Series 5: Our neighbors, 2007-2013, inclusive

In the interview, Madeline Rontondo Castellano shares anecdotes that reflect her way of life in the Brooklyn of the Great Depression, World War II, and postwar eras. She also formulates that society's issues of the 2000s grew out of those earlier periods. The three-generation family unit in which she grew up in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn is illustrated in vignettes about her running errands, taking part in Sunday dinners, and entertaining visiting neighbors. Castellano also discusses her times of taking responsibility for herself as a little girl and teenager, with Fort Greene Park, area social clubs, and the Brooklyn Navy Yard as backdrops. She recalls her family history and Italian heritage. In several segments throughout the interview, Castellano relates the story of her injury by hit-and-run driver at age nine, being hospitalized, then treated differently in school, and later in life becoming an advocate for those with physical disabilities. In the final half-hour, Castellano looks at her adult life as a mother and wife, and how she ended her marriage on her terms. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

In this interview, Vincent Favorito remembers his childhood in the Carroll Gardens neighborhood of Brooklyn and the schools he attended through to his adulthood. He recalls the Italian families in the neighborhood and the bakeries, butchers, and other neighborhood businesses. He talks about adult life in different homes in Carroll Gardens and the Marine Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, with summers on Breezy Point in Queens. Favorito discusses being part of the 1969 effort to get landmark status for Carroll Gardens. He reflects on the importance of "the Place blocks" (First – Fourth Places) built in 1846. He also relates how the construction of the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway divided the neighborhood and destroyed the commerce along Union Street. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

In this interview, Yolande Garcia discusses immigrating to New York City and moving to the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn later in life. She talks about her role in starting a block association, creating a safe neighborhood, and the changes she has witnessed in Fort Greene throughout the past three decades. She reflects on her family roots in Haiti, her activism in Haiti and in Fort Greene, and on raising a family in the city. She describes her love of music and the arts and the different venues she frequents around Brooklyn. She talks about the benefits she sees in living in a multicultural neighborhood, the sensory experiences of Fort Greene, and her love of the neighborhood she adopted as her own. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

In this interview, Hal Glicksman looks back on his time as a boy and young man in and around the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, as well as shares the knowledge of a tour guide in regard to the Brooklyn of the early twenty-first century. Throughout, he mentions many biographical details and recalls much about the two generations of his family that preceded him. Glicksman recalls his home and how that also served as the base for his father's glass shop. He focuses on notable moments and landmarks of the Brooklyn Dodgers, and shares personal stories of volunteering for the team and meeting Dan Bankhead and Jackie Robinson. Often Glicksman discusses the changes in Brooklyn neighborhoods, contrasting a location of his youth with his adult view of the same place. The landmarks and institutions mentioned include Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church, Fort Greene Park, elevated trains, Ebbets Field, Barclays Center, Brooklyn Navy Yard, Pfizer Pharmaceutical, Fort Greene Meat Market, and Brooklyn Academy of Music. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

In this interview, DK Holland focuses mainly on her life in the Clinton Hill neighborhood of Brooklyn. She chronicles her experiences with homes there; her neighbors' as well as her own. Holland discusses her involvement with the Board of the Society for Clinton Hill, and the efforts between her, Abigail Golde, and Rogen Brown in getting a newsletter into circulation for Clinton Hill, and the nearby Fort Greene and Wallabout neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Holland surveys the changes in her area; from a crime-ridden era to more recent times when fine dining and a food co-op are becoming staples. In her eyes, it's neighborliness and home restoration that have strengthened the community. Other tools that Holland emphasizes are organizing sustainably and patronizing businesses. Interview conducted by Alexis Taines Coe.

