Taylor Dasbach February 3, 2014 GRN 1000 Intergenerational Interview Interviewing an Elder: David Latta On the night of Saturday, February 1, 2014, I sat down with my grandfather, David Latta, to conduct an interview with him. He currently lives in Clarkston, Michigan, in the newly refurbished basement in my mother's house, along with my step-father, sister, and her son. One could say that my mother's household is quite the crowded nest, with four generation living under one roof. The perspective my grandfather obtains from living in such an atmosphere, is not only something I kept in mind while conducting this interview, but something that guided my questions. David Stark Latta is my mother's step-father, he was born on December 6, 1937 in Pontiac, Michigan and has spent most of his life here. David raised my mother and three other children from his previous marriage. My grandfather and I talked for about an hour or so, the interview became more of a conversation, it was very comfortable for him to talk to me about his life, and no question was really off limits; him and I have a wonderful and close relationship. When the interview began he turned town the television and offered me a beer, and I started with asking him about his childhood. He told me that when he was an adolescence he would spend most of his summer days swimming with the his friends in a gravel pit turned lake. They would play baseball in the fields next to Maceday Lake, which is well a well known local lake, and go camping on the weekends at the Pontiac recreational area. These kids that he grew up with in high school still remain in close contact with my grandfather. He tells me that around 11 or 12 of them get together at the local coney island almost ev... ... middle of paper ... ...bserved interactions between my grandfather and my sister (26) and my nephew (5) and I can see positive outcomes on both sides. The old can always offer something to the young; experience, knowledge, or what have you. Just as the young can influence and sustain the elderly's ties with society. We are active agents, that must remain active, of society, and we create the world around us (Social Constructionism). It is up to every individual to somehow remain tied to the active world, memories of past positive life events alone cannot solely sustain a successful life in old age. David Latta's relationship to me and my family background go though life course end up at current day Describe interview length comfortability Describe how receptive he was Topics of the interview typical summer day inventions biggest challenges current age View as Page Download
The 1960’s was a time of war, politics, and a trip to the moon. For some it was a turbulent time filled with chaos, while for others it was a peaceful, prosperous time. For my grandfather, Robert Mammini, it was the decade of his life where he would settle down, start a family, and experience a most memorable decade. He was married in 1961 at the age of 24 to my grandma, Mary Mammini. During this decade his family expanded and he had three children. His first born Kim, my mom was born in 1962, followed by my uncle in 1964 and later my aunt in 1966. He and my grandmother lived in Concord, California just several blocks from Clayton Valley High School. It’s weird to think they lived two minutes from where I live now. With my grandma’s hands full with three kids it was up to my grandpa to be the working man. He worked at James Nelson Company, a booming heating and air conditioning company, in San Francisco where he made good wages and was given great benefits. With the good pay my grandfather was able to easily afford a brand new home priced at $22,000, which included 3 beds and 2 baths. This decade was the start of a long ride for the Mammini family filled with incredible world events that we will never experience again.
Progress and individualism are very much celebrated in American culture. Many people migrate to urban cities in the search of economic prosperity and to achieve the elusive “American Dream.” City life can often come as a shock to individuals not accustomed to a fast-paced lifestyle; conversely it can change a person. Such change can transform a person to lose the values and beliefs they were raised with which consequently attribute to losing the bonds that they once held with their families. This is not the case with the families portrayed in Carol Stack’s ethnography Call to Home. The book depicts Southern African-American families living in rural, North and South Carolina’s towns – which migrate to northern urban cities for economic opportunities – known as the Great Migration, and ultimately decide to return home. This essay explores the motives that caused Reverse Migration which include kin ties, structural and environmental violence endured, the role of the children, and the novel philosophies the diaspora brings with them upon returning home.
In the early 1940’s Marie was born into a small tight knit family living in a small rural Kentucky town. Marie is now in her seventies and has led a very interesting life traveling the country, raising four children, and shaping her chosen profession. Our interview sessions were conducted over a period of time, as Marie is very active and has little “free time” to spare.
My grandma was born in 1945 and I was born 49 years later in 1994. We may have grown up only a few hundred miles from each other, but we experienced very different structural and cultural surroundings. To help one fully get the understanding of these differences between my grandmother’s and my own upbringing you can compare a simple Midwest country lifestyle to a Detroit fast-paced city structured life. Yet, remembering my grandmother and me only lived a small distance from one another, but in reality our structure and culture of the U.S. is far from familiar to each other. Looking back at the 1950’s from my grandmother’s point of view to the 21st century today is far different because the world keeps revolving around the sun and people progress,
Jeannette Walls has lived a life that many of us probably never will, the life of a migrant. The majority of her developmental years were spent moving to new places, sometimes just picking up and skipping town overnight. Frugality was simply a way of life for the Walls. Their homes were not always in perfect condition but they continued with their lives. With a brazen alcoholic and chain-smoker of a father and a mother who is narcissistic and wishes her children were not born so that she could have been a successful artist, Jeannette did a better job of raising herself semi-autonomously than her parents did if they had tried. One thing that did not change through all that time was the love she had for her mother, father, brother and sisters. The message that I received from reading this memoir is that family has a strong bond that will stay strong in the face of adversity.
