Browse our interviews
American Foundations Oral History Project (1989-1993), #001
42 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-1990s. Life histories. Values and motivations. Impact of philanthropy and its future. Philosophy. Blacks. Women. Grantsmanship. Generational issues. Professionalization. Government interface with philanthropy.
Autobiography: Edward O. Craft (1978), #005
1 interview. Time Period: 1930s-1970s. Early life and education. U.S. House of Representatives. Office of the Legislative Counsel. House Ways and Means Committee. Tax restructuring of 1954. Presidents Nixon and Carter.
Autobiography: John M. Cooper (1978), #008
1 interview. History of basketball. Coaching. Physical education at Indiana University. Kinesiology. Biomechanics. University sports scholarships. Jump shot.
Autobiography: Mary M. Barr-Koon (1984), #009
1 interview. Time Period: 1940s-80s. Life history of IU-Kokomo professor and Voltaire bibliographer. 20th century politicians. Teaching French and music. Women in academia. Indiana farm woman.
Autobiography: Robert C. Wiles (1976), #011
1 interview. Life in Bloomington. Military experiences. World War I. Indiana University. Family drug store. Life in the early 20th century.
Biography: Helen Gahagan Douglas (1981, 1983), #014
18 interviews. Time Period: Mostly 1930s-40s. Life and political history of Helen G. Douglas. California politics. Campaign for California Congress against Richard Nixon. Democratic politics in the 1930s.
Biography: Homer E. Capehart (1969-1973), #015
29 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-60s, especially late 1950s and early 1960s. Most interviewees are political associates of the subject; one interview with Capehart. Biography of U.S. Senator from Indiana, Homer E. Capehart. Indiana politics. Foreign affairs. McCarthyism. Capehart’s Indiana business interests. 1962 campaign against Birch Bayh.
Biography: Ignatius Donnelly (1971), #016
1 interview. Interview with Donnelly’s wife. Congressman. Writer. Vice presidential candidate for the People’s Party. Interviewee’s early life, emigration from Norway, job as secretary. Spiritualism. Temperance movement.
Biography: J. Edward Roush (1969), #017
3 interviews. Time Period: 1950s-60s. Interviews with and about Roush, 5th District Congressman from Indiana 1958-1968. Indiana political history. Inner workings of party politics (especially opposition politics). Application of science to social problems. Conservation. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Educational programs. Reminiscences on famous national politicians.
Biography: John Hurt (1986), #018
5 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-60s. Indiana political history. Inner workings of party politics. Personal experiences of interviewees.
Biography: Melvyn Douglas (1972-1980), #021
35 interviews. Time Period: especially 1930s-40s. Interviews with and about Melvyn Douglas. Acting career. Political activism. New Deal. Depression. Politics 1940s-70s. Hollywood “golden years.” American entertainment scene.
Biography: Morris L. Ernst (1977), #022
1 interview. Censorship. First Amendment rights. Organized crime. Pornography. James Joyce’s Ulysses trial defense. Trial strategy.
Biography: Robert A. Taft (1968), #003
1 interview. Time Period: 1920s-40s. Cincinnati, Ohio. State and national politics. Political corruption. Campaigning. Prohibition.
Biography: William Fortune (1986), #024
2 interviews. Time Period: especially 1900s-10s. Interviewees are the daughters of Indiana businessman William Fortune, friend and father-in-law of Eli Lilly. Life in Indianapolis at turn of the century. Recollections of famous people like the Lillys, James Whitcomb Riley. World travel. Philanthropy.
“Bloomington Cares” Oral History Project (2012-2013), #115
27 interviews. Time Period: 1980s-2010s. Interviews are with leaders and active members of nonprofit organizations involved in promoting cultural activities and addressing social issues in Bloomington, Indiana. The interviews were done as a class project.
Burmese Immigrants in Indiana (2001-2002), #112
20 interviews. Time Period: Late 20th century to early 21st. The 1988 uprising. Education. Ethnic identity. Political activism. Religion.
