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"30 Years, 30 Voices" Atlantic City Free Public Library Oral History Project

Date: 2008
Collection Number: H064

Extent: 1.0 cubic feet (30 interviews with transcripts and digital audio, video, and photographs)

Repository: Alfred M. Heston Collection, Atlantic City Free Public Library, 1 North Tennessee Avenue, Atlantic City, NJ 08401, (609) 345-2269.

Preferred Citation: Interviewee's Name, “30 Years, 30 Voices” Atlantic City Free Public Library Oral History Project, Alfred M. Heston Room, Atlantic City Free Public Library.

Creator:
The Atlantic City Free Public Library (ACFPL) is a service of the City of Atlantic City. The ACFPL Alfred M. Heston Collection houses information and research materials about Atlantic City's unique cultural, economic, social and historical development. The ACFPL contracted with Dr. James Karmel of History Expressions to conduct an oral history project in 2008.

Dr. James Karmel is a professional historian and author of Gambling on the American Dream: Atlantic City and the Casino Era, which is based on oral history interviews he conducted from 2000-2005. He is an Associate Professor of History at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Maryland. Dr. Karmel has written or presented four other papers on Atlantic City and the casino era. Dr. Karmel received his PhD in History from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

IN-DEPTH INFORMATION ABOUT THE COLLECTION

Scope and Content:
The purpose of the “30 Years, 30 Voices” oral history project was to update a previous oral history project conducted by ACFPL in 1978. The casino era was just beginning in 1978, and the narrators chosen in that year described the Atlantic City of yesterday and expressed their hopes and thoughts about the casino era.

The narrators for the “30 Years, 30 Voices” 2008 project were chosen by the project team to reflect on the past 30 years of Atlantic City’s development and its casino era.

System of Arrangement:
Paper transcripts of the interviews are available in the Heston Room. They are arranged alphabetically by last the narrator’s last name. Three of the narrators were teenagers (those interviewed as the ACFPL Teen Advisory Group) at the time of their interviews and they are only identified by their first names.

Digital audio (.wav and .mp3 formats) and video (.mpeg) files of the interviews are also available for research, as are digital photographs (.jpg) of the narrators. Contact the archivist for more information.


OTHER INFORMATION FOR USERS OF THE COLLECTION

Subject Access Points:
Atlantic City (N.J.) – History – 21st century
Casino Gambling – New Jersey – Atlantic City – History
Crime – Atlantic City – New Jersey
Immigrants – New Jersey – Atlantic City
Oral History – New Jersey – Atlantic City

Atlantic City Free Public Library
Atlantic City Fire Department
Atlantic City Hotel & Lodging Association
Atlantic City Police Department
Atlantic City Rescue Mission
Bally’s Park Place
Borgata
Casino Control Commission
Casino Reinvestment Development Authority
Chicken Bone Beach
Fischer Flowers – New Jersey – Atlantic City
Knife and Fork Inn – New Jersey – Atlantic City
Our Lady Star of the Sea School
Resorts
Spanish Community Center

Carver, Tom
Gormley, Bill
Hudgins, Barbara
Langford, Lorenzo
Norton, Steve
Ward, Bruce
Zeitz, Carl

Related Materials:
The Alfred M. Heston Collection houses other oral history collections related to Atlantic City and its residents. These collections are:

Local History Biography Files include information, such as newspaper clippings and photographs, about some of the interviewees and the people to whom they refer in the interviews. Local History Subject Files include information about the subjects to which they refer in the interviews. Also check the Library Catalog for other biographies of Atlantic City residents and people with connections to Atlantic City.

Processing Note: The collection is processed. Finding aid written by Heather Halpin Pérez, archivist, December 2009.

Copyright Notice: The Atlantic City Free Public Library holds the copy and reproduction rights for these oral history interviews. Please consult with ACFPL Heston Collection staff before copying or duplicating any materials from this collection.


LIST OF NARRATORS

Narrators are listed alphabetically. A brief biographical description is also included, along with the date of the interview and the availability of audio (and length of the interview), transcript, or photographs.

