Burton Lieberman was born February 8, 1926 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Burton’s parents made their way to Pittsburgh from elsewhere: his mother was born into a large Jewish family in New York City, while his father escaped the pogroms in Russia at the turn-of-the-century, arriving in Baltimore at the age of 14. They met and married […]
Archives: Oral History Project
Kearl, Harold
Harold Kearl was born December 10, 1922 in Cardston, Alberta, where he grew up on a farm with nine siblings. He attended school in that town, where he did well, and all the while he kept busy doing chores on the farm. He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, and while […]
Mockers, Michel
Michel Mockers was born December 17, 1922 in Nantes, in the northwest of France. His father was a successful director of casinos, both in Nantes and Cannes, so Michel had a positive childhood. He attended school at the Abbaye de Calcat, where he received an excellent education, and as a teenager he was even learning […]
Bein, Don
Don Bein was born June 5, 1925 in Davenport, Iowa. He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the early years of the war, graduating from high school in 1943. He promptly received his draft notice and headed off to Fort Benning, Georgia. As he had passed the army IQ test he […]
Kutas, George
George Kutas survived the Holocaust in Hungary. In this brief video segment he discusses the evolution of antisemitism in Hungary during the war years, prior to the 1944 deportations. While most Hungarian Jews who were deported were sent directly to Auschwitz-Birkenau to be murdered – including much of George’s extended family – George was put […]
Kai, Sue
Sue Kai (nee Sumi Matsugu) was born January 26, 1925 in Alert Bay, British Columbia. Her parents had emigrated from Fukuoku, Japan to Canada, settling in the remote community to work. Sue lived there for just one year, as her parents decided to move to Vancouver to pursue better opportunities for their children. They lived […]
Tomter, Reynolds
Reynolds Tomter was born April 26, 1917 in western Wisconsin, not far from Pigeon Falls, where he lives now. He grew up on a farm in a rural valley, where neighbors worked together to combat isolation, and then the realities of the Great Depression. Reynolds remembers the tough economic times, but he also remembers the […]
Hewlett, Tom
Tom Hewlett was born October 18, 1938 in Toronto. He grew up during wartime and the “Fabulous 50s”, where he has memories of Elvis Presley and the arrival of television; Tom also attended school, but at Forest Hill Collegiate he decided that he had enough. He chose to leave and enter the RCAF. Vision prevented […]
Marshall, Orville
Orville Marshall was born July 24, 1922 in Woodstock, Ontario. He grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression, developing an interest in automotive mechanics and radio. He also joined the Oxford Rifles Reserve, and when the war came he decided to join the RCAF. He reported for Manning Duty at Lachine, Quebec, […]
Cassidy, Clyde
Clyde Cassidy was born January 31, 1925 in Barton, Vermont, not too far from where he lives today. He grew up against the backdrop of the Depression, but as his father had steady work with the railroad conditions were not too bad for the family. Clyde was in high school when the attack on Pearl […]
Hall, Phil
Phil Hall was born March 9, 1945 in Eagle, Wisconsin. He grew up there against the backdrop of the “Fabulous 50s”; life was good coming out of World War Two – though Phil does remember plenty of after school jobs to pick up spending money, not to mention the early days of television. He graduated […]
Wortley, Colin
Colin Wortley was born January 18, 1945 in Toronto, Ontario. His father was a decorated World War two veteran, having been awarded the Distinguished Flying Medal for RAF service in North Africa. When he returned to Canada Colin’s father left the air force, but he decided to re-enlist in 1950, as the Cold War was […]
Gunter, Bill
Bill Gunter was born February 27, 1925 in South Hull, Quebec. He grew up there in the 1930s, alongside his older brother. When the war came, both brothers joined up, but Bill’s older brother was killed in a horrible elevator accident at the naval headquarters in Ottawa. Bill joined several army reserve units while he […]
Davies, Cliff
Cliff Davies was born September 3, 1927 in Portsmouth, England. By a strange twist of fate his 12th birthday happened to be the day that WW2 was declared in Great Britain, and it was a birthday that came to be characterized by gas masks and evacuation. Cliff’s father worked at the Portsmouth shipyards, as did […]
Pennell, Don
Don Pennell was born October 16, 1937 in Grimsby, Ontario. He grew up there and in Oakville, first against the backdrop of the Second World War, and the “Fabulous 50s”. Don was young during the war, but he recalls an uncle who served, and he remembers the rationing from the time. His father became a […]