Careers in Librarianship (1992), #032
10 interviews. Time Period: 1940s-90s. Life histories and careers of librarians. Philosophy of librarianship. Changes in libraries. Teaching at IU. Future directions for libraries.
Committee for Environmental Information (1972-1973), #029
4 interviews. Time Period: mostly 1950s. Formation of Committee for Nuclear Information and Committee for Environmental Information. Place of science in society. Views of Barry Commoner.
Communism in the United States (1968), #030
1 interview. U.S. Congressman. Mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia. Member of the Fish Committee. Communist activities in the 1920s and 1930s. William Borah’s 1936 presidential campaign.
Council on Foundations (1991-1992), #031
17 interviews. Time Period: late 1950s-90s. Philanthropy’s professionalization. Philosophy and role of philanthropy in society. Values of foundation employees.
COVID-19 Pandemic: Varied Experiences and Lasting Impacts (2023), #122
3 interviews. Time Period: 2020-present. COVID-19. Effects on education. Effects on medical practices. Lock-down. Changes to work processes.
Development of Political Science in the Twentieth Century (1978), #033
1 interview. Time Period: mostly 1940s-50s. Interviewee was President of the American Political Science Association. Professionalism. Development of the discipline of Political Science. Curriculum development. Indiana politics. U.S. War Department.
Dubois County: German Americans (1993-1994), #035
10 interviews. Time period: 1930s-90s. German immigrants to Dubois County, Indiana. Preserving German heritage. Historic preservation. Nature of community. Multicultural education. German language instruction.
Dubois County: The Interwar Years (1994-1995), #039
10 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-1940s. The Depression. World War II. Religion. German clubs. German language in Dubois County. Family histories.
Early 20th Century Pennsylvania Coal Mining (1981), #123
5 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-70s. The people being interviewed were born in the late 19th and early 20th century and lived in the mining towns of Nanticoke and Plymouth, Pennsylvania. These towns were involved with the coal mining unions and strikes of the 1920's and 1930's. The interviewees discuss the impact that the strikes and politics of the coal mines had on their jobs and towns. They speak of the violence that occurred at the time including dynamite attacks, fighting during the strikes, and the assassination of Thomas Maloney, who was a president of the United Anthracite Miners.
Economic Development in Indiana (1996-1997), #040
29 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. Changes in Indiana economy. Deindustrialization and economic restructuring in northwest Indiana. State and local economic planning. Diversification. Environmental and land use issues. Education. The labor movement and economic development. Economic development in southwest Indiana. Social and cultural factors. Political dimensions of economic development. Public awareness and involvement in planning. Urban revitalization. Brownfield redevelopment in Gary, Hammond, and East Chicago.
Economic History of Indiana in the Twentieth Century (1976-1980), #041
162 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-70s. Interviewees are all manner of Indiana labor: agriculture, industrial, service, business. Management-labor relations. Farming. World War II. Depression. Avanti Motors. RCA. Showers Brothers. Life as a worker.
Generations of Auto Workers: Anderson, Indiana, 1930-1982 (1982), #042
28 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-80s. Interviewees were workers in 1930s and 1970s. Generational differences. Unions. Meaning of “community.” Strike of 1936-37. Worker attitudes and expectations. Changing nature of work. Work at Guide Lamp division of General Motors. Women workers.
Hamburg University Nursing Home Study (1981), #083
8 interviews. Time Period: mostly late 1970s. Bloomington Convalescent Center. Perceptions of nursing home life. Sense of community in nursing home. Generational differences. Treatment of the elderly in society.
Historic Preservation in Indiana (1982), #044
12 interviews. Time Period: mostly 1950s-60s. People and institutions involved in preservation. People’s relationship to the past. Views of local history. Specific projects in cities’ historic preservation movements.
History: Indiana Humanities Council (1993), #052
10 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. Development of Council. Changing role of humanities toward public: from issues to participation. Private fundraising. Government involvement. Interaction of academy and general public.
