Interview an adult (anyone 40 or over should be able to participate) about their memories of the Cold War. Plan your general questions ahead of time. Poor interviews are generally the result of poor questions.
• Start with open-ended questions rather than ones that can be answered with a yes or no. Be prepared to follow-up on your questions to clarify confusing points and get at what you truly want to know.
• Ask about opinions, experiences and perspectives NOT facts that you could look up in books.
• Be sure your question is clear, clearly understood by the subject and not redundant in nature.
• Questions should not be leading, as leading questions assume an answer in advance
TO SUBMIT:
1. Interview:
a. Introductory paragraph which provides biographical information and an explanation of how the person relates to your topic. Time, place and setting should also be included.
b. Q and A Format:
EXAMPLE: Q: Do you remember where you were and how you reacted when you
Learned the Challenger exploded? A: Yes, I was at work and our supervisor told us. It was really
shocking. I remembered on my way to work earlier that day all
about the teacher who was going on the trip, and how exciting it was going to be for her students etc .
Include your introduction from your interview and summarize the interview highlighting the most interesting components. Any posts after 2/17 should include comments regarding similarities and differences among interviews. All posts should be submitted by Thursday 2/24. Any post submitted after 2/24 will only be granted half-credit. Loss of internet is not an acceptable excuse for late submissions.
69 comments:
Carol A. French is my paternal grandmother. She was born February 2, 1941. She grew up during the cold war era and has particular memories about this time. Her mother (my great-grandmother) emigrated from Russia with her cousins in the 1920s for various reasons. Carol was part of the first generation of native born Americans. She grew up in Connecticut and still lives here today. I interviewed her about her experiences during the Cold War Era on February 7, 2011 over the phone.
I decided to interview my grandmother instead of a parent because then I was able to get a perspective of growing up at the beginning of the cold war as well as how it was to raise children in the latter part of the Cold War. This was really intersting, but anotherp part of the interview that was compelling was when i asked her about how her parents immigrated from Russia and if that had any affect on their position during the Cold War especially McCarthyism. I found out that it did make it harder for her family to make money because of the Red Scare and that her family was Russian. Overall, the interview was insightful to what it was really like growing up during the Cold War, raising children during the Cold War and even how it was to be Russian during the Cold War in America.
Hunter French
Class1
Of all my family and friends, my grandmother has the most vivid memories of the affects of the Cold War on our family. My grandmother, Dorothy Aita, was born on August 25, 1925. Dorothy and her two brothers and three sisters were born and raised in New York City by two very liberal parents. She lived through the Great Depression when money was very tight and her family was forced to move frequently because they could not afford to pay the rent. She also lived through WWII during which one of her brothers declared himself a conscientious objector to the war and, consequently, was assigned to transport dead bodies to the morgue, while her other brother was killed after parachuting down onto the Normandy beach in 1944. After WWII ended, the Cold War brought other fears to our family. Neighbors’ constitutional rights were violated and relatives deported due to the “red scare.” Living in a cosmopolitan area, during a time when you could ride the subway for just five cents, provided my grandmother with a wide variety of learning experiences.
After interviewing my grandmother, I realized that she lived during some very volatile times that were dangerous and scary. For example, during the Cold War years, she saw her neighbor’s New York apartment ransacked and damaged by the FBI because they suspected the father of being a communist. The FBI arrived at her neighbor’s apartment without warning and without a warrant. They barged into the apartment with only the youngest member present, a 14 year old girl, and tore it apart without finding any evidence of communist connections. My grandmother said that she could hear the girl’s terrifying screams from her own apartment. Furthermore, the U.S. government deported her own uncle who lived in Florida because he was a union organizer in a cigar factory. Once again, investigators found no proof of any communist connections, however, they apparently found his liberal views offensive; consequently,
they deported him and would not let him back into the U.S. Sadly, this resulted in breaking apart his entire family. The Cold War years had a significant impact on my grandmother. She discovered that the destructive and inhuman treatment of individuals was not limited to the activities of the Nazis in Germany and that the freedoms that U.S. citizens are suppose to be entitled to could easily perish.
Lisa Ferrari
Class 1
Joy Gupta is my father. He was born on December 3rd, 1950. He grew up in Mumbai, India, where Cold War tension wasn't as high as it was in America or the Soviet Union, but was still a relevant topic in Indian society. I interviewed him on February 14th, 2011.
I interviewed my father because he is very interested in politics and has been for a long time. However he did not became very politically conscious until his teenage years, during the second half of the Cold War. However, it was interesting to see how the tension between America and the Soviet Union affected India and growing up there. For example, even though the Indian government was more aligned with the Soviet Union, the people of India were still well informed from both sides to the point where they could decide for themselves who to support. If anything, Indian society was more pro-US than anything, especially after events such as the Vietnam War. The country was having issues with prejudice against Pakistan/China and didn't really feel that the conflict between America and the USSR was relevant to them, but when it was necessary, most people would have sided with the Americans, because democracy was and still is the form of government there.
With my father away and grandparents a little slow with technology these days; I interviewed my mother, Maura Fletcher, who has a decent memory of this time. She was a teenager towards the end of the Cold War. She grew up on Long Island, only 30 minutes from New York City.
The interview went really well and I learned tons of new information about the war and especially about how life was at home around that time. She gave me her perspective on the war itself, the presidents and how she felt before and after the war. The thing she remembered the most about the Cold War was the 1980 Olympics. More specifically, the hockey game vs. The Soviet Union and how it really brought the country together.
Will Fletcher
Class 4
The person I chose to interview was my father, Martin West. Born in 1955 in England, my Dad was the best choice to interview considering he has so many in-depth and strong memories of the Cold War in terms the public reaction and life in general back then. The main setting for my Dad’s memories stems from London considering that’s where he grew up and encountered many people, places, and environments. To me, I feel it’s especially interesting to interview from my Dad’s perspective because of the fact that he didn’t grow up in the US, thus giving a diverse story. It’s especially important to recognize the fact that Britain was a part of Europe and the metaphoric feeling of a “cold” war affected Britain along with the rest of Europe though separated by a body of water. Some more background information in general, my Dad’s family and countless London-based families were strong supporters of Winston Churchill, a nationally recognized politician and former prime minister during World War II. Winston Churchill died on January 24, 1965 approximately 4 months before my Dad’s 10th birthday. He has memories of the state of address which showed the valiant Winston Churchill being carried off in a horse-drawn sleigh. Just to reiterate, this interview will add a perspective not typically heard considering we live in the US and my Dad being British.
Overall, the interview was a great experience because my Dad is somewhat interested in politics like Ishaar's dad and this kind of thing allows people to express or vocalize a story or opinion something similar to what the public do in present day politics, were all just looking for someone who thinks of the public when making decisions and generally cares.
Mason
Per.1
I interviewed my grandfather, Ron Edmondson. He was born on May 13, 1929, so during the 1950’s he was in his 20’s. During this time he was teaching at Bennett Junior High in Manchester Connecticut. He was teaching math, science and history. He was an average American and experienced all of the cold war. Everyone has their own take on what happened based on what they knew and what they heard, so this is his:
I chose to interview my grandfather because I knew he was a teacher during this time. I thought it would be interesting to see how it was practicing the duck and cover drills and such as an adult. I also chose to interview him because during the cold war he was at an age where he could understand and remember a great deal of what was happening. I think the most interesting part of the interview was when I asked my grandfather about his fears during the war. He explained that although many people had the fear of nuclear war he didnt, not so much anyways. He explained that the amount of fear one had was directly related to your faith and trust of our government. My granfather is just about as "American" as they come. He loves this country and its government (most of the time). He had much faith in the government and that they would handly the situation reasonably and responsibly.
Katie
Class 1
To discuss a variety of events, experiences, perspectives and opinions during and on the Cold War, I interviewed Wendy Musk, my mom, who was born 1949 and raised in New York throughout her childhood. Having lived during the tense times brought on by the arms race between America and the Soviet Union, my mom remembers the fear of destruction that plagued the minds of American citizens, the newspapers and news programs illustrating the events of this time period and the uncertainty of what an actual war might bring.
I decided to interview my mom, who remembers events and tensions of the Cold War very well. From her answers to the questions, it was easy to see what life back in the times of the Cold War was like, and how the fear of destruction and bloodshed effected most American families. Over the course of the interview, I asked her opinions, perspectives and experiences with and on on several different aspects of the Cold War, namely the Cuban Missile Crisis, "Duck and Cover" drills, the capture and release of Francis Gary Powers, as well as McCarthyism and the Red Scare. The interview as a whole was an extremely interesting experience from which I learned a lot about what it was like to grow up in such tense times, and how the constant fear in our country effected so many American lives.
- Sage Musk
Class 6
His name is Richard Rukan, He is 81 years old, Born December 7, 1929. He is my mother’s father, my grandfather. At the very start of the Cold War he was still in high school then right out of high school he was drafted into the military and ended up getting stationed in Korea during the Korean War. He moved up the ranks during the war and eventually became a Corporal of the 167th Truck Battalion. He worked in Data Processing at Connecticut Auto for the rest of his working career after he returned from war. I interviewed him on February 12, 2011 when he came over my house.
The reason I decided to interview my grandfather rather than my parents is because he always talked to me about how the Korean War really changed him as a person and seemed to give him totally different views about life after he came back from it. I was compelled to ask more about it and see what was so significant to him that would change him so much. The most interesting thing that I found out while interviewing my grandfather was that during the war he was injured when his caravan got ambushed. He was awarded with a purple heart but he said that after he saw what had happen to some of his friend and how many soldiers he saw everyday dieing he could not accept it. Overall the interview was very insightful to how it was like to grow up and go to war during the time the Cold War was going on.
Peter Kerns
Class 4
I chose to interview my dad, John Dutsar, about the Cold War, and I interviewed him on Saturday, February twelfth, in the afternoon at a Starbucks in Newtown. He is forty-five years old, born in 1966, and lived in Wappingers Falls, New York, during his childhood through college.
