LOCAL STORIES IN ORAL PROJECT
CAPTURING AND PRESERVING VIVID MEMORIES IS THE GOAL OF THE SENATOR JOHN HEINZ PITTSBURGH REGINAL HISTORY CENTER'S ORAL HISTORY PROJECT.
IT IS ALSO DESIGNED TO RAISE THE CENTER'S PROFILE BY OFFERING ORDINARY CITIZENS THE OPPERTUNITY TO TELL THE STORIES OF THEIR LIVES.
A $695 FEE OFFSETS THE COST OF INTERVIEWING, TRANSCRIPTION AND TURING THOSE STORIES INTO BOUND VOLUMES.
STEVE DOELL DIRECTOR OF THE HISTORY CENTER'S ARCHIVES SAID, THE PROGRAM IS PARTLY IN RESPONCE TO FREQUENT REQUEST FROM PATRONS.
PEOPLE KEPT ASKING US; "DO YOU DO THIS ?" DOELL SAID.
THE CENTER LAUNCHED THE PROGRAM LAST YEAR.
JOURNALIST BARRY ALFONSO WAS HIRED FOR THE PROJECT.
HE DOES SOME INITIAL RESEARCH AND THEN CONDUCTS A FOUR-HOUR INTERVIEW, WHICH IS TRANSCRIBED BY AN INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR, AND IS REVIEWED BY THE INTERVIEWEE.
THE TRANSCRIPT IS PROFESSIONALLY PRINTED IN A CLOTH-BOUND KEEPSAKE BOOK.
THE SUBJECTS OF THE INTERVIEW RECEIVE THREE COPIES OF THE BOOK AND MAY, IF THEY WISH RETAIN A COPY OF THE AUDIOTAPE.
THE HISTORY CENTER KEEPS A COPY OF THE TEXT AND TAPE.
WILLIAM R. JACKSON FORMER PRESIDENT OF PITT-DESMOINES, A STEEL COMPANY LOCATED ON NEVILLE ISLAND WAS THE FIRST SUBJECT FOR ALFONSO.
PITT-DESMOINES ALREADY HAS A CORPORATE HISTORY.
FOR THE ORAL HISTORY, HE SUPPLIED PHOTOS AND A STOCK CERTIFICATE FROM THE EARLY 1900'S SIGNED BY HIS FATHER WILLIAM H. JACKSON.
THE BOUND VOLUME IS 35 PAGES LONG.
ANDY MASICH CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER OF THE HISTORY CENTER WAS FASCINATED WITH THE LIFE STORY OF NORMA GRIMES, WHOM HE LEARNED ABOUT FROM NANCY McCOMBES, FAMILY PROGRAMS MANAGER FOR THE HISTORY CENTER.
MASICH PERSUADED GRIMES TO APPEAR RECENTLY IN A W.Q.E.D. SEGMENT ABOUT LOCAL WOMEN WHO JOINED THE WORK FORCE DURING WORLD WAR II, THAN INVITED HER TO PARTICIPATE IN THE ORAL HISTORY PROGRAM.
THE $695 FEE CHARGED TO THE INTERVIEWEE WAS WAIVED FOR GRIMES BECAUSE THE HISTORY CENTER WAS EAGER TO DEVELOP A PROTOTYPE FOR THE NEW PROGRAM.
"ITS BEEN A GROWING INITIATIVE OF THE HEINZ HISTORY CENTER TO CRONICLE WOMEN'S HISTORY, AND TO BUILD A CATALOG OF WOMEN'S STORIES THROUGHOUT PITTSBURGH," SAID MEG COLAFELLER DIRECTOR OF MARKETING.
JACKSON, WHO GAVE HIS COMPANY'S ARCHIVES TO THE CENTER, DONATED MONEY TO PROCESS THOSE RECORDS, AND THE COST OF HIS INTERVIEW ALSO CAME FROM THAT CONTRIBUTION.
WHILE THE HISTORY CENTER RECORDS THE ORAL HISTORIES OF ITALIAN-AMERICANS AND THE LATE AFRICAN-AMERICAN PHOTOGRAPHER CHARLES TEENIE HARRIS, ALFONSO'S WORK IS THE FIRST CONCERTED EFFORT TO LAUNCH A BROADER ORAL HISTORY PROJECT AVAILABLE TO ANYONE INTERESTED.
ALFONSO, WHO WROTE ABOUT MUSIC FOR THE SAN DIEGO UNION IN THE EARLY 1980'S, HAS ALSO PUBLISHED HIS WORK IN ROLLING STONE MAGAZINE AND THE LOS ANGELES TIMES.
HE HAS INTERVIEWED FRANK ZAPPA, RANDY NEWMAN, MERLE HAGGARD AND JUDY COLLINS.
FOR THE ORAL HISTORIES, HE USES A CHRONOLOGICAL APPROACH.
HE CHEECKS SPEELING AND STREET NAMES, BUT DOES NOT VERIFY THE CLAIMS OF THE SUBJECTS, SUCH AS WHETHER A PERSON HAS ACTUALLY WON A WAR MEDAL; AS HE SAYS HE DID.
"THIS IS A RESEARCH TOOL USED BY HISTORIANS AS RAW MATERIAL.
THIS IS AS SOMEONE REMEMBERS THEIR HISTORY.
THE ASSUMPTION IS THAT IT'S ACCURATE AND TRUTHFUL," ALFONSO SAID.
AMERICAN POLITICS, THE WESTWARD MIGRATION AND PRESIDENTIAL BIOGRAPHIES MADE UP ALFONSO'S READING LIST WHEN HE WAS A TEEN-AGER.
THE VALUE OF ORAL HISTORY BECAME CLEAR TO ALFONSO IN 1976 AS A FRESHMAN AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA IN SAN DIEGO.
HE INTERVIEWED LESLIE BUCKLEW A SPANISH AMERICAN WAR VETERAN WHO RAN A SMALL AVOCADO FARM.
DURING THE CONVERSATION, BUCKLEW WHO FOUGHT IN THE JUNGLES OF THE PHILIPPINES PULLED OUT A CARDBOARD BOX AND HELD UP HIS WAR MEDAL.
"THE FACT THAT HE WON IT IN ANOTHER CENTURY IMPRESSED ME," ALFONSO SAID.
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