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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Michael Beaugrand, Oral History Interview, 2022

Matt Jones

Michael Beaugrand was an active member of the Arm of Honor Fraternity from 1988 until 1994 and is the younger brother of fellow Arm of Honor member, Bob Beaugrand. In this interview, Beaugrand details his upbringing in Ypsilanti, the death of his younger brother in a car accident just off the EMU campus, and his stints in the US Military. Beaugrand talks about his mother, Geri Beaugrand, serving as advisor to the fraternity. Beaugrand talks of having no other options as a college hopeful, and his introduction to the fraternity. Beaugrand speaks of the hazing process, Hell Night, and the secrets to surviving a swatting session. Beaugrand competed in manyh intramural sports while in the fraternity, and participated in various renovation projects in the Arm house, including the purchase and renovation of the house following Arm of Honor's expulsion from EMU in 2015.
Michael Faunce, Ypsi Pride Interview, 2023

Akaiia Ridley

In June of 2023, The Eastern Michigan University Archives Oral History Program brought the EMUA Aerie to Depot Town in Ypsilanti during the Ypsi Pride festival to record the pride stories of the local community. Here, Michael talks about attending Ypsi Pride over the years, and being part of an open and affirming church.
Michael G. Nastos, March 28, 2019

Matt Jones and Alexis Braun Marks

Longtime broadcaster, music critic, and jazz aficionado Michael G. Nastos is best known for his work at WEMU-FM, the NPR affiliate station making its home in King Hall on the WEMU campus. Emeritus Senior Producer, Music Librarian, Assistant Music Director and full-time evening broadcaster at EMU for nearly thirty years, Nastos has written for Downbeat Magazine, Cadence magazine, Coda Jazz Forum, Swing Journal, and a host of other local and national music publications.
Michael Pappas, Oral History Interview, 2023

Matt Jones

Mike Pappas, brother of fellow Arm Tony Pappas, was an active member of the Arm of Honor Fraternity from 1970-1974, living in the Arm house fo the entirety of his stint at EMU. Growing up in Ypsilanti Township and Ann Arbor, Pappas describes the Seven Seas Restaurant, which his parents owned and lived above, and his formative years at St. John's Catholic School in Ypsilanti. Pappas describes the Ypsilanti he knew as a child and the differences between the local religious schools. Pappas describes hitchhikinig culture of the 1960s, and talks about how improtant the history fo the Arm of Honor was to pledging members. Pappas also discusses the sexual assault rampant in modern fraternity culture, Ted's Campus Drugs, and the comparisons between Animal House and the Arm of Honor.
Mike Colletta, Oral History Interview, 2022

Matt Jones

Mike Colletta was an active member of the Arm of Honor Fraternity from 1965 until 1969, and is now a member of the Arm of Honor Alumni Chapter. A first generation Detroiter born to Sicilian immigrants, Colletta describes his time at Allen Park High School and Michigan State University before coming to EMU with a friend to visit. Colletta talks about meeting with Dean of Students Ralph Gilden, the lost sense of community on the EMU campus, a failed Marine enlistment, and having a student deferment plus a married deferment from the armed services. Colletta describes meeting the Arms for the first time, using meal tickets for lunches at the Wolverine Grill, and details living in a fraternity house, the Arm initiation process, and how the experience of being an Arm prepared him for everything that came after college.
Mike Srock, Oral History Interview, 2022

Matt Jones

Mike Srock was an active member of the Arm of Honor Fraternity from 1965 until he was drafted by the US Armed Forces in 1967. Now an acclaimed Strength & Speed coach, Srock talks about his upbringing, education and athletic exposure in Detroit, before detailing his college experiences, academics, and friendships within the Arm of Honor. He details his off-campus living situation, the atmosphere at EMU in the 1960s, rushing for Arm of Honor, and the six kegs of beer won by his pledge class for various athletic achievements. He talks of fellow Arm Dennis Snary and his unusual method of intramural swimming. Srock describes the fraternity band, Bob Schneider and the Collegiates, and their focus on socializing instead of rehearsal. He speaks of the lifelong friendships gained from the fraternity, and talks about the annual Alumni Day, and meeting former Arms Pat Dignan and Red Miller. He also describes the Motown Revue held at Bowen Field House, and the roles that the Arms played in making the concert happen. Srock also talks about the challenge of coming back to the fraternity after serving in the War in Vietnam.
Mira Sussman, Oral History Interview, 2024

