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- Description:
- The Brundage Company is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar focuses throughout the segment on the father-son nature of the Brundage Company, stressing the good relationship between H.F. Brundage and his sons, while exploring the history of the company. Dunbar also interviews Miles Batterson, the head of the cost department at Brundage, about why he chose to work at Brundage after completing his degree and how his college degree has aided him in his work.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-11-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this installment of "Welcome to Kalamazoo" Dr. Willis Dunbar interviews Rev. Ellis Marshburn, the migrant supervisor of the Home Missions Council of North America, about migrant labor in Michigan. Marshburn discusses when and where migrant labor is used in Michigan and goes into detail about the living conditions facing migrant workers. Marshburn also talks about his work with the Home Missions Council and the need for more action to improve conditions for migrant laborers.
- Date Issued:
- 1951-03-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Floyd Loew, waiter and strike organizer, describes an altercation between the Waiters and Waitresses Union and members of the German American Bund when they tried to hire waitresses without going through the union. Loew also talks about how the union organized the hotels and convention halls in Detroit, strikes, sit-downs, and other labor actions, and integrating the union and organizing Black waiters and cooks as a way to prevent them from being used as scabs.
- Date Issued:
- 1980-09-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Mabel McQueen talks about her career at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, MI, from 1953 to 1975. She describes her youth on the family farm, working at Motor Wheel through the war, her work as a secretary and bookkeeper, her supervisors, and her feelings about the union. McQueen says that many of her family members also worked at REO and that REO itself felt like one big family. She says that the bankruptcy was a terrible time and that it was heartbreaking watching friends and co-workers being fired and losing their pensions. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-06-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- WKZO Broadcasting Company is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. After briefly explaining the business side of WKZO, Dunbar interviews a number of WKZO staff people who explain the parts of the radio station they are involved with, touching on programming, writing, advertising, accounting, and engineering.
- Date Issued:
- 1949-01-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Sandy Dragoo relates how she came to work at Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc., in Lansing, MI, as an executive secretary, from 1971 to 1974. She talks about moving to the Capitol Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Lansing's public transit company, as REO began to die and recruiting other REO employees. She also describes the actions of Francis Cappaert, the end of the company pension fund and the emotional depression shared by REO workers. Sandy also talks about the many social activities enjoyed by workers and how much fun she had, as an executive secretary, being invited to management's "REO Men’s Club". The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recorded as part of the commemoration of REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-05-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Mildred Alspaugh, daughter, sister and wife of REO Motor Car/Diamond-Reo Truck, Inc employees, talks about the company and her life in a REO workers family in Lansing, MI. Alspaugh tells of her father bringing home his "piece count pay slips" so that she could tally his earnings, of going to the REO Clubhouse as a child, listening to the REO Band, and watching the company ball teams. Alspaugh says that her husband died at the plant after forty years on the job and that other workers collected money to give to her and her children. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-02-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- African American autoworker Horace Sheffield talks about his union activism in the UAW, his role in preventing a race war in Detroit in 1940s, and his role in organizing Ford. Sheffield also talks about his association with UAW leaders, serving on the union staff, working to integrate the union leadership, and forming the Trade Union Leadership Council (TULC).
- Date Issued:
- 1982-02-18T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Linda Maxon discusses her early years at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc., in Lansing, MI. She says that she started as a temporary stenographer in 1967 and stayed to work as a secretary for several managers until the plant closed in 1975. Maxon shares many experiences about company social events and institutions and describes the loss of the REO Clubhouse and the burning of the factory itself. Maxon says that in the end, she was able to draw money from the REO pension fund before it was drained and describes the terrible depression suffered by other workers who lost all of their retirement money. The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recorded as part of the commemoration of REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-06-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Louis Garcia discusses his career as an assembly worker, press operator, and manager at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, Mi, between 1946 and 1975. Garcia talks about his Hispanic heritage and his childhood spent as a migrant farm worker. He says that in his early years at REO he was singled out and "tested" by other workers and management because of his ethnicity, but still excelled in the workplace, becoming a journeyman and later a supervisor. Garcia also talks about Francis Cappaert’s ownership of REO, the company bankruptcy, loss of the worker pension fund, the final days of plant operations, and employee depression and suicide. Interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-01-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Rocky recalls moving to Lansing at age 15 from Kentucky and being hired in June 1963, working ten and eleven hour shifts, participating in a wildcat strike in 1966 over gloves and receiving discipline. Rocky joined management in 1968 and discusses his relations with UAW officials. He built a replica of the Fisher Coach for a parade. Rocky comments on being transferred to Oldsmobile in 1985 following the corporate reorganization to BOC.