  1. Bacharach, Howard. Executive Director of the Atlantic City Hotel & Lodging Association. (11 July 2008; audio and video, 1:04:17; transcript)
  2. Berg, Robert. Officer with Atlantic City Police Department and former dealer at Tropicana. (10 September 2008; audio, 1:00:50; transcript)
  3. Carver, Tom. Executive Director of CRDA. (27 June 2008; audio and video, 1:16:54; transcript)
  4. Cheatham, Bill. President of Board of Trustees of Atlantic City Free Public Library and toll collector for South Jersey Transit Authority. (7 August 2008; audio and video, 1:21:31; transcript)
  5. Cook, Rosemarie. Director of training at Borgata, former educator (26 July 2008; audio and video, 1:29:22; transcript)
  6. D’Andrea, Elizabeth. 30-year employee at Resorts, present on opening day. (07 November 2008; audio and video, 1:04:43; transcript)
  7. Dougherty, Frank. Proprietor of Dock’s Oyster House and Knife and Fork Restaurant. (5 August 2008, audio and video, 1:00:08; transcript) *Note: James Latz, former owner of the Knife and Fork, was interviewed for the 1978 ACFPL Living History Project.
  8. Fischer, Charles. Botanist and part-owner of Fischer’s Flowers. (9 July 2008; audio and video, 1:14:21; transcript) *Note: Dr. Fischer’s father was interviewed for the 1978 ACFPL Living History Project.
  9. Gormley, Bill. Former New Jersey State Senator. (23 July 2008; audio and video, 1:10:06; transcript)
  10. Griffin, Jean. Restauranteur, former professor at University of Massachusetts, Boston. (31 July 2008; audio and video, 1:09:30; transcript)
  11. Hart, Audrey. Owner of Miss Audrey’s Human Connection and local community activist. (25 June 2008; audio and video, 1:27:30; transcript)
  12. Hudgins, Barbara. Former Atlantic City Councilwoman and educator in Atlantic City schools. (10 July 2008; audio and video, 1:30:51; transcript)
  13. Johnson, Patricia. Atlantic City native and long-time employee of Bally’s. (13 August 2008; audio and video, 1:21:34; transcript)
  14. Langford, Lorenzo. Former mayor of Atlantic City and current candidate for mayor. (26 June 2008; audio and video, 1:28:52; transcript)
  15. Mooney, Michael. Atlantic City Fire Department Battalion Chief. (6 November 2008; audio and video, 1:15:29; transcript)
  16. Muñoz, Lydia. Social worker, CEO of Spanish Community Centers of Landisville, Vineland and Atlantic City. (7 August 2008; audio and video, 1:07:12; transcript)
  17. Nicole. Teenager from Atlantic City, member of the Library’s Teen Advisory Group (27 July 2008; audio, 40:54; transcript)
  18. Norton, Steve. Former casino executive with Resorts. (24 June 2008; audio and video, 2:25:20; transcript). Note: Additional Resorts documents, compiled by Steve Norton, may be found in Box 3 of the collection
  19. Palmer, Dr. Walter. Atlantic City native, community health specialist and social activist, founder of Palmer Foundation at University of Pennsylvania. (4 August 2008; audio and video, 1:31:42; transcript)
  20. Patterson, Russelle. AC Police Department Traffic Control Officer, Chelsea neighborhood leader, former cocktail waitress at Tropicana. (30 July 2008; audio and video, 1:22:58; transcript) *Note: Ms. Patterson was also interviewed for Dr. Karmel’s Atlantic City Project Oral History Interviews.
  21. Prem. Teenager from Atlantic City, member of the Library’s Teen Advisory Group (27 July 2008; audio, 40:54; transcript)
  22. Pergament, Allen “Boo." Local historian and life-long area resident. (11 July 2008; audio and video, 1:09:05; transcript)
  23. Ramos, Miriam. Bally’s Guest Room Attendant, Local 54 member and advocate. (25 August 2008; audio and video, 1:05:31; transcript)
  24. Rashid, Mohammad Haroon. Small businessman and leader in local Muslim community. (14 August 2008; audio and video, 1:21:57; transcript)
  25. Shelton, Henrietta. President of Chicken Bone Beach Historical Foundation and technical editor at the FAA Hughes Center. (25 July 2008; audio and video, 1:20:27; transcript)
  26. Southrey, Bill. Director of the Atlantic City Rescue Mission. (8 August 2008; audio and video, 1:20:08; transcript)
  27. Travis. Teenager from Atlantic City, member of the Library’s Teen Advisory Group (27 July 2008; audio, 40:54; transcript)
  28. Ward, Bruce. Lawyer, community leader and councilman for 1st Ward. (1 October 2008; audio and video, 1:32:56; transcript)
  29. Williams, Bruce. Atlantic City native, chef, current cook at Bobby Flay (Borgata). (30 July 2008; audio and video, 1:14:22; transcript)
  30. Wyatt, Tanya. Long-time resident of Atlantic City and Caesar’s casino employee. (25 July 2008; audio and video, 1:32:56; transcript)
  31. Zehrer, Sister Shamus. Educator and principal of Our Lady Star of the Sea Church School. (13 August 2008; audio and video, 1:03:54; transcript)
  32. Zeitz, Carl. Former Casino Control Commission member. (24 July 2008; audio and video, 1:26:21; transcript)

Published 16 December 2009.