Oral Histories

An initiative that began in 2017, the University Archives has begun to digitize items from the Historical Audio Recordings collection and other collections. We have sorted these recordings into four categories: Lectures and Presentations, Oral Histories, Performances and Speeches. At present the category of Oral Histories is the only category that we are actively adding to. With support from the Office of the Provost, the University Archives has been interviewing current and emeritus faculty, staff and students on their experiences at Eastern Michigan University.

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Gregory McIntosh, Oral History Interview, 2023

Katie Delahoyde

Katie Delahoyde interviews Greg McIntosh, a musician and Ypsilanti resident, for the Ypsilanti Bicentennial Celebration. Greg discusses his musical journey, including his time with the Great Lakes Myth Society and his friendship with Matt Jones. He reflects on the changing music scene in Ypsilanti, noting the rise and fall of local venues like the Green Room and the Elbow Room. Greg also shares personal anecdotes, such as a memorable incident involving a DUI and a confrontation at Woodruff's. He expresses nostalgia for the community's creative energy and hopes for its continued growth.
Gregory Peoples, Oral History Interview, 2024

Matt Jones

As a university administrator of over 40 years at EMU, Gregory Peoples devoted himself to bettering the college experiences of marginalized students,. In 1994, Peoples helped establish the LGBT Resource Center at EMU, and in this interview, he describes the challenges both to himself and from the university in forming this crucial campus support center.
Gretchen [Geiser] Colbert

Brooke Boyst and Matt Jones

Gretchen [Geiser] Colbert is a 1968 alumna of the Roosevelt School and grew up in Ypsilanti, Michigan. In this interview Colbert discusses her experiences at Roosevelt, highlighting how she developed a passion for music and joined the girl's synchronized swim team as it was the only sport available to women at the time. She explains how she took her passion for music with her through life, and how voice lessons at Roosevelt have led to a lifelong involvement in choir groups.
Grey Grant, Oral History Interview, 2023

Kat Hacanyan

In this interview longtime Ypsi resident Grey Grant shares their Ypsi Pride experiences detailing that they first attended in 2021 to reunite with an old friend. Grant also details that they've been lucky finding a large queer community and queer spaces, and that their first pride was in their hometown of Winston Salem, NC, in the early 2000s. Grant also shares the importance of community for millennials and Gen Z, the joy of seeing so many trans people in Ypsi, and being happy to be at pride.
Hamzah Dajani, Oral History Interview, 2024

Elizabeth Allen

Hamzah Dajani is an international student from Jordan studying finance and accounting, and he currently serves as the Student Government President at Eastern Michigan University. In this interview, Dajani recounts his experience growing up in Jordan, how he became interested in math and finance, and how he decided to come to EMU. Dajani explains how he got involved in Student Government, his experience as an international student, the difficulties of adjusting to life in the United States, and the struggles of finding a job as a non-US citizen. Dajani describes how Student Government became involved in the Afghan resettlement process, helping move the Afghan families into on-campus housing, talking to the Afghan’s about their experience fleeing to the US, and his own experiences working with refugees prior to the Afghan resettlement.
Heather Neff, Oral History Interview, 2018

Matt Jones and Alexis Braun Marks

Heather Neff is a highly-decorated professor of African American Literature, Women in Literature, and Poetry and Major Authors. Among a score of achievements, Neff has created the American Writers in Paris Program, has served as Director of the McNair Scholars Program at EMU, and has won numerous awards including the Distinguished Faculty Award for Teaching Excellence, the Outstanding Faculty Award, and the Teaching Excellence Award.
Howard Booth, Oral History Interview, 2019

Matt Jones

Dr. Howard Booth taught biology at Eastern Michigan University for forty-six years. An alumni of EMU, Booth was very active in athletics while a student, earning recognition in track and field and gymnastics, as well as joining the cheer team. After a 39-year hiatus from the sport, Booth took up the pole vault at age 61, traveling the world to compete, and winning gold medals in competitions ranging from the National Master's Track and Field Championship in Boston and the World Athletics Championship in Brazil.
Hunter Johnstone, Interview, 2023

