has impacted the interviewee's live (and what fun things they are doing to pass the time).  

Practice Interview with Marta Wojcik

Sample Questions

Childhood

Tell me about your earliest memory in Springfield.

Where did you grow up? What was it like living in your neighborhood?

How long did you live there? How did your neighborhood change during those years?

Could you describe your childhood home? What was it like living there?

Were there any special objects in your house that you remember? What made them special to you?

What kind of games did you play?

What was your favorite thing to do for fun?

What did your parents do for a living? Tell me about your mother. Tell me about your father.

Where did you attend grade school? Could you describe your average day at school?

Do any memories from grade school stand out?

Where did you attend high school? Who was your favorite teacher? Why?

What world events impacted your life the most? How did they affect you personally?

Family

Can you tell me about your spouse or signifacant other? What do you admire most about them?

When and how did you meet? Tell me about your first date.

If you are married, tell me about the day you got engaged. Who proposed to whom? What was that experience like?

Where did you get married? What is your favorite memory from your wedding day?

Did you have children? What did your family enjoy doing together?

Occupation or Career

What did you do for a living? Why did you decide on that occupation or career?

What was your typical workday like?

Where was your office or work environment located? What was that space like?

What did you enjoy most about working for your employer/company?

What accomplishment are you most proud of?

Place 

Did you spend much time downtown as a child or young adult?

How did downtown change during your lifetime?

What was your favorite place to shop? What was your favorite place to eat?

Did you visit downtown during the holiday season? If so, tell me about those experiences.

Were there any buildings or spaces in Springfield that you found special?

Do those spaces/places still exist? If not, how did you feel when they were lost or demolished?

Did you spend much time at the public library? If so, tell me about those experiences.

Did you watch movies in any downtown theaters? If so, what theater was your favorite? Why?

Areas of Special Interest

While we will interview a diverse population of people with varied backgrounds, we have identified these areas of special interest:

• International Harvester factory workers from (1945-1985)

• Crowell Collier employees (1945-1956)

• African Americans who grew up in Springfield (1920-1960)

• World War II and Korean War veterans

• People who worked downtown in the 1950s or 1960s

• People who were featured in the 1983 Newsweek articles

• Workers at Wren’s Department Store

• Residents at the Westcott House Apartments (1945-2000) 

Recommend Someone:

To recommend someone to be interviewed, please send that person’s name, age, and a brief bio to Kevin Rose at krose@hmturnerfoundation.org.