I chose to interview him because he has some interesting memories of his experiences during the Cold War. My dad completely relates to this topic because he has these experiences, and although they may be only typical for anyone during this time period, it is important to understand what an average person living on the East Coast of the United States went through during the war just as it is important to understand someone’s experiences if there are on the front line of battle. Also, I agree with Hunter and Lisa that if I did choose to interview someone much older I would be “able to get a perspective of growing up at the beginning of the Cold War as well as how it was to raise children in the latter part of the Cold War,” but I also think that it is interesting and imperative to see the war through a child/young adult’s eyes.
Throughout this interview, my dad reminisced about some of his most prominent memories of the Cold War, many of which I found interesting. For example, as Will mentioned, my dad also remembered the hockey game between the United States and Soviet Union. He spoke passionately about this game because, as he said, “It was like there was a race between both our countries, and we just gained some lead by winning this game.” I learned that even though he was at such a young age, he still knew what exactly was going on in the war. He told me that he knew who the enemy was and knew that communism is bad, and he said that the teachers in his elementary school as well as his parent kept him updated on what was happening. However, I found it funny that when my dad had to do the air raid drills in school, he didn’t take them seriously- he was just giggling with a friend as they were crouched against the wall. However, my dad also said, “And while I was laughing during these drills, I find it pretty scary now.” Another interesting point of the interview was at the end, when my dad connected the Cold War to the war going on now. As I think about it, I find it very necessary to discuss how both wars are similar, as it will alter our perspective on what really happened and what’s going on now. Overall, this was a good interview!
Maria Dutsar
Class 6
For this project I decided to interview my grandfather on my father’s side, Bill Kemsley. My grandpa was born in 1935 and, therefore, lived through the Red Scare, Korean War, and (of course) the Cold War. More importantly, however, my grandfather was a member of the US air force during the Korean and Cold War, his career shaped largely by Communism and threat it posed to American independence. This is why I chose him to interview about his experience in the Cold War and how it affected his day-to-day life. I wasn’t able to call him and physically talk to him (the time difference between India and Texas made that impossible) but these are some questions he responded to in an e-mail. The time we focused on the most was his early twenties when he was in the air force and just beginning a family, so that would be the lat 1950s. The setting is Southern California and specifically the air bases located there.
In his e-mail my grandfather focused mostly on the effect the Cold War had on his career and life in the air force. When he was 19 he wanted to go on a mission for our church and then go on to college. Unfortunately though, that was during the Korean War and so he had to join the air force to avoid being drafted into the army. He said that each of the plane crews in his squadron had a target in Russia they were responsible for should Russia attack them. They felt like the threat of the Cold War and spreading Communism was constantly looming over them. Actually my grandfather had his first child (my dad) while they were living on an airbase. My grandfather is a living example of the effect that the cold war had on American's everyday lives.
Gary and Sherri Davis are my two parents. Gary was born in 1956 and Sherri in 1960. They were both born in the baby boomer years. My parents were both children during the Cold War, however, where they lived differed. My father lived in Massachusetts as well as New York, and my mother lived in Toronto in Canada. Most people look at the Cold War as a dispute only between the U.S. and Russia, but it, to my surprise, also affects other countries on those continents, such as Canada. As children, they did not have as much knowledge of the Cold War as adults did, but they did understand it was occurring and had to deal with certain aspects of it. Both of my parents seemed to know and remember, generally, about as much as I am learning about the Cold War now. Their perspectives of a war during their young age remind me of what a lot of students think about today’s war.
My parents were both kids at this time. Mainly what I learned from this interview is that times have not changed a lot for kids and their perspective of war. It is talked about more at school than at home. Kids just know they want America to win. Also, kids know a war is happening and what dangers are occurring, but it is not an every day thought. We are not worrying about war all of the time, just like my parents didn't. However, now a days kids are more active in making an effort to support the troops, such as Valentines for Troops. Another thing I learned is that a lot of kids don't necessarily know a lot about the culture of the war, and some take more interest in it than others. Also, fear of the war took place in many kids.
Nicole D
Class 1
Geraldine Kirol is my paternal grandmother. She was born on May 1st, 1941 in Bronx, NY. She is 79 years old. Having lived through the cold war, she has very clear memories of this time period. I chose to interview her because I felt as though she would give an interesting perspective on the home front and what it was like to be a woman in this time period. I interviewed her on February 14th at approximately 5:30 pm over the phone.
When I decided to interview my grandma I knew that it wouldn’t be as factual and dramatic as if I had interviewed a war veteran but I thought it would be interesting to interview someone who wasn’t directly in the war. The view from the home front is very different than that of a soldier in the Korean War.This interview led me to believe that her childhood was very scary and in school she was taught to be constantly afraid for a nuclear attack. Every group we were at war with soon became the enemy on the home front as well. She wasn't told everything but everything she was told was edited to instill faith in the government and fear of anything that altered from it. For example, she said that "The USSR stood for absolutely everything we were against, they were percieved to be bad people." Aside from this, the interview was a very interesting and enlightening experiance. I do not get many chances to discuss topics like these with my grandma and it gave me a look into what life must have been like when she was around my age.
Dan H. Margulies is my uncle on my mothers side of the family. He was born in Brooklyn, New York on January 13th, 1950. He was born after the Cold War had started, but he still experienced its effects. Brought up by his parents in Brooklyn, no one around him seemed worried about the Cold War besides figures in the government. Dan went through school only with concern for his grades, not for a bomb landing in America. He stated that it was almost as if the Cold War did not exist.
I decided to interview my uncle Dan because he was a history major and in his research, although it was happening at the time, he studied the Cold War. I knew that he grew up during it and was old enough so that he would remember events during it. Originally I was planning on asking my Grandmother but when I asked her if she knew what the Cold War was, she could not even tell me what is was about or who it was between. Also, my parents are away in Australia and would be too difficult to reach. But my uncle Dan ended up being the best interviewee because he was so knowledgeable on the topic. His love for history and politics helped me greatly. His interview also gave me a new perspective over what it was really like to live during the Cold War. The entire country was not struck with fear as I thought. I learned that in fact, many Americans believed that it was not even a real crisis. And even those who did, many were not worried because they did not believe that if we were to get bombed it would not effect them, rather some other part of the nation.
Madeline Keane
Class 4
Born on March 7th, 1956, Robert DeBlasio (father) was about six years old at the time of the Cuban Missile Crisis. He is well-versed in history and the popular culture of the era, and was able to effectively contribute that to the interview.
The focus of my interview was the Cold War era's distinguishing psychological features, as seen through the aspects of everyday culture. Pops elaborated on some of the derogatory terms there were towards communism, like "reds" and "pinkos" (which were common terms used by Archie Bunker in the sitcom "All in the Family", reruns of which are still being showed on TV Land. When someone said something that didn't seem to be entirely American (something like "I can't stand apple pie"), the common retort would be, "What are you, a communist?" (which he still says to me when I express my lack of interest in baseball).
My father was also able to recall the bomb raid drills and the bomb shelters of his childhood, and how laughable those futile attempts to be safe were. He also knows a few interesting facts about the Cuban Missile Crisis, such as how the missiles could have reached as far as Montana, and that over 80 million American lives were at risk.
I interviewed my father. He was born in December of 1962 so he was able to experience the latter half of the cold war growing up. His father was in the Air Force so growing up my dad moved around a lot. During these time periods my dad lived in Texas, Virginia, Nebraska and mostly Ohio. I interviewed my dad in our living room after dinner one night.
The most interesting from my interview with my dad was when I asked him about the Iranian Hostage Crisis and the fall of the Shah he told me how Iran was a good friend of the Americans and that his dad would frequently make trips to Iran and meet with head military officials. Saying that you visit Iran to meet with military officials today would be like a joke.
Alex Kelly
Class 4
Rhonda Cullens is my mother and has lived in the United States her whole life. She was born on April 18, 1960 and is the granddaughter of German immigrants with many relatives who still reside there. She has visited Germany while it was divided in two and grew up during the Cold War. I interviewed her on February 13th at 6:00 p.m. at our house in Sandy Hook, Connecticut.
One of the most interesting parts of my interview was learning about my mothers trip behind the Iron Curtain. She could easily recall the fear she had of the Soviet Guards on the wall, as well as the lack of technology and freedom there was in East Germany. It was this that really shows how the Soviets treated their people, and also explains the dislike of them. Many people in America are of Germanic descent and so many may have had relatives who were oppressed as ours were.
Chad Cullens
Period 6
The person who I interviewed for the Cold War oral history project was my mother. She was born in 1964 and lived in Lincoln Nebraska for the duration of the Cold War. I talked to her about the drills that she did as a child in addition to the space race. I also discussed fear as well as anti-russian sentiment. Another point of interest was her reaction to agreements between U.S President Reagan and the Soviet Union’s Gorbachev.
I interviewed my mother because I thought it would be interesting to see the view point of someone who lived far away from any high threat locations. I thought it was interesting how as a child she would use the word "commie" as an insult without ever learning what it really meant. I also thought that my grandfather's prejudice against his Russian neighbors was very important. Also the fact that Nebraska is a primarily white state that is sheltered from alot of the outside world made the interview eyeopening. My mother and her family were fine with hating the Soviets without ever doing much research. My mother as an american felt superior to the rest of the world. Overall I think this interview was very revealing about the american sentiment towards the end of the Cold war.
Carson
Class 6
I chose to interview my dad for this interview. Although he was not alive in the 50's he still experienced much of the Cold War especially when he was older and the war was coming to a close. I interviewed him of February 15, 2011. We were in the kitchen and it was just after dinner.
One of the most interesting memories to me was how well he remembered everyone being scared. He said his parents scared and even he who was only in grade school had thoughts of Communist's coming and dropping the bomb and taking over the world. They did duck and cover drills under their desks and he said every time they practiced these drills he had lingering thoughts in the back of his mind like, what if this were real? Would I ever get to see my family again? Would the explosion be loud? I thought it was interesting how these thoughts of the bombs were even going through a ten, eleven or twelve year olds mind. The tension of the war and the constant fear must have really effected everyone.
