Oral history narrators who are relatives of President Obama or who knew the President's grandparents or other family members (the Payne or Dunham families).
Anna Margaret McCurry Wolf, President Obama's third cousin, shares her childhood memories of President Obama's grandparents and playing with Stanley Ann, President Obama's mother.
Frances Lawrence, friend of Madelyn Payne Dunham, President Obama's maternal grandmother, shares her personal memories of Madelyn and growing up in Augusta, Kansas.
Featured Clip
Anna Margaret McCurry explains her family relationship to President Obama and shares her memories of President Obama's grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, his great-grandparents, Rolla and Leona Payne, and her excitement in meeting President Obama.
Oral history narrators with rich memories and historical knowledge about growing up in Butler County and living in South Central Kansas.
Clarence H. Kerns, class historian of 1936, shares his memories from El Dorado High School, President Obama's grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham, and other fascinating local history about life in El Dorado and Butler County.
Forrest J. Robinson, the pastor of Madelyn Payne Dunham's parents late in their lives, shares his experiences of living in south central Kansas, and his World War II memories.
Clifford Stone (1918-2010), leading citizen and philanthropist with deep roots in Butler County, shares his memories. His family has graciously agreed to share his oral history for the sole purpose of helping school children, as well as people of all ages, honor the rich history and legacies of Mr. Stone and others associated with the development of Butler County and surrounding area.
Featured Clip
Clarence H. Kerns shares a letter from President Obama's grandparents, Stanley and Madelyn Dunham.
Oral history narrators with rich memories and historical knowledge of the culture during the first half of the twentieth century, and specifically the 1920's and 1930's.
Caroline Short remembers growing up in the 1920's and 1930's and shares a glimpse of the culture and times from a female perspective.
Clifford Stone (1918-2010), leading citizen and philanthropist with deep roots in Butler County, shares his memories. His family has graciously agreed to share his oral history for the sole purpose of helping school children, as well as people of all ages, honor the rich history and legacies of Mr. Stone and others associated with the development of Butler County and surrounding area.
Margaret Doornbos, El Dorado High School graduate of 1936, shares memories about high school and the dust storms of the “dirty thirties.”
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Margaret Doornbos, 1936 graduate of El Dorado High School, shares memories about high school and the dust storms of the “dirty thirties.”
We feel privileged to have heard our narrators’ stories, including, where possible, memories of President Obama’s maternal grandparents and other relatives. We think of these interviews as conversations with neighbors, and hope we have accurately portrayed the times they have remembered with us. We also hope that anyone who experiences these oral histories is able to see those times through their eyes.
The group’s first goal is “to capture, preserve, and celebrate President Obama’s Kansas heritage, sense of family, and Midwestern values.” Recognizing that a heritage is larger than one’s own family, oral history narrators are selected using a broader set of criteria than intimate knowledge of the President’s ancestors, seeking to preserve the rich history of the people of greater Butler County in the first half of the twentieth century.
Some narrators came to campus to be interviewed; other histories were collected in the narrators’ homes. Invaluable in describing the oral histories for editing, production, cataloging, and analysis is the work of committee member Marie Gillespie.
Kansas Heritage Fourth Grade Oral History Project
Funded by a “Celebrate Kansas/Serve Kansas” minigrant from Kansas Campus Compact, the Butler Community College Service-Learning Office initiated the Kansas Heritage Fourth Grade Oral History Project in November, 2009. In this intergenerational project, college students helped area fourth graders record oral histories with their elders about their Kansas experiences. The fourth graders met state benchmarks for historical thinking skills through hands-on experience with primary research. A documentary using excerpts from the individual histories was screened at a Kansas Day Celebration (2010) for all participants, their families and classmates. Lesson plans will be posted under the Educational Tools tab, including directions for creating simple oral history kits.