Tape # 96 Galvagna, Orazio
Born: 1906
Occupation: Mill worker, construction worker
Ethnic Background: Italian
Interviewer: Theresa DePippo
Comments: Subject: Italian community
Summary: This tape is an interesting account of a family that came to the USA with the intention of returning to Italy, which they did. Later they returned to America to stay. The narrator was then 4 months old. By age 7 he was apprentice to a barber, delivered bread when he was 11, and at 13 1/2 years he went to work in the mill. His education ended at grade 7. There are some recollections of the Strike of 1919. There is reference to the separate communities of Sicilians and non-Sicilians. There are remarks about the depression years, the 1931 Strike, and his eventual work in construction. Also, some interesting cultural insights, e.g. having to kiss his grandfather's hand each time they met.
Collection
Lawrence History Center Oral History Collection
https://lawrencehistory.org/files/audio/oh/2007.500.200-galvagna.mp3
Date (created)
1982-05-10