In this interview, Wendell Moore talks about his early childhood memories of playing in the Fort Totten neighborhood after moving there in 1964. He recalls playing in the alleys and the words by Fort Totten with other neighborhood children. He outlines his school experience, the social climate of the 1960s, and his post-secondary education. To conclude, Moore discusses the demographic changes he's seen throughout Washington, D.C. over the decades and the importance of being proactive., Wendell Moore was born in Northwest Washington and moved to the Fort Totten neighborhood when he was in fourth grade. He attended Barnard Elementary, Rabaut Junior High, and Calvin Coolidge Senior High School. Wendell Moore studied business administration at Bowie State University. After graduating, he secured a management position at Giant\n Food. He continued his education while working and received his master's and PhD. He also works as a professor at Bowie State University.
In this interview, Marvin Kirby talks about his neighbors and memories of living in the Fort Totten community, and the changes gentrification has brought to the neighborhood., Marvin Kirby was born in Washington, DC at Gallinger Hospital, now known as DC General. He grew up in the Harvard Street Northwest area. In 1964, he moved with his wife and children to the Fort Totten neighborhood. He attended Bruce Elementary School, Banneker Junior High School, and Cardozo High School. He served two years in the Army and then attended Cortez Peters Business School. He worked for the federal government for several years.
In this interview, Michael Stanley discusses growing up in Fort Totten in the 1950s. He talks about the close-knit nature of the Fort Totten community and the long-lasting friendships that formed among neighborhood children. He then reflects on his life as a teenager and favorite clothing styles, and participating in the Cadet Core in high school. He reflects on the uniqueness of living in Fort Totten and how it has evolved., Michael Stanley is a native Washingtonian born at Georgetown Hospital where his mother worked. He lived with his family on Savannah Terrace in Southeast Washington until they moved to the Fort Totten neighborhood in approximately 1955 when he was six years old. He attended Keene Elementary School until the sixth grade, then MacFarland for seventh grade and part of eighth grade. Halfway through his eighth-grade year Bertie Backus was opened and he attended there the remainder of eighth grade and ninth grade. He was in the first graduating class of Bertie Backus. He attended high school at Roosevelt. After graduating from high school, he got a job and was later drafted into the Army where he served for two years and nine months. After that he attended college at UDC where he majored in business management.
In this interview, Phillip Purvis recounts growing up in Fort Totten with friends and family, and remembering past businesses that he frequented. He recalls the beginning of gentrification and areas of the city like Barry Farms, East Gate, and Simple City., Phillip Purvis was born in 1955 in Northwest Washington. He grew up in Fort Totten, before moving to Woodridge in 1969. Following high school, he struggled with addiction and homelessness.
In this interview, Vannie Kirby talks about moving to Petworth in Washington, D.C. from North Carolina and raising her children in Fort Totten. She recalls her own childhood in North Carolina and attending Cortez Peters Business School after coming to D.C. Kirby compares and contrasts the neighborhood from when she and her husband moved there in 1964 and how it is at the time she gave this interview. She speaks about shopping downtown, the Fort Totten Civic Association, and changes brought by the Metro., Vannie Kirby was born in Rockingham, North Carolina and moved to Washington, DC to attend business school. Mrs. Kirby and her husband moved to the Fort Totten neighborhood in 1964. She attended Cortez Peters Business School for two years and worked for the Department of Public Health for 31 years. As of this interview, she continues to reside in the Fort Totten area.
In this interview, Francine Berkowitz discusses growing up in Northeast Washington in a predominantly lower-middle class Jewish neighborhood. She also describes attending Tifereth Israel Synagogue, school integration, shopping, and her career with the Smithsonian., Francine Berkowitz was born in New York City in 1942 to first- and second- generation Polish immigrants. Her family moved to Oneida Street NE soon after she was born, and she attended Keene Elementary, Paul Junior High, and Coolidge High School. The family moved to the Maryland suburbs in her senior year. She worked at the Smithsonian for almost 60 years.
Ms. Adwoa Beidleman-Aggrey reflects on her life, training, and involvement as a member and President of the Washington Section, National Council of Negro Women. She shares candid conversations and her insights concerning issues affecting some of the needs faced by women and their families., Ms. Adwoa Beidleman-Aggrey was born in Bristol, Tennessee. She grew up in a large family with a history of advocacy for underserved people. She attended Barber-Scotia College and received an undergraduate degree and a master’s degree in education from Howard University. She is a Life Member, served as president of the Washington Section 1992-1993, active supporter and participant in National Council of Negro Women activities. She is an educator and skilled parliamentarian with involvement in several professional and community organizations. She identifies education as a primary focus for advancement for individuals and the community
This oral history interview with Tobin Smith was conducted originally as a video by Jules Johnson (JJ) and exported as audio by Stephanie Mills Trice. Tobin was born at Columbia Hospital for Women. He and his family moved to the Hawaiian Gardens Apartments in Fort Totten when Tobin was nine years old. He attended Keene Elementary, Rabaut Junior High School, and Roosevelt Senior High School. He discusses several of his teachers, including his favorite teacher. After high school, he attended UDC (University of the District of Columbia) as well as the University of Maryland and earned a bachelor’s degree in radio, TV, and film. Tobin recalls Fort Totten as a small community that was buffered from nearby communities by Fort Totten Park and Rock Creek Cemetery. He recalls finally meeting people outside the neighborhood when he went to Roosevelt Senior High School. He recalls fun activities from his childhood such as riding bikes with friends, attending Fort Totten Day Camp in the summertime, playing sports with friends, going to the Keene recreation center, and seeing a man climb the WOOK radio tower. He discusses the ways that Metrorail’s arrival impacted the community and the gentrification that has occurred., Tobin Smith is a native Washingtonian who recalls Fort Totten's fun activities from his childhood and meeting other people outside the neighborhood. He has a career in the television industry and attended both the University of Maryland and the University of the District of Columbia.
Russell Miles discusses his upbringing and move from Shipman, Virginia to Washington, D.C. after high school in 1945. His first job was with Sears, Roebuck and Company. In 1948, he moved to Fort Totten and started selling real estate in the neighborhood after attending the Washington Real Estate School. Near the end of the interview, the discussion includes some background on the oral history project, additional friends and relatives of the Miles family, and Jeanne Miles Ward's volunteer work with the Washington Regional Transplant Community., Russell was born in Virginia and grew up living primarily with his grandmother, Nelly Elizabeth Miles. After the age of 15, he was the 'man of the house' and ran the family farm. Russell moved to Washington DC after high school, at which time he worked at Sears, Roebuck and Company. He later worked as a corrections officer in Lorton, Virginia and in real estate, both within government and in the private real estate market. Russell moved to the Fort Totten neighborhood around 1952, raised his three daughters there, and lived there for about 65 years. He discusses that he and his family were the first African Americans in the neighborhood, and that his daughter Wanda was the first African American child to attend Keene Elementary. Russell discusses selling real estate in the neighborhood as well as his role as a father figure in the community. He talks about his memories of events such as V-J Day [Victory over Japan Day] and the 1968 riots.
