The Valdez Museum knows the value of oral history and aspired to capture the stories and memories of the eldest living generation of Old Town Valdezans through interviews and corresponding transcripts. This generation of elders included the decision-makers, community leaders, and adult residents of Valdez, Alaska just before, during, and after the massive 1964 Earthquake.
The Following is an excerpt from one such interview with Dolores Stelling, conducted by Gloria McAlister on July 7th, 2004.
Gloria - If I remember correctly, at the time of the
earthquake, Friday, it was at the end of the month, and did the bank close at
3:00?
Dolores - Yes, 3:00pm
Gloria - and everybody got their state paychecks AFTER 3:00 and
the bank was closed and NOBODY had any money at the time of the
earthquake. They had a PAYCHECK, but no
cash money!
Dolores - Yeah, we didn’t have any cash on us either. After the
earthquake we headed up the road without any money and Harvey borrowed [$100.00]
one hundred dollars from somebody up the road to pay him back later!
Gloria - Yeah,we got to
Fairbanks and uh, was there a man by the name Mr. James Dobson up there?
Dolores - That sounds familiar.
Gloria - I think it was somebody that dad recommended but mom
borrowed plane fare from him then once we got to Seattle we had funds down in
Seattle, she wrote him a check.
Dolores - We were all penniless weren’t we? Leaving town with no money!
Gloria - And I had a baby six weeks old, seven different changes of milk in a week I mean we fed him whatever we had, which was different every stop!
What an interesting interview. I look forward to seeing more like this.
ReplyDeleteNice to see this blog up and running. It's great to see more of the museum's oral histories online, and interesting dialogue about natural disasters. Anyone who has something to say about "Communities, Disaster and Change" is welcome to post here -- we look forward to hearing from you!
ReplyDeleteDolores was my grandmother. She was a strong willed woman. Very well thought of, along with my grandfather Harvey. I later found out through other old timers in the area that after the quake hit she went to the local First national bank and held fort against any looters while others evacuated. She was the local bank manager I believe. I also was told that she picked up a baby and delivered it to its mother in copper center area. Boy what I wouldn't give to sit down and ask her what happened.
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