Francis Arnone is my father, he has a very good grasp on most all historical events, seeing as he used to be a history teacher. He was born on March 12, 1962 and grew up in Greenwich Connecticut,. Greenwich was a suburb of New York City, and (this played a big part during WWII) was a coastline community. I thought it would be interesting to hear about the experiences and thoughts of someone who also grew up in Connecticut, see what Connecticut's kid's views were back then. I chose to interview my father because he remembers almost all of his experiences during the cold war as a child all the way into the 1990's when the war ended. My father was also considerably interested with all of the news and such that he heard about the war and, in turn, he made sure he really knew what was going on all the time in the war.
I learned quite a few interesting things from that interview about my dad and his experiences. For instance, his elementary school, North Mianus, in Greenwich, was a fallout shelter for the people of Greenwich. The experience of watching the Challenger was probably extremely difficult for him, he had to explain to a class o kids he was teaching what they had just seen on the television, shocked, himself, by it all. My grandmother was the typical housewife in some ways, she was obsessed with cleaning and cooking and her one reason for not wanting a bomb-shelter was that it would be too hard to keep clean. I also learned about my grandfather, he was actually stationed in the Army in Germany when the Berlin Wall was put up although he didn't live long enough to see it come back down. And I saw that my father was very much the same person years back because of how involved he was in all of this, he watched every newscast, every political debate, every launch, everything that mattered to him.
Chis Arnone
Class 4
My father is currently fifty-one years old and was born on July 14th, 1959. He grew up in Danbury, Connecticut with his parents and two older siblings, one brother and a sister. He was alive through the Cold War and has plenty of memories of the experience.
We are currently sitting down in my family room and it is around 1:30 in the afternoon. He is in his favorite armchair, while I sit on the couch next to him, with my laptop, ready to ask my questions.
I chose to interview my father because he has a strong distaste for Communism and strong patriotism for our nation. He is a registered member of the Republican Party and he is a small business owner who seems to passionately love Capitalism. Our perspectives on many things are very diverse and I was interested in learning more about where some of his anti-communist sentiment stemmed from.
Through my interview I learned some interesting things. Instead of considering the threat of nuclear attacks an impending danger that constantly caused fear in the hearts of Americans, my father described it as something that they grew up knowing and didn't know what else to expect. Unlike Hunter's, my family was never directly affected by The Cold War, it simply shaped their views of government and the world.
-Troy Neves
Class 6
Leo Ficks, father of Julie Ficks, 49, growing up in Pittsburgh, PA was an elementary school student at the time when the Cold War era was arising. Although my father does not have as many vivid memories as I was looking for, his father, William Ficks, was working at a nuclear power plant at the time and provided him with an in depth understanding of what was going on at the time in our country. Leo grew up in Pittsburgh, PA and is now living in Connecticut.
I decided to interview my father because he has always had an interest in history and current events both when he was growing up, and now. I figured he would have the most universal and up close perspective on what was occurring during the Cold War Era. I started off the interview asking him about his most vivid memories about his experiences involving the Cold War, and he mentioned seeing the fallout shelter signs everywhere. They were supposed to hide in safe zones in the event of a nuclear attack and they used to stock pile food and previsions in the event that an attack were to happen. He remembered when he was very young doing a drill for a nuclear attack.
His father (my grandfather) worked at a nuclear power plant and he used to talk about how if there ever was a nuclear conflict that it would be completely devastating and pretty much eliminate life as we know it on this planet. He also worked with an admiral that was responsible for the nuclear submarines that played a vital role in Détente.
It was interesting and beneficial to get my father's perspective on his experiences with the Cold War Era. Learning this all through a textbook compresses the reality into something that seems very transient or ephemeral. Hearing the voice of someone who is close to us telling us that they were the ones in the video shown in class of the elementary schoolchildren doing the nuclear drills puts the dimensions of perspective on a more intrnisic, higher level.
For this opportunity, I chose to interview both of my parents and see how their situations differed. My parents grew up in two different states and I found that their responses to my questions were very different, yet at the same time, very similar. My father, Bill, was born in 1962, grew up in Fairfield, CT and is the older of two children. My mother, Mary, was born in 1956, grew up in West Bellmore, NY and is the fourth child of five. Because she was older, my mother’s responses were a bit more in depth and clearer.
Through this interviewing experience, I discovered that my parents had not had similar experiences. My father's parents had sheltered him from the happenings of the Cold War, whereas my mother's parents had not sheltered her, but had not sat her down and explained the entire situation. So, I found that neither of my parents really knew what happened during the Cold War. My dad told me that he had heard the term, but had no idea what it was, which I thought was odd because he had lived through a large portion of it. I was shocked to realize that my parents knew less than me and that they both only had one interesting point each to share. My mom mentioned the Duck & Cover drills that they had to perform every month as well as the Berlin Wall being torn down, which was interesting because she continued on to tell me that prior to the wall being taken down, she believed that East Europe was different from us because they were communist, but after, her views changed enough that we actually hired a Serbian au pair, whereas that probably wouldn't have happened if the wall sitll exsisted today. My dad mentioned the air raid sirens that played every Saturday at 11 o'clock AM, but they both told me that the Cold War had not been a huge impact on them. However, reading some of the other posts such as Lisa's where her grandmother seemed very knowledgeable of the Cold War, my parents knew so little. Overall, this was a valuable experience. I did learn a great deal, at least about a few topics, and it was extremely interesting to hear the point my mother made about my Serbian au pair and realize that had things played out differently, my life would have been much different.
Like Lisa my father has very vivid memories of the affects of the Cold War. Alan Smith was a child during the Cold War. He was born in 1959, which would make him five years old during the time. Most of his memory about the war is a little fuzzy due to the fact that he was so young. He lived in Ohio with his four other siblings, parents and dog. His father worked while his mother stayed home to take care of the children, very typical of that time period. She was the stereotype housewife; cleaning, cooking, gardening, ect. His family did not suffer the anxiety that many families across the United States did. Most families were building bomb shelters, and learning about air raid drills.
My interview was not all that exciting because my dad did not really remember a lot of what was going on at the time. Although I think the interview was a really great concept, and a different way to learn about how the Cold War really affected different families. Reading about how other peoples family members were affected by the Cold War will give me a better understanding of the severity of the panic. I found it interesting that as a child my dad did not really understand that much about the war; but as he became older he became more aware and could understand some of what went on when he was younger. Like how he had an idea of what air raid drills were but they were not performed. And hearing about bomb shelters, but not exactly knowing why they existed or what they were until he became older. Overall the interview was a little helpful in my understanding of the Cold War.
I interviewed my father, Jeff Tolson, because he is older than my mom, and said that he had some good memories. He was born on January 30th, 1962. He grew up and lived in Silverspring, Maryland until he was about 25, and then moved to New Hampshire (later to move to Connecticut. I interviewed him because of his knowledge and experiences in person.
My father told me many interesting things. He shared many different songs that were written about the Cold War, such as "Russians" by Sting and "Leningrad" by Billy Joel. He also told me that the movie Rocky IV was about a Russian boxer who challenged Rocky (The movie was extremely bitter toward Russians). He also told me that his parents despised the Russians, and were looking for a war to start so that the United States could "show the Soviets their place". In addition, he said that many bomb shelters were in the schools that he worked at in his 20's, and he has been inside about 7 of them, just for drills and whatnot. Interviewing him was fascinating, because it taught me so much more about the Cold War, and the precautions and opinions that were expressed back home in the USA.
Jake, class 1
I interviewed my father, Jeff Tolson, because he is older than my mom, and said that he had some good memories. He was born on January 30th, 1962. He grew up and lived in Silverspring, Maryland until he was about 25, and then moved to New Hampshire (later to move to Connecticut. I interviewed him because of his knowledge and experiences in person.
My father told me many interesting things. He shared many different songs that were written about the Cold War, such as "Russians" by Sting and "Leningrad" by Billy Joel. He also told me that the movie Rocky IV was about a Russian boxer who challenged Rocky (The movie was extremely bitter toward Russians). He also told me that his parents despised the Russians, and were looking for a war to start so that the United States could "show the Soviets their place". In addition, he said that many bomb shelters were in the schools that he worked at in his 20's, and he has been inside about 7 of them, just for drills and whatnot. Interviewing him was fascinating, because it taught me so much more about the Cold War, and the precautions and opinions that were expressed back home in the USA.
Jake, class 1
For this project, I interviewed my maternal grandma, Gail Boyko. She was born on March 12, 1943. My grandma is pretty young compared to some other students' grandparents. This acted as an advantage for me because she was at a very good age during the heart of the Cold War. She recalls many important events and can effectively relive her emotions during her pre-teen to teenage years. She is a very lively person, and her outgoing, sarcastic personality is very much seen in her responses. I interviewed her on February 13, 2011 at about 7:00pm in her house in Monroe, CT.
My grandparents, in general, on my mom's side are very informed people. They love politics, watching the news, etc. So, to interview my grandma was a little difficult because her and my grandpa know pretty much EVERYTHING there is to know about the Cold War. My grandpa can still recall specific dates of major events. As impressive as it is, it set up a challenge for me to get them to express their experiences and how they actually felt during the time and not necessarily just historical facts. However, I do believe I was successful in getting my grandma to open up.
The most interesting thing my grandma told me was the fact that the Cold War wasn't as publicized as WWII. She explained that everyone was so happy about the soldiers coming home from WWII that the current issue was essentially "put on the back burner." This was, of course, just referring to the 50's, when my grandma was only in middle school. When she explains about her experience with the Cuban Missile Crisis, she mentions it being a very scary time and that everyone had believed we were going to go to war.
Lastly, one of the most interesting things I learned from this project was that my grandpa actually drove a truck that carried nose cones for nuclear submarines into Groton, CT to equip submarines.
Overall, this project opened my eyes to experiences that I had never talked with my grandparents about before.
Justina Paproski
Class 4
Every person who lived through the Cold War would have a different opinion on the war. The perspective of the war varies from person to person depending on their age and where they lived. For this assignment, I interviewed my dad, Felipe Campos on February 13th 2011 He came over to the United States in 1983, when he was 25 years old and settled down in New York City and then a small city in down state New York. He came to the US during the late half of the war, he might have missed the major action going on, but he said that the lifestyle of the US was nothing like the lifestyle back in Mexico. I also talked to mom about this time period and she stayed in Mexico so her perspective of the Cold War was entirely different because of her location in Mexico and my dad’s location in New York.
I decided to interview my dad because he was not born in the US like Ishaar and Mason’s father but was here during the later part of the war. So my dad had a different perspective than others because they weren’t living in the United States where there was so much going on, like the bomb drills and the Red Scare. In other countries the Cold War has no change in lifestyle because that country wasn’t involved. What I found interesting was the difference between the war’s perspective from my dad who came from Mexico during the middle of the War and my mom’s perspective. She lived in Mexico throughout the whole Cold War and came to the United States a few years after. When they both lived in Mexico, the conflicts of the Cold War were not a big deal. Sure it made the news every time something big happened, and the news about the war took longer to circulate in Mexico because at this time period the technology but it didn’t affect anyone because Mexico was not involved in the war. It wasn’t until my dad came to the United States that he realized that there was a major rivalry between the United States and the USSR and there was a lot of tension and conflicts throughout the world that couldn’t be resolved easily.
Edith Campos
Class: 4
I have chosen to interview my dad because all of my grandparents have passed away and I know he is knowledgeable about many historical events. He is 56 years old and grew up in Norwalk, CT. He then moved to Danbury, CT 19 years ago and finally to Newtown 16 years ago. He grew up in a family with 5 sisters and 2 brothers. My Grandma owned a dance studio in their basement and my Grandfather was an engineer. I plan to conduct this interview about the Cold War on February 13th, 2012 in our family room so my dad can easily explain his answers to my questions face to face. I am looking forward to carry out this interview because usually I am not given the opportunity to learn what my own family members know and have experienced that I am currently learning about in History. None the less, I am openly ready to hear how much my dad knows about the Cold War from experiences as well as prior knowledge.
This interview was about the Cold War between the United States and Soviet Union. This war was an arms race to superiority without the detrimental side effects of a physical battle. I asked my dad about eight questions about the war and the impact it had on him as a young boy as well as how he feels about Russia today. This interview lead into a conversation about the true facts of the war and what important points my dad had never heard of. In conclusion, I learned that he was not extremely knowledgeable about this when it was going on because of his young age. Although even though he was young, he did have vague memories of the war and being taught about how USSR was evil and bad. He also knew that the sign of an atomic bomb blowing up was a flash of light. Besides those two points, he did not know many points about the Cold War (1947-1991).
I interviewed my father, Paul Stanton. My father was born on April 11, 1952 and was living in Brooklyn, New York at the time of the Cold War. At the time, my father was living with his brother, sister, and single mother. I interviewed my father on February 16, 2011. I did this interview with him at night face to face. I think that my father relates to this topic and was perfect for this interview. He was a child during this time period, and I think it is extremely interesting to interview someone that can reflect on his memories as a child. It is interesting to see how the war affected not only adults, but children as well.
I learned a lot interesting things from this interview. My dad talked about how he was constantly informed about the war and knew a lot about it, even though he was a young kid. Like Maria said, through his teachers and even through the news, my father knew who the enemy was, what communism was, and what the war was all about. My dad talked about how his family was always fearful of the war and how it was difficult to live in such a stressful time. Like Katie said, although it was hard not to be fearful, having faith that the government would be able to handle this situation was what stabilized his family's fear. Also, similar to Maria's interview, my dad talked about how he also performed the "Duck and Cover" drills, but never knew the seriousness of these drills (he would just do it because he had to.) I learned a lot from this interview, and learned a lot about a child's perspective in a stressful time.
Amanda Stanton
Class 6
The person I interviewed was Linda McClary. She lived in Saquoit NY, near Utica NY. Her dad was a principal of the local High School, putting the pressure of safety on at school and at home. She went to school during the 1960’s. She relates to the cold war topic because she dealt with events of that time. February 13, 2011. 6:45 P.M.
Living with a dad in the army with the constant thought that he may have to leave was also a scary thought. Having her dad reassure her that he most likely would not personally get into a fight. The TV and radio did not have a strong influence on Linda however she did understand that Russia was what would be called an enemy. It was clear from the conversation with Linda that the Duck and Cover plan stuck with her to this day. She can still clearly remember the instructions that were given during the drills and exactly what to do. Linda felt fear for what was going on, in her schools, her town, and at home. I felt there were not many interviews with similar stories to mine however Katie P had a relative who was involved in the schooling, similar to mine. Many people chose to interview grandparents, which was a good idea because they were more aware of the actuality of what was truly going on. My mom was a child in school so her views were highly affected. Marias interview was similar to mine by a lot. Both of our parents remembered the air raid drills however he did not take them seriously, opposed to my mom who was terrified of them.
My father, Ken Greenfield was born in 1954 in Bethel Park, PA. He grew up in Watertown, CT. He attended public school through his graduation in 1971. He was apart of the Woodstock generation, but did not take on the political ideals of that movement in particular per say, as he is a staunch Republican to this day. He has never been one to elaborate on the past, and is generally very contained.
It was harder to pull the details out of my father than I expected it to. He remembered the air raid and duck and cover drills. Alike Maria's father, he conveyed that they were a bit ridiculous. One thing he really remembered though was the way the enemy was portrayed in the media. He specifically remembered watching speeches by Khrushchev on television, said he was a madman, and that "You really thought during the Cuban missal crisis that he wouldn’t hesitate to press the button." I was surprised by how little the war seemed to affect him in this period. He did say that it was a scary time, but he also stressed that things were the way the were. The had no other choice but to simply live their lives the way they always did. Also being born into the Cold War, its not like there was a time before it that he could compare his life to.
Dana Greenfield
Class 1
Steve Fisher is my father. He was born June 19, 1961. He was raised in Stamford, CT. He has a very strong memory of the Cold war and what went on as he grew up.
It was interesting to find out what it was like durring the Cold War. He told me of how there were bomb shelters and bomb coverage drills. There were many similarities between other interviews that my classmates talked about and the interview I did with my father. My father also mentioned how the Russians and their communism views were hated by the United States and how people were accused of being communist. This interview gave me a better prospective on the war and life then.
I interviewed my grandma, Donna Conley, about her experiences during the Cold War. Born in 1946 and now 65 years old, she lived through the heart of the Cold War, the part of the conflict when US citizens had the most fear. She experienced these major events as a child and young adult, so her memories come from the perspective held by the younger generations during that time. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, so she would have very different, probably magnified reactions to the events that took place during that time.
The Cold War had a much greater effect on my grandma than I ever would have thought. Growing up in Cleveland, Ohio, my grandma lived in an area where people were extremely afraid; in a large city like that, there was a much greater threat of being bombed than in the more rural areas of the country. This is why she mentioned several times in the interview how afraid everyone she knew was. It wasn’t just the big cities like hers that feared the attack by Russians, but these areas felt the greatest threat from the USSR. Also, because she still had Czech relatives living back in Europe like Chad's mother had relatives living in Germany, she had a greater insight into how the Russian government treated its people because she knew people who actually lived under their communist rule. It was interesting to see why she was probably less accepting of Russians than others; granted, she was still young then and wasn't as prejudiced as my great grandparents, but she still heard stories about how terrible Russian rule was from her grandparents and great grandparents in Czechoslovakia.
Erin B.
Class 6
The person whom I ended up interviewing in my family was my mother, for she’s the oldest so she could remember more of it when she was younger, since she was a bit older. During the Cold War she lived in the western area of New York, more precisely in Rochester. The time was around the 1970’s when she was around the age of 13. She remembered the fact that she had been raised to specifically despise the Russians and to be very afraid of them. She remembered watching some movies in her own history class about how scary and bad the Russians truly were. She had been taught to fear communism as well and the fact that was one of the main reasons why we made Russia our enemy, that and the fact that they were threatening us.
I decided to use my mother not only because of the reason that she is the oldest in my immediate family, but also because she had lived the closest to NYC - therefore was the one who saw the most threat because everyone suspected if a bomb was to be thrown at the US it would hit at or near NYC, therefore leaving my mothers life in a deeper danger environment. It was even more interesting because of the fact that many of the actual activities we discussed in class, like the movies and all the signs of where safety could be found and even the practice of ducking under tables and chairs had all occurred in my own mothers life. I mean I knew that these things happened but to me it feels a lot longer ago because I wasn't around mostly, and I still don't see much of an affect to this day. It seems more unlikely of the fact that such a danger could have occurred even in my mothers own life.
In regards to what Ishaar said, I find it interesting that even though his own father wasn't yet in US territory he hadn't felt nearly as much tension, however he still hadn't been politically interested or conscious until his teen years, it was similar to my mother. Yes she was more surrounded by everything that was happening, but it still wasn't quite out in the open and she was still a bit too young to fully grasp or understand the whole meaning or complete aspect of the matter. Which just shows that no matter where you lived, for my mothers part, she only can now reflect on how back then really was and the fact that she had been oblivious to a ton of things that would have otherwise worried her to no extent.
Cassie Fallon
Class 1
My maternal grandmother, Mary Theresa Spafford, born in 1932, was a child during World War II and an adult during the Cold War. This experience greatly shaped both her perspective and outlook on life. She was born in Jersey City, New Jersey and later moved to the Bronx in New York in her teens. Her parents were both Irish immigrants who came to America just before she was born. Her family was very patriotic and saw voting as an important part of being an American. My grandmother and grandfather bought a home in Brewster, NY because no one in the City would rent to a family with seven kids. All of my mother’s siblings were raised during the Cold War. My grandmother has an interesting perspective of this era due to immigrant upbringing in a very politically oriented family and raising her family during it.
Although this interview contained questions that incorporated different time periods and events, there were a few interesting consistencies in my grandmother’s responses. Instead of being afraid of the nuclear threat, my family’s trust of the government’s guidance allowed them to continue their lives. I was surprised to find this belief of patriotism and faith in the government in Amanda’s and Katie’s entries as well. The parts of the interview that I found most interesting were the effects of the war on my family specifically, like the scare of a possible draft right after my great uncle Frank’s wedding. Lastly, one of the defining points of choosing my grandmother’s perspective of the Cold War was that she lived through World War II as well. This comparison, which was also featured in Lisa’s entry, was vital in understanding the impact of the war on her generation and explains their extreme patriotism and trust. Like Justina said, my grandmother did not consider this conflict a big deal (in the 50’s) compared to WWII. This interview was a great way of looking at the influence of the war on my family and the country.
