The Civil Rights History Project: Survey of Collections and Repositories

Reston reflections oral history collection

Repository: George Mason University Libraries. Special Collections & Archives

Collection Description (Extant): Abstract
The Reston Reflections are a collection of interviews done by the students at Langston Hughes Middle School. The students conducted interviews with residents of Reston to create an oral history of Reston. The project spans several years beginning in 1994 with the final interviews in 2008. Among those interviewed are some of Reston more prominent citizens such as Robert E. Simon, the founder of Reston, and Martha Pennino. The collection is divided into four series, the first contains the transcripts of the interviews, the second series is audiotapes from the interviews, the third is the interviews from 1996 that were originally separated from the majority of the collection and the fourth are the interviews from 2001 and 2003 that were also separated. The collection is large and contained within 113 boxes.

Historical Information
Langston Hughes Middle School is a school in Reston in Fairfax County. The school was named for the poet, Langston Hughes, and was established in 1979. Beginning in 1994 the eighth graders at Langston Hughes Middle School began an oral history project where they interviewed different citizens of Reston. Each year had a different theme starting with Reston's Thirtieth Anniversary (1994-1995), Volunteers in the Community (1996), Leadership in the Community (1998), Business in the Community (1999), Transportation in the Community (2000), Life Cycle of Neighborhoods (2001), Civil Rights Movement (2002), War and the Community (2003), Reston's Fortieth Anniversary (2004), Providing Affordable Housing (2005), Women in Community (2006), Creating Recreation Opportunities in Community (2007) and Technology and Community Change (2008).

Date(s): 1994-2008

Digital Status: No

Existing IDs: C0171

Extent: 56.5 linear feet (113 boxes)

Finding Aid URL: http://sca.gmu.edu/finding_aids/restonreflections.html

Language: English

Interviewees: Veronica Abrams, Thomas Ahart, Nellum Albert, Velma Albert, Richard America, Priscilla Ames, George Anderson, Art Anselene, Mary Bailey, Ruth Ball, H.C. Barnum, Judy Barokas, Maryanne Bentley, Bill Bouie, Carol Bradley, Donald Brown, Kathy Brown, Mark Brutsche, Thelma Calbert, Carlos Campbell, Ranjit Cherian, Prentince Christian, Courtney Clifton, Ivan Cole, Helen Cole, May Cole, Betty Collins, Beverly Coshan, Diane Dale, Clarence Davis, Freya DeCola, Lee DeCola, Elizabeth Doe, Gene Dumon, Jose Espino, Susan Fellows, Gary Fossett, Bill Fraise, Susan Gerstein, Stuart Gibson, Renee Graham, Barbara Griggs, Michael Guthrie, Kate Hanely, Axel Henri, John Hester, Haywood Hopson, Janet Howell, Cathy Hudgins, Madeleine Humphrey, Joseph Hyman, Linda Ifert, Irene Illchyshyn, Benno Isaacs, Debra Jackson, Mary Jackson, Lillian Adelle Jones, Suzi Jones, Patrick Kane, Dennis Kern, Melissa Kirkpatrick, May Knapp, Kathy Lamkin, Burton Lamkin, Kathy Lamkin, Nancy Larson, Calvin E. Lawrence, Alvarez LeCesne, David Lewis, Earl Lewis, Jolee Loveland Link, John Lovaas, Tlaire Lovett, Denver Lovett, Earl Lowe, Pat Lowe, Pat MacIntyre, Susan Malcolm, Bea Malone, Joseph Mark, Ryan Marshall, Bill Mashinski, Mary Mason-Boyd, Sheri McGinn, Irene Meissner, Millie Mennard, Ed Mentz, Cindy Mills, Marion Myers, Manish Nandy, Leni Nazare, Myra Niemeirer, Shirley Olson, Merritt Olson, Kim Pagani, Soon Paik, Phyllis Pajardo, James Pappas, Ronald Patterson, Robert Pearson, Natasha Peterson, Ken Plum, Terence Ponick, Kurt Pronske, Delores Renolds, Henry Robinson, Anne Rodriguez, Delores Rothwell, Diana Rouse, Suzanna Ruiselle, Helen Ryan, Dino Salin, Elaine Schwartz, Janice Scott, Rodney Scott, Gertrude Sherman, Robert E. Simon, Linda Singer, Frank Sogandares, Eleanor Stokes, Norman Tate, Oliver Teatley, Eva Tenenhouse, Terlene Terry-Todd, Odessa Thomas, Olivia Toatley, George Twohie, Susan Ungerer, Audrey Van-Vlit, Charles Veatch, John Wetzel, Tom Wilkins, S. D. Williams, Vicky Wingert, Mrs. Gene Zablotney

Rights (CRHP): Contact the repository which holds the collection for information on rights

Subjects:

Civil rights movements--Virginia
Fairfax County (Va.)
Housing
Reston (Va.)

Genres:

Interviews
Sound recordings
Transcripts