Oral History Archive

Filtering by seniors (older people) back to all
Jeanette Bigelson
At age 103, Coney Island resident shares her memories and secrets to a long and happy life
Khonya Epstein
Author and leader of the Holocaust Survivors Group at Marks JCH of Bensonhurst
Frank Gurrera
Machinist at MTA's Coney Island Overhaul and Repair Shop and oldest active TWU Local 100 member
Anthony Wang
Resident of senior housing in Coney Island was born in Shanghai and survived the Cultural Revolution
Josephine Gargiulo Cassata
Daughter of Gargiulo's founder was born in an apartment above Coney Island's famous restaurant
Ida Rosenblum Gambrell
Memories of Coney Island in the 1920s and '30s
Lu Zhao
Calligrapher recounts his artistic journey from China's Guangdong Province to Brooklyn's Bensonhurst
Tim Law
Bilingual educator and founder of Chinese American Social Services Center in Bensonhurst
Juanhua Zhao
Tai chi teacher at Coney Island's Seaside Innovative Senior Center shares her life story
Leonid Alaverdov
Tapestry artist and Coney Island resident whose work is inspired by his native Baku and New York City
Anne Green
Memories of growing up in Coney Island in the 1930s and '40s
Steve Burke
Memories of working at Coney Island's pony track as a boy in the 1940s for "no pay, just tips"
Boan Lin (Master Lin)
Tai chi master who was born in China shares memories of practicing and teaching his art in Brooklyn
Yeva Novik
A 90-year-old Coney Island resident recounts her journey from Moscow to Southern Brooklyn
Connie Scacciaferro
Memories of going to Coney Island Beach as a child in the 1930's and a teenager in the '40s
Sofya Lobova
A longtime resident of Haber Houses and leader of the Russian-speaking community
Erum Hanif
Community Board 13 member and CEO of Apna Brooklyn Community Center
Stanley Fox, Part 2
Retired arcade operator's memories of when Coney Island's amusements were open in the wintertime