Robert M. Hennessey is my dad who was born on February 14, 1959 during the baby boomer era and towards the middle of the Cold War. He remembered some events of the Cold War during his childhood while living in Astoria, New York. He also grew up during important events during his teenage years and how the people around him including himself reacted. I interviewed him in our home on February 15, 2011.
The interview was interesting because everything was different back then. My dad and his childhood friends didn't really worry much about the Russians and he remembered more about the assassination of JFK or of man landing on the moon more than any Cold War events. He did remember though of black and yellow signs on his apartment building that indicated a place of refuge in case of a bomb being dropped but he didn't know the meaning at the time. It showed how many of the kids his age weren't educated enough about the current events happening around them. He mentioned this by saying how in his history classes nothing about the Cold War was mentioned.
I found that Will had some similarities like my interview and how both our parents grew up in New York but also that they talked about the presidents a lot which was important during this time in America. Also similar situations with Nicole's parents and what they thought about the Cold War when they were kids was similar to my dads. It was interesting to see the differences and similarities between grandparents point of views and parents point of views.
Stefan H.
Class 6
The person I chose to interview is my mother, Chris Mais. She lived the true American dream in her childhood. She had a working father who was a dentist and a stay at home mom, who was always ready to please her husband. They lived in a half rural, half suburban town of Miami, Oklahoma. She walked to school with her sister every day, and made great friends with their close neighbors. Whenever, I go back to her neighborhood, it is like being transported back into the 50s and 60s. It is just so similar to what was being portrayed on the sitcoms it’s striking. It seemed like they could have filmed “Leave it to Beaver” next door. This childhood experience made her a good candidate to be interviewed, because she lived what was being portrayed on the media. It was a little harder than expected to get information out of my mother than expected like Dana had said, but she remembered enough important events and facts. One thing I thought was interesting was her recollection of the nuclear threat at the time. She never really felt threatened from attack because one she was young and two they didn’t live near a large city. This made me think that the fear of attack in most places was overblown. The communists would never bomb rural Oklahoma. They would attack large population centers leaving a majority of the United States safe from the initial blast, but maybe not the radiation or fall out. The last interesting thing I found out was the fact that my uncle Joe was even considered for the draft. He was never called for action, but I think now how different his life would have been, had he been sent to Vietnam. This interview taught me a lot about my family’s history, and that of the cold war.
Stephen Mais
Class 4
My Grandparents, Joseph and Elizabeth Valentino were two young adults living during the height of the Cold War. Like many other American citizens living through this time, they lived perpetually with the worry of being bombed while just trying to go to the grocery store. Being born in the 1930’s, both my grandparents saw the beginning and end of the Cold War and remember the stigma that went along with it. Unlike my parents who were too young to fully grasp the conflict, my grandparents understood the issue at hand and knew that the Russians were an enemy who had the potential of mass destruction. They both lived in New York during this time, a location where people were convinced the Soviets would attack first if they were to at all. This fear gave the Cold War a different meaning for my grandparents.
As stated in my introduction, I believed I would get more out of my interview by interviewing my grandparents because my parents seemed to know little about the topic when I told them of the interview I had to conduct. Because I chose to interview my grandparents, I could better understand the fear that was associated with living during this time period. I found it interesting when reading others' posts that John's grandparents seemed assured by the guidance of the government. My grandparents lived during the same time period and still lived in fear because of both the nuclear threat and the red scare. Because they also lived during WWII, they understood the impact of the dropping of the atomic bombs and how it would start a nuclear war era. What I found most interesting about my interview was that my Grandpa was a teacher during this time, so he had to conduct duck and cover drills instead of just experiencing them as a kid.
Maddie Dorso Class 1
I chose my dad, Thomas Haitz, to interview about his experience and memories during the Cold War. My dad was born on September 19, 1996, so he was alive for a significant portion of the Cold War. He was born and raised in Paramus, New Jersey and attended the Catholic schools in his town. My dad lived in a small neighborhood with his brother Fred and two parents, Dorothy and Joe. Living close to New York City, my dad was exposed to the terror and precautions that were taken to try and protect his community from a possible Russian attack. Also, he remembers the vital role that his father and grandfather played during the Cold War.
Overall, my interview was very successful. I learned a lot about my dad, and the impact that the Cold War played on my family. Just like Hunter, the war affected my family significantly. My grandpa faught in the Korean War, and my uncle just barely missed the draft during the Vietnam War. In addition, I asked my dad how his community prepared for a possible bomb attack. Just like Maria's dad, I learned that my dad's school had drills where everyone would hide in the basement. He also told me about how his grandfather's town had blackouts; when there was a possible air raid, the whole town was forced to turn off all their lights so that the town would appear invisible. I found this very interesting. I also learned that because my dad was young while the Cold War was going on, he constantly had fear. When some of his neighbors went off the the Vietnam War, everyone was scared they would never return. Also, he remembers how his parents were fearful of Joseph McCarthy. Unlike many people's interviews, I chose to interview my dad, because I knew that he would be able to recall many stories from his childhood, even though he was so young. Although many people's parents were not able to remember the Cold War, my dad had many memories.
Jess Haitz
class 1
I interviewed my dad, Jerry Rotante, who was born and raised in 1965 in Stamford, CT. He is the second generation to be born in America, as my great-grandparents emigrated here from Italy. His memories come from when he was about 15 years old, taking place in the 1980’s. I interviewed him on February 16, 2011.
I decided to interview my dad because i thought it would be very interesting to learn about a perspective of someone who was our age living in that time period. Unlike many teenagers in 2011, my father didn't know a lot about what was going on at the time in the world around him. Now we have computers and television to give us all kinds of world event news as where he had to mostly count on a newspaper that he didn't like to read. I didn't really know what else to ask after that if he didn't remember anything that was happening around him until i thought of how kids are sometimes influenced. A lot of kids are motivated by television and movies and when i asked my dad if there were any movies/ shows that related to the cold war he remembered a lot. I found this interesting because the media hasn't really changed all that much. It's sole purpose has always been to change how the public views things. My father said there was so much propaganda driving it's viewers against the soviets. He remembered a movie called "The Day After" about the world ending because of nuclear weapons which caused a lot of fears about the war. However, like Dana's father, my dad wasn't all that much effected by the Cold War. He found it ridiculous and unlike Amanda's fathers experience, my father told me how much little faith people had in the government because of what happened in Vietnam. Overall I found the interview very interesting in comparing and contrasting how teenagers would react in his time period and our own.
When asked to interview someone of at least 40 years of age, I naturally turned to my mom, Deb Wollman. We sat down at the kitchen table on a Monday night and discussed her opinions, ideas, and perspectives of the Cold War. My mom was born in 1965, so she has experienced and comprehended at least part of the Cold War. She lived in Westchester for her entire childhood and for the duration of the Cold War time, so she was completely immersed in mainstream culture of the US and was by no means isolated from the news and domestic experiences of the Cold War. My mom relates to this topic because she was an average US kid during this time, so her experiences and thoughts of the Cold War reflect that of many of people near in age. She is also a perfect candidate for this interview because she is opinionated about the subject and remembered specific events from childhood relating to the Cold War without even prompting her with interview questions.
During the interview, I was surprised to hear my mom talk about such specific aspects of the Cold War. She really depicted what life was like at that time because I definitely got a sense of what people around her age thought and did. We talked mainly about the Cold War in popular culture because she was a teenager and was most exposed to this part of society. Interestingly, she mentioned a comic strip that was printed during this time that portrayed a white and black spy (the white representing the US and the black representing the USSR) and their quarrels. I thought this was fascinating for two reasons. One, I was glad my mom could remember so specifically a rather minute detail in her life. And two, I was not aware that Cold War-influenced media was this broad. I thought, maybe, there would have been a lot of news coverage and magazine articles, but never to the extent of comic strips. Another idea i found interesting was that my mom even noticed the biased media depicting the Cold War. When asked she thought the discord between the US and USSR could have been fueled by propaganda, she answered with a definitive yes and explained that there was always an underlying theme in the media that the USSR was a dark and gloomy place. I think this is interesting because even as a kid and teenager, my mom picked up on this. It must not have been that subtle if it evident to a teenager not primarily focusing on it.
Katie and Sage both mention that a theme throughout their interviews was fear. For Katie, her grandfather practiced "duck and cover" drills. Likewise with Sage, his mom was mainly concerned with McCarthyism and Red Scare. My interview did not as much focus on this part of the Cold War. In fact, my mom did not really even mention that there was noticeable fear. My mom must not have been concerned with the more serious aspects of the Cold War. Perhaps this is because she was the universal self-loving teenager at this time. Or, maybe she was just more naive than those who Katie and Sage interviewed. Either way, it is highly interesting to compare the interviews and see that what concerned some people was miniscule in importance to others.
For our Cold War project, I chose to interview my mother. During the Cold War era, she lived in multiple towns throughout Connecticut and New York. By the end of the war, in 1991, she had lived through almost 3 decades of US dispute with the Soviet Union. I chose her as my interviewee because the impact of the Cold War on her, ultimately, affects some choices in her raising my sisters and me. For instance, insisting on always having an emergency stock of supplies or having us practice emergency drills at our home. This interview took place on Tuesday night (2/15) in my bedroom, as I typed her answers on my computer.
Overall, this interview allowed me to learn about a citizen during the time of the Cold War. Like many of my classmates, I interviewed my parent. Instead of learning facts and events of the time, as we frequently do in school, I was able to hear the opinions and effects it had on the people. Being able to hear a personal account of the time made it more significant because I was shown a human aspect and not just the book. Similar to Nicole's parents, my mom was not as aware of some of the Cold War events while she was child. I learned that she had an understanding of the conflict, but not necessarily all the details of why it was happening. Some of the major events she remembered was the Berlin Wall being taken down and the Olympics, especially the US vs Soviet Union hockey game.
