Showing 230 results

Collections
Community Archives Center Tacoma Community History UWT Student Projects
Advanced search options
Print preview View:

153 results with digital objects Show results with digital objects

A Blue Collar Town: The Tacoma Labor Movement

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.

A Brief Study of Land Use by Indian and Pioneer Communities on the Key Peninsula

Oral history interview with Bill Otto by Megan Aprile conducted 05/06/1991. The interview discusses Bill Otto's family and German heritage, his work in the lumber industry and as a family farmer. He also describes childhood activities in Longbranch, Washington, including playing baseball on a championship youth league baseball team in Pierce County.

A concrete look at our community

Oral history interview with Thomas W. Anderson by Barbara Lindula Shaw conducted 02/07/1994. Dr. Thomas W. Anderson, co-founder of Concrete Technology Corporation (CTC), shares his personal history and gives an economic and historical overview of CTC, the first prestressed concrete manufacturing plant in the U.S. He discusses CTC's pioneering role in the prestressed concrete industry, its major milestones, and its philosophy of corporate responsibility.

A Tradition of Excellence: The Sonntags and Public Service

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.

A Woman of Firsts: Nelda Jaeger-Kraemer - Her Life as a Citizen of Tacoma for Ninety-two Years

Oral history interviews with Robert Richard Kraemer, Jr; Betty Kraemer; and Renee Kraemer-Rhoads by Kathryn S. Held conducted 11/1998. Robert Richard Kraemer Jr, Betty Dahl Kraemer, and Renee Kraemer-Rhoads present their family history and share stories about the several generations of Kraemers, Jaegers, and Kitchens who have lived in the Tacoma area. Particular focus is given to Nelda Jaeger-Kraemer, one of the first women to graduate from the University of Washington Law School.

Actions Speak Louder Than Words: Helen Cecile Beck Stafford

Oral history interview with Helen Stafford by Helen I. Gilmore conducted 02/06/1993. Community leader Helen Stafford shares her life story, describing her childhood in Kansas and her experiences as a young African-American woman in Depression-era Tacoma. Reflecting back on over sixty years of civic involvement, Stafford comments on her work with the Matron's Club, the NAACP, the Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority, and the Washington Public Employees Association labor union. She also provides numerous insights into the changing face of Tacoma after World War II.

Activism is about taking action: An Oral History with Lyle Quasim

Oral history interview with Lyle Quasim by Baboucarr Lowe conducted 05/07/2007. Lyle Quasim discusses civil rights issues in America and shares his history of social activism. Areas of focus include his time in the Air Force and his work with Shelter Half, an underground anti-war organization run by GIs. He also touches on his work with the Safe Streets Campaign and other local civic programs.

African American Life in Tacoma

Oral history interviews with Louise R. Turner and Bernice C. Canada by Preston T. Jones conducted 02/09/1994. Sisters and lifelong Tacoma residents Louise Turner and Bernice Canada share their family history and reflect on how the city's racial attitudes have changed during their lifetimes. They describe their experiences as African Americans growing up in turn-of-the-century Tacoma and comment on the rise of segregation during and after the World Wars. Turner and Canada also touch on their work as Eucharistic ministers. The interview concludes with their thoughts on the importance of family values.

Alicia Pike, Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and Point Defiance AAZK: Wildlife Conservation in Tacoma

Oral history interview with Alicia Pike by Kyle Chapman conducted 05/08/2015. This project focuses on the significance of zoos and local volunteer groups on the promotion and successful implementation of conservation efforts. More specifically, this project focuses on the efforts of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium as well as the Point Defiance chapter of the American Association of Zoo Keepers. This project includes an interview with fulltime keeper and Point Defiance AAZK president, Alicia Pike, who assisted in providing significant insight into the last fifteen years of conservation efforts in Tacoma. Ms. Pike has been working in the zoological field and an active member of AAZK for over a decade. She has worked at several zoological facilities in both Washington and Oregon. Furthermore, she has been directly involved in the implementation and success of several conservation efforts, including the red wolf breeding program at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium. In the context of the zoo, she assists in the care, breeding, and maintenance of the Sumatran tigers, lowland anoa, small-clawed otters, and clouded leopards as well as the care for other endangered species at the zoo. She has lead and continues to lead many of the keeper talks at Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, providing information and facilitating Q&A sessions with the community so as to inspire local participation and promotion of wildlife conservation. As both an active member and president of Point Defiance AAZK, Ms. Pike has helped organize and lead several local conservation efforts that work directly with members of the local Tacoma community. Over the course of our interview, Ms. Pike not only discussed the significance of Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium and AAZK as facilitators of conservation, but also discussed at great length the relation between these organizations and Tacoma, describing Tacoma's general receptiveness to the work of conservation efforts and citizen scientists.

American Lake Veterans Affairs Medical Center

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.

An Honorable Man

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.

An Interview with Dr. Maxine Mimms Ph.D.: Building a Learning Community in Tacoma's Hilltop Neighborhood

Oral history interview with Maxine Mimms by Robin Eisenbacher conducted 05/07/2014. Maxine Mimms discusses her educational experiences as well as efforts to develop educational opportunities for the African-American community in the Hilltop area of Tacoma, Washington. Mimms is the founder of the Evergreen State College Tacoma branch as well as the Maxine Mimms Academy, an educational outreach program.

An Interview with Luke Joinette

Oral history interview with Luke Joinette by Cyndi Pierce conducted 05/04/1991. Luke Joinette, former Executive Board member and secretary-treasurer for the Tacoma chapter of the Hotel and Restaurant Employees and Bartenders International League, discusses his work with the Local 61 labor union. Recounting the events surrounding the unions 1969 strike, Joinette reflects on the confrontations between picketers and employers and between the local chapter and its national affiliate. He concludes with some thoughts on the current state of the Local 8, the newest incarnation of the Local 61, and on the unions sharp decline in membership since the 1970s.

Blood, Sweat, and Tears: Nhung and Thanh Huynh's Oral History

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.

Carrie Little and the Tacoma Community Gardening Movement

Oral history interview with Carrie Little by Jessica Dvorak conducted 05/13/2011. Carrie Little discusses the recent revival of community-based agriculture and shares her personal connection to several community gardening projects in and around Tacoma. She describes the development of the Guadalupe Land Trust, a local organization that manages community garden plots on Hilltop, and also talks about Mother Earth Farm in Puyallup.

Results 1 to 30 of 230