The Great Depression

Item set

Title
The Great Depression
Description
During the 1930s, the state of Illinois suffered the effects of the Great Depression, just like the rest of the country. Students at the University of Illinois felt the effects of the economic downturn in a number of ways.

This collection of 45 oral histories was compiled from a series of interviews conducted by the Student Life and Culture Archival Program in 2000, 2001, and 2007 in an effort to document student life at the University of Illinois from the years 1928 to 1938.

The last living interviewee died in December 2021. This makes these recordings all the more important, as they preserve the experiences, memories, thoughts, and voices of those who are no longer here to share them.
project start date
2000

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  • Ruth Kuhn Youngerman

    Ruth Kuhn Youngerman (1914-2021) was a member of the Class of 1935. She studied Economics and attended graduate school for business. Ruth joined the Alpha Epsilon Phi sorority, but she was not very active in it. Finally, Ruth said she did not experience discrimination as a Jewish student.

  • James Vaky

    James Vaky (1911-2012) was a member of the Class of 1933. He initially studied music, but graduated with a degree in Education. James played in the band, and he was a member of the Phi Mu Alpha music fraternity. Also, he won the Poetry Prize.

  • Jean Peabody Taylor

    Jean Peabody Taylor (1914-2009) was a member of the Class of 1935. She graduated with a degree in Accounting, but retrained to be a teacher. Jean worked throughout college and lived at home.

  • Audrey Moore Stewart

    Audrey Moore Stewart (1910-2018) graduated in 1932 with a degree in Journalism. She took some graduate courses and finished a second BA in English in 1934. Audrey joined the Alpha Delta Theta sorority and the Glee Club; and she wrote for the Daily Illini. Her family was well-off, so Audrey did not experience financial difficulty in the Depression. She died in May 2018, just a few days after her 108th birthday, making her the longest-lived interviewee from the Great Depression oral history series.

  • Portia Allen Smith

    Portia Allyn Smith (1916-2015) attended the University from the fall of 1934 through 1937. She studied Geology and lived in a co-op house. Portia worked for the National Youth Administration as a clerk to pay for her living expenses. She remembered a bias against women in the sciences.

  • Darius Phebus

    Darius Phebus (1910-2007) graduated in 1933. He studied Liberal Arts as an undergraduate; and he later went to law school. Darius did not have a lot of money during the Great Depression. In fact, he worked for a sorority to help pay for his education and his living expenses.

  • Mary Kay Hansen Peer

    Mary Kay Hansen Peer (1914-2002) graduated in 1934. She majored in English, but she had an unfulfilled dream of studying Business and managing a hotel. Mary Kay was a typist in high school and college. Also, she worked for a handful of departments across the University. She said the Depression was hard, but she did not suffer too much.

  • Barbara Bischoff Patten

    Barbara Bischoff Patten (1914-2004) was a member of the Class of 1936. She joined a sorority and majored in History. Barbara did not have a lot of extra money during the Depression, but she was not impoverished. Nevertheless, Barbara worked as a store clerk during college.

  • William O'Dell

    William O'Dell (1909-2009) graduated in 1931. He joined the Delta Upsilon fraternity and studied Commerce and Business. William said his choice of major made him aware of the stock market crash and the Great Depression. He said he felt a pinch during the Depression, but he was not seriously impoverished.

  • Mary Monahan

    Mary Monahan (1905-2003) was a member of the Class of 1927. She studied Journalism and wrote for the <em>Daily Illini</em>. Mary did not need to have a job when she was in college. She enjoyed watching sports and was active in the Newman Chapel.