The person I interviewed was my mother. She was born February 1, 1961 in silver spring Maryland. She was born right in the middle of the cold war just like Alex's dad. She didn't have a very vivid memory of the cold war era but she did remember a view aspects of if such as having to run and hide under desks(ducking and covering), having to leave school in the middle of the day sometimes because there was the fear of the atomic bomb. I think its interesting because the cold war seems like such a long time ago yet the cold wars effects are still apparent on people we know. Also I think its interesting how everyone has similar experiences during the cold war yet there are so many different ways everyone handled each situation. Like my mom told me about my grandfather and how he was very avid about having a shelter and storing food. But then Katie's grandfather wasn't afraid at all. its just is interesting how people react do different situations.
Brendan McNamara
class 1
I chose to interview my Father, Walter Murphy, because he was old enough to understand what was going on around him during the Cold War, (Born in 1956, 54 years old). My Dad is also a very educated person, and he knows a lot about current issues, as well as past ones. His family was very in tune with what was going on in the world and used to have debates over dinner and things of that nature. It was a requirement for him growing up to know about world events. (If I had a quarter for every time he has mentioned that). He loves to tell stories relating to important events, and I know he remembers this time period because I have heard him talk about it before. He was also excited when I told him about the project, and volunteered to be interviewed. I know my Dad enjoys projects such as these. The interview was taken place at 2:30 in the afternoon, in my living room; I was recording his responses with my camera so I could copy them word for word after.
My interview process was extreamly successful, and even entertaining! I had already learned a lot of the information that he spoke about in the interview. (I am no stranger to the "When I was your age..." stories). However, upon being asked "Has the Cold War had any lasting effects on you or your family?", he responded with a long answer about the Vietnam War that was essentially fought as a result of the Cold War. I had never truly connected the Vietnam War with the Cold War, even though we went to Vietnam to stop the spread of Communism, which we because obessed with while figting in the Cold War. Just like Stephen's family, two of my Uncles and my Dad had barely escaped the draft, so the threat of my Dad's family going into battle was ever presnet, much like it is today with the war on Terrorism. Also, my Father experienced the "Duck and Cover" drills like Sage and Collens parents.
~Nora Per. 1
Kimberly Cunningham is my mother and was born in October of 1966. Although she wasn’t alive for the worst part of the Cold War, she still lived through almost twenty years of it. In the late 70’s she lived in Germany for a year and the rest of the time she grew up right in Newtown. Her mother sheltered her so she wouldn’t be too scared, but she still remembers enough and is helpful in revealing her opinions and how her life was growing up through the Cold War.
The time of this interview is 6:00pm on February 15, 2011. It takes place at our house in Sandy Hook, CT at our kitchen table.
I interviewed my mom and i was able to learn alot about how it was growing up during a war. Although the Cold War wasnt as physically engaging like other wars it still had a lot of fear and reprecussions that result from other wars. Some of the questions i asked focused on were about what she remembered going through for precautions against the bombs and like what my classmate Nicole D. talked about with her parents we spoke about all of the fear that the children faced growing up. The fear of gettting bombed at any moment. I also learned that as a child and even as a teenager my mom and many other kids were sheltered from the truths about the war and didn't know much about it, but naturally they still sided with America. My mom didnt remember much about the war and what happened through it like the Red Scare or the Cuban Missile Crsis, but she was still able to give me a general idea of how it was growing up during the Cold War in America, such as what the children went through and how it was for the adults living in America and those trying to immigrate.
Erin Cunningham Class 4
Ron kopcik, my dad, was born in 1958, in Bridgeport Connecticut. As a child he lived in Milford Connecticut with his three sisters and his parents. They were a middle class family. They lived in a typical suburban neighborhood in a two-story house with a white picket fence. Ron attended kindergarten in 1963, the year when Kennedy was assassinated. He has faint memories about the cold war while growing up, and more distinct memories about the conflict as he entered high school. Although Ron was never affected by the cold war personally, he watched and heard about many of the tensions in the U.S. during the war.
Like Parker said, i too had always been under the impression that the Cold War era was a stressful time where everyone was extremely worried about an attack at all times. While interviewing my dad, i learned that this wasn't always the case. i was surprised when my dad told me that the war did not affect his life style at all. He told me it wasn't like other wars where people were actively involved in what was going on. Unlike Jess's dad, my dad said because he was young while the war was going on, he was not afraid of it. He didn't have a fear of nuclear weapons because eh did not realize how severe the situation was.
Just like many other people noted, he mostly learned about the war in school and on television,although he never had to do a duck and cover drill. His teacher would put on the news in school for the class to watch. Nicole's dad also had a similar experience as my dad because they both said that they really just knew that communism was bad,and that dangers were occurring,but nothing more.
My dad was mostly effected by the vietnam war. Similar to a few people, my dad told me that when men went off, people were frightened that they would not come back. My dad has the memory of his uncle going off to war. He also could recall watching an army car drive into his neighbor's driveway and two officers delivering the news that their son had died in the vietnam war.
My dad's most clear memory of the cold war was when the Berlin wall fell. He said it was a day of pure joy and excitement. In conclusion, i learned a lot about the lifestyle in the U.S. during the Cold war. It Was interesting to hear my dad's personal experiences.
I decided to interview my dad for a number of reasons. For one thing, I found it interesting to learn about the mindset of a child during the time of the Cold War. The other reason was that my dad went to Germany a year after the Berlin Wall came down. Not only were his opinions of the war shaped by that, but it also gave him a chance to look at some unique effects of the war.
Stephen said that his mom's views of the war were often shaped by the media. My dad's opinions were also shaped in this same way when he was a kid. He told me how in all of the popular kids shows and movies, the communists were made out to be the bad guys. Two examples that he gave me included Boris Badanov, the evil villain on "Rocky and Bullwinkle", and in the movie "Red Dawn", where teenagers saved the United States from communitsts. I found this media portrayal to be interesting in the fact that today there are no kids' programs that single out a supposed "enemy" of the United States. I also find it interesting how, like Parker's parents and Stephen's mother, my dad didn't really understand the war because he was so young. All that he was taught to know from the media was that the communists were bad.
Probably the most fascinating part of my dad's experience that other people probably didn't do was that he went to Germany a year after the Berlin Wall came down. It was really easy to determine how the influences of the two different politial systems of the war affected the country on different sides of the wall. For instance, the western side of Germany, fueled by the influences of western Europe and the United States, had an architecture similar to thata of the west. According to my dad, eastern Germany still held to a more traditional architectural style, and some of the buildings were more run down because the communists made little attention to them. Probably the most shocking image to my dad was of the communist soldiers, still abandoned after the Cold War ended, selling some of the military supplies that they had, including military uniforms, just so that they could make money. This scene only fueled my dad's position on that the war was just a ridiculous waste of time.
Charlie Pryor
Class-6
I decided to interview my dad, Alfred Musaka, who was born in Albania on July 2, 1967 and is currently 43. I chose to interview him because he was born in Albania and he grew up there. In addition he experienced communist Albania, and he was there when Albania became democratic. This interview was done on February 14, 2011.
During this interview I learned a lot about how life was during those times. I learned that Enver Hoxha was a dictator, and that he turned Albania into an isolated country, a country where everyone feared him. Meredith said that her dad remembered that everyone was scared of the communists, in a way that is similar to Albanians during the war. Even though they feared the world around them, they also feared Enver Hoxha. It was out of fear that they followed him and obeyed. I was surprised though because I didn't know that Enver Hoxha was one of the first dictators to turn a whole country atheist. Another thing that surprised me was that he held his position for 41 years and that Albania only became democratic in 1990. Overall I really enjoyed this interview because it gave me a chance to learn more about Albania's history.
The person who I am interviewing is my mom. My mom was born in 1961 in Mount Vernon, New York. I chose my mom to interview about the Cold War because she was alive for almost the whole war and she lived close to New York City which was always a constant threat to be bombed so people took more precautions about safety. She was also just born at the time other events were going on such as the John F. Kennedy assassination and the Cuban Missile Crisis.
As I stated in my introduction, I thought my mom would be a good person to interview because of where she lived and when she was born. Although she didn't personally encounter some of the bigger events during the war, it was interesting to see how it was taught to the public when she was growing up. What I found interesting about my interview with my mom was that there were no bomb shelters around her that she knew of. This shocked me because she even said herself that she and everyone else her age was terrified of a nuclear bomb being dropped on them. She also grew up in New York, and after reading through most of my other classmates comments I saw that many of there parents/grandparents had bomb shelters and they lived in New York as well. That makes it more shocking but it could be because of what my mom said. She said that her parents thought everything was going to be fine and they didn't want to scare my mom and her siblings by building a bomb shelter. I told my mom that I could see that strategy working, but what happens if a bomb actually did get dropped?
Andy Kelley
Class 1
I interviewed my mother, and it was somewhat different from the experience that Hunter had, that is probably because she was born 20+ years after her and grew up during a different part of the Cold war, it was winding down as my mother went through it as Hunter grandmother experience it in its entirety.
My mother had a very good sense of what was going on despite when she was born, her father had been in the military so he kept up to date with everything. Specifically i asked her if she had remembered the duck and cover drill because we had watched a video on it during class and she told me she had never practiced it as a student but had heard from her older siblings that went through it. There was not a lot of changes that they went through due to the Cold War, they had no communism links. If anything they benefitted from it, it gave my grandfather the oppurtunity to work two good jobs and support his large family. It was nice to sit down and talk to my mother about something she had went through as opposed to me being the one doing all of the talking.
Fratt
class 4
My mom, Elizabeth Lynch, was born in 1963. She grew up in Connecticut with her six brothers and sisters and her parents. My mom was born in the middle of the Cold War, so she was exposed to the tension between the USSR and the US and the struggles of the people at that time. As a child, there were minimal affects to her everyday life, yet, they were still existent. Her family was slightly different than that of a typical American family of that time period, but there were still many similarities in the overall dynamic of the household. Also, the looming threat of nuclear warfare left her needing to be prepared, if only slightly, for anything and everything.
Like Chris Arnone, my mom grew up in Connecticut and it was very interesting to hear about what life was like during the Cold War in the same kind of environment that we are in now. When I interviewed my mom, she told me that she did not remember too much about the early Cold War, when she was really young. I agree with what Troy said which was that his family was not directly affected by the war itself, but that it shaped the views that they have now.
