Oral history interview with Ottilie Markholt by Kendra Fitzpatrick conducted February-March 1993. Ottilie Markholt talks about her involvement with various Pierce County labor unions, including the Metal Trades Council and the Office Employees Union, and shares some historical perspective on the Tacoma labor movement. A noted author and historian, Markholt also describes her efforts in chronicling the histories of individual union chapters and their national affiliates and provides commentary on a series of photographs showcasing union activities during the 1920s, 1930s, and 1940s.

Oral history interviews with Jean Sonntag, Richard E. Sonntag, Brian Sonntag, Jack W. Sonntag Jr, and George Sheridan by Alison H. Sonntag conducted 02/1994. This collection of interviews explores the personal and political history of the Sonntag family. Jean Sonntag and George Sheridan provide background details about former Pierce County Auditor Jack Sonntag, Sr., while Sonntag's sons (Jack, Richard, and Brian) discuss how their father's legacy has shaped their lives and their own political careers. Area of focus include Jack Sonntag, Sr.'s political philosophy, the evolution of Tacoma's political power structure, and notable accomplishments from each of the Sonntag's public service careers.

Oral history interviews with Ruth B. Nordstrom, Anne L. Gregory, Lyn Wilhelm, and Rene Z. Wilson by Crystal Graham conducted February-March 1993. Four female veterans reflect on their military careers and share their connections to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center at American Lake. Ruth Nordstrom, a long-time volunteer at American Lake, describes her time as an office clerk for WAAC (Womens Army Corp) during World War II and for WAF (Women in the Air Force) during the Korean War. Anne Gregory, a psychiatric nurse, talks about her experiences in Vietnam as a member of the Army Nurse Corps. Linda Wilhelm, a resident of the domiciliary, discusses her service time in the US Navy during the Vietnam era and describes some of the difficulties she faced as a gay woman in the military. Ren Wilson, a former domiciliary resident, recounts the high and low points of her Army career and talks about the social barriers she encountered as an African-American female officer. All interviewees comment on how the VA can better serve female veterans.

Oral history interview with Bertil E. Johnson by John Kingery conducted April-May 1994. In this set of interviews, retired Washington State Superior Court judge Bertil Johnson discusses his legal and civic careers, particularly his involvement with the Tacoma Boys Club and his time as presiding judge for the Pierce County juvenile court. He comments on some of the federal and local changes made to the juvenile court system in the 1970s and also touches briefly on some events from Tacoma history, such as the blizzard of 1950 and the adoption of the new city charter.

Oral history interviews with Nhung Huynh and Thanh Huynh by Jennifer Nguyen conducted 05/12/2015, 05/20/2015. In 1973 the war in Vietnam had ended for the United States and by 1975 the Vietnam War had effectively ended altogether. Following the end Vietnam War, the life of the South Vietnamese people would be disrupted and the new regime in Vietnam would implement harsh new laws and regulations against the South Vietnamese population to stabilize the new government. The chaos towards the end of the Vietnam War led to the United States to accept large numbers of Vietnamese refugees into the country. Did the United States do enough to help the refugees, or did their concerns go unheard? The purpose of this oral history project is to gain thoughtful information about the perspectives of Vietnamese refugees and their trials and tribulations during their voyage to freedom and once they arrived to America. This oral history project includes personal stories of Nhung Huynh and Thanh Huynh's refugees escaping on boat and their lives while waiting to resettle in America.

Oral history interview with Harold G. Moss by Alison H. Sonntag conducted January-February 1993. Harold Moss reflects on his forty years of social activism in the Tacoma community and shares stories about the citys gradual shift toward racial integration and equality during the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. He also discusses his childhood in Detroit, his early campaigns for public office, and his eventual appointment to the city council in 1970, earning him the distinction of being the first African-American to hold a public office in Pierce County. An addendum includes quotations from Mosss inaugural speech after being appointed Mayor of Tacoma in 1994, the first African-American to serve in that capacity.

Oral history interviews with Zakariyya Alim and Mary Thompson by Gudrun Krause conducted 05/04/2020. Polio, Scarlet fever, Spanish fly, H1N1, Whooping cough, HIV, and now Covid-19 to name just a few pandemics that haunted the USA. All of them spread death and misery throughout the population. This essay takes a look at ordinary people and how they dealt with natural and man- made crises during their lifetime and how they are coping now with the threat of Covid-19. Two people are interviewed for this project, an African American man from Baltimore MD and a White American woman with Scottish heritage from a rural area in WA State. Due to a historic turn of the event, the conclusion is looking into the equal rights protests that are going on all over the country and the world.

Oral history interview with Dawn Lucien by Andrew Fry conducted April-May 2009. Dawn Lucien, a lifelong civic activist and former Tacoma City Council member, examines some of the major political and economic decisions that have affected Tacomas development, particularly that of the downtown core. Areas of focus include the downtown decline following the construction of the Tacoma Mall; Luciens efforts to restore the Pantages Theater and revitalize the Broadway District; and her involvement with the South Puget Sound Education Council, which helped to establish the Tacoma branch of the University of Washington.

Oral history interview with Roger Coleman by Patricia George conducted April-May 2007. Retired longshoreman Roger Coleman describes the working environment at the Port of Tacoma during the 1960s and 1970s and comments on the racial attitudes and trends among workers. He also discusses the history of the International Longshore and Warehouse Union and its local affiliate, Local 23.

Oral history interviews with Crystal Inge, Mikyoko Kanda, and Donna Sasaki by Connor Peterson, Yina Finch, and Megan Packer conducted 04/16/2019, 04/28/2019, 04/30/2019. In April of 2019, a Pacific Lutheran University Religion 393 class set out to interview members of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple with the purpose to study the acculturation of religion and the ways that the role of religion in the Tacoma community has changed overtime. The class was broken down into three groups of 3-4 students each in order to interview Miyoko Kanda, Donna Sasaki and Crystal Inge, who are all members of the Tacoma Buddhist Temple. Each person was interviewed in order to glean more information about the time period they were most active in and specific questions regarding temple culture. This project was initiated with the intent to preserve the different perspectives of the members mentioned above through oral history as an ongoing project to collect and archive oral histories of relevant members of Tacoma from its foundation to present day.

Oral history interviews with Kevin Jensen, Ann Petricola, and Joel Baranick by Nora White conducted 05/01/2020. This project is based off of oral interviews, recorded and transcribed, with Thurston County farmers: Ann Petricola and Joel Baranick of Ellis Creek Farm and Kevin Jensen of Riverbend Ranch. The research essay explores the immediate trends seen in small farms during the first four months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Spring 2020. In a time of great uncertainty and fear, small farms across the US suddenly saw a spike in interest for direct to consumer sales while also facing processing bottlenecks and financial uncertainty. The experiences of Ellis Creek Farm and Riverbend Ranch paint a picture of small farms as safe, flexible, and community oriented sources of food and highlight some of the specific challenges they have faced during this time.

Oral history interview with Will J. Conner by Barbara A. Smith conducted 02/09/1992. Will James Conner talks about his fifty years in the theater management business and shares some of the history of the Temple Theatre, which he ran from 1932 to 1975. Reflecting back on hundreds of stage shows, music productions, and motion pictures, Conner provides some insight into the changing face of entertainment and entertainment technology before, during, and after World War II. In addition to the Temple, Conner also managed a number of other Tacoma theaters, including the Blue Mouse, the Music Box, the Rialto, and the Roxy (now the Pantages), and he touches upon each of these during this lengthy, in-depth interview.

Oral history interview with Faye C. Bates by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman conducted 05/07/2007. Faye Cabrini Bates shares her life story and recounts details from her social justice career, focusing in particular on her work with at-risk Native American youth and with St. Leo Churchs outreach programs. A long-time Indian rights activist, she comments on some of the political and social obstacles currently faced by Native American communities. Her father, Elder Martin Sampson of the Swinomish Tribe, is also discussed in-depth.

Oral history interviews with Wardell Canada, Isaac Morrow, Rodney Rhymes, Douglas Woods, Marlene Anderson, and Phil (Stevedore) Rees by Rebecca M. Crist, Duncan Plymate, Benjamin Williams, and Dave Larson conducted 02/1995. This collection of interviews with local longshoreman examines several aspects of the longshoring industry in Tacoma, including mechanization, race and gender relations, and the role of the national and local unions. Interviewees include Wardell Canada, Jr., a former member of the Black Longshore Association; Isaac Morrow, a Port of Tacoma foreman who pioneered on-dock intermodal shipping; Rodney Rhymes and Douglas Woods, two career longshoreman with thirty-five years experience between them; Marlene Anderson, the first woman in Pierce County to work in the longshoring industry; and Phil Rees, a casual (non-union) longshoreman who hopes to follow in his fathers and grandfathers footsteps.

Oral history interview with Lorraine E. Joseph by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman conducted January-February 2008. Puyallup tribal elder Lorraine Joseph shares the history of the Indian Shaker Church and discusses how faith and prayer have shaped her life.

Oral history interviews with Adriene Tillman and Shirley Aikin by Cheryl Marie Coney conducted 05/11/2011. Adriene Tillman and Shirley Aikin examine the social trends and attitudes that have shaped their experiences as African-American nurses. Particular attention is paid to the interviewees involvement with the Ebony Nurses Association of Tacoma, a local organization that provides professional and personal support to its members. Other topics of discussion include Tillmans union activity with the Washington State Nurses Association, Aikins teaching career at Pacific Lutheran University, and the current strengths and weaknesses of the nursing profession.

Oral history interviews with Aida Mohajer and Ebrahimi by Shadyar Omrani conducted 05/01/2020. Since COVID-19 started to become a global pandemic, it has caused personal and public traumas. Increase in unemployment rate, bankruptcy of small businesses, financial stress to the middle and working-class and the closure of many businesses which relied on peopleΓÇÖs social activities, including the gig industry, tourism industry and restaurants, are additional traumas to the issues of health and life threats people face by the contingency of the virus. By the end of May 2020, more than 2 million Americans were confirmed COVID-19 positive, 113 thousand of whom could not survive. Amongst the most affected populations, the people of color, especially Black Americans and immigrants have been suffering most. This research focuses on immigrant working women from the Middle East, whose life journeys are filled in with several traumas, some intensified during the pandemic. This paper provides two oral history records of two Iranian American working mothers, Aida Mohajer and Mrs. Ebrahimi, who carry historical traumas experienced in two different countries with two different cultures, i.e. Iran, and the USA. The intervieweesΓÇÖ stories show how the experience of trauma is related to the social class and what imposed social factors beyond choice can determine the class and different approaches to traumas.

Oral history interviews with Lena Landry, Judy Wright, and Charles Thomas by Darlyne Reiter conducted 11/1998. Puyallup Tribal Elder Lena Landry and Puyallup Tribal Historian Judy Wright discuss the plight of Pacific Northwest Native Americans during the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries and reflect on the life of Peter Stanup, a Puyallup tribal leader and activist whose 1893 death remains a source of enduring controversy. Charles Thomas, Peter Stanup's great-grandson, also shares his family's quest to uncover their history and their discovery of their connection to Stanup.

