Oral History Archive

Florian Freitag
Visiting scholar whose research interests include theme park studies
Candi Rafael
Coney Island carny kid and water race game operator on the Bowery
Irina Roizin
Founder and director of Brighton Ballet Theater, founded in 1987
Marie Martorano
Bensonhurst native recalls riding Spook-A-Rama and playing Fascination in the 1970s
Michael Borruto
Revisiting the Spook-A-Rama and Wonder Wheel of his boyhood
Kathy Duke O'Melia
Girlhood memories of summering in a Coney Island bungalow in the 1950s
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
Scott Krivitsky
Teacher and community advocate at Public School 188 in Coney Island
Filippo Dispenza
Science teacher at John Dewey High School and advisor for the Robotics Team
Eric K. Washington
Historian delves into the life of E.J. Perry, African-American silhouette artist at Luna Park
Zinovy Pritsker
Musician and founder of a jazz big band recounts his journey from Leningrad to Southern Brooklyn
Albert Apuzzi and Dori Ten
Coney Island handball champions Albert Apuzzi and Dori Ten on the mecca of handball
Ted Enoch
Partnerships for Parks' Catalyst community specialist on waterfront parks along Coney Island Creek
Sarah Beetson
UK illustrator based in Australia who created her own summer-long artist residency in Coney Island
Viktor Vassiliev
New York Bread co-owner talks about baking 30 different kinds of Russian bread in Coney Island
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