One interesting thing that I found out about my mom and how she was affected by the Cold War was that her parents had some food set aside in case there was an emergency. Also, her neightbors had a bomb shelter in their home that she and her friend would sometimes play in. My mom was so young at that age that the Cold War did not affect her as much as it did her parents or older siblings, just like Cassie's mom. Also, it was interesting to hear about her family dynamic. She said that her mom stayed at home with the kids while her dad would go to work. It was very similar to a typical family during that time period.
Overall, I found the interview very interesting. It is neat to be able to hear the stories of those that actually lived through the experience, instead of just reading it out of a book.
For this project I interviewed my Uncle Bob who was born in 1947. I chose my uncle because he lived through the entire cold war and he was in Germany when the wall was diving dividing East and West Germany. I also thought that it would be a better choice to choose my uncle then a grandparent because my uncle was around my when major events of the cold war were happening and I thought it would be interesting to get the opinion of a teenager of that time.
I interviewed my Uncle because he was a teenager, like me, during the time of the cold war. Also, my uncle and aunt visited Germany when the wall was up and knew about the separations that existed. Just like Chad my uncle recalled the rigid soviet guards at the wall which i found very interesting. I enjoyed to see the perspective of someone who participated in the "duck and cover drills" and told me what it was like to be in school at the times of the threat of nuclear war.
I interviewed my mother. She grew up in Northern Ohio during the 70's. She was a child during the Vietnam War and studying political science and international relations in the early 1980's.My mom doesn't remember many specifics from the Cold War, because she was very young, but she does remember the general feeling and aftermath from the latter 25 years of the war. The culture she experienced as a child identified the Soviet Union as an arch enemy and she has many interesting feelings and perspectives on the relations between the U.S and communism. My mom was a young mother when the Berlin wall fell down, closely followed by the Soviet Union.
My interview was very interesting. Just like Justina stated about her grandparents, my mother is very interested in history and politics. She teaches citizenship classes, and therefore basically knows everything there is to know about the Cold War. I had a very hard time initiially getting her to tell me about her own personal feelings and experiences rather than just lecturing me about what happened. As countless others also experienced, my mother was very young during the war and unaware of many things going on. However, just like Dana's dad, she was very aware of who the enemy was and how they were portrayed in the media. I thought that was the most interesting part of my interview, when she mentioned that almost all the movies, songs, and other media outlets showed the Russians and Communists as bad guys. The best example my mom gave was the 007 James Bond movies. She pointed out that that bad guys are usually Russian Communists in the ones that were made during the Cold War when she was a child, which was something I never noticed before. Once I thought about it, however, I realized how true it was. That allowed me to see and understand what the general feelings were towards communists. It became clear that the Russians were very clearly the enemy, and that most media outlets didn't fear showing that. My mom didn't have many experiences with air raid drills or things like that, but she did remember the tv warning sign for air-raids. What was very interesting about her interview is that she explained that as a child she didn't pay much attention to the war and wasn't scared, yet she was aware that it was going on. She lacked the fear that I assume people had a few years prior to her time. Erin B states in her post how her grandma said that everyone living in Cleveland, Ohio was very afraid because a big city is a nuclear bomb target, which is the opposite of how my mom felt. My mom also lived in Ohio, but she grew up in a small town called Olmsted Falls. Most people living there didn't live in fear, because there was a very small chance that the USSR would target Olmsted Falls, Ohio. However, if you think about it, Olmsted Falls may not be that far away from Cleveland, so there is a possibility that a bomb targeting Cleveland could miss mark or be big enough to also effect the surrounding towns. Overall, my mom's interview was a success. I obtained very valuable information, and more importantly, was able to understand a way of life that was very foreign to me prior.
Alex Klein
Class 4
For this Cold War interview I chose to interview my dad, Art Blume. My dad was born January 6, 1958 and is 53 years old. I thought my dad would be a better choice than my mom because she is younger and also is a teacher/ huge history buff so she most likely would have answered something she read in a book rather than her own memories. My dad seemed like a good choice because he grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut right near New York City where many thought the bomb would be dropped. Also, my dad grew up in a house with his parents and five older sisters who I am sure shared their opinions on things at the dinner table. The interview took place in my living room around two p.m. on
Sunday February 20, 2011.
The parts of the interview that I found most interesting would have to be when I asked my dad if he had feared a nuclear war. He responded saying that he would be at Island Beach in Greenwich and see New York City across the water. Even at a young age he knew that if New York was the target than he would not be safe in his own town. He talked about the “fall out” and “after math” of the bomb like radiation. He also said that they were told in school a safe distance to travel in hopes of escaping the after math was Danbury which is strange because I feel like it's still pretty close to New York. Another interesting point my dad made was how excited everyone was when the US beat the Soviets and Finland and won the gold in hockey. My dad said everyone came together to celebrate and he even bought a US hockey sweatshirt and “wore it all the time.”
Class 4
The Cold War had been going on for about 12 years by the time my father was born in 1957. Although he was born in Indiana, his memories of the war were from his childhood in Long, Island, New York, where he moved when he was 3 years old. He grew up in a one-story house with 2 brothers, a sister, and his parents who were both teachers. My dad never had any direct experiences with the Cold War, but he was exposed to its impact through school drills, nearby military facilities, news of nuclear weapons, anti-communist politics, and more.
When my dad was little, the Soviets had an infamous reputation as the “bad guys.” Unlike Parker’s parents’ description of the Cold War as less than a prominent issue, my dad said that where he lived, the tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War caused a lot of people to worry about their safety.
My dad didn’t specifically remember the Cuban Missile Crisis since he was only 5 or 6, but mentioned the fear it must have inspired until the Soviet Union backed down. Citizens responded to the potential threats with safety precautions. For example, my dad remembered doing drills in school during which students had to move to the lower level where the building was more stable and, like Meredith’s dad, take cover under their desks. He also mentioned that he lived near West Hampton Air Force Base at the time, which was a defense facility where many fighter plans were kept. My dad explained that growing up, a lot of people around him had friends our family that were involved with the Air Force or defense facilities that protected citizens from possible Soviet nuclear attacks.
In terms of awareness of Soviet actions, my dad remembered hearing reports about weapon testing and radioactive clouds dropping fallout as they drifted. He was also conscious of the race in space technology. Though he had no direct recollection of Sputnik, my dad did follow President Kennedy’s response mission to the moon. He was very interested in the Apollo program and even had his own scrapbook about it.
My dad also felt the impact of the Red Scare as fear of Communist influence in the U.S. expanded. Unlike Lisa Ferrari’s grandmother’s memory of the FBI invading and damaging a neighbor’s house because the father was a suspected Communist, my father never observed any direct accusations, but instead just a general apprehension. Like Katie P.’s grandfather, my dad’s father was a teacher, and at the time, there was concern about teachers with Communist values, so he felt the pressure having to be careful about what he said in order to protect his career. My grandfather was not under any direct threat, my dad remembered hearing conversations between his father and mother about this concern and also about John Birchers, who were essentially part of an anti-communist hunters society.
I was surprised to learn how much my father remembered about the Cold War. I wouldn't have expected that it impacted his daily life as much as he described.
Hannah Maret
Class 6
I am interviewing my father about his cold war experience. He was born over a decade after the war began, but still recalls some of the events that transpired during his teenage years, and twenties. This interview is taking place at my house, on February 15th, 2011. The questions that I will be mainly asking him about, are his daily experiences in school, his thoughts of what might happen, his opinion of Russia and other communist countries at the time, and if this, if at all, changed his life in any sort of way.
After interviewing my father, I feel like i learned what life was like during the time period, and it helped make a comparison to what life is like today. Unlike Peter's grandfather, my father did not have any sort of experience with actual warfare, but more of how people felt at the time. Overall, I think that this itnerview was very helpful in understanding how people felt during the Cold War, and how high the tensions were.
The person I interviewed to learn about the cold war was my grandmother, Helen Bendle. She was born in 1938 and lived in the suburbs of Chicago during the time of the Cold War. For a good portion of the tie she lived with her husband and five kids and was a stay-at-home mom minus the work she did for her local church. I chose to interview my grandma because she was alive for the whole Cold War, and I felt she had experiences she could share with me that could help me to better understand what it was like to live during that time period. This interview took place over the phone on February 13th, 2011.
By interviewing my grandmother, I learned alot about the Cold War and life during that time that I wouldn't have learned otherwise. Like Morgan,I thought it would be interesting to interview someone living life on the homefront during the Cold War, because it gives a prospective of what it would've ben like for say, our families today, to live an average life in a time of war. The effects that I learned the Cold War had on my family were much different than what I would've expected, like that my grandparents had to wait two months before gettting married because my grandfather had been sent to Korea during the Korean War. Also, I learned that my uncle had gained interest in space technology advancements with the development of NASA, growing up saying he wanted to be an astronaut. This interest led him into a career as an engineer for the space research company, Boeing. Like many other posts above, my grandmother also recalls Russia in the olympics during the time of the Cold War, and noted how they "dominated" all other countries competing. Overall, I enjoyed this interview because it taught me what it would've been like to live as an average citizen in the US during a time of war, and the effects it held on the daily lives of the people.
My father was born in 1951, and lived in Needham, Massachusetts. His father served in WWII, but some of the men he served with also served in Korea, so he was strongly influenced by his father regarding Communism and the Soviets. Also, Needham was within 20 miles of Boston, a possibility for a nuclear attack, since the population of Boston was so great.
During the interview I learned a lot of how the possible threat of a nuclear attack could affect a town. A nuclear threat was especially significant for my fathers town because of its proximity to Boston. That was something that really scared some people. My father can connect to Maddie's grandfather the way that the possible threat of a nuclear attack was to them. It was nothing taken lightly by them because they were well aware of the dangers that they were in the path of.
