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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/ec68a062eadd4c5c05f0fe9158460fb7.pdf
c6a64eaa4e223e4bfaee2340dd35dd6c
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Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Russell Robbins Interview
Total Time – (41:17)
Interviewed by Walter Urick, February 19, 2016.
Background
• He is the son of Mason and Dorothy Robbins
o His father worked for Doctor Munger from 1946 until 1959
• He was born in September of 1941 in Hart, Michigan
o From a family of 9 girls and 2 boys
• He graduated from Hart High School in 1960
Work History Overview – (1:27)
• From 1950 to 1960 he worked with his dad at Doctor Munger’s farm in the summer
• He bought and took over a gas station in 1960
• From 1965 to 1972 he ran a Dodge car dealership
• In 1971 he started teaching part-time at West Shore Community College in Scottville as
an automotive instructor
• He worked up to be a self-educated technical person
o He took a correspondence course in 1961 with the National Automotive Service
Excellency Group
o He helped to organize the state of Michigan’s mechanic certification test and
mechanic certification procedures
• In 1991 he went back into business because the college eliminated the automotive
program, and so he had an independent shop until 2003
• He then got involved in the Hart Historic District as a volunteer
Doctor Munger’s Farming Operations – (5:40)
• Doctor Munger owned 500 acres of cherries by 1950, as one of the largest tart cherry
growers in the world
• Russell was involved in the operation by trimming trees, handling fertilizer…but he
didn’t pick the cherries
• It would take 400-600 people six weeks to pick all the cherries
• Doctor Munger’s orchard locations
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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12 acres on West Main Street in Hart, which is now Plum Street
30 acres west on 64th called the Bray Farm
80 and 12 acres on the Clark Farm
27 acres on Tyler Road
144 acres on Poke Road at 116th, called the McDonald Farm
80 acres called the England Farm where Russell helped plant the cherries
400 acres on Juniper Beach
▪ Doctor Munger would sell lots there and people would build cottages
▪ 164 acres of cherries at Juniper Beach
How the Cherries Were Harvested – (10:29)
• They had two crews from 250 to 350 people
• They would pick by trees instead of by rows
• They put the cherries into lugs when picking
• At the checkout station, the cherries would be weighed and people got punches in their
tickets for all their cherries picked
• Doctor Munger and his wife came in the payroll car every day to pay the workers
o Because they paid in cash and therefore had $6,000-12,000 in their car, they had
an armed guard with them
• If a worker had 200 pounds and it was 2 cents a pound, they got $4
• It took about six weeks to pick the cherries
• On an average day, 500 people would pick 70,000-80,000 pounds of cherries
• The cherries had to be picked, hauled, taken to the canning factory, loaded and
unloaded, etc
• In 1954 Floyd Cargill changed to hauling cherries in water tanks in trucks
The Cherry Pickers – (16:28)
• There was discrimination so all of the workers were Caucasian
• Doctor Munger would go to Florida every year to visit the people and recruit them
• None were Hispanic in the 1950s
• The workers came from Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, Tennessee
• They were housed in little cabins at a number of the farming locations
• Russell worked there from when he was 10-19 years old
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
A Typical Work Day – (19:25)
• They could work from 6:00am until 5:00pm
• Around 300 people that came to work every year
• The average male could pick 1,000 pounds of cherries a day
o When paying him and his family, they could make $75-100 a day maybe
• The camps had a central water location, but people showered in Lake Michigan
• They always had to haul around 500 people and 200 ladders
• Supervisors were school teachers or full-time employees
• Some people would only pick the bottoms of the trees if they were leaving town, so
some workers followed behind to clean up the tops
• They had to haul the cherries to Oceana Canning Company in Shelby
• Russell and his father started the cherry shaker program in 1957 after Doctor Munger’s
son had taken over
• Farming has gotten much more advanced today than those days
Outstanding Memories – (27:30)
• Russell and others would have fun on the sand dunes with their tractors
• He contracted work from Pearl Anderson’s lunch stand, and he would sell candy bars
and pop to the workers in the fields
o He remembers a day when kids were fooling around with his pop selling business
The Migrants and Doctor Munger’s Son – (31:37)
• Russell’s first girlfriend, Shirley, was from Georgia
o Her family came up to pick cherries, and they were a well-off family
• He can remember other people that he worked with in the farms
