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Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection, 1966-2005
Overview of the Collection
- Creator
- Bitton, Davis, 1930-2007
- Title
- Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection
- Dates
- 1966-2005 (inclusive)19662005
- Quantity
- 4.25 linear feet
- Collection Number
- MS 0039
- Summary
- The Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection (1966-2005) contains transcripts of oral histories conducted as an assignment for History 110 at the University of Utah. The interviews cover a wide range of Utah history, politics, government, and every day life. Bitton taught history at the University of Utah from 1966 to 1995.
- Repository
-
University of Utah Libraries, Special Collections
Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library
University of Utah
295 South 1500 East
Salt Lake City, UT
84112-0860
Telephone: 8015818863
special@library.utah.edu - Access Restrictions
-
Twenty-four hour advanced notice encouraged. Materials must be used on-site. Access to parts of this collection may be restricted under provisions of state or federal law.
- Languages
- English
Historical NoteReturn to Top
Davis Bitton (b. 1930) taught history at the University of Utah from 1966 to 1995, the oral histories and autobiographies are the assignments turned in to him, by his students.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
The Davis Bitton oral histories and autobiographies collection (1966-2005) contains oral histories assigned to the students from Bitton's 110 history class. The subjects are broad, ranging from family reminiscences of the late nineteenth century to the bombing of Manchester, England, in World War II in box 1. Interviews that include Depression experiences in the West as well as several University of Utah provessors discussing their respective departments are included in box 2. Issues such as the advent of the council form of government in Salt Lake City to a woman who speaks of her near-death experience are in box 3. Box 4 contains interviews that run the gamut of private detective work, to war experiences, to raising a child with AIDS. Box 5 contains a bound collection of student autobiographies as well as family histories. Each history is identified with a brief summary of the content of the interview. If a collection is identified as "Life Experiences," that is because the subject is not concentrating on one event, but is giving a broad painting of life. Essentially, the collection is a microcosim of life in Utah, over almost 100 years. Examples of virtually every walk of life have been included and each box in arranged alphabetically and according to surname.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Restrictions on Use
The library does not claim to control copyright for all materials in the collection. An individual depicted in a reproduction has privacy rights as outlined in Title 45 CFR, part 46 (Protection of Human Subjects). For further information, please review the J. Willard Marriott Library's Use Agreement and Reproduction Request forms.
Preferred Citation
Collection Name, Collection Number, Box Number, Folder Number. Special Collections, J. Willard Marriott Library, The University of Utah.
Administrative InformationReturn to Top
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Barker to WilliamsReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 1 | 1 | James L. Barker, interviewed by Glenna Barker
An interview with a Salt Lake City Commissioner.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 2 | Albert L. Bott, interviewed by Ward Mortensen
An interview with an Ogden City Comissioner.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 3 | Selvoy J. Boyer, interviewed by Kathryn Leilani
Experiences as a Utah state legislator (1939-1946), mayor of Springville, and president of the British Mission in 1946.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 4 | George Dewey Clyde, interviewed by Rodney J. Nelson
A governor of Utah (1957-1965) speaks about Depression influences on state government.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 5 | Veronica Colby, interviewed by Steven Zwisler
A discussion of the Nazi bombing of Manchester, England, from 1940 to 1942.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 6 | Roy Maughan Darley, interviewed by D. Michael Quinn
An early Mormon Tabernacle organist.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 7 | Carl Petersen Dea, interviewed by Leon Hales
The depression in Magna.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 8 | Charles E. Dibble, interviewed by Barbara Chapman
A professor of anthropology at the University of Utah.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 9 | Robert L. Erdman, interviewed by Susan Detton
A professor in the Department of Special Education, speaks on mental retardation.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 10 | William A. Evans, interviewed by Louis Graham
Experiences in the mining camps of Mercur and Sunshine between 1896 and 1910.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 11 | Catherine Fratto, interviewed by Phil Notarianni
Italian culture and folklore in Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 12 | Brewster Ghiselen, interviewed by Barbara Chapman
Ghiselen was an instructor in the English Department at the University of Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 13 | Jesse Marguarite Pace Graham, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
Interviewed concerning the early history of her family in Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 14 | Jesse D. Jennings, interviewed by Elva Smith
The founder and director of the Museum of Natural History at the University of Utah.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 15 | Leroy J. Kimball, interviewed by James Leroy Kimball Jr.
