CURRENT ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEWS

The ALPL Oral History program is currently organized around several distinct projects, which are listed below. As much as we would like to pursue every interview recommended to us, we recognize the need to focus our efforts on these specific projects.

Agriculture in Illinois: Agriculture is central to the story of Illinois. The state is blessed by some of the best soils and weather conditions in the world. Indeed, it sits in the heart of the nation's breadbasket. From Illinois' earliest settlement all the way to the present, agriculture was and still is the state's most important enterprise. But the legacy of agriculture in Illinois goes well beyond that: farming has been a way of life for generations of Illinoisans, and therefore plays a central role in the state's rich cultural heritage as well. Even Chicago, which emerged in the late 19th Century as a transportation, industrial, and business center, owes its existence and vibrancy to the Midwest's abundance. Who can think of Chicago's history without also recalling the stockyards and lumber mills, meat packing plants and candy factories, of Sears & Roebuck, Montgomery Ward and the Chicago Board of Trade? Each is inexorably linked to the products of the prairies and to the farmers who coaxed them from the earth. For all these reasons, we've made Agriculture in Illinois our top priority.

Illinois Statecraft: The story of Illinois politics is not only colorful, but also essential to our understanding of Illinois and its place in the nation and the wider world today. This project intends to focus not strictly on politicians, but also on journalists, lobbyists, jurists, political aides, friends, relatives and political opponents, in other words, those behind the headlines as well as those who find themselves in them. Since the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate both have Oral Historians on staff, this project focuses primarily, but not exclusively, on the state and local political scene. And while our interviewees sometimes discuss the Chicago political scene, we generally leave primary responsibility for that subject to Chicago institutions. That said, there's plenty in this collection that will enlighten the serious student, or catch the attention of those of us who are fascinated by the way the political game is played in Illinois.

Illinois in the War on Terror: This project aims to interview Illinois National Guard and Reserve commanders and senior non-commissioned officers returning from the War on Terrorism. One might think this to be redundant, as we also have a Veterans Remember series, but there are two distinct differences between these projects. First, since Illinois in the War on Terror interviews only unit commanders and senior Non Commissioned Officers, they naturally have a different, more official perspective on the experience. For that reason, we work closely with the leadership of the Illinois National Guard, who have graciously allowed their soldiers and airmen to be interviewed on the record.

The second difference between this and our Veterans Remember interviews is more obvious - the short amount of time between the events and the time of the interview. As with all things in life, there are trade-offs involved. Memories are fresher, more detailed, and presumably more accurate for these interviews. On the down side, in some cases the narrator is still trying to process the full meaning of his or her experiences at the time of the interview, less willing to discuss some of the more brutal or painful experiences than the old soldier who has reconciled himself to events.

Historians Speak: The Historians Speak project is a collection of interviews conducted by historians, with historians – specifically historians who have spent their lives thinking, teaching and writing about Illinois and/or Abraham Lincoln. It is the most academic of our projects, and focuses especially on the narrators' historiographical journey, their contributions to current scholarship, and struggles and successes they might have experienced during their career. Many of these interviews also give us fascinating insights into the workings and evolution of academic institutions.

Veterans Remember: Public interest in the memories and experiences of our nation's veterans is long-standing and enduring. Our goal at ALPL is to conduct in-depth interviews that examine the narrator's early years as well as thoroughly address their military experiences. This project is divided, naturally, into the nation's wars, starting with World War II, through Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and our current War on Terror. We've also included the Cold War, for there are many veterans who never saw a battlefield yet still served honorably. Their stories, too, deserve to be heard and understood. Our current focus is on the Korean War, as that war is too often ignored, and poorly understood. Our Korean War veterans deserve better, and fifty-plus years removed from the war, we are racing the clock. This is even more true for the World War II generation, although yeoman's work has already been done on that generation. This is all to explain why you will not find many interviews with Vietnam veterans and beyond. Rest assured that we will soon turn our attention to these wars as well, but time and resources are very limited.

In many cases, a narrators' experience is not limited to just one war. In that event, you will be able to access the interview through each of the wars in which they served.

Family Memories: The Family Memories project focuses on people who have made special contributions to their families and communities, and who also have a compelling story to tell us about their experiences. In many cases, these interviews examine the narrator's entire life, especially their formative years and early adulthood. Others focus on an especially meaningful part of their lives. While we plan to keep this project limited in scope, we are happy to provide our patrons with a fascinating collection of stories and memories that will enrich us all.

Springfield African-American History Foundation: Established in 2003, the Springfield, Illinois African American History Foundation (SAAHF) seeks to record the history of African American families who have lived in the Springfield area for several generations. Numerous volunteers were recruited during the early days of the organization and were trained in oral history techniques. Following this training, volunteers began to identify and record interviews of selected community residents. This interview project continues. As interviews are completed, the tapes are donated to the Audio-Visual Department of the ALPLM. Transcriptions of these tapes have been completed as time and funding permits. Tapes that have not yet been transcribed or digitized for access on the Web, are available in the Library Audio-Visual Department.

The tapes provide insight into life in the African American community and include discussions of family life, civil rights, discrimination, integration, and segregation in the workplace and educational community. Residents involved in the Springfield school desegregation suit are interviewed. Life in the military, in the days before and following integration, is also discussed. Attention is also given to the variety of businesses that were owned and operated by African Americans. Interviewees include former teachers, community and religious leaders, as well as business men and women. Life in both rural and small towns, as well as life in large and small cities is discussed in the interviews.

Acknowledgments: Funding for transcriptions has been provided by the SAAHF, the Sangamon County Community Foundation, and the Illinois Humanities Council.