History Commons^™

Lists Of Oral History Interviews, Barbara C. Allen

All Oral Histories

The main document is a simple list of interviews conducted by History 650 and Honors 122 students of La Salle University faculty, staff, administrators, alumni, neighbors, and Christian Brothers. The supplementary file is a spreadsheet with more details.

Interview Of Robert Leasher, William Leasher

All Oral Histories

Robert was born in Brownsville Pennsylvania, a small town south of Pittsburgh. He was born on February 26, 1944 to Mary and LeRoy Leasher. Robert was the third of four sons born to Mary and LeRoy, with him and his older brothers being relatively close in age, while his youngest brother was considerably younger. He lived in Brownsville, PA until the age of 3. His family then moved to Germantown, where they lived with a relative until he was around 9 years old. In 1958, his parents purchased land and built their own house in Warminster, Pennsylvania where his mother …

Interview Of Mary Butler, Mary Butler, Zach Bower

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Mary (King) Butler was born in 1942 in King and Queen County, Virginia. Her parents are Hayes and Blanche King. Her father’s parents were Archie King, Sr. and Rossie King. Her mother’s parents were Joshua and Peggie Whiting. Mary is the oldest of four children. Her two brothers were born in 1943 and 1951, and her sister was born in 1961. Her nuclear family lived close to her father’s parent’s farm in Plainview, VA. Her family was active in both Union Prospect Baptist Church and First Baptist Church.

Butler worked often on her grandparent’s farm as a child. Butler and …

Interview Of Helen Gidjunis, Helen Gidjunis, Paula Gidjunis

All Oral Histories

Interview topic: Mrs. Helen Gidjunis is a life-long resident of Philadelphia. The majority of her life she spent growing up in the shadow of La Salle College – now University. She moved to Uber Street in 1934, while La Salle’s groundbreaking occurred on February 29, 1928 at its fourth and current location at 20^th Street and Olney Avenue. She has observed the neighborhood change for seventy-nine years. When she married in 1949, she moved one street west to 20^th Street. She has been her block captain for many years and still retains that position and as such has …

Interview Of Minister Rodney Muhammad, Rodney Muhammad, Venold Johnson

All Oral Histories

Minister Rodney Muhammad (born Rodney Ellis) was born in 1952 in Chicago, Illinois, where he grew up in the South Shore neighborhood. His father, Jim Ellis, played football for Michigan State University, graduated from there with a degree in sociology, played for the Chicago Bears, and was a social worker. His mother, Kathryn Ellis, attended Roosevelt University, was the first black model for Ford in Detroit, Michigan, and achieved a Ph.D. in Public Administration. Rodney Muhammad majored in business administration at DePaul University and worked as an estate planner before he entered the Nation of Islam. At the time of …

Interview Of Noyma Appelbaum, Ed.D., Noyma Appelbaum, Daniel Matz

All Oral Histories

Noyma Appelbaum was born in 1928 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was born to immigrant parents, his father being Lithuanian and his mother Ukrainian. Mr. Appelbaum’s parents were politically radical and had involvement in the labor union movement of the early 20^th century. His mother, Esther Kaminsky, was involved in the organizing of workers in the textile industries of New York City and Philadelphia. His father, Meyer Appelbaum was pivotal in organizing workers in Philadelphia’s auto industry and, according to the interviewee, was a founding member of Philadelphia’s Communist Party.

Noyma Appelbaum was heavily influenced by his parents’ involvement in …