History: Indiana University (1968-1981), #053
90 interviews. Time Period: 1900s-80s. Student life in early 1900s to 1920s. Department development. Professors’ histories. Administrators’ contributions. Bloomington in early 20th century. Black students in 1940s-50s. WWII veterans at IU.
History: IU Center on Philanthropy (1993), #054
23 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-90s. Fundraising School. Philosophy of philanthropy. Developing classes. Fitting into university as a program. Studying philanthropy in society. Professionalization.
History: Kinsey Institute for Sex Research (1971-1972), #055
27 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-60s. Societal values toward sexuality, marriage and deviance. Development of the Institute. Institutional responses to Kinsey’s challenge of those values. Impact of Kinsey’s work on values and views of sexuality.
History: Modern Theatre (1978-1980), #056
5 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-70s. Life histories of interviewees. Acting techniques and training. Directing techniques and training.
History of Business (1971), #046
1 interview. Business methodology. Intersections of business history with different areas of historical study. Books and authors. Challenges of studying new history. Administrative history. Biographical history. Research statistics.
History of Indiana (1971-1980), #047
12 interviews. State prisons. Education in Indiana. Lutheran church in Indiana. Town histories. County histories. Local politics and economy. World War I. World War II.
History of Middle Way House (1996), #048
3 interviews. Time Period: 1970s. History of one Bloomington social service agency as it changed from a multi-service drop-in center to a domestic violence shelter. Topics include securing funding, building community support, relationships with the police and press, and issues faced by changing Middle Way’s services.
History of New Harmony, Indiana (1977), #049
8 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-70s. Interviewees born turn of the century. History of restoration of New Harmony. Community study. Historic preservation.
History of Saint Meinrad Archabbey (1980), #050
3 interviews. Benedictine order. Religious training and education. Daily monastic life. Business ventures of the abbey. History of the abbey. Vows and roles of priests and monks. Abbey’s place in Roman Catholic Church hierarchy.
History: Paoli, Indiana (1988), #057
40 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-80s. Variety of ages in interviewees. Generational differences. Disintegration of local community. Awareness of national issues. Changes in values. Changes in women’s and men’s lives. Education. Farming. Wars. Furniture factories. Decline of small business. Depression.
History: Starke County, Indiana (1986), #058
12 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-80s. Interviewees born turn of the century. Rural life. Communities in the county. Town life and customs. Rural vs. urban life. School. Depression.
History: Stringtown, Indiana (1976), #059
16 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-70s. Interviewees very old to the youth of the community, though predominantly mid-life. Concerns of Indianapolis working-class community of Stringtown. Community values and interactions. Family ties. Crime. Police. Home ownership. Churches.
Immigrant Groups in Indiana (1978), #060
15 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-70s. Most interviewees born turn of century or ca. 1935. Life histories from members of different ethnic groups in the state: German, Latvian, Czech, Polish, Russian, Hungarian, and Turkish.
Indian American Communities in Fort Wayne (1999-2000), #067
18 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. First and second generation Indian-Americans in Fort Wayne. Family. Challenges of immigration to the U.S. Religion. Community ties. Raising children.
Indian American Communities in the Hoosier State (1999-2000), #066
12 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. First and second generation Indian-Americans in Indianapolis and Bloomington. Family. Challenges of immigration to the U.S. Religion. Community ties. Raising children.
Indian American Communities in Indiana (1999-2000), #065
21 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. First and second generation Indian-Americans in Indianapolis and Bloomington. Family. Challenges of immigration to the U.S. Religion. Community ties. Raising children.
Indian American Diaspora in the Hoosier State (1999-2002), #068
21 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. First and second generation Indian-Americans in northern and southern Indiana. Family. Challenges of immigration to the U.S. Religion. Community ties. Raising children.
Indiana Automobile Industry (1982), #061
2 interviews. Time Period: primarily 1920s, with some reflections on current conditions. Adjunct to the “Perspectives of Indiana Economy” project. Decline of auto industry in Indiana. Family-owned businesses in the 1920s. Workers and labor relations in the 1920s. Indiana’s diversified economy. Indianapolis business community’s relationship with the automobile industry.