Finn Vincent-Fix

In November of 2023, Eastern Michigan University’s LGBT Resource Center hosted an event in collaboration with the University Archives’ Oral History Program during Transgender Awareness Week where students could share their experiences with being part of the LGBT community on and off campus. EMU student Hunter Johnstone talks about the fictional characters who had an impact on them, coming out as bisexual, and addressing biphobia in and out of the LGBTQ community.
Irene Allen, Oral History Interview, 2019

Matt Jones

Irene Allen is an extremely special person to the EMU Archives. Allen was a professor in the College of Education, Department of Curriculum and Instruction, from 1968 until her retirement in 2004. She has taught on three continents, presented papers on the topics of literacy and reading and spoken to audiences on six continents. A voracious traveler, Allen has visited all seven continents. Appointed writer and then Chief of Party to the EMU/USAID Swaziland Primary Curriculum Development Project (AID/afr-c-1 172) from 1982-1984, among many other appointments and achievements. Allen here discusses her work on the establishment of the EMU Women's Commission and being one of four women selected by EMU President Harold Sponberg to write the Women's Commission Constitution after a year of research by Anne Thompson concerning inequities between men and women faculty members in salary, rank, teaching assignments, etc., for equal work and degrees. Irene Allen has been an ardent supporter of the EMU Oral History Program since its inception, and, for that, she has our undying respect and love.
Ivy Smith, Interview, 2023

Elizabeth Allen

In November of 2023, Eastern Michigan University’s LGBT Resource Center hosted an event in collaboration with the University Archives’ Oral History Program during Transgender Awareness Week where students could share their experiences with being part of the LGBT community on and off campus. EMU student Ivy Smith talks about learning about queer identities, gender euphoria, and the LGBTRC's Out on the Lawn event.
Jack Minzey, EMU Roles and Perspectives Interview, 1972

Robert Hoexter

EMU Roles and Perspectives was taped television program broadcast from the campus of EMU, and produced by Robert Hoexter (1930-1978). Hoexter joined the faculty at the EMU School of Education in 1964, and served as Coordinator of Graduate Advising from 1969-1971. A member of the Faculty Senate from 1973-1976, Hoexter was elected vice-chairman from 1974-1975, and chairman, 1975-1976. In this episode of Roles and Perspectives, Hoexter interviews Jack Minzey. Jack Minzey joined the faculty at EMU in 1968. At various times, he served as head of the Department of Leadership and Counseling, acting dean of the College of Education, and director of the Center for Community Education. Minzey also served as president of the National Community Education Association and has won numerous awards, including an Outstanding Service Award from the NCEA. In 1992, Minzey was inducted into the Michigan Education hall of Fame. In this interview, Minzey discusses the concept of community schools, which he championed throughout his career. The ingredients of community education according to Minzey, are as follows: greater usage of public structures for ongoing educational purposes, expanded educational activities for the traditional education population, greater educational relevancy, and equal educational opportunities for all members of the community, regardless of age.
James Beasley, November 6, 2018

Rachel Burns and Matt Jones

James Beasley graduated from Eastern Michigan University in 1977 and was an active member of the Student Senate and other associations on campus. Not on campus for the 1969 takeover of Pierce Hall, Beasley was a member of the next generation of student activists on campus, witness to the implementation of many of the changes demanded by earlier activists.
James H. Brickley Oral History Interview, 1998 September 11

Laurence Smith

James Brickley served as the sixteenth president of Eastern Michigan University from 1975 to 1978. This interview is an account of his time as president of EMU, the adjustments made by his family in moving to campus, the attitude of the faculty at the time of his arrival, and the changes that Brickley effected once taking office. This interview was conducted for the purpose of gathering primary research for Laurence Smith’s book, Eastern Michigan University: A Sesquicentennial Portrait (1999).
James Porter, February 15, 2019

