Oosterbaan, George (Interview outline and video), 2015
Oral history
Veterans History Project (U.S.)
United States--History, Military
Veterans
Video recordings
World War, 1939-1945--Personal narratives, American
United States. Navy
George Oosterbaan was born on May 17, 1926 in Ellsworth, Michigan. In 1942 (or 1943) he moved to Grand Rapids, Michigan and in May 1944 he enlisted in the Navy. He received basic training at Great Lakes Naval Station, Illinois then went to Camp Bradford, Virginia for Amphibious Training. He went to Jeffersonville, Indiana and joined the crew of LST 720 and sailed to the Gulf of Mexico for the ship's shakedown cruise. In late 1944 they sailed to the Pacific Theatre and operated around the New Hebrides until sailing to the Philippines in 1945. He took part in the Battle of Lingayen Gulf in January 1945 and supply operations around the Philippines until the surrender of Japan in August 1945. After the war he stayed with crew of LST 720 and sailed around China, Korea, and Japan helping transport liberated Chinese slave laborers and Japanese soldiers back to their home countries. In spring 1946 they sailed for the U.S. and arrived in Bremerton, Washington in May 1946. The ship was decommissioned in June 1946 and he was sent back to Great Lakes Naval Station in late June and got discharged there.
Oosterbaan, George
Veterans History Project collection, (RHC-27)
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Allendale, Michigan
In Copyright
Opeka, Raymond (Interview outline and video), 2008
Michigan--History, Military
United States. Army
Other veterans & civilians--Personal narratives, American
Raymond Paul Opeka was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1956. He convinced his mother to give him written permission to join the Army before he graduated from high school. He was sent to Fort Polk for basic training where he did very poorly on many of the physical tests and activities, and in the advanced training. Opeka was able to remain in the Army at that time because of the shortage of enlisted men. Raymond was sent to Germany, where he continued training. Many of the men he was stationed with were doing lots of drugs and there were also many racial fights.
Opeka, Raymond
Veterans History Project Collection, (RHC-27)
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Lemmen Library and Archives
Kentwood Historic Preservation Commission (Kentwood, Mich.)
Oppenhuizen, Roger (Interview outline and video), 2011
Vietnam War, 1961-1975--Personal narratives, American
Roger Oppenhuizen was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, in 1946. After completing college in 1968, he enlisted in the Army to stay ahead of the draft, and signed up for Officer Candidate School. He did his basic training at Fort Dix, New Jersey, and then trained as a combat engineer at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri. The Army assigned him to Infantry OCS instead of Finance, so he decided not to enter the program, so he was sent directly to Vietnam as a combat engineer in May, 1969. In Vietnam, he served with D Company, 35th Engineer Battalion, which was based at Soc Trang in the Mekong Delta and working on constructing a two-lane highway connecting the Delta to Saigon. For the first three months, Oppenhuizen worked on constructing the highway. However, because he knew how to type, Oppenhuizen eventually moved up to the company headquarters first to replace the operations sergeant while he was on leave, and then to replace the departing company clerk.
Oppenhuizen, Roger
Oracz, John (Interview outline and video), 2014
John Oracz was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan in 1925. He was drafted into the Navy in 1943 and went to basic training at Farragut Naval Station, Idaho and then went to the University of Chicago for radio training. In late 1943 he was sent to Shoemaker Navy Base, California to wait for his next orders, and in early 1944 he finally received orders to join the Pacific Theatre. After doing a few weeks of supply work on various liberated Pacific islands he finally boarded the USS Hoel, a destroyer, in early 1944 in the Solomon Islands. Aboard the Hoel he saw action during the Invasion of Peleliu and at Leyte Gulf, where his ship was sunk. He was rescued after three days in the water, and served on several other ships without seeing further action until he returned home in 1946.
Oracz, John
Orosz, Joel J. video interview and transcript
Philanthropy and society
Personal narratives
Charities
Michigan
Associations, institutions, etc.
Joel Orosz discusses his education and work at the Kalamazoo Public Museum, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and the Johnson Center for Philanthropy at Grand Valley State University. He authored a book on how to be a grantmaker. He shares stories about the development of the Council of Michigan Foundations, Michigan community foundations with Youth Advisory Committees, Michigan Youth Philanthropy Initiative Project, Learning to Give, and the Johnson Center. He discusses Johnson Center programs: The Grantmaking School, Community Research Institute, The Foundation Review, Nonprofit Good Practice Guide. He reflects on the importance of the nonprofit sector in philanthropy and the value of a liberal education.
Orosz, Joel J.
Dorothy A. Johnson Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Leadership, Michigan Philanthropy Oral History Project
Johnson Center for Philanthropy Archives
Orr, Al (Interview outline and video), 2004
United States. Marine Corps
Al Orr was born in Grand Rapids, Michigan on November 5, 1935. He enlisted in the Marines Corps in November 1952 when he was only 17 years old. Al was sent to the Pacific in March 1966 and first arrived in Okinawa where he was assigned to a unit. He was then sent into Da Nang where he worked as an assistant operations officer of his battalion. Al was in Vietnam for a little over a year and was engaged in a campaign against the Viet Cong in his sector.
Orr, Al
Caledonia High School (Caledonia, Mich.)
Ortega, German (audio interview, Spanish transcript, and English translation)
Migrant
Agriculture
Hispanic
Puerta de Mangos
Grand Rapids (Mich.)
Peaches
Cherries
Asparagus
Naturalization
Oral history interview with German Ortega. Interviewed by Penny Burillo. Hart, Michigan. Spanish language. June 18, 2016.
Ortega, German
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage)
Orvis, Fay (Interview outline and video), 2008
Women
Fay Orvis was a soldier during World War II in the United States Navy. He worked as a minesweeper during his time in the service and spent time in Okinawa and Saipan. His account describes different duties performed on the minesweeper and onshore in California and on various islands, as well as incidents involving kamikaze attacks and mine explosions.
Orvis, Fay
Jane Osman (Audio interview and transcript), 2018
Saugatuck (Mich.)
Douglas (Mich.)
Allegan County (Mich.)
Outdoor recreation
Waitresses
Audio recordings
Jane discusses working as a waitress in the Saugatuck Douglas area at the Frosted Mug and, later, the Red Wood. She discusses her relationship with the restaurants' owners and the atmosphere of working as a server at that time
Osman, Jane
Documenting the Histories of Summers in Saugatuck-Douglas, Kutsche Office of Local History
Stories of Summer (Common Heritage project)
Ostar, Allan W (Interview outline and video), 2016
Allan Ostar was born on September 4, 1924, in East Orange, New Jersey. He went to Pennsylvania State University in fall 1942 and joined the Reserve Officer's Training Corps, then joined the Enlisted Reserve Corps. He volunteered for active duty and was inducted at Fort Meade, Maryland. He received Basic Training, Radio Training, and Signal Corps Training at Camp Crowder, Missouri, then was selected for the Army Specialized Training Program. He received Engineering Training at the University of Denver and Regis College until the ASTP was disbanded. Allan then received orders to go to Camp Gruber, Oklahoma, to join the 42nd Infantry Division. He was initially assigned to K Company of the 242nd Infantry Regiment, then transferred to Headquarters Company, before winding up in the Cannon Company. In November 1944 the 42nd went to New York City for deployment to Europe. They arrived at Marseille, France, in late November/early December 1944 then traveled north to help the French defend Strasbourg and the Alsace-Lorraine. During "Operation Nordwind" he received a Bronze Star for staying behind to direct artillery fire and another Bronze Star in Hagenau. In March 1945 he crossed the Rhine River into Germany, and took part in the liberation of Dachau on April 29, 1945. At the end of the war he entered Austria, and served in Austria as part of the occupying force. He left Europe in late 1945 (or early 1946) and was discharged at Fort Dix, New Jersey.
Ostar, Allan W.
Maps
A a hand-drawn map divided into numbered segments.
Otsego Library
Digital file collected by the Kutsche Office of Local History from the Saugatuck Douglas History Center for the Stories of Summer project.
Copyright Undetermined
Kalamazoo River (Mich.)
Postcards
Plaintiff Exhibit 8, the back of a postcard. It is a scan of a standard back of a postcard, copyright 1957. It is labled The Kalamazoo River, Saugatuck, Mich.
Citizen suits (Civil procedure)
Evidence
Cars (Automobiles)
Plaintiff Exhibit 21. A photo of a road with cars on both sides. There are several houses within the shot, as well as telephone wire. The back of the photograph, which is labeled with both the date the photograph was taken and the Holland Photography label and stamp. The back of the photograph, which is labeled with both the date the photograph was taken and the Holland Photography label and stamp.
Plaintiff Exhibit 22. A black and whote photograph of a street. There are cars along the sidewalks and there is a light pole in the left side. There is a puddle in the center of the shot. The back of the photograph, labled Plaintiff's Exhibit 22. The contact information for Holland Photography is in the bottom right corner.
Plaintiff Exhibit 23. A black and white photo of a street that leads to a stop sign. There is a sidewalk along the road, and there are several buildings in the distance. The back of the photograph, labled Plaintiffs Exhibit 23. The contact information for Holland Photography is in the bottom right corner. Fingers can be seen on the sides of the photo.
Plaintiff Exhibit 7. A black and white photo of the Mt. Baldhead Hotel taken from across the water. There is a boat in the water on the left side, and someone's fingers can be seen in the corners of the image. The back of the photograph, labled Plaintiff's Exhibit 7. The contact information for Holland Photography is in the bottom right corner.
Mt. Baldhead (Mich.)
Plaintiff Exhibit 6. A black and white picture of the Mount Baldhead Hotel sign from the street view. A smaller sign below reads "Gentiles," and there is a small Michigan map sign next to the bigger sign.
Boats
Plantiff's Exhibit 12. An aerial shot of Saugatuck, Michigan. Several large ferries or boats are on the water, and the dance hall can be seen.
Plaintiff's Exhibit 13. A wide shot of a large ferry on the water. Smoke exits its smoke stack. The image is labeled Saugatuck, Mich.
Plaintiff's Exhibit 30. A black and white photo of the Saugatuck Boat Livery. Three men stand in front of the building. They are surrounded by many kayaks and canoes. On the back, "#8" is handwritten in the top right corner.
Plaintiff's Exhibit 4. A black and white photo of several wooden buildings that sit on the water. There is a dock depicted in the picture, and a small motor boat is docked next to it.
Plaintiff's Exhibit 10. A black and white aerial shot of several large ferries on the water. Thick smoke exits the smokestack of the boat on the right side of the image.
Plaintiff's Exhibit 5. A black and white aerial shot. There are several buildings, as well as a thickly forested area. Towards the right and the bottom portions of the image, the water is visible.
Plaintiff's Exhibit 11. A black and white aerial shot of the area of Saugatuck along the water, including the dance hall and the Hotel Butler. Several boats are on the water. In the bottom of the image, there are trees.