Student Voices
Class members reflect on the project:
I was mesmerized by the seniors' captivating stories. I listened to the rhythm and music of their voices,
watched their graceful gestures, and felt the deep emotions that they so freely shared with us. The time I spent
talking to them flew by. I could have sat for hours, just listening.
Lisa
Zevorich
"Gloria Powell reminded me that we were supposed to be talking about food. 'Sorry,' I said. 'Your stories are
just too interesting.' This was how it went with all of the participants. Many said they didn't have much to say.
All had more to say than we could possibly fit into one exhibition. So I say: Tell your children your stories. Ask
your family and friends about their history. You'll be amazed by what you'll hear."
Katherine
Steiner
“Talking with the seniors and hearing their stories made me think about my own life. We heard about sending
husbands, fathers, and brothers off to war, waiting for them to return, and dealing with how they had
changed. A survivor of the Bosnian War told us about living in a war zone and how her family suffered; it was
heartbreaking. I’m glad they were willing to share these stories.”
Allyson
Atwood
“The directions for the digital audio repeater said that no one would leave frustrated in the process— that’s
how easy it was. Whoever wrote the directions must have been a wiz or never tried it. Dr. Filene never told us
we had to be quasielectricians
to be in the Museum Studies program!”
Sarah
Cunningham
“An amusing experience transpired while moving our exhibit walls from campus to the Greensboro Historical
Museum. In the hallway Dr. Filene and I were maneuvering a panel, discussing where we should set it for a
brief minute. On one side Dr. Filene was about to point to a location, and to hear him better I popped my head
around the other side of the panel, and as if we were in an episode of the Three Stooges, his finger and my
nose met... squarely together. No blood was shed and we laughed it off.”
Kyle
M. Stetz
“My greatgrandmother
always says how much ‘things’ have changed in the last fifty years. That is why I chose
to explore this topic, to better understand the technological changes she mentions and see how everyday life
was and is affected by it. I believe it is a topic that deserves more attention from the perspective of those who
experienced it firsthand.”
Elizabeth
Imhoff
“Putting together this project was not easy, but there was still laughter in the process. I vividly recall one
afternoon when my interview partner and I could not get the recording machine to work. Our interviewee,
May Williamson, sat patiently while we scurried about the Senior Center frantically trying to understand what
was going on. Finally, after a long while of watching us, May stated matteroffactly
how funny it was that we
were asking her about technology when we couldn’t even get our own technology to work!”
Leda
Wilkins
“It has been about voices for me, the voices of our collective memories that make up the fabric of this
community. This project allowed this group of people the opportunity to record their memories, their stories.
The exhibit is a venue for us to become a part of those individual stories. It is more than conducting oral
histories and presenting them; it is a communitybuilding
experience. As participants in this experience, we
not only take with us the stories presented here, but we add our own stories to the mix.”
Gwen
McKinney
The website contains studentcreated
resources. The University Libraries makes no claim as to the
accuracy of the views or information presented herein.
