Oral Histories

The Lafayette Historical Society is pleased to present these Oral Histories of Lafayette residents.

PDF file; requires Adobe Reader which may be obtained free here:

1. An Interview with Fern Powell Davis by Angela Broadhead and Bronwen Heuer. Mrs. Davis, a retired teacher and school librarian, talks of the 1930′s, 1940′s and 1950′s in Lafayette. Mrs. Davis was born on March 17, 1899; she was interviewed in her home on Sept. 14, 1976.
Fern Powell Davis interview

2. Interview with Donn L. Black, First Mayor of the City of Lafayette
Donn L. Black interview

3. A talk given by Jennie (Mrs. William) Bickerstaff Rosenberg at a meeting of The Contra Costa Historical Society held in Lafayette on the evening of May 23, 1956. Mrs. Rosenberg was 85 years old at the time.
Jennie Bickerstaff Rosenberg talk

4. Speech by Oliver Hamlin III, Lafayette Historical Society’s Pot Luck Dinner, Veteran’s Hall, April 27, 1982
Ollie Hamlin speech

5. Interview with Joan Merryman, Picture Editor of La Fayette, A Pictorial History (1976), October 7, 1976; interviewed by Angela Broadhead
Joan Merryman interview

6. Dr. Clifford Feiler, physician and civic leader, came to Lafayette in 1939. He talks about the small village where there were no banks and no bus service and where he was the only medical doctor. November 17, 1979; interviewed by Angela Broadhead
Dr. Clifford Feiler interview

7. Alice McNeil Russi – speech to the Orinda Historical Society, March 3, 1977
Alice McNeil Russi speech

8. Andrew Young, author of The Improvers of Lafayette, November 11, 1981
Andrew Young speech

9. Interview with Josephine (Mrs. Alvin) Powell and her daughter, Mary Powell Flanders, February 12, 1973; interviewed by Dorothy Helmick
Josephine Powell and her daughter, Mary Powell Flanders interview

10. Interview with Russell J. Bruzzone, November 20, 1984; interviewed by Ollie Hamlin
Russell J. Bruzzone interview

11. Interview with Jack Marchant, November 30, 1984; interviewed by Ollie Hamlin
Jack Marchant interview

12. Interview with Effie Root Stahle, May 11, 1978; interviewed by Angela Broadhead
Effie Root Stahle interview

13. Horace Walpole Carpentier Program, January 8, 1973; presented by the Moraga Historical Society
Horace Walpole Carpentier program

14. Dudley Thickens – a talk on the 1920s in Saranap and Lafayette areas, and the vast influence of the railroad
Dudley Thickens talk

15. Lafayette in the 1930s and 1940s – speech by Mickey Myers and Lou Borghesani to the Lafayette Historical Society, April 12, 1977
Myers and Borghesani speech

16. Interview with Jack Cosso, November 16, 1982, LHS. Interviewed by Angela Broadhead
Jack Cosso Interview