The director of Nauvoo Restoration Incorporated.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 16 | Amarilla Hamblin Lee, interviewed by P. T. Reilly
Jacob Hamblin's last daughter discusses her life.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 17 | Otto Liebergesell, interviewed by Sister Christine Eheman
A German POW in World War II.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 18 | Claude D. Mangum, interviewed by Stephen W. Julien
Segregation and integration in the army during and after World War II.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 19 | John Benjamin Matheson, interviewed by David L. Crowder
A city commissioner from 1937-1949.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 20 | Vince Mayer, interviewed by John D. Sylvester
Experiences in Nigeria during the Civil War from 1968 to 1970.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 21 | S. S. Murthy, interviewed by Frank Thomason
An immigrant discusses the differences between India and America.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 22 | William W. Newby, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
A professor of Zoology at the University of Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 23 | Gottfried Nuemann, interviewed by Lynn Jensen
A German soldier in World War II.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 24 | Waldemar P. Read, interviewed by David A. Moore
Professor Emeritus of Philosophy at the University of Utah.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 25 | Dorothy G. Snow, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
A professor of English at the University of Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 26 | Thomas Soter, interviewed by Leonard Holman
A Greek immigrant in Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 27 | Royal Swasey, interviewed by Kent Powell
Two parts: An interview about a cabin constructed at the head of Eagle Canyon and the horse business. Also, a reading by Eva Swasey from a journal kept by her husband in 1927.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 28 | Elizabeth Vance, interviewed by Peggy Hall
The field representative in the Anti-Discrimination Division of the State Industrial Commission.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 29 | Heinz Wagner, interviewed by Linda Wilcox
A German soldier's experiences in Leningrad during World War II.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 30 | Blair W. Walkington, interviewed by Judith Dieteman Cornell
Discusses the Division of Industrial Promotion for the State of Utah.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 31 | Ardean Watts, interviewed by Spencer T. Gould
Ardean Watts was the associate conductor of the Utah Symphony Orchestra.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 32 | Mary E. Webster, interviewed by Ruth R. Yeaman
Webster was a Professor Emeritus of Speech at the University of Utah.
|
1971 |
| 1 | 33 | J. H. Wheeler, interviewed by Raymond S. Wright III
Wheeler and his wife, Venus, discuss their youths in Utah and Idaho.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 34 | Calvin Whitehead, interviewed by Glenna Barker
The chief of police in Salt Lake City, Utah.
|
1970 |
| 1 | 35 | J. Claire Williams, interviewed by Thomas L. Owen
An attorney with the Union Pacific Railroad. The interview is concerned with an attempt to block the rezoning of a piece of property.
|
1970 |
Atiya to YoungReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 2 | 1 | Aziz Atiya, interviewed by George Pence
An "ancient Egyptian" in America.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 2 | Carl Frederick and Bertha Beigle Buehner, interviewed by Doug Bradshaw
"The Story and History of Carl Frederick Buehner (1873-1935) and his wife, Bertha Geigle Buehner (1874-1935)."
|
1975 |
| 2 | 3 | Jay J. Campbell, interviewed by Rex Lorenzo Christiansen
The Utah State Board of Education and its relationship to higher education.
|
1971 |
| 2 | 4 | Jefferson Fordham, interviewed by Ann Marie Dykstra
Recollections from a professor of law at the University of Utah.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 5 | William Gonzales, interviewed by Steven Piott
Dr. Gonzalez was instrumental in founding the Chicano studies program at the University of Utah.
|
1972 |
| 2 | 6 | Frank R. Goodman, interviewed by David L. Washburn
A Mormon in Vietnam.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 7 | Joy Hasimoto, interviewed by Ron Rainger
World War II relocation experiences in Granada, Colorado.
|
1971 |
| 2 | 8 | George Herzog, interviewed by Ray K. Cunningham
He served as a prison guard at Fort Douglas during World War I.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 9 | Harvey and Norma E. Johnson, interviewed by H. Thayne Johnson
Recollections of Cotterel, Idaho.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 10 | Armanag and Arick S. Kerzerian, interviewed by Brian Winterowd
Immigrant perspectives on early Murray, Utah.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 11 | Friedrich Latendorf, interviewed by Norman J. Storrer
A German soldier on the Eastern Front in 1945.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 12 | Brigham D. Madsen, interviewed by David J. Singer
Experiences in the west during the Depression.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 13 | Keith T. and Bernice T. Mann, interviewed by Ann Marie Mann |
1975 |
| 2 | 14 | Thomas Martin, interviewed by Susan Hanson
"A Life Worth Living."