- Date Issued:
- 2006-05-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Former Michigan State University Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources Robert Banks and John Revitte former professor in the MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, discuss their current research project in which they intend to document the forty-year-history of the MSU Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP) and the MSU Faculty Grievance Official (FGO). They discuss how they will approach writing their paper, areas in which they need additional information, which past MSU administrators should be interviewed and a review of reports written by past Faculty Grievance Officials.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-07-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Ninety-six-year-old Hilda Smith recalls her career at the REO Motor Car Company, in Lansing, MI, between 1923 and 1964. Smith talks fondly about her family, her job in REO's Human Resources Department, and her retirement after a forty-two year career. She looks through a scrapbook with the interviewers, identifying managers and coworkers and talks about the REO Clubhouse, movies, and caring for her thirteen siblings. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-02-12T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The Lee Paper Company of Vicksburg, Michigan is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar explores in great detail the history of the company since its founding in 1903, focusing on the financial hardships the company survived, and the variety of paper products which the mill produces. Dunbar interviews Andy Anderson, a machine tender at the Lee Paper Company, about how he came to work at the mill and his experiences as an immigrant from Scotland. Dunbar also interviews Gordon L. Moore, another Lee employee, about the Hospital Guild Festival which will be held soon in Vicksburg.
- Date Issued:
- 1949-04-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Bill Myers talks about his career at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc., in Lansing, MI, from 1963 to 1975. Myers discusses his youth and early jobs before coming to REO, and describes how officers from the Detroit Arsenal would come to the plant to talk about military vehicle specifications during the war years. Meyers also talks about how he was recruited, with other REO employees to go to the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Lansing's transit system, as REO declined. He comments on legendary REO manger Clare Loudenslager’s style at REO and later at CATA and says that REO was a great place to work. The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recorded as part of the commemoration of REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-06-24T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Former Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon testifies before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection regarding the sexual abuse of dozens of gymnasts who were under the care of former MSU physician and convicted child molester Larry Nassar. Simon says that she is horrified that Nassar's crimes occurred during her tenure and that she did not know of his actions. She also comments on settlement negotiations with the survivors, university investigations into allegations against other MSU employees, and how abuse complaints were handled under her administration. Also testifying are USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny and Rhonda Faehn, USA Women's Gymnastics program director. The Committee is chaired by Jerry Moran (R-KS) until John Thune (R-SD) returns to assume the chair.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-06-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Clifton Wharton, former president of Michigan State University, talks about his role in the creation of the university's Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP) and Faculty Grievance Official (FGO). Wharton says that he was comfortable with labor unions and that the FGP was not created to thwart faculty unionization efforts. In fact, he says, most MSU faculty preferred the grievance model he proposed to unionization. Wharton also talks about the structure of the land grant institution he inherited in 1969, some of the innovations he implemented during a time of tremendous social change, his relationship with MSU Board of Trustees and the uproar over the public disclosure of MSU faculty and staff salaries. Wharton is interviewed by Robert Banks, former MSU associate provost and associate vice president for Academic Human Resources and John Revitte, MSU professor emeritus of Labor Studies.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-12-07T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In these interviews conducted as source material for "Western Michigan at Work," Dr. Willis Dunbar interviews employees of the Lee Paper Company. Dunbar interviews Andy Anderson about his work with Lee. He also speaks with Gordon L. Moore about his participation in a beard contest fundraiser for the Hospital Guild "Frontier Days Festival" in Vicksburg, which will also feature a rodeo, parade and log-birling (log rolling) contest.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-04-19T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In the second of two interviews, Donna Zischke, former Michigan State University director of Academic Human Resources, reflects on her MSU career which began in the 1970s and her evolving responsibilities regarding the Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP) and Faculty Grievance Official (FGO). Zischke talks about her interactions with the MSU Board of Trustees, former MSU administrators and FGOs she worked with, the impact which successive MSU presidents had on the evolution of the FGP, the differences between FGP grievances and standard employment law and how MSU faculty unionization attempts influenced the development of the FGP and FGO's office. Zischke is interviewed by Robert Banks, former MSU associate provost and associate vice president for Academic Human Resources and John Revitte, MSU professor emeritus in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Gift of John Revitte.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-10-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this installment of "Western Michigan at work," Dr. Willis Dunbar discusses the founding of the Post Cereal Company in Battle Creek, MI by Charles Post. Dunbar also talks about the current thirty-three acre Post manufacturing facility in Battle Creek and and how Post Cereals has now become a division of General Foods. Dunbar speaks with Fred Smith, a mixer and shift manager at Post and Supervisor Alice Bowman about their jobs at the cereal plant.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-02-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Doris Dow recalls her career as a secretary at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, Mi, between 1950 and 1975. Dow talks about joining her mother and other relatives at the plant and describes her first job running a blueprint copier, becoming a secretary and later working for Oldsmobile. She says that at REO, the company was more a part of the social fabric of a worker's life than at Oldsmobile and goes on to describe the "fun" she had at the REO Girls Club, and performing charity work with other employees. Dow also discusses the decline of REO, the day that the doors were locked, the aftermath of the closing, the demolition of the REO Clubhouse and the loss of the REO pension fund. She explains the complexity of selling the company as a unit because of the way owner Francis Cappaert had divided the operations from the property. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-02-19T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Following his dedication of the radio station WJEF, John E. Fetzer addresses the staff of both WJEF and its sister radio station WKZO to compliment them on their hard work in creating a second radio station during wartime. Fetzer takes care to single out employee Carl Lee and praise his efforts in handling the construction and challenges of a new station. Fetzer also introduces his staff to members of the Office of Censorship, where he is serving in Washington.
- Date Issued:
- 1945-02-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Ena Malin talks about her life in domestic service at the Olds mansion on Main Street in Lansing, MI. Malin and her husband, who came to the U.S. from Germany in 1961, were employed by Gladys Olds Anderson, daughter of auto magnate Ransom E. Olds. She talks about the pressures of working for demanding, wealthy people, her duties and how she came to work at the mansion and how her husband became the family chauffeur. She also discusses the mansion's opulence, the many famous and powerful house guests entertained by the Olds-Anderson family, and laments the demolition of the mansion and the end of an era in Lansing high society. The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recording ends abruptly. Recorded in commemoration of the REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-06-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In the first of two oral history interviews, Donna Zischke, former Michigan State University Director of Academic Human Resources, talks about her role as a representative of the university administration in the MSU Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP). Zischke reflects on maintaining the records of FGP, how the FGP evolved over time, and how different university provosts felt about the procedure. Zischke and interviewers Robert Banks and John Revitte discuss where records of the FGP may be located and Revitte describes what documents he has been able to uncover so far in his research. The three also talk about past faculty unionization attempts and other topics they would like to discuss in a future interview. Zischke is interviewed by Robert Banks, former MSU associate provost and associate vice president for Academic Human Resources emeritus, and professor emeritus of the MSU James Madison College and John Revitte, MSU professor emeritus of Labor Studies.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-10-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The Bard Steel Company is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar describes the inner workings of the steel warehouse and mill supply company and details the economic advantages served by buying these products from a distributor rather than buying them directly from the source. Dunbar interviews long-time employee Charles Herrington about how the company has grown during his time there.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-03-24T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Marvin Grinstern talks about his employment at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, MI, from 1965 and 1975. Grinstern describes growing up in Lansing, farming, visiting his father at the plant, as a boy, during the 1937 strike and finally joining his father and other relatives at REO. Grinstern also talks about a fatal accident on the shop floor, managers abusing their position, the REO bankruptcy, the plant closing, and the resulting shock, depression and suicides among workers. Grinstern laments the loss of manufacturing companies and jobs in Lansing and remarks on the great changes that came to factories in the wake of unionization and women in the workplace. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-12-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Globe Knitting Works is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at Work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar gives a history of the company, which was started by Norwegian immigrant E.A. Clemmons in 1897, and describes the process by which garments are made at Globe Knitting. Edgar Charles, one of the knitters, describes his duties and the working conditions while Jane Radich, who works in the cutting department, explains how the cutters shape and form the knitted fabric into garments.