• Doctor Munger’s son wasn’t as much of a business man as his father, and the operations
defaulted quickly
• The Gebheart family bought it, and then Ronny Longcore bought it after that
• The orchards got old and were taken out, and the area was developed into cottages
Oceana County – (34:33)
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�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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Russell believes the number one factor to the area’s economy is the tourist business,
such as Silver Lake and Pentwater
o Double JJ Ranch is a boom to the economy too
Second in the county is farming
o Years ago they did farming manually, but today it is an agribusiness
o Farming depends on the weather and the prices
o Farmers are more educated today and processing plants help them out too
Russell was offered the chance to move and teach in Flint, but he turned it down
He was brought up at Knox’s Swamp
Doctor Munger and His Wife – (38:08)
• His wife, Edith, was involved in the farming operations by keeping the books and being
in the payroll car every night
• Doctor Munger had a free gas pump for all of his full-time employees
• Their old house is now the Oceana Genealogical and Historical Society
• Russell remembers a story of his father taking him to visit Doctor Munger’s house when
he was young
• Russell doesn’t regret being brought up on a farm
o He feels sorry for the younger generation today that has so much mental stress
as opposed to the physical stress that his generation went through
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/bede772e9a327c36fb2f7c7ddd0ad9f3.pdf
e185f0342ef269127b736af32da15ae9
PDF Text
Text
Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
Entrevista de Russell Robbins
Tiempo total – (41:17)
Entrevistado por Walter Urick, 19 Febrero 2016
(Traducido al espaňol por Kassie O’Brien, May 2016)
Antecedentes
• Él es hijo de Mason y Dorothy Robbins
o Su padre trabajó para el Dr. Munger desde 1946 hasta 1959
• Nació en septiembre de 1941 en Hart, Michigan
o De una familia de 9 mujeres y 2 varones
• Se graduó de Hart High School en 1960
Historial de trabajo – (1:27)
• Desde 1950 hasta 1960 Russell trabajó con su padre durante los veranos en las granjas
del Dr. Munger
• Compró y asumió una gasolinera en 1960
• Desde 1965 hasta 1972 poseyó un concesionario de Dodge
• En 1971 empezó a enseñar a tiempo parcial como maestro de automoción en West
Shore Community College en Scottville
• Se enseñó a ser una persona técnica
o Tomó un curso por correspondencia en 1961 con el National Automotive Service
Excellency Group
o Ayudó a organizar el examen de la certificación de mecánicos para el estado de
Michigan y los procedimientos de la certificación
• En 1991 volvió a su negocio porque la universidad eliminó el programa de automoción, y
así tuvo un taller independiente hasta 2003
• Después se involucró con Hart Historic District (el distrito histórico de Hart) como
voluntario
Las operaciones agrícolas del Dr. Munger – (5:40)
• En 1950, Dr. Munger poseía 500 acres de cerezas, como uno de los cultivadores de
cerezas más grandes del mundo
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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Russell participó en las operaciones con la poda de los cerezos, la manipulación del
abono… pero no recogió las cerezas
Se requirió entre 400 y 600 personas trabajando por seis semanas para lograr recoger
todas las cerezas
La ubicación de los cerezales de Dr. Munger
o 12 acres en la calle West Main en Hart, la cual ahora es la calle Plum
o 30 acres al oeste en la calle 64, llamada Bray Farm
o 80 y 12 acres llamada Clark Farm
o 27 acres en la calle Tyler
o 144 acres en las calles Poke y 116, llamada McDonald Farm
o 80 acres llamada England Farm, donde Russell ayudó a plantar los cerezos
o 400 acres en Juniper Beach
▪ Dr. Munger vendía lotes y había personas que construyeron cabañas allí
▪ 164 acres de cerezas en Juniper Beach
Como se cosechaban las cerezas – (10:29)
• Había dos equipos que tenían entre 250 y 350 personas
• Se dividía el trabajo por cerezos en vez de por filas de cerezos
• Se ponían las cerezas en cestas
• Se pesaban las cerezas y los trabajadores recibieron marcas en sus recibos para denotar
la cantidad de cerezas que recogieron
• Dr. Munger y su esposa venían en el auto cada día para pagar a los trabajadores
o Había un guardia armado con ellos porque pagaron en efectivo y tuvieron entre
6.000 y 12.000 dólares en el auto
• Un trabajador recibió $4 si recogió 200 libras con una tasa de 2 centavos por libra
• Duró más o menos seis semanas para recoger las cerezas
• En un día promedio, 500 personas recogían 70.000-80.000 libras de cerezas
• Se recogían y se acarreaban las cerezas, se transportaban las cerezas a la fábrica de
conservas, se realizaba la carga y la descarga de las cerezas, y más
• En 1954, Floyd Cargill empezó a acarrear las cerezas en tanques de agua en camiones
Las personas que recogieron las cerezas – (16:28)
