Oral History Archive

Donna Bianco
Memories of working as a police officer in Coney Island in the 1980s and '90s
George Rudes
Clothing company CEO George Rudes grew up in the shadow of the Half Moon Hotel
Ronald Wimberly
Storyteller, cartoonist and designer whose graphic novel Prince of Cats is partly set in 1980's Coney Island
Gregory Bitetzakis
Co-owner and operator of Gregory & Paul's for more than 50 years
Linda Kramer Evans
Girlhood memories of visiting Great-Aunt Molly who lived in the house under the roller coaster
Harold J. Kramer
Boyhood memories of visiting relatives at the house under the Thunderbolt roller coaster
Grace Lo
Homeowner and community activist in Coney Island's West End for almost 30 years
Richard White
Marine science teacher at Edward R. Murrow High School recalls his Coney Island memories
Charles Robert Feltman
Great-grandson of Feltmans Restaurant founder and hot dog inventor Charles Feltman
Steve Larkin
Memories of working at a Coney Island beach chair and umbrella rental company as a teen in the 1970s
Johanna Gargiulo Sherman
Artist and Coney Island resident recalls growing up on Mermaid Avenue above Carolina Restaurant
Kite Flyers at Coney Island Kite Festival
Kite flyers Billy Echeverria, Nicholas Rowe, Kurtis Jones and Charles Stewart at Coney Island's Kite Festival
Lawrence Mach
Chef and owner of the Vendy Award winning Coney Shack food cart
Julio Sauce
Ecuadorian-born Gravesend resident is among NYC's fastest long-distance runners in his age category
Shirley Aikens
Community activist and president of the Carey Gardens Tenants Association
Antoinette Balzano
Granddaughter of Anthony "Totonno" Pero tells the story of how he founded Totonno's Pizzeria in 1924
Gene Ritter
Founder of Cultural Research Divers shares his knowledge of oceans, estuaries, and Coney Island Creek
Alfie Davis
Longtime Coney Island resident tells the story of three generations of her family