Oral History Archive

Filtering by 1980 - 1989 back to all

Donna Bianco

Memories of working as a police officer in Coney Island in the 1980s and '90s

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

Grace Lo

Homeowner and community activist in Coney Island's West End for almost 30 years

Johanna Gargiulo Sherman

Artist and Coney Island resident recalls growing up on Mermaid Avenue above Carolina Restaurant

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

Irina Roizin

Founder and director of Brighton Ballet Theater, founded in 1987

Santos Torres

Coney Island resident since the 1970s, community gardener and musician

Commendatore Aldo Mancusi

Memories of Coney Island in the 1930s and '40s and growing up in Brooklyn in an Italian family

Albert Apuzzi and Dori Ten

Coney Island handball champions Albert Apuzzi and Dori Ten on the mecca of handball

Jorge Gallegos

Working year-round at Deno's Wonder Wheel Park for 30 years

Anthony Martire

A family tradition of raising and racing homing pigeons in Coney Island

Martine Emile

Longtime Coney Island resident and cinematographer for a series of indie films shot here

Georganna Deas

Coney Island resident Georganna Deas has spent forty years advocating for a better Coney Island

Louise Milano

Louise Milano's mother, Carolina, operated Carolina Restaurant on Mermaid Avenue for 60 years

Gabriel Valencia

Twenty years as part of the family at Gregory & Paul's and Paul's Daughter on the Coney Island Boardwalk