Oral history interviews with Ramona Bennett and Suzette Mills by Cecelia La Pointe-Gorman, Matt Nagel, Cheryl Milas, Clare Johnson, Dawn Quinn, David Octuck, and Brent Anderson conducted May-September 2009. Tribal leader Ramona Bennett discusses her forty years of advocacy work on behalf of the Puyallup Tribe and the Pacific Northwest Native American community. The interviews focus in particular on Bennetts time on the Puyallup Tribal Council (1968-1979), during which she campaigned for much-needed social and healthcare services. Other areas of focus include Bennetts involvement with the fish-in movement and the history of Cushman Hospital.

Oral history interview with Mary Cabrini Rohr by Connie M. Smith conducted 02/1994. Sister Mary Cabrini Rohr (Frances Rohr, 1910-1997) discusses her decade-spanning nursing and teaching career, including her time as director of the School of Nursing at Providence St. Peter Hospital in Olympia, Washington. Special focus is given to the schools 1954 changeover from a three-year professional program to a one-year practical program, a transition that Sister Cabrini personally oversaw.

Oral history interviews with Mark A. Peters, Calvin Peters, Josephine Peters, James Krise and Randolph Krise by Carrie Bratlie conducted February-March 1993. Tribal members Mark, Calvin, and Josephine Peters and James Krise share their connections to Squaxin Island, a reservation located in the southern part of Puget Sound. Interviewees recount stories from their childhood and describe some of the hardships faced by Puget Sound Native Americans during and after the Great Depression. Mark and Calvin Peters, both tribal fishermen, also comment on the 1974 Boldt Decision, which reaffirmed fishing rights for Washington tribes.

Oral history interviews with Patricia Ditter, David Algers, Bill Bichsel, Doris Barkley, and Barbara Thomashofski by Cynthia A. Thomas conducted February-March 1992. Community members and church leaders reflect on the history and legacy of St. Leo Church, a Jesuit parish located in Tacomas Hilltop neighborhood. Long-time parishioners Patricia Ditter and Barbara Thomashofski and former parishioner Doris Barkley discuss the churchs growing pains in the wake of Vatican II and the subsequent emergence of its social justice ministry. Reverend David Alger, director of Associated Ministries, describes some of St. Leos numerous out-reach programs and shares his thoughts on its position as a spiritual anchor within the community. Lastly, Father Bill Bichsel, a former associate pastor at St. Leos and a well-known social activist, discusses his commitment to social justice and his involvement with several church-related projects, such as the Martin Luther King Center.

Oral history interviews with Joseph Schibig, Katy Schibig, and Joseph Marty by Pamela M. Hailey conducted January-February 1994. Joseph and Katy Schibig and Joseph Marty describe their experiences as Swiss immigrants to Tacoma and reflect on the legacy of the citys close-knit Swiss community. Areas of focus include the Tacoma Swiss Society and the Swiss Hall and Tavern, which Marty managed from 1952 to 1963.

Oral history interviews with Kosho Yukawa and Yaeko Nakano by Susan Stout conducted February-March 1992. This project includes interviews with the then minister of Tacoma Buddhist Temple, Reverend Kosho Yukawa, and Mrs. Yaeko Nakano, a longtime member of Tacoma Buddhist Temple and its principal organist. Yukawa describes Buddhist religious practices, the activities of the Temple and its various organizations, his family, and Sunya Pratt. Nakano discusses her family life growing up as a Japanese American in Tacoma, Washington during the Depression, her education, internment experiences during the Second World War, her training and work as a musician, and her involvement with the Tacoma Buddhist Temple in many capacities.

Oral history interviews with Leonard W. Holden and Julius Jahn by Juanita Hembrow conducted 02/1992. Leonard Holden, founder of the Tacoma Friends Meeting, and Julius Jahn, a long-time member of the Religious Society of Friends, talk about the history of the Quakers and reflect on the personal experiences and revelations that inspired them to become pacifists and Conscientious Objectors. Holden shares his efforts in establishing a permanent Quaker meeting place in the Tacoma area, and Jahn describes his experiences with various Quaker groups and sects throughout the United States. Both men expound on the various services and humanitarian projects that the Tacoma Friends Meeting has been involved in, from draft counseling services to collaborative efforts with other churches to rehabilitate low-income housing.