Indiana Labor History Project (1996-1997), #062
21 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. United Auto Workers Locals 1166, 685, and 292. Labor movement in Indiana in the past 30 years. UAW Region 3. Women and work at Delco. Labor in southwest Indiana. Coal mining and the United Mine Workers. Unions and family life. Women and work at the Potter & Brumfield Company in Princeton.
Indiana Medicine (1992-1993), #063
59 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-90s. Interviewees born in ‘teens and 20s; some earlier. Reasons for going into medicine. Changes in medicine. Training. The Depression. WWII. Medical practice in ’50s and ’60s. Patient relationships. Perception by patients of doctors. Values. General practice vs. specialization. Changes in medical technology.
Indiana Politics (1969, 1976, 1978), #064
3 interviews. Time Period: 1940s; 1930s; 1970s, depending on the politician being interviewed. Three Indiana politicians. Reminiscences about famous national politicians (Willkie, Dewey, Truman, Eisenhower, R. Taft). Democratic Party machinery.
Indianapolis Blues (1985), #069
5 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-40s. Interviewees were African-American blues musicians in segregated Indianapolis. Mostly retired businessmen at time of interviews. Racism. Everyday life. Playing with famous musicians. Making a living. The “face” of Indianapolis during this time.
IU Folklore Institute (1987), #070
43 interviews. Closed until 2015. Time Period: 1940s-80s. Stith Thompson and early years of folklore at IU. Richard Dorson and his impact on the field. Growth of program and of study of folklore. Folksong revival. Professionalization of discipline. See articles by Jeanne Harrah-Conforth and Eric Montenyohl listed in MLA Bibliography for information on the findings of this project.
IU Oral History Archive (1991-2001), #072
194 interviews. Time Period: 1940s-90s. Change and growth at IU. Personal memories. Student life and government. Mission of state university. Fundraising. Racism. WWI and WWII. Depression. Student protests of 1960s. Suggestions for future of university.
IU School of Music (1983), #071
One interview. Time Period: 1920s-80s. Bain’s life story (b. 1909). His influence on the Music School. Influences on him as a musician and educator.
Japanese American Community in Indiana (2003-2005), #114
10 interviews. Time Period: 1950s-80s. Japanese American Citizens League. Wartime internment. Language and education. Migration to Indiana. Ethnic identity and community. Japanese American Society.
Jewish Life in Indiana (1974-1981), #019
7 interviews. Faith. Community involvement. Anti-Semitism. Jewish-owned businesses. Americanization. World War II.
Legal Profession in Indiana (1976-1977, 1979), #113
6 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-70s. State legislature, local legal systems, legal education, Ku Klux Klan, penal system, Indiana Bar Association, circuit courts, organizations involved in legal system or legal issues.
Life History: Henry Glassie (2014), #116
1 interview. Time Period: 1930s-2014. Growing up in Virginia, early influences, early folklore collecting, education, book projects, public history projects, university positions, value of history and folklore, impact of technological changes.
Life History: Lee Hamilton (2014), #119
1 interview. Time Period: 1930s-2014. Growing up in southern Indiana, education, law school, entry into politics, campaigning, serving as a congressman, presidents under which he served, congressional committees, 9/11 and the post-9/11 world, IU Center on Congress.
Life History: Ruth Rives (1998), #074
1 interview. Time Period: 1930s-90s. Growing up in Berlin before and during World War II, post-war Berlin, air lift, immigration to America, children, career, education, religion.
Manhattan Project (1982), #076
2 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-40s. Development of the atom bomb. WWII. Scientists’ views of A-bomb research. Life histories and personal anecdotes of scientists.
