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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.
Oral history interview with Theresa Power-Drutis by Justin Cudney conducted 05/07/2011. Theresa Power-Drutis discusses her involvement with Guadalupe House and other G Street Community projects. A carpenter and lifelong activist, Power-Drutis recounts her arrival in Tacoma in 1979 and describes the sense of social justice and community pride that has driven Hilltops recent revival. Father Bill Bichsel, social activist and co-founder of the G Street Community, is also discussed at length.
When Races Collide: Willie Steward and the Voluntary Desegregation of Tacoma Public Schools
Oral history interview with Willie Stewart by Katherine L. Jennison conducted 05/04/2017, 05/12/2017. On the heels of the Brown v. Board of Education decision and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Tacoma School District took voluntary measures to desegregate a select number of schools with high non-white enrollment. The district superintendent, Dr. Angelo Giaudrone, drew attention to the de facto segregation, and primarily focused on two elementary schools: Stanley Elementary, with a black population of 64 percent and McCarver Elementary, with a black population of 84 percent. In 1963, a subcommittee was formed to analyze and study the de facto segregation and provide recommendations for potential solutions. On July 8, 1966, a plan was announced by the school board for an optional enrollment program that relied on closing McCarver Junior High and to provide limited open enrollment to students affected by the closing. The district hired its first black principal, Willie Stewart, in 1970 in order to bridge the divide between the school district and the black community. Stewart led the summer counseling program to work with families on the transition between the closing of their neighborhood school and their new school of their choice. According to the United States Commission on Civil Rights a decade later, the summer counseling program was pivotal to the success of the voluntary desegregation program in the Tacoma School District.
St. Leo the Great Parish - Tacoma, Washington
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.
The Safe Streets Campaign: Tacoma and Pierce County Respond to Youth Violence
Oral history interviews with Dennis Flannigan, Greg Kleiner, and James L. Walton by Janice M. Foster conducted January-Febrary 1994. Pierce County Councilman Dennis Flannigan, Safe Streets program coordinator Greg Kleiner, and Deputy City Manager Jim Walton talk about their involvement with Tacomas Safe Streets Campaign. Interviewees discuss the programs short-term and long-term goals and describe some of the difficulties in organizing grassroots movements.
Morris McCollum: Tacoma's Hilltop Community Icon
Oral history interview with Morris McCollum by Jaynetha Robinson conducted 04/28/2015. Mr. Morris McCollum, "Mr. Mac" as he affectionately known, is one of Tacoma's most respected business and community leaders. He is certainly one of the longest lasting. Shortly after arriving in Tacoma in 1957 Mr. McCollum purchased the K Street Department Store which was located on the corner of 12th and K. He operated the store for several years. At the time the K Street business sector, one of the city's twelve business districts, was second only to downtown Tacoma in terms of business activity. Businesses such as hardware stores, banks, small department stores, appliance dealers, butchers, markets, cleaners, clothing stores, and restaurants lined the streets. In 1960, he moved to 11th and Broadway and opened what to become the quintessential men's store "Mac the Knife," later shortened to "Mr. Mac's." At the time the Tacoma business district was being adversely affected by the building of the Tacoma Mall which would, after its completion, lure many of the surrounding businesses to it. Mr. Mac stayed, however, and became president of the K Street Booster Club, an organization dedicated to promoting the interests of small family owned businesses and the community that surrounded them. In addition to having an active interest in the business community Mr. McCollum also became dedicated to the areas youths and his interests in sports, boxing in particular, lead him to becoming involved with the Tacoma Athletic Commission, eventually becoming its president in 1978. Recognized by the city of Tacoma with the 2004 Martin Luther King Jr. award Mr. McCollum remains a leading figure.
Perspectives on Tacoma School Desegregation: From Family Values to Program Evaluation
Oral history interview with Bruce Arneklev by Alyssa Urish conducted 05/11/2017,05/21/2017. Born in rural, eastern Montana, Bruce Arneklev, 79, can be seen as an unlikely match to have led the Tacoma School District's desegregation program evaluation in the 1970s. Arneklev earned his bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Oregon and his Educational Doctorate in educational psychology at Utah State University before moving out with his family of five for an evaluation role with the Tacoma School District. Arneklev was hired to evaluate the district's Emergency School Aid Act for its first four years, 1973-1977. ESAA was a federal program that funded school desegregation efforts. Tacoma began voluntarily desegregating its schools in 1966 with a limited school choice enrollment for its segregated central-area schools and expanding to district-wide enrollment policies to reduce effects of de facto segregation over the next three years. Arneklev worked for an additional twelve years in the district's evaluation department before working as a school psychologist for ten years, retiring in 2000. He lives in the North End of Tacoma with his wife, Dixie, dog, Charlie and has several children and grandchildren in the Tacoma area.
Senator Rosa D. Franklin: Small-Town Person, Big-City Activist
Oral history interview with Rosa Franklin by Elizabeth Walter conducted 02/02/1995. Washington State Senator Rosa Franklin talks about her nursing career and her political involvement at the local and state levels. She touches on her work with the Hilltop Children's Clinic and other outreach healthcare programs and addresses issues relating to health care reform and the nursing profession. Throughout both interviews, she emphasizes the importance of maintaining healthy communities and encouraging citizens to take a more active role in the political process.
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.
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.
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.
