Encounter history firsthand through stories told by people who lived and made it.
Assembled here are the stories of western Massachusetts citizens who witnessed and played a part in the history of the twentieth century. Brief clips from their hour-long interviews have been chosen and arranged into chronological story pages which follow the interviewee through time, illuminating his or her memories of both personal and national events. Captioned illustrations shed light on the speaker’s personal role within the larger context of the history of the twentieth century. Viewers can learn more about the interviewee in a personal timeline, and more about a given topic through resource suggestions at the bottom of each story page. A page for each interview that includes audio clips and a transcription of the entire interview is also provided.
Oral histories offer us the opportunity to see the past from a variety of perspectives. As we read and hear individual stories, it becomes clear that the past is a complicated terrain, experienced and acted upon in many and vastly different ways. By our examination of the many stories, we begin to more fully comprehend the larger landscape of twentieth century history, as told by those who live it and who made it.
Juanita Nelson
Juanita Nelson staged her first protest when she was 16 years old, traveling to Georgia on a segregated train. As a result of this decision and others like it, Juanita is considered a pioneering civil rights activist. More accurately, she has pursued a life-long commitment to her belief in nonviolence. Throughout her life, this promise has guided her choices.
Robert Romer
Retired Amherst College physics professor Robert Romer remembers how he joined a dedication to teaching young people about science with a quest to transform hearts and to change minds. His journeys brought him to the 1963 March on Washington, to rural South Carolina so that he could teach at an all Black college, and to Westover Air Force Base where he participated in Vietnam era anti-war protests.
Ray Elliott
Retired chemist Ray Elliott shares the stories of his father’s service as a Buffalo soldier during World War I, his own experiences as a Black soldier during World War II, and when he returned home, as a civil rights worker dedicated to nonviolent resistance.
David Cohen
During the Second World War, David Cohen was a radio operator for the 4th Armored Division of Patton’s Third Army. He participated in the Battle of the Bulge and in the liberation of two Nazi concentration camps. During his lifetime, David has witnessed humanity’s capacity for great evil and for great good.
Dr. Ruth B. Loving
Born in 1914, Ruth Loving has participated in over 90 years of American History. She has lived through two world wars, remembers the Great Depression, rationing and FDR’s fireside chats, danced in the Cotton Club, and performed for the USO. She learned Morse code while serving in the Massachusetts Woman’s Defense Corps, and became a social activist following the Second World War.
Paul Slater
Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Paul Slater joined the Navy, and was assigned to serve as an engineer on board the destroyer escort the USS Walter S. Brown. Paul and his crewmates survived the Atlantic Hurricane of 1944, and they were involved in the famous Battle of UGS 40 in May of that year.
Dorothy Pryor
Dorothy Pryor’s life has revolved around education and her Springfield, Massachusetts home. During World War II, her academic years at Fisk University where punctuated by summers working in the Springfield Armory. Her husband became Springfield’s first black high school teacher, and she came to teach English at the city’s Technical High School and at the Springfield Technical Community College (STCC). Dorothy is guided by her belief that, “you don’t teach anybody what you know. You teach people who you are and where you’ve been.”
Eastern European Oral Histories: Dr. Edmund Olchowski
Edmund B. Olchowski (1919-2000) was born in Turners Falls, MA, the son of Mary Karp and Frank Olchowski. His mother, Mary, immigrated from Poland in 1905 and his father, Frank, immigrated in 1906 from Poland. He was a Greenfield, MA, selectman and businessman, as well as a dentist for 36 years. He enjoyed photography as his hobby.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Edie Bourbeau
Edith (Bakula) Bourbeau (1938-2023), also known as Yadjia, was born in Turners Falls, MA, the daughter of Frank and Eleanora (Kordall) Bakula. Edith owned and operated her own beauty salon for many years until her retirement. She was an active parishioner of Our Lady of Czestochowa Church and many societies. Edith wrote and published a book “Polish and Proud” about her life growing up in the Patch section of Turners Falls as the daughter of Polish immigrants. Her mother, Leonora Kordall, came from Lomza, Russian Poland in 1912. Her father, Frank Bakula, came from Bialystok, Russian Poland in 1911. She was the younger sister of Walter Bakula.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Father Basil Juli
Father Basil (William) Juli was born in Auburn, New York in 1948, the son of William and Dorothy (Kany) Juli. Both sets of grandparents immigrated from Ukraine. He was ordained a priest in 1977 at the Ukrainian Catholic Sobor (ecclesiastical assembly) in Philadelphia. In 1988 Father Juli began serving at the Descent of the Holy Spirit Ukrainian Church in South Deerfield, Massachusetts. He took a leave of absence in 1996, to decide whether to continue as a priest or become a monk. He did not return to the South Deerfield church.
