Oral Histories

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  Juanita Reid, Oral History Interview, 2021

  Cheyenne Travioli and Matt Jones

  Juanita Reid served EMU for 28 years in vital roles such as Vice President of University Relations, Executive Associate to the President and Secretary of the Board of Regents. Reid's integral roles gave her a front row seat to the workings of upper administration and her view of the EMU logo and mascot change reflects this close, professional proximity. Explaining the rationale of the Board of Regents and the president in changing the mascot and logo, as well as the reactions from the community both on and off campus, Reid paints a uniquely vivid portrait of a university enmeshed in the thorny process of altering the identity of a university and committing itself to the cause of inclusivity and social justice.

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  Kate Mehuron and Dennis O'Grady, Oral History Interview, 2024

  Matt Jones and Kat Hacanyan

  Kate Mehuron, professor of History and Philosophy and the Department of Women's and Gender Studies, and Dennis O'Grady, professor with the Departments of Communication, Media, and Theater Arts and Women's and Gender Studies, were both instrumental in the planning and implementation of the EMU LGBT Resource Center. Acting as a vital connection between faculty, students, and administration, Mehuron and O'Grady describe working with other faculty like Kathleen Russell to win support for the center. They also describe some of the pushback to the center amongst EMU faculty.

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  Kathy Palmer, 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 February 27, 2022, Jones met with EMU alum and former chair-person of Tri-Pride, Kathy Palmer. Palmer found herself at EMU after learning more about the Master's in Social Work program and comparing it to others she was considering. She took up a graduate assistantship from Kathleen Russell, and was eventually picked to serve as a Tri-Pride co-chair. Palmer was only directly involved with the ordinance effort for a short time, as the Tri-Pride complaint was filed in February, and she graduated in April. Despite this, she kept close ties to the community and stayed updated throughout it all, and her "outsider" perspective gave her a new awareness of the campaigns' impact. In this interview, Palmer describes that new awareness and appreciation and shares more of the values and beliefs behind Tri-Pride and its members.

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  "Kayla" and "Jamia," Interview, 2023

  Brooke Boyst

  On October 7, 2023, students from the EMU Archives and Oral History Program recorded the 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, EMU alums and longtime friends “Jamia” and “Kayla” discuss their formative experiences on the campus of EMU, including shopping at the Quick Fix, where students could “buy anything from candy bars to condoms,” and the Meijer Midnight Madness grocery shopping trips hosted by EMU. Both interviewees discuss courses and faculty who were influential, and both express hopes that their children will also attend EMU.

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  Ken Barna, Oral History Interview, 2022

  matt Jones

  Ken Barna was an active member of the Arm of Honor Fratternity from 1961 until 1965 and was the older brother of fellow Arm Serge Barna. Barna describes his experience at Redford High School, the occupations of his parents, and how he got interested in athletics at a young age. Barna speaks about his outlook on fraternity life prior to coming to EMU, the enduring historical names in the fraternity, and the importance of recruiting locals to the fraternity. Barna recounts the letters he received from Bingo Brown, advising him to get his grades up, notable speakers on campus, and the future of the active fraternity.

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  Ken Moon, Oral History Interview, 2022

  Chyelle Pitts-Chatman 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. Ken Moon was a Black administrator at EMU during the lates 1960s and early 1970s, and an important mediator between the students and the administration. Moon was an influential figure on campus and supported students academically and personally.

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  Kenneth Stevens, August 21, 2018

  Matt Jones and Alexis Braun Marks

  Kenneth Stevens served with the Communication and Theater Arts Department -currently Communication, Media, and Theater Arts Department- from 1973 until his retirement in 2014. During that time, Stevens created the graduate and undergraduate programs in Arts Management, directed hundreds of plays and musicals, was a ten-time winner of the faculty recognition awards, received the EMU Gold Medallion Award, and the Teaching Innovation Award. Outside of teaching at EMU, Stevens has also served as Associate Director of the Cherry County Playhouse in Traverse City, producer at the Red Barn Theater in Saugatuck, MI, as well as Director of the Actors Repertory Theater in Las Vegas, and President of the Michigan Theater Association.

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  Kirk Profit, Oral History Interview, 2022

  Matt Jones

  Kirk Profit was an active member of the Arm of Honor from 1970 until 1975. Son of University Controller Louis Profit, Kirk Profit was a student at Roosevelt School until its closing in 1969 when he moved to Ypsilanti High School. Profit details some of the physical changes to campus since his student days, and the more familial aspect of campus in the 1950s and 1960s. Profit speaks of his father's friendship with President Harold Sponberg, and the need to keep a low profile during the tumultuous days on campus in the late 1960s. Profit describes fraternity living, and the pursuit of the All Sports Trophy, given to the most decorated fraternity in intramural sports. Profit discuesses fraternity initiation and taking clandestine drives to Silver Lake to try marijuana. Profit walks the reader through the Arm house, explaining the orgins for many of the room names.

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  Kirk Profit, Oral History Interview, 2023

  McKinley Striggow and Matt Jones

  Kirk Profit is a former member of the Michigan House of Representatives and currently works as a lawyer and legal consultant in his hometown of Ypsilanti, Michigan. In this interview, Profit speaks about his time as a student at the Roosevelt school, which he attended from kindergarten until 6th grade, leaving early as a result of Roosevelts impending closure. He explains how the education at Roosevelt was creative and innovative, why swimming was so popular among Roosevelt students, and discusses what elementary and middle school students did for fun in the 1960s. He also discusses his life after Roosevelt, exploring his early involvement with politics, developing a social consciousness, and the current state of education in Ypsilanti.

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  Kris Pride, 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 13, 2022, Jones talked to EMU alum and former member of Tri-Pride, Kris Pride. Pride came to EMU to earn her MSW, and was a graduate assistant in the LGBT Resource Center before she became a founding member of Tri-Pride. She was immersed in campus life and culture, and gained a sense of safety and comfort amongst her peers here. When Tri-Pride was denied service, Pride recalls that it felt like a reality check; that not everyone experienced the same she did. Although most of her time was spent on school, she remembers the differences in approach between the social work students and community members when it came to resolving the issue. Throughout this interview, Pride describes the campus atmosphere during the ordinance efforts, and how queer culture differed on and off campus.

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  Kurt Hill, October 18, 2018

  Rachel Burns and Matt Jones

  Kurt Hill is a graduate of Eastern Michigan University, active member of the Black Student Association, and Campus Service Corps, as well as present during the take over of Pierce Hall take over of February 20th, 1969.

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  Larry Smith, Oral History Interview, 2021

  Connor K. Ashley and Matt Jones

  Former Vice President for Marketing and Student Affairs Laurence Smith, worked at Eastern Michigan University from 1975-2000. Smith worked in the capacity of Vice President for University Marketing and Student Affairs where he had overall leadership responsibility for strategic University marketing, communication and media relations, as well as student affairs. Smith played an important role in campus life and served on the EMU Logo Review Committee and Logo Selection Committee. In his interview, Smith describes the state of higher education thirty years ago compared to now; how alumni and community placed value in the institution vs. a symbol; and the selection process for a new logo. Smith speeks in broad strokes about higher education and their role in social justice causes and does not speak to the specifics of the committee's work.

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  Lauren London, Oral History Interview, 2024

  Finn Vincent-Fix and Elizabeth Allen

  Lauren London is the General Counsel for Eastern Michigan University, and has been working at EMU for over a decade now. In this interview, London explains her decision to become a lawyer, how she became EMU’s General Counsel, and the challenges of being a Jewish person in the modern political climate. London describes her connection to Jewish Family Services, falling into the role as the project manager for the Afghan resettlement process, and the legality and logistics of opening up on-campus housing to the 12 Afghan families in 2022. London discusses future projects EMU hopes to work on relating to refugees, her gratitude to work at an institution that genuinely cares about people, and the things she does to practice self-care.