Armitage, Roly
Roly Armitage was born February 8, 1925 in South March, Ontario, in the Ottawa area. He was raised on a farm, with many brothers and sisters. Roly’s father was a veteran of the Great War who saw action at Ypres: he was gassed and while being treated in England he met a young Red Cross […]
Curtis, Des
Des Curtis was born July 16, 1923 in Caterham, England. He was born in the Guards’ Depot there, as his father was a member of the Irish Guards, one of the foot guards for the monarchy. Des’s father also happened to be a Great War veteran who served in the trenches and the major campaigns […]
Phillips, Russell
Russell Phillips was born November 9, 1922 in Toronto. He grew up in the Lansdowne-St. Clair neighbourhood, attending local schools and doing all the things typical for a teenager in 1930s Toronto. In high school Russell joined the cadets, and then the Irish Regiment MIlitia, and when the war came he lied about his age […]
Ellers, Lyall
Lyall Ellers was born September 7, 1923 in Perth, Australia. He and his three siblings grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression, going to school and doing all the things typical of Australian youth at the time. Lyall’s father was a Great War vet who worked in the mines – and who certainly […]
McGeach, Hugh
Hugh McGeach was born May 8, 1921 in London, Ontario. He grew up on a farm, and later in the city of London, against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Hugh’s father was a Great War veteran whose health had deteriorated, necessitating the move. Lloyd graduated from a technical high school and became an automotive […]
Morrow, Art
Art Morrow was born May 5, 1923 in Butler, Pennsylvania. He and his younger brother Jack (whose story can also be found in the Crestwood OHP) grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression and the emerging war. Art graduated high school, and as he was a strong student he went to Penn […]
Willett, Dallas
Dallas Willett was born August 3, 1930 in Rouge Hill, Ontario. Third child in a family of 12, he grew up there against the backdrop of the Great Depression, working the family farm and delivering newspapers when he wasn’t at school or playing soccer or hockey. They would also go into the nearby town of […]
Liddle, Albert
Albert Liddle was born October 1, 1933 in Toronto, Ontario, later moving to nearby Woodbridge. He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression and then World War Two. Albert recalls the impacts of the Depression, which were tough on his family; he remembers being less impacted by the war, even with his older […]
Kowalishen, Gord
Gord Kowalishen was born February 14, 1950 in Toronto. Gord grew up in 1950s Toronto, against the backdrop of a time of prosperity where new technology such as TV and cars were beginning to affect Canadians’ lifestyles. Gord grew up in the west end of the city, attending school and playing baseball, but when he […]
Luckadoo, John
John Luckadoo was born March 16, 1922 in Chattanooga, Tennessee. He grew up living a good life: his father was a stockbroker who raised horses, and new clothes and good food were the norm. 1929 changed much of that though; the stock market crash brought about a different kind of life for John’s family. All […]
Burrowes, Jim
Jim Burrowes was born March 29, 1923 in Port Melbourne, Australia. He grew up against the backdrop of the Great Depression: he remembers those difficult days where his father could not find work and where he and his four brothers and sisters had to make do. Jim was able to attend high school for a […]
Moyes, Ron
Ron Moyes was born February 11, 1926 in Vancouver, B.C. His father was a veteran of the Great War who came back to Canada with a war bride and baby daughter, and who built a successful business in 1920s Vancouver before buying a farm. Ron was only 13 when the war began, but as he […]
Johns, Stuart
Stuart Johns was born February 11, 1925 in Walkerville, Ontario. He grew up in and around Windsor, against the backdrop of the Great Depression. Stuart recalls his family being affected by that calamity – but also that they were not living in poverty. His father, a veteran of the Great War, worked at the nearby […]
Stachevich, Ron
Ron Stachevich was born September 5, 1936 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He grew up against the backdrop of World War Two and the emerging Cold War, and when he finished high school he resolved to join and do his part. Ron dreamed of becoming a pilot so he chose the air force, and headed off to […]
Damboise, Betty
Betty Damboise was born July 3, 1933 in Schoenecke, Germany. She grew up in the Schnee Eifel region, near the Luxembourg-Belgium border. Betty’s father worked in the metal trades, and he was classified as an essential worker because of his connections to the local farming community. Betty started school in 1939 in her village, and […]