Items

• Oral History: Armstead, Bryson C. Sr., 2013

  Bryson C. Armstead, Sr. was born on December 21, 1923, in Haddonfield, New Jersey. He graduated from Memorial High School and worked for Campbell’s Soup before World War II. During the war, Bryson joined the US Navy and served as a steward’s mate. After the war, he pursued college and graduate education on the GI Bill. He received BA in social science from St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, NC, and a master's from Glassboro State College (now Rowan University), and pursued additional graduate work at Temple University in Philadelphia. He taught elementary schools for 35 years and retired from the Philadelphia School District in 1986. He lived for many years in Lawnside, NJ, and served as a Lawnside Borough Councilman for 9 years. He served on the Board of Education in Lawnside as well as in Camden. He was a lifetime member of the NAACP and Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity. His community spirit was exemplified through his tireless efforts for more than thirty years to restore and maintain Mount Peace Cemetery, a historic black burial ground, in Lawnside. Mr. Armstead's interview primarily focuses on his early life in Camden County, World War II military experience, and his education following the war. It appears that a second oral history session was planned, but did not take place. Mr. Armstead passed away in 2014.
• Oral History: Harris, David, 2012

  David Harris was interviewed as part of the City of New Brunswick Redevelopment Oral Histories project at the Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy circa 2012 (the exact date of the interview is unknown). This research project spanned from 2009 to 2016 and resulted in the publication of the book New Brunswick, New Jersey: The Decline and Revitalization of Urban America (Rutgers University Press, 2016). The video of Mr. Harris's interview and the accompanying transcript are available in digital format. In the early 1960s, David Harris lived in South River, near New Brunswick, and studied part time at Rutgers. Harris explains that New Brunswick, known as “Hub City,” used to be the center of African American culture in the region. In 1965, he began working in New Brunswick for the Middlesex County Economic Opportunities Corporation. Harris explores conflicts between the needs of the community and redevelopment agencies led by Johnson & Johnson, and in this context, discusses the demolition of the Memorial Homes housing project. Having served on the board of the New Brunswick Development Corporation (Devco) for a short time, Harris critiques the lack of genuine input from the public. He asserts that Devco wanted to diminish the African American presence in the business district. Consequently, the welfare office, YMCA and YWCA were removed from downtown. Harris reveals the motivations that led to building the current New Brunswick high school on the outskirts of town. He touches upon the Hyatt Hotel, Hiram Market, leaders in redevelopment such as John Lynch and John Heldrich and the roles of Rutgers, the hospitals and arts venues in urban renewal. Finally, Harris alludes to “unfinished business” and what still needs to be accomplished in the community.
• Oral History: Jackson, Peter, 1991

  Peter Jackson graduated from Rutgers-Newark in 1969 and later joined the faculty in the Master of Public Administration program. He was a member of the Black Organization of Students (BOS) and was instrumental in negotiations with the university administration and in the group's takeover of Conklin Hall in February 1969.
• Oral History: Lawrence, Lincoln, 1991

  Lincoln Lawrence grew up in Jersey City and received his bachelor of science from Jersey City State College and a master's degree in school administration and supervision from Seton Hall. From 1963 to 1967 he was a science teacher and cultural coordinator at West Kinney Junior High School in Newark. He later worked as supervisor of math and science teachers and director of School Audio-Visual Materials Center for the city of Newark and instructor of manpower training at the Montgomery School in Newark. In 1968 he became assistant director of admissions for the Rutgers-Newark campus, and from 1970 to 1987 he served as Assistant Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences of Newark.
• Oral History: Price, Clement A., 1991

  Clement A. Price was born in Washington, D.C., in 1945 and attended the D.C. public schools. He received his bachelor's and master's degrees from University of Bridgeport. After a year teaching African American history at Essex County College, Price joined the faculty at Rutgers-Newark in 1969, where he was initially hired as a part-time instructor. Soon after his appointment in Newark, he enrolled in the history Ph.D. program at Rutgers-New Brunswick, which he completed in 1975. Dr. Price taught at Rutgers-Newark for 45 years and established himself as one of the university's most esteemed faculty members. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors, including serving as chair of President Obama's transition team for the National Endowment for the Humanities and vice chair of the Advisory Council on Historic Preservation. He has played leadership roles with many organizations in New Jersey, including the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, the Fund for New Jersey, the Newark Public Schools, the Newark Black Film Festival, the Newark Public Library, the Newark Education Trust, and the Save Ellis Island Foundation. Over the years, Dr. Price has published widely in African American History, Urban American History, and American Cultural Policy. He continued teaching history at Rutgers-Newark as Board of Governors Distinguished Service Professor until his death in 2014. The Clement A. Price Institute on Ethnicity, Culture and the Modern Experience at Rutgers-Newark was named in his honor.