Matt Jones and Mia Colavito

Dr. James Porter began his tenure with the Eastern Michigan University Department of Astronomy and Physics in 1968, a particularly tumultuous time for the University. Witness to many student protests and the local law enforcement response to them, Porter shares his perspective on a changing university and the community surrounding it. Porter received Emeritus status when he retired in 2008.
James Ratzloff, Interview, 2022

Connor Ashley

On October 1, 2022, students from the EMU Archives and Oral History Program recorded stories of EMU students past and present. Using the EMU Aerie, the Archives’ mobile oral history recording booth, student oral historians captured the formative experiences and perspectives of EMU alums from a variety of campus eras. Here, alum Ratzloff (class of 2008) describes his first experiences on campus, including campus orientation with the Women’s Swim Team. Ratzloff also remembers his mentors in the Computer Science Department, notably Gregory Peoples, Benjamin Keller, Judy Sturgis-Hill and Susan Haynes. Ratzloff also praises the university’s belief that a degree should be earned, not freely given once tuition is paid.
Jan Kaulins, Oral History Interview, 2022

Laura Waskiewicz and Matt Jones

In the Fall of 2022, Matt Jones’s Oral History Techniques class conducted a set of interviews documenting the stories behind the student unrest on Eastern Michigan University’s campus from 1966-1972. Jan Kaulins was the supreme justice on the student court at EMU during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jan was involved with the student unrest on campus, and ruled on important cases that were brought to the court, such as the Second Coming trials. He went on to graduate school at the University of Michigan after EMU.
Jan Wright, Oral History Interview, 2022

Matt Jones

In 2021, Eastern Michigan University Archives lecturer Matt Jones began documenting the story of Ypsilanti’s Human Rights Ordinance #1279 in an effort to explore the ways in which local queer activism has evolved multi-generationally in Ypsilanti. What began as a refusal of service by a local print shop to a small EMU student group quickly turned into a years-long battle over who was deserving of basic human rights. To the LGBTQ activists and community members documented here, they had always been present in the community: working, paying taxes, painting their houses, mowing their lawns, attending council meetings, and even serving on council. This ordinance battle was about more than just LGBT rights—it was about protecting the human rights of all Ypsilantians. On January 18, 2022, Jones talked to community organizer and American Friends Service Committee staff member, Jan Wright. After she became a Quaker in graduate school, Wright spent some time living with fellow Quakers in Ann Arbor, and volunteering for the American Friends Service Committee. She eventually became the local AFSC's LGBT Issues Program Director. Wright and her AFSC colleagues hosted community workshops where people could learn to hold non-hostile communication with LGBT/opposing groups. As both ordinance campaigns utilized the workshops, Wright became more entwined in the cause, and found it necessary to support it. Her work with other community members, activists, and organizers left her with meaningful connections, which she reflects on in this interview. Wright also covers the importance of including the Black community in the ordinance, and working closely with religious groups to increase visibility and support through it all.
Jeff Bernstein, Oral History Interview, 2025

Kat Hacanyan

Jeff Bernstein is a professor of political science and Director of the Faculty Development Center at EMU. Bernstein, alongside colleagues like Decky Alexander and Pam Landau, is another one of the Center for Jewish Studies' earliest supporters. He started teaching classes at EMU while working on a graduate degree from U of M and was later hired as a full time faculty member. Up until its move off campus, Bernstein served as a board member for Hillel, alongside CJS Founding Director Marty Shichtman. He was appointed director of the Faculty Development Center in 2021 and continues to serve on the CJS faculty advisory board. In this interview, Bernstein talks about the things that formed his Jewish identity, the changes in Eastern's Jewish student body over the years, and just how much work went into developing and maintaining the Center.
Jeffery Duncan, February 19, 2019