• Existía discriminación, así todos los trabajadores eran caucásicos
• Dr. Munger iba a la Florida cada año para visitar a la gente y contratarla
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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Ningún trabajador era hispano en los años cincuenta
Los trabajadores vinieron desde Florida, Georgia, Arkansas, Missouri, y Tennessee
Vivían en cabañas pequeñas en varios lugares
Russell trabajó allí desde tenía 10 años hasta que tuviera 19 años
Un día típico de trabajo – (19:25)
• Se podía trabajar desde las seis de la mañana hasta las cinco de la tarde
• Había cerca de 300 personas que regresaban a trabajar cada año
• El hombre promedio podía recoger 1.000 libras de cerezas por día
o Si se le pagó a él y a su familia, ellos podían ganar quizás $75-100 por día
• Los campamentos tuvieron un lugar central de agua, pero la gente se bañaba en el Lago
Michigan
• Siempre tenían que transportar cerca de 500 personas y 200 escaleras
• Los supervisores eran maestros o empleados de tiempo completo
• Algunas personas solamente recogieron la parte más baja de los cerezos si iban a irse
del pueblo, así otros trabajadores venían detrás para recoger las cerezas en la parte más
arriba
• Tenían que transportar las cerezas a Oceana Canning Company en el pueblo de Shelby
• Russell y su padre iniciaron el programa de los agitadores de cerezos en 1957 después
de que el hijo de Dr. Munger asumiera las operaciones
• La agricultura es más avanzada hoy en día
Memorias espectaculares – (27:30)
• Russell y otros trabajadores se divirtieron con sus tractores en las dunas de arena
• Russell trabajó para el puesto de almuerzo de Pearl Anderson, y vendió barras de
chocolate y refrescos a los trabajadores de campo
o Recuerda un día en que los niños estaban haciendo el tonto con sus negocios
Los migrantes y el hijo de Dr. Munger – (31:37)
• Shirley, la primera novia de Russell, era de Georgia
o Su familia vino a recoger las cerezas y tenía bastante dinero
• Russell puede recordar a otras personas con quien trabajó en los campos
�Growing Community: Oceana’s Agricultural History Project
A project supported by a National Endowment for the Humanities Common Heritage Grant
Project Director: Melanie Shell-Weiss, GVSU Liberal Studies Department
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El hijo de Dr. Munger no era hombre de negocios como su padre, y rápidamente las
operaciones empezaron a fracasar
La familia Gebheart compró las operaciones, y luego Ronny Longcore las compró
Se envejecieron y se sacaron los cerezales, y se desarrolló el área para construir cabañas
El condado de Oceana – (34:33)
• Russell cree que el factor más importante a la economía del área es el turismo, como en
Silver Lake y Pentwater
o Double JJ Ranch ayuda la economía también
• El segundo factor importante en el condado es la agricultura
o En el pasado se hizo la agricultura de forma manual, pero hoy en día es
agroindustria
o La agricultura depende del tiempo y de los precios
o Hoy en día los agricultores tienen más educación y tienen la ayuda de las plantas
de procesamiento
• Se le ofreció la oportunidad de mudarse a Flint para enseñar, pero Russell la rechazó
• Él creció cerca de Knox’s Swamp
Dr. Munger y su esposa – (38:08)
• Su esposa, Edith, fue parte de las operaciones agrícolas porque mantuvo los registros y
vino en el auto cada noche para pagar a los empleados
• Había una bomba de gasolina al lado de la casa de Dr. Munger, y él permitió que sus
empleados de tiempo completo la usaran
• Su casa ahora es el Oceana Genealogical and Historical Society
• Russell recuerda una historia cuando su padre le llevó a visitar la casa de Dr. Munger
cuando era muy joven
• Russell no lamenta que creció en una granja
o Le inspira lástima la generación joven hoy en día que tiene muchísimo estrés
mental a diferencia del estrés físico que enfrentó la generación de Russell
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https://digitalcollections.library.gvsu.edu/files/original/43b2e91d58a2b2a44c01efe0c72120ea.mp3
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Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Title
A name given to the resource
Oceana County Migrant Labor History Collection
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Shell-Weiss, Melanie
Description
An account of the resource
Collection contains images and documents digitized and collected through the project "Growing Community: A Century of Migration in Oceana County." This project was a collaboration between El Centro Hispano de Oceana, the Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society, and Grand Valley State University funded by a Common Heritage grant from the United States National Endowment for the Humanities. The materials in this collection document the history of communities in Hart, Shelby, and Walkerville and explore themes of migration, labor, religion, family, belonging, national and cultural identities, regional, national, and international connections, and citizenship.