- Date Issued:
- 1947-09-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The speakers are all UAW members and workers at the Fisher Body plant in Lansing, MI. Each offers memories, humorous stories, and descriptions of factory life during his or her time in Fisher. The speakers' experiences span from the 1950s to the 1990s. These interviews were conducted at the annual UAW Local 602 Family Picnic at Eagle Park in Eagle, MI.
- Date Issued:
- 2005-08-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this installment of "Know your city," Dr. Willis Dunbar profiles the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and their upcoming season. Winship Todd, president of the Kalamazoo Symphony Society, and Norman Carver, symphony business manager, discuss the way in which the symphony is financed and their upcoming membership campaign. The conductor of the orchestra, Herman Felber, talks about how he puts together the programs and gives a preview of some of the material which the orchestra will be playing in the current season.
- Date Issued:
- 1949-09-13T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Doris Faustman talks about her three periods of employment at the REO Motor Car Company in Lansing, MI. She says that she first worked as a clerk from 1945 to 1947, left to raise children, came back from 1949 to 1951 and returned to REO again in 1967 when her kids were older. She describes her work in the parts department, her coworkers, bosses, and being a grateful member of the union. Faustman talks about the first attempts to computerize REO administrative offices and how foreign and strange all of the equipment seemed to staff. She also sadly recalls being laid off in 1975 when REO closed in bankruptcy. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-06-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this episode of "Western Michigan at Work," Dr. Willis Dunbar talks to employees of three small businesses in the Kalamazoo area. Includes interviews with Civic Center Service Station co-owner Tom Blackmeyer, workers at the Frozen Food Locker Company and workers at local celery farms.
- Date Issued:
- 1947-07-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Robert Repas, professor emeritus of the Michigan State University School of Labor and Industrial Relations, discusses labor education in Michigan and in particular, his own experiences from 1950 through 1960 working at the UAW's FDR-CIO Summer Camp in Port Huron. He says that the UAW camp's main purpose was to build skills and to train workers to help bring change in society and increase employment benefits. Repas says that the establishment of worker education programs in Michigan was led by MSU President John Hannah who was motivated by a desire to "one up" the University of Michigan and curry favor with the labor unions who had significant influence in Lansing. He describes the early days of the Labor and Industrial Relations Center at MSU, the people who ran it, and programs it conducted around the state. He also explains his perspective on how labor schools should function and the relationship they should have with unions and businesses. Repas is interviewed by John Revitte, MSU professor of Labor and Industrial Relations.
- Date Issued:
- 1988-05-31T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this installment of "Western Michigan at work," Dr. Willis Dunbar discusses the founding of the Post Cereal Company in Battle Creek, MI by Charles Post. Dunbar also talks about the current thirty-three acre Post manufacturing facility in Battle Creek and and how Post Cereals has now become a division of General Foods. Dunbar speaks with Fred Smith, a mixer and shift manager at Post and Supervisor Alice Bowman about their jobs at the cereal plant.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-02-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In the second of two interviews, Donna Zischke, former Michigan State University director of Academic Human Resources, reflects on her MSU career which began in the 1970s and her evolving responsibilities regarding the Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP) and Faculty Grievance Official (FGO). Zischke talks about her interactions with the MSU Board of Trustees, former MSU administrators and FGOs she worked with, the impact which successive MSU presidents had on the evolution of the FGP, the differences between FGP grievances and standard employment law and how MSU faculty unionization attempts influenced the development of the FGP and FGO's office. Zischke is interviewed by Robert Banks, former MSU associate provost and associate vice president for Academic Human Resources and John Revitte, MSU professor emeritus in the School of Human Resources and Labor Relations. Gift of John Revitte.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-10-17T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Doris Dow recalls her career as a secretary at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, Mi, between 1950 and 1975. Dow talks about joining her mother and other relatives at the plant and describes her first job running a blueprint copier, becoming a secretary and later working for Oldsmobile. She says that at REO, the company was more a part of the social fabric of a worker's life than at Oldsmobile and goes on to describe the "fun" she had at the REO Girls Club, and performing charity work with other employees. Dow also discusses the decline of REO, the day that the doors were locked, the aftermath of the closing, the demolition of the REO Clubhouse and the loss of the REO pension fund. She explains the complexity of selling the company as a unit because of the way owner Francis Cappaert had divided the operations from the property. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-02-19T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Ena Malin talks about her life in domestic service at the Olds mansion on Main Street in Lansing, MI. Malin and her husband, who came to the U.S. from Germany in 1961, were employed by Gladys Olds Anderson, daughter of auto magnate Ransom E. Olds. She talks about the pressures of working for demanding, wealthy people, her duties and how she came to work at the mansion and how her husband became the family chauffeur. She also discusses the mansion's opulence, the many famous and powerful house guests entertained by the Olds-Anderson family, and laments the demolition of the mansion and the end of an era in Lansing high society. The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recording ends abruptly. Recorded in commemoration of the REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-06-26T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Following his dedication of the radio station WJEF, John E. Fetzer addresses the staff of both WJEF and its sister radio station WKZO to compliment them on their hard work in creating a second radio station during wartime. Fetzer takes care to single out employee Carl Lee and praise his efforts in handling the construction and challenges of a new station. Fetzer also introduces his staff to members of the Office of Censorship, where he is serving in Washington.
- Date Issued:
- 1945-02-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The Bard Steel Company is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar describes the inner workings of the steel warehouse and mill supply company and details the economic advantages served by buying these products from a distributor rather than buying them directly from the source. Dunbar interviews long-time employee Charles Herrington about how the company has grown during his time there.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-03-24T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Marvin Grinstern talks about his employment at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, MI, from 1965 and 1975. Grinstern describes growing up in Lansing, farming, visiting his father at the plant, as a boy, during the 1937 strike and finally joining his father and other relatives at REO. Grinstern also talks about a fatal accident on the shop floor, managers abusing their position, the REO bankruptcy, the plant closing, and the resulting shock, depression and suicides among workers. Grinstern laments the loss of manufacturing companies and jobs in Lansing and remarks on the great changes that came to factories in the wake of unionization and women in the workplace. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-12-03T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In the first of two oral history interviews, Donna Zischke, former Michigan State University Director of Academic Human Resources, talks about her role as a representative of the university administration in the MSU Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP). Zischke reflects on maintaining the records of FGP, how the FGP evolved over time, and how different university provosts felt about the procedure. Zischke and interviewers Robert Banks and John Revitte discuss where records of the FGP may be located and Revitte describes what documents he has been able to uncover so far in his research. The three also talk about past faculty unionization attempts and other topics they would like to discuss in a future interview. Zischke is interviewed by Robert Banks, former MSU associate provost and associate vice president for Academic Human Resources emeritus, and professor emeritus of the MSU James Madison College and John Revitte, MSU professor emeritus of Labor Studies.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-10-15T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In these interviews conducted as source material for "Western Michigan at Work," Dr. Willis Dunbar interviews employees of the Lee Paper Company. Dunbar interviews Andy Anderson about his work with Lee. He also speaks with Gordon L. Moore about his participation in a beard contest fundraiser for the Hospital Guild "Frontier Days Festival" in Vicksburg, which will also feature a rodeo, parade and log-birling (log rolling) contest.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-04-19T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Globe Knitting Works is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at Work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar gives a history of the company, which was started by Norwegian immigrant E.A. Clemmons in 1897, and describes the process by which garments are made at Globe Knitting. Edgar Charles, one of the knitters, describes his duties and the working conditions while Jane Radich, who works in the cutting department, explains how the cutters shape and form the knitted fabric into garments.