Media Perceptions of Contemporary Problems (1975-1976), #077
10 interviews. Time Period: 1970s, but interviewees asked to recall teenage years, which is generally 1920s. Interviewees are mostly IU professors. Use of the media. Accuracy of the media. Use of world resources. Overpopulation. U.S. role in supplying the world with basic necessities. Expectations for the future. Contrast between 17-year-olds now and in 1920s.
Medical Profession in Indiana (1975, 1976, 1978), #078
3 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-70s. Interviewees born turn of century. Life histories. Medical practice. Training. Advances in medicine. Patient anecdotes.
Mental Health Care in Indiana (1977), #079
4 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-70s. Treatment of mental illness by chemical means. Funding by state. Systems of care in community centers and state hospitals. Concern for patients’ rights. Public attitudes to mental illness. Special education. Department of Mental Health.
National Forests in Indiana (1977, 1981), #082
4 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-70s. Use of natural resources. Public attitudes to forests. Hoosier National Forest. Conservation vs. use. State lobbying and legislation.
People of Indianapolis (1983), #084
43 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-80s. Interviewees of all ages, but a preponderance born before 1910. Being African-American in Indianapolis. Migration in search for jobs. Work. Family. Union work. Black musicians. Transformation of neighborhood from white to black. Civil Rights. Being a Black professional. Unions. Racism. Racial relations.
Personal Experiences in World War I (1974-80), #085
9 interviews. Time Period: 1900-1920s. Transportation to Europe. Training. Weapons. Battle conditions. Lives of interviewees before the war. Public attitudes to war. Campaigns and battles. Life in the trenches. Armistice.
Perspectives on the Indiana Economy (1981-1982), #086
30 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-80s. Interviewees are business leaders (rather than “workers”) in all aspects of Indiana economy, past and present. Farming. Industry. Banking. Small business. Prospects for future. Changing economic conditions. Business development.
Philanthropy: History of Fundraising (1988), #087
20 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-80s. Life histories of fundraisers. Skills. Motivations and values. Public images of fundraising. Women in profession. Causes served by fundraising. Changes in profession. Professionalization and organizations. Generational issues.
Planned Parenthood Association (1976-1977), #088
3 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-70s. Bloomington and Indianapolis. Growth, staff and funding. Community response to association. Connections in local, state, national connections. Other social organizations. Nurse practitioners. Contraception.
Port Gibson, Mississippi (1992), #107
2 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-1990s. Great Depression. Black voter registration. Civil Rights Movement. World War II. School integration.
Preservers of the Past: Indiana County Historical Societies (1995-1996), #089
11 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-90s. Historical society development. Publications. Exhibits. Events. Funding. Volunteers. Connections of members to local history. History as teacher for the present and future. Importance of preserving local history.
Remembering Indiana in the Twentieth Century (1995-1997), #090
15 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-90s. Interviewees from Indianapolis and Evansville. Flanner House Homes in Indianapolis. Union members in Evansville. Daughters of the American Revolution in Evansville. Race relations. Changing roles of women. Changes in economy in cities and the country as a whole. Great Depression. World War II. Changes in family life in the twentieth century.
Retired IU Faculty (1985), #091
15 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-80s. Interviewees born around turn of century. Early lives of interviewees. Career development. Teaching. Research. Student life. Retirement. Women in the academy.
Roller Skating Association (2000-2001), #109
4 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-1990s. Involvement with the Roller Skating Rink Operators Association and Roller Skating Association. Roller rink management. Equipment. Music.
Social Face of Death (1996-1997), #111
24 interviews. Time period: 1940s to present. Coping with death. Terminal illness. Death of loved ones. Medical attitudes. Religion. Family attitudes and responsibilities.
Social History of Spencer, Indiana (1974-1976), #092
55 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-70s. Variety of ages, but preponderance of interviewees born near turn of the century. History of the everyday life of a town. Education. Family life. Religion. Local events. Town politics. Changing moral standards. Class. Economic changes. Generational differences. Life during the Depression. Small town vs. large town life. Teachers. Medical care. Blacks in Spencer. Youth exodus.
Social Work (1976), #093
1 interview. Career in social work. Social work in Pennsylvania and Indiana. Family Service Association of Monroe County.
Socialism in Indiana in the 1920s (1975-1976), #094
3 interviews. Time Period: 1920s. Mostly about Harry Oatis, who ran for mayor on Socialist ticket in Elwood, Indiana, in 1925 and was defeated by 10 votes. Reminiscences on politics. John Lewis. Welsh immigrants in Elwood. Government corruption. Tin and steel industries: pensions, strikes (esp. 1909), unions.
Southern Conference for Human Welfare/Education Fund (1983), #095
5 interviews. Time Period: 1930s and Civil Rights era. Interviewees are national figures (Virginia Durr, Shuttlesworth, Anne Braden). Struggle for equality in the South. Formation of SCHW/SCEF. Civil Rights work by blacks and whites. New Deal work for civil rights. Martin Luther King. FDR and Eleanor Roosevelt. McCarthyism.
Stones River National Battlefield Community (1999), #096
10 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-90s. Interviews with community members in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, in partnership with the National Park Service. Family histories. Stories about visits to historic site. Community relationships with National Park Service.
Studebaker (1984-1985), #097
50 interviews. Time Period: primarily 1938-1976. Interviewees are workers at Studebaker at all levels, but mostly line and other blue-collar workers. Many ethnicities and women. Work life at Studebaker. Labor-management relations. Why Studebaker closed down. Unions.
Tuba-Euphonium Oral History (2000), #108
12 interviews. Time period: 1950s-2000. Instrument design, IU School of Music, Bill Bell, teaching techniques, playing techniques.
Ukrainian Americans in the Midwest (1990), #099
12 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-90s. Most interviewees born in the 1930s but a few born at the turn of the century. Early life in the Ukraine. Emigrating to America. Maintaining traditions in the U.S. Ukrainian religious ceremonies. Youth organizations. Weddings. Building and maintaining communities. Ukrainian language instruction.
Village Mothers Oral History Project (1993-1994), #100
92 interviews. Time Period: 1900s-1990s. Interviews from David Ransel’s book on three generations of Russian and Tatar women. Marriage. Abortion. Birth control. Birthing. Child rearing. Midwives.
Wartime Military Experiences (1992), #081
12 interviews. Time Period: World War I through Vietnam. War experiences. U.S. Navy. Race relations. Being Black in the military. Serving stateside.
Whiting, Indiana: Generational Memory (1991-1993), #102
88 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-90s. Variety of ages in interviewees. Unions. Politics and political alliances over generations. Working for Standard Oil and other Whiting industries. Working-class experiences. Family structure. Discipline. Values. Ethnicity. Religious commitment and change. Deindustrialization. Environmental and gender issues.
William E. Jenner and Indiana Politics (1971, 1973-1974), #103
18 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-1960s, with emphasis on late 1930s-early 1940s. Interviewees are mostly Republican politicians or party functionaries. Jenner was U.S. Republican Senator from Indiana. Opposition politics. Workings of Indiana political “machine” in the 1930s-50s. Decline of party politics. Conserving state’s natural resources. Reminiscences about famous politicians: Capehart, Schricker, Dewey, Willkie. Getting major bills passed.
Women's History (1977, 1980), #106
6 interviews. Time Period: 1940s-70s. Most interviewees born in the 1930s, one at turn of century. ERA. Women’s movement in Bloomington, 1969-76. League of Women Voters. Bloomington civic affairs and politics, 1945-75. Tension between university and community women. Bloomington vs. the rest of Indiana.
Writing "The Saga of Coe Ridge" (1976), #013
1 interview. Time Period: 1970s. William Lynwood Montell discusses oral history research, methodology, turning oral interviews into written history, and writing “The Saga of Coe Ridge.”
Writings of Bruce A. Rosenberg (1976), #004
1 interview. Time Period: 1970s. Bruce Rosenberg discusses folklore theory, folk legends, folklore research, writing “Custer and the Epic Defeat.”