In this first of three interviews, Edward "Ed" Moran begins with his initial contact with the Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church and Reverend George Knight due to his interest in the theatre group that performed there. He looks at the special nature of the church services in that they didn't conform to type. Moran reflects on his own journey in the tumultuous late-1960s that led him to New York City, then Brooklyn, and his rapid rise in the church's hierarchy. He speaks to the social justice mission of the church, its use of history for perspective and learning, and its forward-thinking legacy. Moran spends much of the middle of the interview dissecting whether the church played a role in abolition or the Underground Railroad in Brooklyn. He shares a few short anecdotes of some of the most memorable congregants and occasions. Moran then looks back at the 1970s and 1980s when the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn was struggling and the church was actively reaching out to the community. In closing, he considers Reverend Knight's attachment to the church and that it may have been pathological. Interview conducted by Hillel Arnold.

In this second of three interviews, Edward "Ed" Moran begins with his recollections of Reverend George Knight and the creativity and sense of community that Moran enjoyed at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church. He looks at the the social justice mission of the church through the lens of the More Light Presbyterians coalition that began at the church in 1979 with little difficulty. He examines how More Light was reaffirmed in the early 1990s with some challenges by those affected by a Religious Right ideology. Moran cites this same period as a time of upheaval in the church's functionality because of the Reverend Knight's personal troubles, his swift resignation, and an ensuing chaotic three-year period of four interim pastors. The details of that period were expected to be part of the follow-up oral history. While recording, Moran requested that some thoughts on Rev. Fred Davie be redacted. Two minutes late in the first hour have been cut. Interview conducted by Hillel Arnold.

In this third of three interviews, Edward "Ed" Moran delves into the challenges of a three-and-a-half year period between permanent pastors at Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church in 1989 to 1992. He goes into detail about some of the interim pastors, Reverend Davie's role as associate pastor, and the institutional chaos in the wake of Reverend George Knight's tumultuous final days as pastor. He describes the procedures of the Session and their role in reaffirming the More Light position of the church; an open-door policy to welcome members to be of any sexual preference, as well as electing Reverend David Dyson as permanent pastor. Both efforts were challenged by a few members and by the lingering disarray of Rev. Knight's management. Moran looks at this period as a reflection of larger movements happening in 1990s America. He hypothesizes about the church's future and church attendance in general, then breaks down what appeals to him and others about attending services. Moran closes with visceral memories of old Lafayette Avenue Presbyterian Church sights and sounds. While recording, Moran expressed that he was making a personal aside that was not for the record. One minute near the one hour mark was cut. Interview conducted by Hillel Arnold.

In the interview, Frank Santos shares many of his and his family's biographical details. He tells of the disruption to the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood caused by the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, as well as his family's relocation to a new Hicks Street home. Santos vividly recalls many features of 1930s and 1940s Downtown Brooklyn and Heights neighborhoods. He speaks of his schooling at the Assumption School, and then quickly moves into an overview of the careers of his children and grandchildren. Focusing on one daughter's challenges in a couple marriages to police officers, Santos expresses his criticism of the police in general and the New York Police Department specifically; citing encounters he experienced in 1959, the 1970s, and 2007. The interview ends abruptly due to an issue with the recording equipment. Santos was interviewed again, weeks later, and that interview is also within this series. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

In the interview, Frank Santos begins with some of his family's biographical details, then describes local doctors in the Brooklyn Heights neighborhood of his youth. He recalls many elements of his childhood throughout the interview; such as building wagons and scooters to race with friends, the neighborhood before the disruption of the Brooklyn Queens Expressway, and personal hygiene in a cold water flat. Santos vividly recalls amenities and features of the 1930s and 1940s Downtown Brooklyn and Brooklyn Heights neighborhoods. He speaks of his respect for Jewish neighbors and their philanthropy. Aspects of life during World War II like working on oil barges for the Army, rationing, blackouts, air raid warnings, and soldiers on duty in Cadman Plaza. Elizabeth Gaffney shares a few details about her history with the Heights and she and Santos make comparisons about real estate and investment in the area. Prior to this oral history, Santos was interviewed weeks earlier, and that interview is also within this series. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, with Elizabeth Gaffney contributing interview questions as part of her writing preparation.