Cassandra Mitchell

Mira Sussman is the Resource Development Manager for Jewish Family Services of Washtenaw County. In this interview, Sussman describes growing up in the Jewish community in Ann Arbor, her first time working at JFS in the employment program between 2005-2013, and how JFS evolved during her first time working there. Sussman explains how different resettlement services are at JFS now vs. the early 2000s, the resettlement process, and how COVID-19 has made resettling difficult due to lack of access to housing. Sussman also explores JFS’s collaboration with Eastern Michigan University in resettling 12 Afghan families into on-campus housing, storing mattresses and pillows in the Bowen Fieldhouse, and the logistics of housing these families both during these short stay at EMU and beyond.
Myrna Yeakle and Joan Sheard, 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 27, 2022, Jones met with former members of Citizens for Community and Ypsilanti Campaign for Equality, and former EMU faculty, Myrna Yeakle and Joan Sheard. Yeakle and Sheard were both professors in the Department of Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, and had met while working together. During their careers at EMU, they became trusted members of the community amongst their fellow LGBT colleagues, including Kathleen Russell. Yeakle and Sheard hit the ground running once they found out about the Tri-Pride incident, and met with neighbors and community organizers to push for an ordinance. Because of their experiences with hate and discrimination, and their status as an established "out" couple, they felt they had a responsibility to support the efforts to make the Ypsi community a more welcoming and safe space. Like other participants in this project, Yeakle and Sheard became important figures during the campaigns, working as Outreach officers within YCFE. In this interview, they shared their experiences as LGBT faculty on EMU's campus and how that translated to the Ypsi community, how important it was for the ordinance to be passed, and the broader implications of it all.
Nancy Halmhuber-Navarre, Oral History Interview, 2020

Matt Jones

Serving the students of EMU from 1979 until her retirement in 2004, Nancy Halmhuber-Navarre advocated for many changes in the teaching of exceptional students, was recognized for excellence and instruction and authored A Century of Excellence with Lynn Rockledge, the history of the EMU Department of Special Education. Halmhuber-Navarre received Emeritus status upon retirement.
Nancy Ross, 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 Nancy Ross talks about their first introduction to queer identities, switching majors, and gender expression through roleplaying games like Dungeons and Dragons.
Natalia Payne, 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, current student Natalia Payne talks about her long association with EMU beginning with her involvement in the Early College Alliance when she was 14 years old. Payne also speaks on the fear of school shootings and the drills carried out by students in preparation for such an event.
Odile Hugnot-Haber, 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, Odile Hugnot-Haber talks about her journey to Ann Arbor, the struggles of collective activism and engagement, and how the city can start to make a change in the world.
Pamela Landau, Oral History Interview, 2025

Kat Hacanyan

Pam Landau is professor emeritus, two time EMU alum, and Center for Jewish Studies advisory board member. Landau is a certified sex educator and therapist who taught classes in the Psychology Department from 1982 to 2023, and still serves as the faculty coordinator for the human sexuality minor. She is one of the earliest supporters of the Center for Jewish Studies and long-time board member, and is considered by founding director Marty Shichtman to be one of the program's anchors. In this interview, Landau talks about her career at EMU and most influential colleagues, what it was like when the Center was just beginning, and what she hopes their programming provides for Jewish and non-Jewish students alike.
Pat Fry, Oral History Interview, 2022

Marian Feinberg 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. Pat Fry was an EMU student in the late 1960s and early 1970s. She was a member of the Student Liberation Action Movement, wrote for underground newspaper The Second Coming, and Communist activist. Pat dedicated her life to fighting for equality and justice for all, continuing to be an advocate until she passed away in 2023.
Patricia Davidson, December 1, 2018

Rachel Burns and Matt Jones

Canadians Dr. Patricia Davidson and her sister Roberta were known as an organizational force behind the student demonstrations of 1969. Members of the Black Student Association and Campus Service Corps, the Davidson sisters were among a group of black student activists inside Pierce Hall during the takeover of 1969. Patricia went on to get her master’s degree in chemistry and an MD after attending Eastern Michigan. Dr. Davidson taught at Howard University and the University of Maryland and continues to have a substantial private practice in cardiology.
Patrick Barry, September 9, 2019

Matt Jones

Patrick Barry is one of the most ardent supporters and boosters of Eastern Michigan University. Longtime instructor and former president of the EMU Alumni Association, Barry has been present for some of the most pivotal events in University history. Forming close bonds with faculty, students, and administrators, Barry has continued to showcase and support a wide array of University departments and organizations.
Patrick McGill, Oral History Interview, 2024

Cassandra Mitchell

Patrick McGill has worked as a police officer for Eastern Michigan University since 1999. In this interview, McGill reminisce's about how the EMU campus has changed during his time working here, and meeting international students when taking classes for his construction management degree at EMU. McGill recounts his experience getting fans for some of the Afghan families who were staying in on-campus housing in 2022, his perspectives on immigration law, and his thoughts on EMU providing the housing to the Afghan families.
Paul Conway, Interview, 2024

