Oral History Interviews
Interviewees Johnny Martins with parents Eliseu Jacinto and Lena Sales
The Artesia Historical Society sought to uncover Artesia’s rich history through the life stories of its notable elder residents. To gather these invaluable narratives, the Society issued a call for volunteers in their newsletter and promoted the Oral History program at their events.
Interested volunteers signed up to be interviewed, and Betty Lou Ormonde coordinated the interview schedules. These insightful conversations took place at the museum, where former Mayor and Artesia City Councilman John Lyon and retired Cerritos College professor Ed Bloomfield typically conducted the interviews. Each session was professionally filmed, ensuring these stories were preserved in vivid detail.
Drawing on courses from California State University, Fullerton, the interview questions were thoughtfully crafted to capture the essence of Artesia’s past. All recorded interviews are added to the Historical Society archives, preserving these personal histories for future generations.
If you grew up in Artesia and have a story to share, we would love to hear from you! Contact the Society to participate in this remarkable project and contribute to our collective heritage.
| Interviewee(s) | Interview Date |
| Gretchen Whitney | 06/02/2007 |
| George Brown | 02/16/2008 |
| Myrtle Franz | 08/09/2008 |
| Andy Anderson | 11/06/2008 |
| Vera Eckles | 11/29/2008 |
| Bill and Shirley Walker | 01/30/2010 |
| Fred Love | 02/20/2010 |
| Isidro Menezes | 02/20/2010 |
| Barbara Frampton Applebury | 03/20/2010 |
| Bill Postma | 03/20/2010 |
| Wayne and Maria Dantema | 04/17/2010 |
| Nick and Flora Mae Gandalfo | 04/17/2010 |
| Maria Didian | 06/02/2010 |
| Fred Earl | 06/19/2010 |
| Bill Ward | 08/20/2010 |
| Artesia DES – Ercelio Caradoza, Mary Alice Soares and John Viera | 11/11/2010 |
| Prescott Hardware – Janice Prescott Golden, Steven R. Prescott | 02/12/2011 |
| Martins Family – Eliseu Jacinto, Lena Sales and Johnny Martins | 07/16/2011 |
| Benjamin VanderWall | 07/16/2011 |
| Dr. Gary Smuts | 03/10/2012 |
| Joe and Pat Faria | 03/24/2012 |
| Golden Girls – Bettye Padelford, Fran Krum, Margaret Nelley, Eleanor Phillips and Shirley Walker | 04/06/2012 |
| John and Margie Lyon | 04/20/2012 |
| Dr. Ed and Veronica L. Bloomfield | 04/21/2012 |
| Lyon Family – Eleanor Borersma Lyon and children: John Lyon, Dave Lyon, Pat Lyon Faria, Christine Lyon Martinez | 05/12/2012 |
| Paul Bowlen | 06/16/2012 |
| Dennis Silva and Frank Silva | 10/11/2012 |
| Sugiyama Family – Hiromi Sugiyama, Patricia Sugiyama, Frances Fusaye Sugiyama and Chris Sugiyama | 03/17/2013 |
| Kennedy Sisters – Linda Frisby, Cecilia Lorts and Elaine Oberg | 05/19/2013 |
| Martel’s Cleaners – Betty Seade and Glen Seade | 06/28/2014 |
| Bob and Billie Thornton | 07/19/2014 |
| Robert and Adele Niemes | 06/29/2019 |
| Marvin Struiksma, John Struiksma and Jeff Struiksma | 06/29/2019 |
| Steve DeVries | 07/26/2019 |
| Ron and Delores Eveland | 09/06/2019 |
| Joe and Elsie Reza | 2014 |