March 20 - The Oberlin Oral History Project
March 20 (Thursday, 7:15 p.m.) The Oberlin Oral History Project: Looking Backward and Moving Forward. Allan Patterson, an Oberlin middle school social studies teacher, was among the key driving forces in a group of volunteers who began recording oral histories of long-time Oberlin residents in 1981. Over the next seven years, 95 interviews were conducted, which touched upon a wide range of topics including their work, pastimes, and impressions of events happening in the world around them.
Patterson shares his stories about the early years of the project together with Priscilla Steinberg, a former Oberlin Chamber of Commerce director and a Heritage Center volunteer who has worked on the project for over two decades. Oberlin Heritage Center Museum Education and Tour Coordinator Liz Schultz will provide a brief update on current work underway on this remarkable project to capture community history. This program is co-sponsored with the Kendal Third Thursday Lecture Series. Location: Kendal at Oberlin's Heiser Auditorium.
