thedrifter
09-09-03, 08:19 AM
'It makes the story come alive'
September 09,2003
TIMMI TOLER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
More than 60 years ago they trained and lived at a place called Montford Point and made history as the first African Americans to serve in the Marine Corps. That history is on display through photographs, documents and artifacts at The Montford Point Marines Museum, located aboard Camp Johnson, formerly Montford Point.
Soon the museum will begin adding to that collection by having the Montford Point Marines tell their story - in their own words.
Working with the N.C. Humanities Council and Dr. Sharon Raynor of East Carolina University, the museum will begin recording the oral histories of the Montford Point Marines.
"This is extremely significant to the museum," said Finney Greggs, the museum's director. "This information will be available for people to come in, read and research the experiences of the Montford Pointers during a specific point and time."
Raynor, a lecturer at ECU and a project director for the NCHC, has worked extensively with the collection of oral histories, recording those of Vietnam veterans.
"Dr. Raynor will bring the professional angle we need for this project," said Greggs, a retired Marine Corps first sergeant. "She is precise and organized."
Some 20,000 Marines were stationed at Montford Point from 1942 to 1949 and the museum is looking nationwide for those Montford Pointers or their families willing to participant in the project.
Tentatively scheduled to begin in January 2004, the project will include oral and video recordings, which will also be transcribed for reading, of the experiences of the Montford Point Marines.
"We will have select questions that we will ask, but they will have the option of answering the questions they want too," said Greggs. "It will be based on the individual."
The museum will provide a centralized point while the project is underway and will house the oral histories once they are complete.
"Most of these Marines are now in their seventies and eighties; it's a wonderful opportunity to educate the public even more about them and their contributions to this country's history," said Greggs. "In the long range, it will all come together to enhance the educational process of the museum.
"An oral history takes you beyond the artifacts and the photographs," he added. "You're able to read what these Marines experienced in their own words or see them tell you about it on a video. It makes the story come alive."
For more information about the Montford Point Museum or the oral history project, call 450-1340. The museum is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
http://www.thelibertynews.com/details.cfm?StoryID=15890
Sempers,
Roger
:marine:
September 09,2003
TIMMI TOLER
DAILY NEWS STAFF
More than 60 years ago they trained and lived at a place called Montford Point and made history as the first African Americans to serve in the Marine Corps. That history is on display through photographs, documents and artifacts at The Montford Point Marines Museum, located aboard Camp Johnson, formerly Montford Point.
Soon the museum will begin adding to that collection by having the Montford Point Marines tell their story - in their own words.
Working with the N.C. Humanities Council and Dr. Sharon Raynor of East Carolina University, the museum will begin recording the oral histories of the Montford Point Marines.
"This is extremely significant to the museum," said Finney Greggs, the museum's director. "This information will be available for people to come in, read and research the experiences of the Montford Pointers during a specific point and time."
Raynor, a lecturer at ECU and a project director for the NCHC, has worked extensively with the collection of oral histories, recording those of Vietnam veterans.
"Dr. Raynor will bring the professional angle we need for this project," said Greggs, a retired Marine Corps first sergeant. "She is precise and organized."
Some 20,000 Marines were stationed at Montford Point from 1942 to 1949 and the museum is looking nationwide for those Montford Pointers or their families willing to participant in the project.
Tentatively scheduled to begin in January 2004, the project will include oral and video recordings, which will also be transcribed for reading, of the experiences of the Montford Point Marines.
"We will have select questions that we will ask, but they will have the option of answering the questions they want too," said Greggs. "It will be based on the individual."
The museum will provide a centralized point while the project is underway and will house the oral histories once they are complete.
"Most of these Marines are now in their seventies and eighties; it's a wonderful opportunity to educate the public even more about them and their contributions to this country's history," said Greggs. "In the long range, it will all come together to enhance the educational process of the museum.
"An oral history takes you beyond the artifacts and the photographs," he added. "You're able to read what these Marines experienced in their own words or see them tell you about it on a video. It makes the story come alive."
For more information about the Montford Point Museum or the oral history project, call 450-1340. The museum is open to the public on Tuesdays and Thursdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
http://www.thelibertynews.com/details.cfm?StoryID=15890
Sempers,
Roger
:marine: