Oral History Archive

Gene Ritter
Founder of Cultural Research Divers shares his knowledge of oceans, estuaries, and Coney Island Creek
Alfie Davis
Long-time Coney Island resident tells the story of three generations of her family
Derrick Batts
Coney Island resident and proprietor of Coney Island Hook and Bait Shop
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, now celebrating its 30th year
Marie Martorano
Bensonhurst native recalls riding Spook-A-Rama and playing Fascination in the 1970s
Kathy Duke O'Melia
Girlhood memories of summering in a Coney Island bungalow in the 1950s
Santos Torres
Coney Island resident for 43 years, 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
April Leong
Founder and principal of Coney Island's Liberation Diploma Plus High School
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