Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, 1984-2014

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Summary

Abstract:
The Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, 1984-2014, consists of fifty-one oral histories, forty-one of which have been transcribed. Historian Glenna Matthews conducted these interviews as part of the research for her book, Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream: Gender, Class, and Opportunity in the Twentieth Century (2003).
Extent:
4 boxes (2.29 linear feet)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, MSS-2010-06-10, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

Background

Scope and content:

The Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, 1984-2014, consists of fifty-one oral history interviews and forty-one transcriptions. Historian, Glenna Matthews, conducted these interviews as part of the research for her book, Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream: Gender, Class, and Opportunity in the Twentieth Century (2003). Matthews' study originated from her dissertation, which she completed at Stanford in the 1970s. She extended her original research on Santa Clara County in the Great Depression to include the transformation of the "Valley of the Hearts Delight"-reflecting the agricultural roots of the region-to become known as the "Silicon Valley," from mid-century to the present. The focus of this work is on the social and economic history of the region, with a specific focus on women workers. She documented the workforce during the agricultural hey-day through the modern era of high-tech industries. The book and the oral interviews demonstrate how poor and immigrant women have shouldered the work production, while making the lowest wages. Moreover, the oral histories provide primary sources that document the diverse experiences of individuals living in this region, while providing the historical context for understanding the sweeping changes that produced the Silicon Valley. The collection consists of audio cassette tapes, transcriptions, and select release forms from the interviewers. The interviews include: Alvarado, Jaime; Bacon, David; Batchet, Robert; Brownstein, Bob; Butcher, Robert; Caleb, Ambrosio; Case, John; Ching, Vicky Kwon; Coates, Karen; Cruz, Jose; Cuffman, Rebecca; Dean, Amy; Degler, Carl; Farrell, Harry; Ferri, Dora Peregrina; Ficarotta, I.G.; Figueroa, Bruno; Goddard, Joan; Gonzales, Ron; Hammer, Susan; Hawes, Amanda; Henley, Albert; Krutko, Leslye; Krutko, Paul; La Barbera, Joe; Lamborn, Patricia; Liccardo, Sam; Lofgren, Zoe; Macleod, George; Manan, Romie; Mar, Warren; Marshall, Rachel; Mavrogenes, Harry; McCaffrey, Mercedes; McCrorey, Dee; Mendacci, Norma; Naslund, Leila; Newell, Amy; Payne, Perley; Perea, Theresa; Phan, Lien; Powell, Deborah; Rocha, L.H.; Ruffo, Al; Sanchez, Sig; Sawicky, Ed; Schoennauer, Gary; Segler, Carl; Shope, Claudia; Smith, Arlene; Smith, Ted; Taylor, Frank; Wakefield, Barbara; Wilson, Susanne; Woods, Pat; Zimmerman, Marlene.

Biographical / historical:

Dr. Glenna Matthews, historian, received her B.A. from San José State University in 1969 and in 1977 she received her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Matthews is the author of several books on the history of U.S. women. Among her major publications are Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream: Gender, Class, and Opportunity in the Twentieth Century (2003), Rise of Public Woman: Woman's Power and Woman's Place, 1630-1970 (1992), and "Just a Housewife" : The Rise and Fall of Domesticity in America (1987). Matthews has worked as an associate professor at Oklahoma State University and a visiting associate professor at Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley and Los Angeles. In addition, Matthews also served as the principal consultant for an award-winning documentary about historian Angie Debo.

Acquisition information:
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
Processing information:

Collection processed by Elizabeth Lopez. Finding aid EAD encoded by Elizabeth Lopez. Updated by Lisa Zakharova. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.

Collection rearranged and rehoused by Dana V. Lema in July, 2017

Arrangement:

This collection is arranged into three series: Series I. Transcriptions; Series II. Recordings; Series III. Interviewee Documentation and Research Notes.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

Access and use

Restrictions:

The collection is open for research.

Terms of access:

Copyright has not been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections and Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

Preferred citation:

Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, MSS-2010-06-10, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

Location of this collection:
One Washington Square
San Jose, CA 95192-0028, US
Contact:
408-808-2062
special.collections@sjsu.edu
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