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  Leah Dotson, Oral History Interview, 2023

  Kat Hacanyan

  Kat Hacanyan interviews Leah Dotson, a progressive activist and Eastern Michigan University graduate, for the Ypsilanti Bicentennial Celebration. Leah discusses her journey into activism, starting in 2013, and her involvement in environmentalism and community organizing. She highlights Ypsilanti's welcoming environment, its family-friendly parks, and the growing sense of community, particularly among young families. Leah envisions Ypsilanti as a leader in renewable energy, leveraging existing initiatives like Solar Ypsi. She emphasizes the city's resilience, mutual aid during the pandemic, and hopes to be remembered as a community advocate who balances activism with listening.

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  Lean Adams, EMU Roles and Perspectives Interview, 1972

  Leah Adams

  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 Leah Adams. Dr. Adams served Eastern Michigan University from 1969-1999 as a professor in early childhood education with the EMU College of Education. In this interview, Adams, a strong supporter of the growing preschool programs in the United States, defends the practice of preschooling children by saying that the emergence of preschool fits perfectly within the changing society in which it resides. With the emergence of widespread automobile use, families were able to begin isolating themselves from their neighbors, yet they wanted ways in which to socialize their children. This need for socialization, coupled with the nation’s recent “Sputnik Complex,” lead to parents wanting children to learn faster and sooner. The woman’s role in the household had changed as well, from that of homemaker who was seen to be shirking her motherly duties if she left her child at a daycare center, to that of professional, career-minded woman.

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  Lee Hassenzahl, Interview, 2023

  Katie Delahoyde

  On October 7, 2023, students from the EMU Archives and Oral History Program recorded the 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 Lee Hassenzahl (class of 1972) recounts meeting her husband at EMU, working toward her degree in Education, her grandmother’s graduation from Michigan State Normal College, her work with Vietnamese refugees during the War in Vietnam, and the disparity in pay between men and women.

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  Leonard Posey, Oral History Interview, 2018

  Matt Jones and Rachel Burns

  Leonard Posey is an alumni of Eastern Michigan. He graduated from Eastern Michigan with Bachelors in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management. Posey was an active student on campus, serving in the student senate all four years. Additionally, he was a member of the Black Student Association, during his fourth year as a student here on campus, Posey was elected student body president becoming EMU’s first African American student body president. The last year of Posey’s academic tenure was met with some difficulty when it was squeezed between students and faculty over issues with the student senate, allocation of funds and a clerical workers strike. After graduation, he took a job at the university in the Personnel Department then became interested in educational activism becoming the first Black Wayne-Westland School Board member.

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  Lillie Reimer, Oral History Interview, 2023

  Brooke Boyst

  Brooke Boyst, an EMU Historic Preservation graduate student, interviews Lily Reimer for the Ypsilanti bicentennial celebration. Lily, a recent Eastern Michigan graduate and manager at Literati Bookstore, has lived in Ypsilanti for five years. She values the community's openness, friendliness, and welcoming nature, contrasting it with Ann Arbor's transient population. Lily hopes to be remembered as a dedicated community member and wishes for Ypsilanti to gain more recognition for its authentic, grounded character. She aspires for the city to be better appreciated for its real people and vibrant community spirit.