|
1975 |
| 2 | 15 | Joyce Matsuno, interviewed by John A. Pitts
Japanese-American perspectives on the West during and after World War II.
|
1971 |
| 2 | 16 | Charles William Mays, interviewed by Desiree Mays
"Charles William Mays, a Profile."
|
1975 |
| 2 | 17 | Mayola R. Miltenberger, interviewed by Carol Clark
General secretary-treasurer of the Relief Society.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 18 | Lucille Olsen, interviewed by Robert D. Jensen
Recollections of an Ogden citizen.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 19 | Hans Ranglack, interviewed by Clint Bailey
A German soldier in World War II.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 20 | Clark Ronnow, interviewed by Stephan Moss
Experiences in prison.
|
1971 |
| 2 | 21 | Eldon M. Tolman, interviewed by Roland T. Astin
Experiences in a German prison camp during World War II.
|
1971 |
| 2 | 22 | Mary W. Warmuth, interviewed by Margaret Brady
The Humane Society in Utah.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 23 | Elizabeth Biehler Yearsley, interviewed by Sharon Pugsley
A Gentile in Abraham, Utah.
|
1975 |
| 2 | 24 | George Cannon Young, interviewed by Carol C. Madsen
An architect in Salt Lake City.
|
1975 |
Afeaki to ThiriotReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 3 | 1 | Paul Afeaki, interviewed by Jessica Millward
Former University of Utah "Runnin' Utes" center.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 2 | Lynn Anderson, interviewed by Glenn Anderson
A safari to Africa.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 3 | Jim Aumann, interviewed by Heather Brereton
A swim team assistant coach at the University of Utah.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 4 | Roger Blake, interviewed by Charlotte Langston
A poet and his craft.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 5 | Brinton R. Burbidge, interviewed by Brooke A. Burbidge
Experiences as the chairman of the Bicentennial of the Constitution for the State of Utah.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 6 | Roger Candland, interviewed by Rebecca Candland
Discusses his parents, Guy and Sophrona Candland.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 7 | Jacqueline Clifford, interviewed by Chantal Vanessian
A professor of modern dance at the University of Utah.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 8 | Elaine Elliot, interviewed by WillieAnn Bandy
The head women's basketball coach at the University of Utah.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 9 | Ronald Esplin, interviewed by Michael Le
History professor at Brigham Young University.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 10 | Sydney Fonnesbeck, interviewed by Melissa Fonnesbeck
Discusses the advent of the City-Council form of government in Salt Lake City.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 11 | Howard Franklin, interviewed by Brittany Rickford
The president of the Utah All Breed Horse Association.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 12 | Don Fullmer, interviewed by Hud Fullmer
A Utah boxer discusses his career.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 13 | Emily Goehring, interviewed by John T. Roberts
Utah culture in the 1940s and 1950s.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 14 | Kenneth Dean Gray, interviewed by Kenneth J. Gray
Life experiences, including teaching in Huntington, Utah.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 15 | Reiner Groebs, interviewed by Richard Juluson
Life in East Germany during World War II, his escape after the war, and his arrival in Utah.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 16 | Lehi Milton Jones, interviewed by John R. Siddoway
A family history in Cedar City.
|
1975 |
| 3 | 17 | Howard J. and Mary Leone Green Layton, interviewed by Rick Thornton
"Life Sketches of Howard James and Mary Leone Green Layton."
|
1975 |
| 3 | 18 | Herbert B. Maw, interviewed by Thomas J. Moore Jr.
A prominent Utah politician.
|
1978 |
| 3 | 19 | Sam N., interviewed by Jomanna Dajany
Under guarantee of anonymity, discusses "near-death" experience.
|
1992 |
| 3 | 20 | Carl B. and Anna May Newton Shipp, interviewed by Milton P. Shipp
"The Life Histories of Carl Bingham and Anna May Newton Shipp."
|
1975 |
| 3 | 21 | Tui Sullivan, interviewed by Nancy Densley
Life experiences.
|
1994 |
| 3 | 22 | Richard Thiriot, interviewed by Layne Olsen
Early television in Utah.