Alexis Braun Marks

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, Paul Conway shares the story of how he made his way to Ann Arbor, attending and then working at the University of Michigan, and the challenges of a growing college and a growing city.
Paul Heaton, Oral History Interview, 2021

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 December 15, 2021, Jones talked with former EMU Director of University Publications and Student Media, and YCFE co-chair, Paul Heaton. Heaton arrived in Ypsilanti to work in media and communications at EMU, and remained somewhat on the outside of Ypsi civic life until the Tri-Pride incident in 1997. He became involved with the ordinance efforts early on, attending the first Citizens for Community meetings, and later became a co-chair of YCFE. Heaton worked in tandem with his community members and co-chair Beth Bashert to ensure the campaign would be successful. He was highly regarded for his expertise with communications and messaging, and is still credited with keeping the mission on task. Heaton had to manage the messages and ideas coming from his fellow organizers while also making sure the campaign's focus remained clear and cohesive. Throughout this interview he recalls the reasoning behind YCFE and how its mission worked, along with the ins and outs of working with conflicting opinions, and how he became involved with the campaigns in the first place!
Peggy Liggit Oral History Interview, 2017

Matt Jones

Serving Eastern Michigan University for more than 20 years, Peggy Liggit began her tenure with EMU as a professor of biology and science education. After spending three years as Director of Academic Assessment, Liggit became Director of the Bruce K. Nelson Faculty Development Center. Her research focus now includes learner-centered teaching in higher education, organizational learning, humanized assessment practices, and faculty peer-coaching. In this interview, conducted during the opening of the Bruce K. Nelson Faculty Development Center, Liggit shares personal recollections of Bruce Nelson, and discusses the representation of Nelson’s principles of education on the EMU campus, and more specifically, in the Faculty Development Center that bears his name.
P. George Bird and Reinhard Wittke Oral History Interview, 2016 April 23

Alexis Braun Marks

P. George Bird taught in the Theatre department at Eastern Michigan University from 1956-2006. The interview is an account of his time teaching on campus, his most memorable productions and the planning and construction of Quirk Theatre. Reinhard Wittke was a professor in the History Department at Eastern Michigan University from 1956-1990. During his time at Eastern, Wittke established and was best known for establishing the European Adventure Tours in 1960, which became International Studies Program. This is the third part in a three part series.
P. George Bird Oral History Interview, 2016 April 19

Alexis Braun Marks

P. George Bird taught in the Theatre department at Eastern Michigan University from 1956-2006. The interview is an account of his time teaching on campus, his most memorable productions and the planning and construction of Quirk Theatre. This is the first part in a three part series.
P. George Bird Oral History Interview, 2016 April 22

Alexis Braun Marks

P. George Bird taught in the Theatre department at Eastern Michigan University from 1956-2006. The interview is an account of his time teaching on campus, his most memorable productions and the planning and construction of Quirk Theatre. This is the second interview in a three part series.
Philip Incarnati Oral History Interview, 1998 May 25

Laurence Smith

Philip Incarnati served as Chair of the Board of Regents from 1995 to 2005. In this interview, Incarnati details his high school collegiate experience, and his subsequent time at a student at Eastern Michigan University. Incarnati discusses campus culture at length, from campus streaking to Playboy Magazine’s designation of EMU as one of the top ten party schools. This interview was conducted for the purpose of gathering primary research for Laurence Smith’s book, Eastern Michigan University: A Sesquicentennial Portrait (1999).
Phil Riggio, Oral History Interview, 2022

Matt Jones

Phil Riggio was an active member of the Arm of Honor Fraternity from 1968 until 1975, coming to EMU from Detroit, MI, where he sold produce from the back of a wagon before helping with the family produce business. Riggio's sons have followsed him into the business as well. Riggio details his father's journey to America from Sicily, and learning the tgricks of the produce trade from his father. There were expectations for Phil to attend college, he became interested in attending EMU after his team, University of Detroit, played them several times during the basketball season. Riggio details the bonds between Arm brothers, social movements on campus, and the "tight-lipped and tight knit" nature of the frat. Riggio describes initiation rituals, mandatory rides, and what happened when a pledge wanted out. Riggio, a reknown basketball player at EMU, also talk abotu playing at Bowen Fieldhouse, running in intramural cross country events, and the process of evicting the Arms from the fraternity house in 2015. President of the Arm of Honor Alumni Chapter in 2015, Riggio spearheaded the effort to clean up the image of the Arms.