Coverage
The spatial or temporal topic of the resource, the spatial applicability of the resource, or the jurisdiction under which the resource is relevant
Oceana County (Mich.)
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Grand Valley State University. Kutsche Office of Local History
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University Libraries. Special Collections and University Archives
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
El Centro Hispano de Oceana; Oceana County Historical and Genealogical Society
Relation
A related resource
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage project)
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
application/pdf
image/jpeg
audio/mp3
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Text
Image
Sound recording
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016
Subject
The topic of the resource
Oceana County (Mich.)
Hart (Mich.)
Shelby (Mich.)
Farms
Farmers
Migrant agricultural laborers
Hispanic Americans
Account books
Diaries
Oral history
Oral History
A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge.
Título
Spanish language Title entry
Robbins, Russell (entrevista de audio y resumen)
Descripción
Spanish language Description entry
Entrevista de historia oral con Russell Robbins. Entrevistado por Walter Urick. Febrero 19, 2016. Russell Robbins nació en septiembre de 1941 en Hart, Michigan. Es hijo de Mason y Dorothy Robbins. Durante los veranos desde 1950 hasta 1960, trabajó con su padre en el cultivo de cerezas del Dr. Munger. Russell participó altamente de varias maneras en las operaciones agrícolas de cerezas, tales como la poda de los cerezos, la venta de refrigerios a los trabajadores de campo, el comienzo del programa de los agitadores de cerezos, y más. Asumió una gasolinera en 1960, y desde 1965 hasta 1972 poseyó un concesionario de Dodge. En 1971 empezó a enseñar a tiempo parcial como maestro de automoción en West Shore Community College. Luego, tuvo un taller independiente hasta 2003. Después se involucró con Hart Historic District (el distrito histórico de Hart) como voluntario, disfrutando de la experiencia gratificante allí.
Sujetos
Spanish language Subject terms
Dr. Munger
Las operaciones agrícolas de cerezas
Automoción
Juniper Beach
Discriminación
El programa de los agitadores de cerezos
El turismo
Agroindustria
Dublin Core
The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/.
Identifier
An unambiguous reference to the resource within a given context
DC-06_Robbins_Russell
Creator
An entity primarily responsible for making the resource
Robbins, Russell
Date
A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource
2016-02-19
Title
A name given to the resource
Robbins, Russell (audio interview and summary)
Description
An account of the resource
Oral history interview with Russell Robbins. Interviewed by Walter Urick. February 19, 2016. English language recording. Summary in English and Spanish. Russell Robbins was born in September of 1941 in Hart, Michigan. He is the son of Mason and Dorothy Robbins. During the summers from 1950 to 1960, he worked with his dad in Doctor Munger’s cherry farming. Russell was highly involved in the cherry operations in various capacities, such as trimming trees, selling snacks to field workers, beginning the cherry shaker program, and more. He took over a gas station in 1960, and then from 1965 to 1972 he ran a Dodge car dealership. In 1971 he started teaching part-time at West Shore Community College as an automotive instructor. Later, he had an independent shop until 2003. He then got involved in the Hart Historic District as a volunteer, enjoying a very rewarding experience there.
Contributor
An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource
Urick, Walter (interviewer)
Shell-Weiss, Melanie (director)
Subject
The topic of the resource
Dr. Munger
Cherry farming operations
Automotive
Juniper Beach
Discrimination
Cherry shaker program
Tourist business
Agribusiness
Source
A related resource from which the described resource is derived
Growing Community (NEH Common Heritage)
Publisher
An entity responsible for making the resource available
Grand Valley State University. University Libraries. Special Collections & University Archives
Rights
Information about rights held in and over the resource
<a href="http://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en">In Copyright</a>
Type
The nature or genre of the resource
Sound
Text
Format
The file format, physical medium, or dimensions of the resource
audio/mp3
application/pdf
Language
A language of the resource
eng
spa