|
1992 |
Anderson to YorgasonReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 4 | 1 | Alma Anderson, interviewed by Jason Smith
Life experiences.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 2 | LeGrand Baer, interviewed by Michelle Koopmans
Life experiences.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 3 | Henry Dale Bott, interviewed by Richard Clay Cawley
Naval experiences from 1955 through 1976.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 4 | Mary Lythgoe Bradford, interviewed by Devery S. Anderson
An editor at Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 5 | Kelly Call, interviewed by Kristen Call
A teenage drug addict's story.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 6 | Jewel Clemens, interviewed by Ed Hartley
An African-American woman's experiences in the Air Force during the 1960s.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 7 | Benjamin Mabey Fisher, interviewed by Karen Fisher Bridge
A Pearl Harbor survivor speaks of his experiences abord the U.S.S. Honolulu.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 8 | Norda Finlinson Gardner, interviewed by Elizabeth Greathouse
Live experiences.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 9 | Reita Hunt Hamblin, interviewed by Shawna Hamblin
Life experiences.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 10 | Sidney R. Henderson, interviewed by Michael Roach
President of the Tacoma Washington Mission.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 11 | Mary and John Holmes, interviewed by David Holmes
Growing up in Iowa.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 12 | Lienhard Hoppe, interviewed by Michael Hoppe
A German immigrant's experiences in 1953.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 13 | Grant Wallace Housley, interviewed by Edward K. Barker
Mostly concerns World War II, including a meeting with Generals, Douglas MacArthur and George C. Marshall.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 14 | Alan Jenkins, interviewed by Myrna Walton
The owner of several pawn shops in Salt Lake City, Utah, discusses his business.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 15 | Dick Johnsen, interviewed by Todd Kent
Experiences in Vietnam.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 16 | Doris Blanche Judkins, interviewed by Karen McNichol
The Depression in Ogden.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 17 | Andreas Kalt, interviewed by Dave Beagley
Gold medalist in the 1993 Utah Summer Games triathlon event.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 18 | Jeff Macleod, interviewed by Anita Feltenberger
Scottish cultural events in Utah.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 19 | Miyuki Maruka, interviewed by S. Cameron Beatty
"A Commentary on Japanese Society."
|
1994 |
| 4 | 20 | Jennie Laverne Felton Miller, interviewed by Chadd Watson
Life experiences.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 21 | Margaret Moffat, interviewed by Jennifer Bezzant
Life experiences.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 22 | Peter Michael Nicholas, interviewed by Jenny Nicholas
An interview about the Coast Guard.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 23 | Elbert Peck, interviewed by Blake Murray |
1994 |
| 4 | 24 | Kim Peek, interviewed by Frank Kimball
"The Rainman."
|
1994 |
| 4 | 25 | Arlo Prisbrey, interviewed by Joanna Robbins
"Trucking History in Utah."
|
1994 |
| 4 | 26 | Mildred Redd, interviewed by Shanette Despain
Surviving the Depression in Salt Lake City.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 27 | Scott Roach, interviewed by Kent McClannan
An instructor in rock climbing and mountaineering at the University of Utah discusses climbing in the West.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 28 | John Solis, interviewed by James David
A member of the 101st Airborne discusses the Gulf War.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 29 | Stephanie Spriggs, interviewed by Gregory William Pozan
A family lives with AIDS.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 30 | Tui Sullivan, interviewed by Jeff Rowland
A New Zealand immigrant discusses her life in America.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 31 | Camm Swift, interviewed by Susan Swift
A trip the the Amazon in 1980.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 32 | D. Cornell Thomas, interviewed by John D. Thomas
Life experiences of a teacher, a private detective, and a university professor.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 33 | Sariah Vellinga, interviewed by Kristie L. Cole
Notes cultural differences between the United States and Taiwan.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 34 | James Wolfe, interviewed by Ken Andersen
A mathematics professor discusses his career at the University of Utah.
|
1994 |
| 4 | 35 | Blaine M. Yorgason, interviewed by Tim Schulte
An LDS writer and his career.
|
1994 |
Articles, Correspondence and HistoriesReturn to Top
| Container(s) | Description | Dates | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Box | Folder | ||
| 5 | 1 | "The Reformation in Current Ecumenical Perspective" |
1966-2005 |
| 5 | 2 | Correspondence |
1970-1983 |
| 5 | 3 | Family Histories |
1978 |
| 5 | 4 | Student Autobiographies |
1975-1978 |
| 5 | 5 | Oral Histories |
1975 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Interviews--Utah
Geographical Names
- Utah--History
- Utah--Politics and government
- Utah--Social life and customs
Form or Genre Terms
- Oral histories
- Oral histories
Finding aid created by Elizabeth Rogers and Lindsey Moore.
2006 (last modified: 2019)
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