- Date Issued:
- 1947-09-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The Brundage Company is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar focuses throughout the segment on the father-son nature of the Brundage Company, stressing the good relationship between H.F. Brundage and his sons, while exploring the history of the company. Dunbar also interviews Miles Batterson, the head of the cost department at Brundage, about why he chose to work at Brundage after completing his degree and how his college degree has aided him in his work.
- Date Issued:
- 1948-11-09T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The speakers are all UAW members and workers at the Fisher Body plant in Lansing, MI. Each offers memories, humorous stories, and descriptions of factory life during his or her time in Fisher. The speakers' experiences span from the 1950s to the 1990s. These interviews were conducted at the annual UAW Local 602 Family Picnic at Eagle Park in Eagle, MI.
- Date Issued:
- 2005-08-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Robert Repas, professor emeritus of the Michigan State University School of Labor and Industrial Relations, discusses labor education in Michigan and in particular, his own experiences from 1950 through 1960 working at the UAW's FDR-CIO Summer Camp in Port Huron. He says that the UAW camp's main purpose was to build skills and to train workers to help bring change in society and increase employment benefits. Repas says that the establishment of worker education programs in Michigan was led by MSU President John Hannah who was motivated by a desire to "one up" the University of Michigan and curry favor with the labor unions who had significant influence in Lansing. He describes the early days of the Labor and Industrial Relations Center at MSU, the people who ran it, and programs it conducted around the state. He also explains his perspective on how labor schools should function and the relationship they should have with unions and businesses. Repas is interviewed by John Revitte, MSU professor of Labor and Industrial Relations.
- Date Issued:
- 1988-05-31T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Floyd Loew, waiter and strike organizer, describes an altercation between the Waiters and Waitresses Union and members of the German American Bund when they tried to hire waitresses without going through the union. Loew also talks about how the union organized the hotels and convention halls in Detroit, strikes, sit-downs, and other labor actions, and integrating the union and organizing Black waiters and cooks as a way to prevent them from being used as scabs.
- Date Issued:
- 1980-09-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Mabel McQueen talks about her career at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, MI, from 1953 to 1975. She describes her youth on the family farm, working at Motor Wheel through the war, her work as a secretary and bookkeeper, her supervisors, and her feelings about the union. McQueen says that many of her family members also worked at REO and that REO itself felt like one big family. She says that the bankruptcy was a terrible time and that it was heartbreaking watching friends and co-workers being fired and losing their pensions. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-06-16T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- WKZO Broadcasting Company is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. After briefly explaining the business side of WKZO, Dunbar interviews a number of WKZO staff people who explain the parts of the radio station they are involved with, touching on programming, writing, advertising, accounting, and engineering.
- Date Issued:
- 1949-01-04T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Sandy Dragoo relates how she came to work at Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc., in Lansing, MI, as an executive secretary, from 1971 to 1974. She talks about moving to the Capitol Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Lansing's public transit company, as REO began to die and recruiting other REO employees. She also describes the actions of Francis Cappaert, the end of the company pension fund and the emotional depression shared by REO workers. Sandy also talks about the many social activities enjoyed by workers and how much fun she had, as an executive secretary, being invited to management's "REO Men’s Club". The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recorded as part of the commemoration of REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-05-27T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this installment of "Know your city," Dr. Willis Dunbar profiles the Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra and their upcoming season. Winship Todd, president of the Kalamazoo Symphony Society, and Norman Carver, symphony business manager, discuss the way in which the symphony is financed and their upcoming membership campaign. The conductor of the orchestra, Herman Felber, talks about how he puts together the programs and gives a preview of some of the material which the orchestra will be playing in the current season.
- Date Issued:
- 1949-09-13T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this installment of "Welcome to Kalamazoo" Dr. Willis Dunbar interviews Rev. Ellis Marshburn, the migrant supervisor of the Home Missions Council of North America, about migrant labor in Michigan. Marshburn discusses when and where migrant labor is used in Michigan and goes into detail about the living conditions facing migrant workers. Marshburn also talks about his work with the Home Missions Council and the need for more action to improve conditions for migrant laborers.
- Date Issued:
- 1951-03-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Doris Faustman talks about her three periods of employment at the REO Motor Car Company in Lansing, MI. She says that she first worked as a clerk from 1945 to 1947, left to raise children, came back from 1949 to 1951 and returned to REO again in 1967 when her kids were older. She describes her work in the parts department, her coworkers, bosses, and being a grateful member of the union. Faustman talks about the first attempts to computerize REO administrative offices and how foreign and strange all of the equipment seemed to staff. She also sadly recalls being laid off in 1975 when REO closed in bankruptcy. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-06-23T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- African American autoworker Horace Sheffield talks about his union activism in the UAW, his role in preventing a race war in Detroit in 1940s, and his role in organizing Ford. Sheffield also talks about his association with UAW leaders, serving on the union staff, working to integrate the union leadership, and forming the Trade Union Leadership Council (TULC).
- Date Issued:
- 1982-02-18T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- In this episode of "Western Michigan at Work," Dr. Willis Dunbar talks to employees of three small businesses in the Kalamazoo area. Includes interviews with Civic Center Service Station co-owner Tom Blackmeyer, workers at the Frozen Food Locker Company and workers at local celery farms.
- Date Issued:
- 1947-07-11T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Mildred Alspaugh, daughter, sister and wife of REO Motor Car/Diamond-Reo Truck, Inc employees, talks about the company and her life in a REO workers family in Lansing, MI. Alspaugh tells of her father bringing home his "piece count pay slips" so that she could tally his earnings, of going to the REO Clubhouse as a child, listening to the REO Band, and watching the company ball teams. Alspaugh says that her husband died at the plant after forty years on the job and that other workers collected money to give to her and her children. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-02-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Clifton Wharton, former president of Michigan State University, talks about his role in the creation of the university's Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP) and Faculty Grievance Official (FGO). Wharton says that he was comfortable with labor unions and that the FGP was not created to thwart faculty unionization efforts. In fact, he says, most MSU faculty preferred the grievance model he proposed to unionization. Wharton also talks about the structure of the land grant institution he inherited in 1969, some of the innovations he implemented during a time of tremendous social change, his relationship with MSU Board of Trustees and the uproar over the public disclosure of MSU faculty and staff salaries. Wharton is interviewed by Robert Banks, former MSU associate provost and associate vice president for Academic Human Resources and John Revitte, MSU professor emeritus of Labor Studies.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-12-07T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Rocky recalls moving to Lansing at age 15 from Kentucky and being hired in June 1963, working ten and eleven hour shifts, participating in a wildcat strike in 1966 over gloves and receiving discipline. Rocky joined management in 1968 and discusses his relations with UAW officials. He built a replica of the Fisher Coach for a parade. Rocky comments on being transferred to Oldsmobile in 1985 following the corporate reorganization to BOC.
