Through the medium of recorded interviews the Greek-American Oral History Project seeks to create an extensive repository of firsthand testimonials documenting the lives and experiences of Greek Americans in the Sacramento region and beyond for posterity.
The Project began in early 2005 when the Tsakopoulos Hellenic Foundation provided a gift to the Capital Campus Oral History Program to purchase oral history recording and transcription equipment for the program's ongoing use and to conduct and professionally transcribe oral history interviews with members of Sacramento's Greek-American community. Working closely with community members Penny and Terry Kastanis, Professors Patrick Ettinger and Christopher Castaneda of the Department of History developed a set of interview questions revolving around the historical experiences of immigrant Greeks and first-generation Greek Americans in the region. The Kastanises helped identify a list of potential interviewees (typically among the most elderly members of the community) who could speak to events dating back to the turn of the twentieth century. The questions were designed to elicit memories relating to the immigration experience, family life, the development of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation, and the social life of the Greek-American community. Interviews were conducted by Ettinger and Castaneda as well as trained graduate students in the Public History Master's Program.
The second phase of the Project commenced when Tsakopoulos Hellenic Collection Curator George I. Paganelis began recording interviews in 2013. All of the original recordings and a copy of each transcript produced to date have been deposited in the Department of Special Collections and University Archives in the University Library.
Below is a list of interviewees and the year each was recorded:
- Alexander, George, 2015
- Aretakis, John, 2017
- Bravou, Marie, 1985
- Caparis, Helen, 2005
- Compoginis, Irene, 2006
- Demas, Louis, 2005
- Demas, Stella and Ballis, George; Demas, Louis and Demas, Marilyn, 2005
- Dogias, Presbytera Eleutheria, 1985
- Dogias, Rev. Fr. Demetrius, 1985
- Econome, Georgia, 2015
- Feil, Bess Anton, 2006
- Fotos, Eugene, 1984 & 2005
- Horrell, JoAnne Alexia Demas,2006
- Hosmer, Zita Vlavianos, 2013
- Kerhoulas, Nicholas and Kerhoulas, Bess, 2005
- Lydon, Mary (Dokimos), 2006
- Mackis, George and Mackis, Elaine, 2006
- Mamalis, Julie, 2006
- Mayer, Vaso, 2006
- Panagakos, Anna, 2019
- Petrakas, Gus, 2005
- Poulos, Koula, 2006
- Rotas, Bill, 2006
- Sarlis, Speros, 2006
- Stathos, Tony and Stathos, Mary, 2006
- Tzikas, George, 2006
- Vallas, Jim, 2006
- Verrios, Vasilis, 2006
- Workman, Maria Kostidou, 2014
- Zampathas, Stratis (Dr.), 1984