Oral history interview with Nora B. Womack, 1988 September 6

This oral history interview with Nora B. Womack was conducted by Robert J. Gassner on September 6, 1988. The interview was one of a series conducted in 1988 by Oregon Historical Society volunteer Robert Gassner with members of the Syrian and Lebanese community in Portland, Oregon.

In this interview, Womack discusses her family background and early life in St. Helens, Oregon, particularly the immigration of her parents from Lebanon to the United States in the 19th century. She talks about the Syrian and Lebanese community in St. Helens and in the Portland, Oregon, area. She briefly discusses working for the telephone company, as well as the work of her husband, Robert W. Womack, for the Jones Lumber Company. She then revisits the topic of her childhood and the Syrian and Lebanese community in St. Helens, including her memories of cooking Lebanese food. She talks about the activities of the Lebanese Ladies' Society, as well as other Lebanese cultural groups in Oregon. She talks about how the independence of Lebanon affected the Lebanese community and about the contemporary issues affecting Lebanon. She discusses the charitable work of the Lebanese Ladies' Society and talks about Lebanese cuisine. She closes the interview by discussing her siblings and their families, as well as her extended family.