The setting for this interview with Mamie McFadden was done in her home at 10786 S. Peoria, Chicago, Illinois. The house is a brick cottage with a concrete based metal rail porch. Mrs. McFadden welcomed me at the door and mentioned that her cleaning lady had recently departed and that she was excited to do this interview. Walking in the door at 12:30 in the afternoon, I was greeted with the aroma of cooking cabbage from the rear kitchen area. The living room, where the interview would take place, appeared to stop in time. There was no doubt that this home was decorated in the prime of her life during the 1970s. The orange plastered walls contrasted with the crème ceiling, along with the square tiled mirrors on the south wall, took me back to the days when I was a little boy and my aunt had a similar styled living room. It occurred to me that most African American women, not only share a sisterhood in trials and tribulations, but also in taste and decorations.
“Have patients and resistance, mija” my 90 year old great grandmother Elizabeth said. She has been one of my motivational supporters pushing me towards my goals, continuation of my education, and living life. Just one phone call, can’t explain how much I dearly miss her. As part of my gerontology interview assignment I had to ask her a couple of questions. One question was: “what is the most significant world event you have experienced and why?”, but my great-grandmother didn’t mention a world event but her own. She explained that she doesn’t know how to read, nor write. She self-taught herself to write her own name and to this day she still does. In the small town in Mexico in which she resides in long ago, lacked education badly. There were no instructors whom taught in schools in town or her surroundings. Few schools were hours away, but with the lack of sufficient resources such as transportation and in town schools those opportunities were never granted to
As I sat at the dinner table talking to my interviewee, who happens to be my grandfather, Jim Miller, I learned a great deal and feel more connected. He is my mom’s father and a funny, generous and spiritual guide. Grandpa Jim is a wonderful man and is the kind of grandfather who will spoil his grandchildren, due to his family's lack of income as a child. Being drafted and knowing his wife since high school meant he rarely if ever “cooked” anything other than an sandwich.
The Social Security Act of 1935 was established in order to help Americans receive benefits when they retire or in the event that they are not able to work anymore. All Americans who work pay taxes, which in turn are put into the Social Security system. When this act was passed, it was meant to supplement a person's income, when reaching the age of retirement. This money would add to their pensions or savings. Many retirees now depend on it as their only source of income. In the past, the majority of jobs had pensions and the employee contributed to it. In modern society, pensions are no longer the norm in jobs as they were 50 years ago. Blue collar jobs are more than likely to not have any sort of pension plan as opposed to white collar jobs. Not all people receive the same amount of money when they retire. Depending on the salary you earned when working, that will determine how much you will receive in your monthly Social Security check. A person who has worked at low paying jobs in their lifetime will barely receive enough in Social Security. Many of our elderly in the United States barely receive enough money that many elderly live below or just barely above the poverty level.
In my interview I had the pleasure of conversing with an individual that was not only an adult learner but now also operates as an adjunct professor for adult learners at a university. Some might not realize the parallels of adult learners and yet still there are vast differences that impact both. It was refreshing to find an individual that was able to succeed as a professional, a student and most recently a professor at the same time. My goal is to introduce you my amazing interviewee and paint a vivid picture of his journey, his growth and through his challenges along the way. Surprisingly this interaction was able to take a lot of excuses and reasons of why a person would be to busy to go back to school.
Older adults are a very knowledgeable population and have had a lot of life experiences. As people age, things start to change physically, mentally, and socially. It’s important to understand the process of aging, so that older adults can be taken care of properly. I interviewed P.R. who is a 71-year-old male that lives alone in his home. P.R. is a retired coal miner, and is currently living off his social security and savings. He lives close to both his daughter and son, who frequently help him out with things that are needed. P.R. was able to give me a lot of insight about specific challenges that he has experienced in his life that is associated with aging. I will be discussing challenges that P.R experienced physically, mentally,
both the individual who is actually growing old, to caregivers, and to society at large is being felt
For this paper, I have chosen to interview my dad, Lester Everitt, because we have several statuses, both ascribed and achieved, that vary. His ascribed statuses include that fact that he is a 66 year old, white male; these have contributed to his achieved status of completing some college, being married, and being currently retired. Although he is now retired, Lester served 20 years with the United States Air Force, which included several deployments during the Vietnam Conflict, and then worked for 25 years at the North Dakota State Penitentiary until various health issues forced him to retire. When Lester was asked about his “master status” or the one status he feels he is most often regarded as, he struggled to provide an answer. Upon further
The union of my parents stands at 37 years. My parents migrated to The United States to better themselves and their families. Their struggle to obtain the “American Dream” instilled family values, and showed my siblings and myself a direct link to education and work. During my childhood, my mother was the first woman to show me what tenacious means. She stood front and center to save her family from becoming victims of society. In order to move her family out of the ghetto, she worked three ...
February 11th, 1996, in the localized town of Spencer, West Virginia, a baby girl was brought into this world. Unaware of how cruel and vindictive the world truly is, she started her journey. Twenty-years later, here I am still trying to apprehend where I fit into this life. My family is of ample size, and most would consider us in the lower class. Throughout my adolescent years, my family relocated quite frequently. Over several years, I finally got interested in our history and government; Only then was I able to review the events in my short time here and genuinely materialize the effects they had on me.