What Did You Do in the War, Grandma? (Mss. Gr. 85)

Series 1. Original Interview Tapes, 1989
3 box(es)
(1.5 linear feet)

This series contains the original taped interviews with thirty-five Rhode island women who related their experiences in the years immediately preceding, during, and after World War II. There are forty-two cassette tapes in the series. Also included for some of the tapes are typed subject indexes which are keyed to the frame counter on a cassette recorder.

Subjects discussed in the interviews include the impact of World War II at home, the changing roles of women in the workplace brought on by the war, the liberating effect of the war on women, their reaction to societal attempts to limit those new found freedoms in the immediate post-war years, discrimination against racial and ethnic minorities (e.g., blacks and Japanese-Americans) on the home front, and the impact on the women and their families and friends of the loss of loved ones during the war.

Arrangement: The interview tapes and indexes are arranged alphabetically by the name of the interview subject.

Series 2. Original Transcripts, 1989
3 box(es)
(1.25 linear feet)

This series contains the original transcripts of the taped interviews contained in Series I, as well as brief biographical sketches of the interview subjects prepared by them, and release forms signed by them. Twenty-six of the transcripts are typed and the remaining nine are handwritten. Unlike the tapes in Series I, there is no index for the transcripts.

Arrangement: The transcripts and related materials are arranged alphabetically by the name of the interview subject.

Series 3. Research Copies, 1989
3 box(es)
(1.25 linear feet)

This series contains research copies of the original transcripts, releases, and biographical sketches contained in Series II.

Arrangement: The transcripts and related materials are arranged alphabetically by the name of the interview subject.

Series 4. Student Papers, 1989
1 box(es)
(.5 linear feet)

This series contains papers or "stories" written by seventeen South Kingstown High School ninth grade honors students about the women they interviewed. Each student received training in oral history interview techniques, did background reading on various aspects of World War II, and interviewed at least two of the thirty-five women.

Based on these interviews and on their background research, the students wrote papers or, as they were called in the project, "stories," about the women interviewed. The stories are a combination of the students' impressions and a paraphrase of the interviews. Twenty-six of the thirty-five "stories" were subsequently published "What Did You Do in the War Grandma?" the publication which resulted from the oral history project.

Arrangement: The papers or "stories" are arranged alphabetically by the name of the interview subject.

Series 5. VHS and DAT Recordings, 1989, 1997
2 box(es)
(.75 linear feet)

This series consists of ten VHS cassette tapes from 1989 and four DAT audiocassette tapes from 1997. Two of the VHS tapes are recordings of public forum events at the South Kingstown Public Library and at the John Hay Library of Brown University in late 1989. An additional VHS tape is of Dr. William Metz of the University of Rhode Island History Department giving a lecture on World War II and a fourth tape consists of Metz and Dr. Sharon Strom, also of the University of Rhode Island History Department, leading a discussion group with student interviewers . The remaining six VHS tapes are recordings of selected interviewees.

The DAT audiocassette tapes are masters of dubbings of three of the 1989 interviews. The fourth DAT tape is a recording of a reception held by Brown University in November of 1997 relating to the redesign of the What did you do during the war, Grandma?website. These were produced by Brown University's technology group.

Arrangement: The series is arranged alphabetically by subject or event.