Marie Delventhal Tegeler was interview by Sady Sullivan on June 29, 2011. In the interview, Tegeler reminisces about her childhood growing up in Brooklyn Heights and spending time in Hollis on Long Island. She discusses her family history in Brooklyn, dating back to the late 1860s when her paternal grandfather emigrated from Bremerhanon, Germany. She discusses Brooklyn Heights landmarks, such as the Hotel St. George saltwater pool. She discusses the pressure for her German family to assimilate. Tegeler discusses her and her immediate family's connect to Brooklyn even though she did not raise her children there.

In the interview, Dr. Robert Vadheim touches on the instrumental people involved in a few notable architectural preservation projects. He briefly describes his office view and commute when he practiced at 30 Rockefeller Plaza. Dr. Vadheim then reads a letter from Brendan Gill, circa 1982. He discusses his role as a trustee and his familiarity with Brooklyn Historical Society. Dr. Vadheim recalls some biographical details of his Minnesota origin and youth, including his printmaking hobby and his arrival in New York in 1939. He discusses a potential donation of World Trade Center-related news clippings and recalls both terrorist incidents there. Dr. Vadheim then brings his guests on a tour of his Willow Street home. Due to a recording issue, very little of the narrator can be heard after the first half hour. Three blocks of time totaling sixty-two minutes were removed due to inaudible content in the latter eighty minutes of the recording. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, with Janice Monger and Deborah Schwartz.

In the first of two interviews, Rocco Vanasco begins with his family's Italian immigrant heritage and how his parents met and married. He describes the living quarters of his aunt's house at 178 Clermont Avenue in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn, where his parents and three brothers closely occupied one floor. He recalls street play with friends and economic hardship for his family during the Great Depression. Vanasco recalls his public schooling, then transitions to his community work and involvement in the local politics of Fort Greene. At different points, he describes Myrtle Avenue in the contexts of his efforts to establish a drug rehabilitation facility, attracting city services to keep the street orderly and clean, and recollecting scenery and storefronts of the Avenue's past. Vanasco describes his service in the Navy during the final months of war in the Pacific and the trip back to the States; including his ship docking in the Brooklyn Navy Yard late in 1945. He also shares episodes of his chairing different committees and other instances of civic improvements. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs.

In the second of two interviews, Rocco Vanasco begins with his studies in electrical work and how he established a refrigerator repair shop. He mentions forming Community Board Two and describes his involvement in the local politics of the Clinton Hill and Fort Greene neighborhoods of Brooklyn. He recalls efforts to preserve landmarks of Fort Greene and how local government becomes focused on traffic issues. After a half hour, the interview is advanced by Vanasco's photos and the memories sparked by them: World War II, his public schooling, his family, establishing a drug rehabilitation storefront, witnessing looting during a blackout, working with other community organizers and organizations, and recalling the scenery and storefronts of the area's past, as well as how they were updated. Vanasco describes instances of civic activity like keeping excavated boulders in Fort Greene Park and keeping a firehouse open. In closing, he recalls painting homes with his father and how the family got along on a low income. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs.

In the interview, Fenton Williams tells the broad history of his family origins; a legacy that included slavery and former slaves and field hands in the South. He describes his many siblings; several of whom were lost to tuberculosis, and life in Brooklyn's cold water flats. Williams shares vivid details about childhood play in the Fort Greene neighborhood and surrounding areas of Brooklyn. He recalls the interaction between African American and Italian American people in Fort Greene; it was largely neighborly in the 1930s and 1940s, but racially-motivated fighting did occur. Williams outlines his education from public elementary schools to a technical high school to community college. The middle of the interview is largely about his work as a shipwright in the Brooklyn Navy Yard. Williams runs through his many jobs after the Yard closed and goes into detail on his wife's dress-making and careers of their three children. He ends with a description of home ownership in the Park Slope and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods, from the 1950s to 1980s. Interview conducted by Rebecca Jacobs.