The Oral History program at Northeastern was the brainchild of history lecturer R. Wayne Anderson. Anderson’s oral history work in the field of maritime history led him to introduce an independent study course in oral history at Northeastern in 1977. The success of the first course was such that similar classes at the undergraduate and graduate level soon followed and Anderson became the director of the University’s Oral History Project program.
Anderson and his oral history students were involved with a variety of projects including interviews about a race-related shooting in a Cambridge public school, the experiences of Episcopal missionaries in China, and the lives of local New England fishermen. One of their most significant projects, however, is a collection of oral histories from veterans of World War I, World War II, and Vietnam. This collection includes interviews with Northeastern University alumni Charles Armour, Frank Feirman, and Donald McDonald. The links at the bottom of the page provide audio and textual excerpts from selected interviews.
The project was not strong or independent enough to survive Anderson’s retirement in 1989; the Oral History Project ended in the early 1990s.
World War I Veterans:
World War II Veterans:
Vietnam War Veterans: