Oral Histories

Village Oral Histories

Former Mayor Cindy Lerner 
Learn about Village achievements during Mayor Lerner's tenure

 

Founding Village Council Video including Cindie Blanck, Leslie Bowe, Barry Blaxberg, and Robert Hingston
Learn about the early years of the Village government from members of the first Council (Interview from 2017)

Ruth Braddock Video
Taught at newly opened Howard Drive Elementary and later at Palmetto High(Interview from 2015)

Ellen Carrier Transcript(PDF, 26KB)
Grew up in the Whilden-Carrier home and shares memories of day-to-day life in rural East Kendall

Margaret Carrier Transcript(PDF, 28KB)
Carrier family member shares her memories of day-to-day life in rural East Kendall

John Carrier Transcript(PDF, 23KB)
Carrier family member shares his memories of day-to-day life in rural East Kendall

Andre Dawson Video
Baseball legend and long-time Pinecrest resident (Interview from 2017)

Angelo Demos Video
Veteran of WWII (Interview from 2013)

Joyce Diehl Video
Helped preserve area's character (Interview from 2010)

Ray Fisher Video
Long-time photographer for the Miami Herald shares his memories(Interview from 2011)

Joseph Hackney Video
Veteran of the Korean Conflict (Interview from 2013)

Jack Hinman Transcript(PDF, 98KB)
Birdhouse builder watched Kenwood Elementary being built and was among the first students

Thomas Mitchell Transcript(PDF, 50KB) Video
Pioneer shares memories of his Mango groves (Interview from 2001)

Joy Parrish Transcript(PDF, 87KB) Video
Remembers seeing German prisoners of war exercising at the camp near Dadeland

Dick Renick Video
Former state senator and long-time Pinecrest resident (Interview from 2015)

Dorothy Rodriguez Video
Veteran of WWII (Interview from 2013)

Ike Seamans Video
Former NBC network bureau chief who started as a reporter at WTVJ (Interview from 2016)

Darby Collins Smith Video
Growing up in the Governor's Mansion - the daughter of Gov. Leroy Collins

Eleanor Stritter Video
Former Pan Am Airways employee whose husband started Stritter Mangos (Interview from 2015)

Janice Thomas Video
Talks about the progress she has seen in Pinecrest since 1953 (Interview from 2015)

Ken Vandell Transcript(PDF, 53KB) Video
Engineer for Homestead Air Force Base (Interview from 2001)

Ruth Vandell Transcript(PDF, 36KB)
Ken's wife share's 50 years of her Pinecrest memories

Geneva Waldin Transcript(PDF, 61KB)
Researcher for "Villages of South Dade" book remembers desegregation of local schools

Marie Wood Transcript(PDF, 59KB)
Early resident tells of "the good life" in early days of Pinecrest