Matt Jones and Rachel Burns

Dr. Jeffery Duncan was professor of English Language and Literature at EMU from 1971 until his retirement in 2012. Awarded the Ronald Collins Distinguished Faculty Award in 2002, Duncan was regarded as one of the most beloved faculty members at the University for his rough and tumble Tulsa upbringing and inventive, innovative teaching methods.
Jeremy Wheeler, Interview, 2024

Micah Bookout

Throughout 2024, the city of Ann Arbor celebrated its 200th anniversary with community events, festivals, and art displays that highlighted its rich culture and history. To cap off the celebrations, in December 2024 the EMU Center for Oral History Research invited community members to Skyline High School to share what makes Ann Arbor special. In this interview, Jeremy Wheeler talks about working with local businesses and orgs as an artist, the types of people who make up Ann Arbor, and the types of worries that come with rising prices.
Jerry Robbins, January 29, 2019

Matt Jones and Rachel Burns

Dr. Jerry Robbins served as Dean of the College of Education at Eastern Michigan University from 1991 until 2004, a period during which the College of Education grew swiftly and sustained its reputation as the largest producer of teachers in the nation. Robbins was awarded the Volunteer Award by the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education in 2005, the President’s Award by the Association of Teacher Educators in 1988, and participated in the White House Teacher Preparation Conference and has authored numerous articles and books on education.
Jessica "Decky" Alexander, Oral History Interview, 2024

Elizabeth Allen and Finn Vincent-Fix

Decky Alexander is a Drama Professor and the director of academic engagement programs (Engage@EMU) at Eastern Michigan University. In this interview, Alexander recounts how she became interested in theater, growing up in the Chicago area, and the impact college had on expanding her worldview. Alexander describes her theatre initiatives, working to improve harmful public school policies, and how she ended up at Eastern Michigan University. Alexander explains her life during her “year of yes”, getting involved with the Jewish Federation in Washtenaw County, and her involvement in resettling Afghan families into student housing at EMU in 2022. Alexander explores how she thinks EMU can better engage with the international community, her desire to help formerly incarcerated people get an education, and other humanitarian initiatives that she has been involved with.
Jessica "Decky" Alexander, Oral History Interview, 2025

Kat Hacanyan

Decky Alexander is a professor of drama and theater education and the Director of Engage@EMU. Alexander has become a well known community member across Washtenaw County through her theater education programs and work with organizations like the Jewish Federation of Greater Ann Arbor. She is the founder of CloseUp theater troupe and has been another long time supporter and board member of the Center for Jewish Studies at EMU. In this interview, Alexander talks about her Jewish upbringing in Chicago, the strengths of a good community network, and why having a center like this is especially important at EMU.
Jill Hunsberger, Oral History Interview, 2025

Kat Hacanyan

Jill Hunsberger is Associate Vice President for Advancement at EMU and a long time supporter and advisory board member of the Center for Jewish Studies. Since making her way here in 1999, Hunsberger has established herself as a dynamic and engaged community leader through her work with the EMU Foundation and the EMU Chapter of Women in Philanthropy. She became involved with the Center for Jewish Studies early on and helped to advance its initial growth and development. In this interview, Hunsberger talks about her deep rooted background in community service, developing university programs from start to finish, and how the Center can teach people what it means to be good community citizens.
Jim MacDonald, Oral History Interview, 2023

Chris Baker and Matt Jones

Jim MacDonald was a Roosevelt school attendee from 1957 until his junior year 1969, when the school closed, and his dad, Alistair MacDonald, better known as “Mr. Mac was the principal of Roosevelt while he attended. MacDonald is also the proprietor of Jim MacDonald’s Antiques, which shares a shop with Apple Annie's Vintage in Ypsilanti's Historic Depot Town. In this interview MacDonald discusses his experience growing up in Ypsilanti in the 1950s and 60s near Oakwood and Sheridan, playing with his friends in Sleepy Hollow, and the impact his dad had on kids he went to Roosevelt with. MacDonald also talks in detail about his friendship with Wayne Blikken, explaining their cross country trip playing basketball at various colleges.