More than 500 oral histories are available for listening in the Coney Island History Project’s multilingual online archive. Among the recent additions are the following interviews recorded by Charles Denson and Tricia Vita.
Fifty years ago this month, Mike Boodley set a world record for consecutive roller coaster rides by riding the Coney Island Cyclone 1,001 times over 45 hours. Now an award-winning roller coaster designer, Boodley shares memories of the ride, how it came about, and the people who cheered him on and rode with him. Other topics in the interview include the influence of Coney Island's Tornado on his coaster designs and memories of Astroland's flamboyant publicist Milton Berger.
Anthony D’Amico tells the secret inside story of how Coney Island’s $350 million dollar Stillwell Avenue Terminal came into being. D'Amico was the Chief Financial Officer in charge of funding billions of dollars in MTA mega-projects, including the the Second Avenue subway, Fulton Transit Center, and rebuilding the Cortland Street Station destroyed in 9/11. D'Amico also describes the highlights of his fascinating 37-year career in public transit.
Ninety-five-year-old Rita Kaminsky describes growing up in Coney Island during the 1930s and 1940s. Kaminsky was born at home in the family's apartment above her grandmother's store at 2717 Surf Avenue. In this interview she shares memories of life during the Great Depression and Coney Island during World War II.
Randy Profeta is the great grandson of Harry Wildman, who was Coney Island's premier sign painter from the 1890s until he died in 1930. Profeta shares family stories of his grandmother Beatrice, Harry's daughter, and her romance with his grandfather, Vito Onorato, who worked in Steeplechase Park. Researching his family history, Profeta learned that Harry Wildman did sign work for Feltmans, Nathan's, Steeplechase Park and Luna Park.
Please listen, share, and if you or someone you know would like to record a story remotely via phone or Zoom, sign up here. We record interviews in English, Russian, Chinese, and other languages with people who have lived or worked in Coney Island and adjacent neighborhoods or have a special connection to these places.
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