Helicopter pilot who landed on the Coney Island beach
Each spring New York City honors the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps during Fleet Week. Major Stacy Pandak participated as the first female pilot in the USMC MAGTF Air/Ground Demo in Coney Island. She explains some details about how the demo is...
Content type: Oral History Item
Former resident theater artist at Coney Island USA
Fourty-four-year-old Joseph, a former "focalizer" for the Rainbow Nation, gives us a spiritual, mystical take on Coney Island. He used to come to Coney with his parents as a young child, lived in Sea Gate from age 10 to 19 and, in the 80...
Content type: Oral History Item
13-year-old side show worker and activist
Thirteen-year-old Coney Island activist Patrick Burns works at the Side Show, Astroland, and El Dorado. He speaks of his love for Coney Island, "one of the great world wonders," and his plans for saving the place he loves.
Content type: Oral History Item
Parachute Jump lighting designer
Leni Schwendinger discusses her inspiration and process in creating a lighting design for the Parachute Jump including color selection and finding a way to express the feeling and movement of the Parachute Jump when it was a working ride. She...
Content type: Oral History Item
Memories of Tunnels of Love ride operator John Kavakos
Neal recalls his father, John Kavakos, a "street urchin" from Greece who came to Coney Island and built the Tunnels of Love at the Bowery and 12th Street. The attraction consisted of a serene boat ride that took passengers past various...
Content type: Oral History Item
Lived next door to Luna Park
Rose Patton, nee Schwartz, lived in Coney Island in 1938 in a house her mother and aunt inherited from their father. Rose's family of four and her aunt's family of three shared the house for about a year before moving back to Brighton...
Content type: Oral History Item
Two generations are interviewed
Liivia lives in Queens and came to Coney on this day with her son and grandson who are visiting from Ohio. Liivia hasn't been to Coney Island in 50 years and her son Mike, who is also interviewed, is showing Coney to his 7-year-old son for the...
Content type: Oral History Item
Owner of Sheepshead Bay tattoo shop recounts when Coney Island's Stillwell Ave was "Tattoo Alley"
Coney Island Vinny talks about the well-known tattoo artists of the 1950's before tattooing became illegal in Coney Island from 1961-1998. Stillwell Avenue was "Tattoo Alley" and hosted many shops run by local characters with names...
Content type: Oral History Item
Polish immigrant finds success with an Italian food stand in 1950s Coney Island
Morris Egert moved to Coney Island with his family in the early 1950's from Paterson, New Jersey to open a food stand on 16th Street across from Steeplechase Park. As recent immigrants from Poland, they served chopped liver, gefilte fish and...
Content type: Oral History Item
Cousin of Beth Allen, incubator baby
Terry Silverman's cousin, Beth Allen, was born 2 months premature in 1941. Desperate to save her and with few other options - hospitals of the day had no facilities for premature infants - Beth's parents placed her in the care of Dr....
Content type: Oral History Item