Eastern European Oral Histories: James Parsons
James Maxwell Parsons (1930-2006) was born at home in Leeds, MA, the son of Ralph and Daisy R. (Carivan) Parsons. He was a teacher, historian, and author of numerous publications about the area, including articles for regional newspapers. He gave a lecture at PVMA in Deerfield, MA and wrote an article published July 23, 1993 in the Hampshire Life about Charles T. Parsons (1834-1896), a labor broker who brought thousands of immigrants to the valley. In 1888, Parsons was accused of “white slavery” and fined $500 for chaining a young Polish man to a wagon in a snowstorm in Holyoke. James was not related to Charles. James was very involved in civic and community organizations, volunteering for many groups.Eastern European Oral Histories: Jennie Danielski
Jennie M. (Nieckoski) Danielski (1907-1993), was born in Greenfield, MA, the daughter of Joseph and Blanche (Supinski) Nieckoski. She grew up in the Millen Bars section of Deerfield, MA and became a master guide for Historic Deerfield Inc. until her death. Her mother Blanche (Bronislawa) Supinski came from Russian Poland in 1905. Her father, Joseph Danielski, came from Russian Poland in 1900.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Jennie Kostanski
Jennie N. (Samorajski) Kostanski,(1904-1998) was born in Millers Falls, MA the daughter of Peter and Josephine (Dabek) Samorajski. Her mother, Josephine Dabek, immigrated from Russian Poland in 1904 and her father, Peter Samorajski, came from Russian Poland in 1900. She was employed at the Millers Falls Tool Co. for 22 years, retiring as an inspector. Jennie was a member of St. John’s Church of Millers Falls and was an officer of the Polish Veteran Auxiliary and a founder and past president of the former Polish Women’s Social Club of Millers Falls.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Josephine Skalski
Josephine (Rosienski) Skalski, (1899-1995), was born in Lomza, Russia/Poland, the daughter of Andrew and Eva (Kulas) Rosienski. Her father immigrated in 1904. She came to the United States to South Deerfield, MA, in 1913 with her mother and her sister Alice. She worked on the family farm on Mill River Road in South Deerfield, MA, engaged in tobacco and produce; and was a self-employed farmer and perennial flower grower.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Marion Kuklewicz
…my sister Rose had married a boy who was Ukrainian and so she had always stayed in our family parrish um in South Deerfield, the Holy Ghost Ukrainian Catholic Church. And it was at her funeral that something very strange and wonderful happened to me and as I asked people about it afterwards, it seems as if I was the one who was most affected by this.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Walter Bakula
Walter P. Bakula, (1917-2003), was born in Turners Falls, MA. He was employed in Civil Service at Fort Sheridan, Highwood, IL for 24 years, retiring in 1980. Walter moved to Millers Falls, MA, in 1980. He shares his experiences as the son of Polish immigrants growing up in Turners Falls, MA. His mother, Leonora Kordall, came from Lomza, Russian Poland in 1912. His father, Frank Bakula, came from Bialystok, Russian Poland in 1911. Walter was the older brother of Edith (Bakula) Bourbeau.
Eastern European Oral Histories: Walter Kostanski
Walter T. Kostanski, Jr., (1923-2015), was born in Erving, MA, the son of Walter and Jennie (Samorajski) Kostanski. His mother Jennie was born in Millers Falls, MA, the daughter of Russian/Polish immigrants. His father, Walter, immigrated in 1911 from Poland. Walter was a graduate of the New England Institute of Funeral Directing and Embalming. He served in the United States Naval Armed Guard as a Gunner’s Mate during World War II. Walter and his brother Henry, established the Kostanski Funeral Homes in Greenfield and in Turners Falls. Walter was a dedicated public servant and he worked tirelessly to improve the Franklin County and Montague, MA, communities as a state representative.
Eastern European Oral Histories: William Kostecki
William J. Kostecki (1938-2024) was born in Deerfield, MA. Bill’s paternal grandparents were William and Tassie Kostecki, who came to the US from the Austrian part of Poland. His maternal grandparents, Piotr (Peter) and Feliska Piotrowicz, immigrated from the Russian part of Poland. Their last name was anglicized to Petrovitch. The family moved to Montague Center, MA where Bill and his family raised tobacco on their farm, eventually switching to cucumbers. They also raised pigs, cows, and chickens. He joined the Army Reserve in 1956 and achieved the rank of Army Staff Sargeant E6. Bill worked as an electronics repair technician for Sears and Roebuck in Greenfield, MA for over 30 years. Parishioners of Our Lady Of Czestochowa Parish in Turners Falls, MA since 1971, Bill and his wife Carol sang in the choir for thirty years.
These World War II era oral histories were made possible through the generous support of The Community Foundation of Western Massachusetts (the Credit Data Services, Inc. Fund), the Harold Grinspoon Foundation, and the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities, and were produced in collaboration with the Veterans Education Project.