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  Linda Pritchard, Oral History Interview, 2018

  Matt Jones and Rachel Burns

  Linda Pritchard served as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Eastern Michigan University from 2002 until 2005. Pritchard then joined the faculty in the History Department, and later played a vital role in the formation of the Women’s and Gender Studies Department, which she headed from 2008 until 2012. Returning to the classroom, Pritchard taught with the History Department until her retirement in 2016. In this interview, Pritchard begins by giving an account of her formative years in Lansing and Bakersfield, California, before summarizing her time at Arkansas State University as Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Pritchard extensively discusses her time at EMU, detailing the duties and hiring process of a College Dean, the success of particular programs she was involved in, and her philosophy of education, in which the importance of letter grades pale in comparison to the development of student communication skills, and a sense of empathy for the subjects and people around you in the greater world. Pritchard also discusses the economic hardships and personnel turnover of the early 2000’s, and the effects this instability had on the faculty’s ability to carry out job functions.

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  Linda Yohn, January 23, 2020

  Matt Jones

  Linda Yohn is said to have done more for jazz in Southeast Michigan than any other single person in her 30 years with WEMU. Six-time winner of the jazz programmer of the year award, frequent panelist at national conventions, and universally recognized for her commitment to all things jazz here and everywhere else. Yohn was given Emeritus status by Eastern Michigan University when she retired in 2017.

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  Lisa Green, Interview, 2023

  Christopher Durden

  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 Lisa Green talks about the importance of the Resource Center on campus, growing up as a queer child, and their journey to EMU.

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  Lisa Marshall Bashert, 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 February 23 and March 2 of 2022, Jones talked with long time Ypsilantian, community organizer and activist, and member of Campaign for Equality and Citizens for Community, Lisa Marshall Bashert. When she moved to the Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti areas, Bashert found herself laying activist roots and finding acceptance despite her conservative religious upbringing. She volunteered with LGMPO, where she became close friends with Ayron Smith-Douglas, and got to know Jim Toy. Bashert participated in things like Take Back the Night marches at U of M, and the Washtenaw Rainbow Action Project. When the ordinance campaigns kicked off, she and her wife, Beth Bashert, became involved right from the start after experiencing discrimination in Ypsilanti themselves. From there, Bashert dedicated her time to supporting her community, forming close relationships with other members of C4C and YCFE, and organizing some of the earliest LGBTQ events in Ypsi. She became deeply entangled within the efforts, and recalls just how difficult it was to process things like the city council hearings and homophobia. In this interview, Bashert shares some of the ways that campaign members would try to process those feelings and how they supported each other. She also dives into some of the culture and community building programs she helped organize during the ordinance efforts, how her social world was shifting and changing, and how she's seen Ypsi's sense of community evolve.

  This interview contains discussion of topics that may be sensitive for some listeners, such as homophobic language and violence against queer people.

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  Lisa Zuber, 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 3, 2022, Jones talked to community organizer, activist, and member of Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, Lisa Zuber. Zuber had close ties to the ordinance early on thanks to her work with PFLAG in Ann Arbor, which granted her the opportunity to speak at the very first council meeting. She became an important figure in the ordinance campaigns from there, eventually taking on the role of volunteer coordinator in YCFE. Zuber worked tirelessly alongside her fellow community members and organizers, and ensured that all the canvassing and cold-calling ran smoothly. During the course of the campaigns, she formed a relationship with former city council-member John Gawlas, and they married on the anniversary of the ordinance's defense. In this interview, Zuber describes the level of coordination and work it took to successfully organize volunteers for the campaigns, the highs and lows of the movement, and how she's seen Ypsi change since then.

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  Liz Nowland-Margolis, 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, Liz Nowland-Margolis talks about growing up in Ann Arbor, learning about her family's history, and community involvement.

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  Mable Jones, November 5, 2018

  Rachel Burns and Matt Jones

  Dr. Jones is an alumna of Eastern Michigan University, graduating in 1972. Her time is characterized by heavy involvement in student activism that included being a member of Campus Service Corps, the Black Student Association and discussions with administration after the take over of Pierce Hall in February 1969. Dr. Mable Jones came to Eastern as an Upward Bound student. Jones became the chief executive officer of Upward Bound at Wayne State University, and, since retiring, continues to serve the greater Detroit area in the field of child development.

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