Interviewing two people a week, not only will it focus on people ages 18 to 100 and their personal stories, Rose will also devote questions on the current situation of life in quarantine conditions due to the pandemic.
“When you think of oral history, some people think it’s about business leaders or philanthropic people,” he said
“A community is everybody’s stories, no gender, race or income level. Some of the best stories are the ones we don’t think of immediately.
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“Like now, it could be a high school student doing classes on Zoom. We’re reaching out for all kinds of stories.”
Rose and the foundation have done previous interviews over the years with local leaders who have had philanthropic impacts such as Dick Kuss, Fred Leventhal and Mary Lou Kissel Noonan.
Whereas those included heavy, cumbersome equipment to complete, the new interviews will be more streamlined to be done from a home setting for faster, more convenient results. Rose has spent a lot of time and energy in getting the best out of his interviews and subjects.
“Interviewing is not as easy as just calling somebody, you need to know beforehand the right questions to ask, the way Oprah or Charlie Rose would do,” he said. “This way you get explicit, good answers but it takes preliminary research.”
By getting his subjects to think more broadly, it can lead them to trigger a memory of someone else who could be a potential interviewee or other stories.
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While aiming to talk to a diverse population with varied backgrounds, Rose identified areas of special interest to explore. These include:
-Factory workers from International Harvester from 1945-1985
-Crowell Collier employees from 1945-1956
-African Americans who grew up in Springfield between 1920-1960
-World War II and Korean War veterans
-People who worked at Wren’s Department Store
-People who were featured in the 1983 Newsweek special edition about Springfield
Rose said it’s also important to capture the current mood with the COVID-19 pandemic.
“This is one of the most historic events ever. We’d be foolish not to talk about it,” he said. “It would be like not talking about the 1929 stock market crash. In 2070, there will be exhibits about this time.
“We have a grand narrative in Springfield. This is a record for future generations, something my grandchildren will have access to.”
To be considered for an interview or to recommend someone, email Rose at krose@hmturnerfoundation.org. For more information on the online oral history project, go to http://www.kevinrose.org/oralhistory.html.
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