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Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Richfield in the Postwar Era: Interview with Florence Simon

Titles: Minnesota's Greatest Generation Oral History Project: Richfield in the Postwar Era: Interview with Florence Simon (Supplied title)

Description: BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Florence Simon was born and grew up in Plainview, Minnesota. She attended Winona Teachers' College and graduated with a teaching license and specialties in mathematics and physical education. In the early 1950s, Simon and her family moved to Richfield. Simon was employed as a teacher and later as the principal of Assumption Catholic School. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Reasons for moving to Richfield; homogeneity of close-knit, stable neighborhoods; importance of children in creating a community within the neighborhood; civic issues: city water, community center, the city pool, Woodlake Nature Center, impact of the highways and airport, taxes; development of suburban shopping; Simon's progression from homemaker to teacher to principal; rapid expansion of the schools in the 1950s and 1960s and the subsequent decline; the need to merge the three Catholic schools in Richfield; increasing diversity of Richfield; quality of Richfield's political representation; the idea of Richfield as a small town beside a big city; sense of civic pride and independence; optimism for Richfield's future.

Dates

  • 07/31/2007 (Creation)

Creation

Identifiers

  • Library Call Number: OH 114
  • Accession Number: AV2008.27.22

Holding Type: Oral History - Interview

Project

Quantity: 2 hours sound cassette 37 pages transcript

Format

  • Content Category: sound recordings
  • Content Category: text

Measurements

  • 85 minutes length

Subjects

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Documents

Audio:

Audio Part 1

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Audio Part 2

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Audio Part 3

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