Pat Sullivan Period 4
For this assignment, I interviewed my uncle. He was born in the mid fifties and I wanted to interview him because he would give the most accurate and most relate-able answers seeing he was a teen for most of the cold war. When he was younger, his father gathered the little spare resources around his house to put together as much of a bomb shelter as he could. He grew up in Connecticut close to New York City so there was always that worry in the back of everyones mind. Most of my interview regarded the nuclear arms race. My uncle said that it was a common worry between everyone and when we laid our weapons down that the country had taken one big sigh.
Some similarities I am finding with the other blogs regards the "duck and cover" drills like in Amanda's post. This just strengthens the fact that the world was truly scared of the worst. There was a real possibility the world would end at any minute. I point I found very interesting was in Maddie Dorso's post how she said her grandpa conducted these drills. These drills did not just affect my uncle's generation but his parents generation also.
T. Hough
Class 6
I interviewed my mother Tricia McDonald. She was born July 27, 1964. She lived with her parents and younger sister just outside Boston Massachusetts. She lived through the later half of the Cold war. I interviwed mom because she has always been interested in history. I thought she would have more momories than she did.
My mom said she never paid much attention to the war. The cold war had very little affect on my mom. She was never directly affected by the war and she was too young to pay attention to the news and politics. Her parents also never sat down and talked to her about the war. She does have vivid memories of the bomb drills though. she can remember having to climb under her desk and cover her neck and head. She also remembers the fear.
Just like Parker i found it interesting how little mt mom knew about the conflict. Mainly because she is so aware about the conflicts today.
For this project I chose to interview my dad, Jim Bauer. He is 47 years old and born in 1963. Little did he know, he was living through one of the most astonishing wars in United States history. He grew up in Long Island , and thus was very much exposed to the effects of the Cold War. Because he was young, his memories are “iffy”. Needless to say, the Cold War has definitely impacted him as a person today. He was interviewed on February 14, 2011, at 4 pm in our living room.
I was really surprised when I interviewed my dad with how much the Cold War really affected his life. From school to home life, everything in his life was altered. As a child, he was taught to “duck and cover” in school. Unlike Maria’s father, my dad took each drill very seriously. He was constantly afraid of being bombed. I was surprised to know that he knew friends of his that had bomb shelters in their houses, as well. Additionally, my dad told me a lot about the Winter Olympics during the Cold War, like Will had mentioned in his interview with his mother. I had no idea of the impact of simple, innocent game of hockey could have on all of America.
Lauren Bauer
Class 4
For this assignment, I chose to interview Bill Moses, my father, who was born on July 23, 1945. He spent his childhood his childhood in Pennsylvania during the early days of the Cold War before graduating from Penn State. Having grown up and spent time as an adult during the conflict gives him a wide range of experiences coming from all age groups in this time period. I conducted my interview on Feb. 20 at home in the evening.
During the course of my interview, I was able to gain a lot of insight as to what life was like throughout the entire cold war. By witnessing and participating the changes in culture and world events ever since childhood. I could not imagine anyone better suited to recall the essence of the long conflict. I have found many similarities to what other people have said, especially the emotions felt by those growing up during the cold war and having this constant fear of armed conflict or destruction always seeming to loom over the horizon. It is hard to believe, but we are lucky to have those who lived though it to share the experience.
Kevin Moses
Class 6
The person I decided to interview was my father he was born on March 30, 1961. The reason I decided to interview my father was because he is a very big history buff and knows very much about any war. When I explained to him I was doing an interview for history he gladly accepted my request to answer questions based on the Cold War. My father was even more excited to talk about that War because it was happening as he growing up and it was still pretty clear in his head. My father seemed right for the interview as well because a lot of important things happened during his teenage years. I thought it would be really interesting to interview someone who could tell me about things that happened when they were my age back in the day. The interview took place on February 14, 2011 at around 7:00 P.M. in my living room.
I decided to interview my father for this because he is a history buff and I felt he was perfect for this. He was able to give me in depth answers to all my questions which made this expierence very successful. I liked how he was rememembered his first memory about the Cold War to me that showed it still is vivid in his head. He was able to tell me his opinion of the Soviets and how long he thought the war would go on for. My favorite thing about the interview was when I asked him what he thought was the craziest moment of the War. He told me where he was and everything which to me was real neat. I enjoyed knowing that my father knew so much about Reagan and President Carter.
I was able to find that Stefan and Will had similar interviews as mine. All three of our interviewes grew up in New York around the same time. Like Will's my dad was able to give me a lot of information on the Presidents at the time and seemed to know alot about them. Like Will's he also was able to tell me his opinion before and after the Cold War. Unlike Ishaar's my father grew up in New York but, yet i was able to find out that even his father knew much about the war. This was neat to find that no matter where you were from you knew what was going on.
The person I decided to interview was my mom. She was born on September 22, 1969. She grew up in the Washington D.C. area. Her father worked at the World Bank so their family was always around the nation’s capital. The reason that I decided to pick her was because during her junior year she was a page in the Senate. Being that she was around political figures all day and had one on one interactions with them I felt as if she would have much different answers to my questions compared to anyone else I could have picked. My interview was conducted on February 17, 2011 at 11:15 a.m. eastern time on the beach of Mexico.
My interview was really eye opening. It allowed me to see the Cold War through someone who actually lived through it and had first hand interactions instead of through a text book. My mom talked about events such as the Challenger and the 1980 Olympics. I enjoyed reading Ishar and Mason blog post because it told of people who lived in other countries and how the Cold War effected them. A lot of time in class we only learned how it effected the United States. It was refreshing to see another countries point of veiw.
Chicago, 1947, Joan Gereg was working as a teacher after serving her country as a nurse during WWII. By 1947 she was twenty-eight years old. While at the time war had not yet been declared, tensions still ran very high. As a teacher she was not only worried about herself, but her students. Being an intercity teacher, she had to teach her children drills for the possibility of nuclear war erupting. During the span of the cold war era, she moved to CT, was married and had a family. The effects of the war looming in the background and the culture of that time did have an apparent effect on her decisions though.
My grandmother was a very insightful interviewee because she experienced many different parts of American culture during the cold war. The first part of the interview involved her experiences in one of America’s biggest cites at the time: Chicago. In the city she described the constant tension by the thought of nuclear war. In the city her experiences were greatly different than her experiences in rural Connecticut. In the city she spoke of the drills she would have to do with the children. She also spoke of how in the city there was a constant buzz of information on the war, yet when she moved to Connecticut this buzz all but came to a halt. In the city the drills were taken very seriously, but as Maria points out in her interview in more rural towns they were more of a laughing matter. In Chad’s interview he speaks of how the great fear was of the soviets, yet in the city the biggest threat was the threat of nuclear attack.
Sean Fahey
The person I chose to interview was my second cousin, Bill Bartosik. He relates to the cold war because he was born in the midst of it, in 1955. The war carried on until 1991, when he was 36. He is now 56. He grew up in Easton CT, and went to college in Middletown CT. After college he moved to Boston, but then moved back to Easton in the 80s where he now resides.
I thought that interviewing Bill would be interesting because he is older and would have a perspective on the earlier parts of the Cold War, unlike both of my parents.
I thought that is was interesting that as such a young child, Bill had very passionate views on the Cold War and what others thought about it. For example, when he was at religion class, the nun told him that if they prayed they would be safe. Knowing that this wouldn't keep them safe from an atomic bomb, Bill chose not to believe this at all. To me, it was just hard to believe that someone so young (about 7) could have such a strong opinion. Also, I thought it was interesting that when the war was over, there wasn't a general feel of relief, although the threat of nuclear war was lowered a bit. I thought that many people would be relieved, but since the war had been simmering down for a few years afterwards, there was no definite day in termination. Personally, Bill did not feel this way either.
Like Troy's father, Bill was not directly involved in the war, but instead the thought of nuclear war just stayed in the back of his mind, since it was a possibility at the time. Like Troy said, it shaped our society and that is how it mostly affected Bill.
My dad was born in England and grew up there for his whole life it wasn’t until my parents had me that we moved to the Canada. He was born in 1960 in Liverpool and went into the working class at the age of 16 and has been working since then. He visited America many times because his parents thought it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. He has always really been into business but not too much into the Government side. I think that has to do with us being immigrants because he can’t vote so it doesn’t really appeal to him as much as it would an American Citizen
Q: Did you ever converse much about the Cold War in school or at work?
A: We did occasionally but it truly wasn’t that much. I think that has to do with the age I was during the war because we didn’t really care that much about the war it was more like what we were going to do that day or if there were any concerts or events going on soon, or as usual girls.
For my interview, I chose my mom, Ann Feltch. She was born December 5th, 1959 and grew up in various parts of the U. S. This actually gave an interesting perspective with the interview because my mom was actually able to remember the different ways the Cold war affected the whole country. For the most part my mom stayed out of the various politics in the Cold War. That is, until the 80s when my grandfather became part of the relief to combat alcoholism in Soviet Russia. This lead to my mom personally finding out the struggles the various governments were going through in the Cold War.
I chose my mom because I wanted to find someone who knew the the average amount of information about the Cold War. During the early 60s, she had to go through constants drills in case of an attack. She said there was always an underlying fear, and when she lived in Atlanta there was a fallout shelter every couple of miles. She also said the biggest problem that everyone had on their mind was simply not knowing what the Soviets were up to. At first she was for the war and wanted us to win. But after meeting with some Soviet delegates, she realized that the Soviets were just like us and wanted the war to end.
I would say my interview is sort of like Cassie's, in that both our subjects ended up talking about how the war drove them to absolute fear. I would also say that Sage's interview covered about the same ground as I did. With all the talk about the "Duck and Cover" drills, it's safe to say the Cold War became a part of daily life
The person I interviewed was my mother, Joeline Wruck. Joeline is currently 50 years old and was born in 1960. She was raised in Teaneck, NJ. The way my mom relates to this topic is that she was alive during a portion of the time period covered by the Cold War. Some of the events she actually remembers; others she remembers learning about in junior high and high school.
I chose to interview my mom because she was alive for a majority of the cold war. The onee thing that I found the most interesting about the interview was the fact that we both learned a majority of what we both know about the cold war was in school. In addition to that, even though my mother didn't really expirience the whole cold war i found it interesting how much she knew about it. my intervie was very similar to nicole davis's, because both of our parents were children duing this time period. all and all the interview was both informative and interesting.
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