Oral History Project

Park Tudor School is a partner with the Library of Congress Veterans History Project. Beginning in 2002, following the publication of our first anthology, and at the recommendation of U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, the Legacy Initiative Project joined the Library of Congress Veteran History Project as a partner school. From 2002-2013, students in Mrs. Lerch’s World Civilization classes and those also volunteering on the Legacy Initiative Project completed more than 700 oral history interviews for inclusion at the VHP and the Library of Congress. More than 300 of these interviews were uploaded to the IUPUI University Library/Park Tudor School Oral History site. 

Legacy Interviewers

The Legacy Initiative teams interview veterans from the Central Indiana area. Their transcripts and any related documents may be used in future Legacy Initiative publications (including the Words of War anthology) and sent to the Library of Congress. Some of our Legacy interviewers are pictured below.

Mr. H. Roll McLaughlin and interviewer Adam Roth

Grace Tuttle, Julianne Sicklesteel and Adrianna Keramida-Strahl in the reading room of The National Archives

Mr. Jack C. Daw and interviewer Anisha Yadav

Interviews

For more than a decade, Western Civilization students completed oral history interviews of veterans from around the country. Their goal was to learn about historical events based on a first-person account. They learned interviewing skills, how to take accurate notes and how to ask appropriate questions. Copies of these interviews and transcripts were also sent to the Library of Congress. Students also composed a five- to six-page essay based on the interview(s) using direct quotes in a narrative format. The best of the oral history papers were then considered for inclusion in future Legacy Initiative anthologies. 

Sample Projects

Past interviews have included:

• A Major in the 3rd Armored Division during the Gulf War
• A Medic in the 128th Station Hospital during World War II in the Phillipines
• A German civilian who was a simultaneous interpreter at the Nuremberg Trials
• A member of the Combat Artist team No. 11 in Vietnam
• A PFC in the 802nd Engineering Aviation Batallion during WWII in the Pacific
• A radio specialist who trained members of the Korean Air Force
• A female enlistee who censored mail during World War II
• An officer who served on the staff of General Patton

Sample Interview Questions

Members of the current Legacy Initiative team may be available to do occasional one-on-one recorded interviews with veterans—from WW2 through wars in Afghanistan, Bosnia, and Iraq. This can be done by special arrangement. Please contact Kathryn Lerch for details (klerch@parktudor.org).