Oral history interviews with members of the Jewish community, Rabbi Richard Rosenthal, Steph Farber, and Lucille Hurst by Nardah L. Fox conducted February-May 1992. The interviews with three members of Tacoma's Jewish community, Richard Rosenthal, Steph Farber, and Ruth Hurst, to some degree all touch upon the exodus of businesses (many of them Jewish-owned) from the downtown Tacoma business district. In two interview segments, Rabbi Rosenthal discusses early Jewish settlement in Tacoma, the 1960 merger of existing Conservative and Reform congregations to form Temple Beth El, and adds some details about his early life and training. Farber recounts his beliefs about misguided urban renewal practices of the 1960s and 1970s and reminisces about the many businesses that once flourished in downtown Tacoma. The transcript of the interview with Hurst appears to provide only an excerpt; she discusses her family business, Feist & Bachrach, as well as other downtown Tacoma stores operating prior to 1965.

Oral history interviews with Tadaye Fujimoto Kawasaki, Yoshiko Fujimoto Sugiyama, Kimi Fujimoto Tanbara, and Sadako Hirose by Brenda Sonnier conducted 02/1993. Sisters Tadaye "Teddy" Kawasaki, Yoshiko Sugiyama, Kimi Tanbara, and friend Sadako Hirose recall their school years at Tacomas Nihon Go Gakko (Japanese Language School) and describe life within the citys Japanese-American community during the 1920s, 30s, and 40s. They provide an extensive history of the school building, including its designation as a registration center following Executive Order 9066 and its use as a hostel for Japanese-Americans returning home from internment camps.

Oral history interviews with Grant Larson and Corinne Larson by Donald R. Tjossem conducted 07/18/2011. In this pair of interviews, Grant and Corinne Larson describe life in the Taylor Bay community of Key Peninsula. Grant Larson, a Taylor Bay native whose grandparents immigrated to the area in 1857, shares stories from his childhood, comments on his early fishing and logging careers, and reflects on how the community has changed since his youth. Corinne Larson describes the rural lifestyle of Taylor Bay in the 1950s and also talks about their time as a husband-and-wife fishing team in Alaska.

Oral history interviews with Maria Moore and Barbara Laxson by Tom Wilson conducted 05/11/2015, 05/12/2015. The Burley Utopian Community was part of the growing Social Equity Movement of the latter part of the 19th and early part of the 20th centuries. The origin of the idea of seeding the United States with Socialist Communities came from an organization led by Eugene V Debs. Debs was a veteran of the labor troubles that gripped the nation beginning in the 1880's and culminated with the deaths of thirteen workers during the Pullman Strike. Debs began to believe that the only hope for the workingman was Socialism. With that in mind the national Socialist organization looked for opportunities to spread the Socialism, Washington State was selected as the site of the colony, chosen because of its history of labor activism and a smaller population that would be sympathetic to the cause. Thus was born the town/colony of Brotherhood, a name that was soon surrendered for the commonly used, Burley. Plagued with troubles from the onset, the colony lasted only 15 years. This is story of a community that has survived, not so much physically, but in spirit, a spirit that still holds this small community together today. That spirit can be seen in the words of Barbara Laxson who is a longtime resident who lives in one of the original homes built by the colony where an oral history was recorded. It can also be heard in the words of Maria Moore, an American citizen born in Mexico who lives now in Burley. Mrs. Moore, is a former member of the Burley Community Association the group that is charged with maintaining the community properties, her interview was conducted in the community park. In their words you can begin to understand why it is so important to try to keep and keep the history and the name Burley alive today.

Oral history interview with Gerry Garrison, Marion Van Winkle, and Marylou Handford by Audie Mangold conducted January-February 1993. They share stories about their unique community and discuss the major social and cultural changes that have taken place on the island.