- Date Issued:
- 2006-05-02T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Former Michigan State University Associate Vice President for Academic Human Resources Robert Banks and John Revitte former professor in the MSU School of Human Resources and Labor Relations, discuss their current research project in which they intend to document the forty-year-history of the MSU Faculty Grievance Policy (FGP) and the MSU Faculty Grievance Official (FGO). They discuss how they will approach writing their paper, areas in which they need additional information, which past MSU administrators should be interviewed and a review of reports written by past Faculty Grievance Officials.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-07-06T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Linda Maxon discusses her early years at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc., in Lansing, MI. She says that she started as a temporary stenographer in 1967 and stayed to work as a secretary for several managers until the plant closed in 1975. Maxon shares many experiences about company social events and institutions and describes the loss of the REO Clubhouse and the burning of the factory itself. Maxon says that in the end, she was able to draw money from the REO pension fund before it was drained and describes the terrible depression suffered by other workers who lost all of their retirement money. The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recorded as part of the commemoration of REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-06-25T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Louis Garcia discusses his career as an assembly worker, press operator, and manager at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc, in Lansing, Mi, between 1946 and 1975. Garcia talks about his Hispanic heritage and his childhood spent as a migrant farm worker. He says that in his early years at REO he was singled out and "tested" by other workers and management because of his ethnicity, but still excelled in the workplace, becoming a journeyman and later a supervisor. Garcia also talks about Francis Cappaert’s ownership of REO, the company bankruptcy, loss of the worker pension fund, the final days of plant operations, and employee depression and suicide. Interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-01-28T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- The Lee Paper Company of Vicksburg, Michigan is featured in this installment of "Western Michigan at work" hosted by Dr. Willis Dunbar. Dunbar explores in great detail the history of the company since its founding in 1903, focusing on the financial hardships the company survived, and the variety of paper products which the mill produces. Dunbar interviews Andy Anderson, a machine tender at the Lee Paper Company, about how he came to work at the mill and his experiences as an immigrant from Scotland. Dunbar also interviews Gordon L. Moore, another Lee employee, about the Hospital Guild Festival which will be held soon in Vicksburg.
- Date Issued:
- 1949-04-20T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Bill Myers talks about his career at REO Motor Car Company/Diamond-Reo Trucks, Inc., in Lansing, MI, from 1963 to 1975. Myers discusses his youth and early jobs before coming to REO, and describes how officers from the Detroit Arsenal would come to the plant to talk about military vehicle specifications during the war years. Meyers also talks about how he was recruited, with other REO employees to go to the Capital Area Transportation Authority (CATA), Lansing's transit system, as REO declined. He comments on legendary REO manger Clare Loudenslager’s style at REO and later at CATA and says that REO was a great place to work. The interviewer is Shirley Bradley. Recorded as part of the commemoration of REO Motor Car Company’s 100th Anniversary.
- Date Issued:
- 2004-06-24T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Former Michigan State University President Lou Anna K. Simon testifies before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Consumer Protection regarding the sexual abuse of dozens of gymnasts who were under the care of former MSU physician and convicted child molester Larry Nassar. Simon says that she is horrified that Nassar's crimes occurred during her tenure and that she did not know of his actions. She also comments on settlement negotiations with the survivors, university investigations into allegations against other MSU employees, and how abuse complaints were handled under her administration. Also testifying are USA Gymnastics President Steve Penny and Rhonda Faehn, USA Women's Gymnastics program director. The Committee is chaired by Jerry Moran (R-KS) until John Thune (R-SD) returns to assume the chair.
- Date Issued:
- 2018-06-05T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection
- Description:
- Ninety-six-year-old Hilda Smith recalls her career at the REO Motor Car Company, in Lansing, MI, between 1923 and 1964. Smith talks fondly about her family, her job in REO's Human Resources Department, and her retirement after a forty-two year career. She looks through a scrapbook with the interviewers, identifying managers and coworkers and talks about the REO Clubhouse, movies, and caring for her thirteen siblings. The interviewers are Shirley Bradley and Lisa Fine. Recorded as part of the REO Memories oral history project.
- Date Issued:
- 1992-02-12T00:00:00Z
- Data Provider:
- Michigan State University. Libraries
- Collection:
- G. Robert Vincent Voice Library Collection