In 1977, the Mountain View Public Library conducted an oral history project to capture and preserve the memories of long-time residents from the city’s Mexican, Japanese, and Spanish communities.
Written transcripts of these interviews were compiled into a three-volume book titled: Bittersweet Memories of Old Mountain View.
Recently, the tape decks with the original audio recordings of the interviews were rediscovered. The Mountain View History Center at the library partnered with the University of California to have the recordings digitized. They are now available online on CaliSphere, UC’s online archive.
For ease of access, the MVHA offers direct links to all the interviews on this page here.
The Mexican Community: Andrew Villasenor, Anna Gomez Morales, Anthony Morales, Atanasia Ramirez
- Interview with Severo Barreras and Lucia Barreras
- Interview with Richard P. Mesa – audio2
- Interview with Mary Mena DiMercurio Nov 7, 1977 audio2
- Interview with Severo Barreras and Lucia Barreras Oct 20, 1977 audio3
- Interview with James Ortez Oct 27, 1977 audio3
- Interview with Frances Santos Escano Feb 1, 1978 audio3
- Interview with Emilia Lozano Calvo Jan 9, 1978 audio3
- Interview with Masaye Uriu Yamada Feb 20, 1978 audio4
- Interview with Manuel Luis Jan 6, 1978 audio4
- Interview with Ernest Hemenez and Mary Hemenez Herrero Nov 4, 1977 audio4
- Interview with Maria Perez Sep 21, 1977 audio4
- Interview with Frank Nava Mena, Jr. Nov 1, 1977 audio4
- Interview with Reina Diaz – audio4
- Interview with Victor Calvo – audio4
- Interview with George Tanaka and Kimi Ishizaki Tanaka Dec 3, 1977 audio4
- Interview with Manuel Navarro, Sr. – audio4
- Interview with Rin Abbey Sep 27, 1977 audio4
- Interview with Carmen Ruiz – audio5
- Interview with Kisaye Murakami Nishimoto Sep 22, 1977 audio5
- Interview with George Tsukagawa Oct 26, 1977 audio5
- Interview with Hortensia Butler – audio5
- Interview with John Rico Delgado and Katherine Lopez Delgado Jan 3, 1978 audio5
- Interview with Tatsuye Toda Inouye Sep 14, 1977 audio5
- Interview with Otokichi George Endo Oct 31, 1977 audio5
- Interview with Kinichi Nozaki and Yoshimatsu Watanabe Nov 7, 1973 audio5
- Interview with Joseph Perez Aug 25, 1977 audio5
- Interview with George Yoshida Oct 18, 1977 audio6
- Interview with James Gil Oct 20, 1977 audio6Interview with Edward H. Nakano Oct 13, 1977 audio6
- Interview with Lucia Garcia Feb 23, 1978 audio6
- Interview with Sei Tachibana Oct 10, 1977 audio6
- Interview with Ria Gomez Dewing (Maria Elena MacCrisken) Jan 9, 1978 audio6
- Interview with Beatrice D. Hernandez Nov 5, 1977 audio7
- Interview with Delfina Aguilar Nov 4, 1977 audio7
- Interview with Francisco Ramirez – audio7
- Interview with Yasu Kawamoto Nov 13, 1977 audio7
- Interview with Ichiro Asada Oct 6, 1977 audio7
- Interview with Yoshiaka Murakami Dec 1, 1977 audio7
- Interview with James Hakobu Koyano Nov 29, 1977 audio7
- Interview with Ayano Okuda Sep 2, 1977 audio8
- Interview with Manuel Ortega Martin and Maria Gil Martin Nov 15, 1977 audio8
- Interview with Jesus Sanchez Aug 11, 1977 audio8
- Interview with Nellie Yae Nakamura Feb 23, 1978 audio8
- Interview with Henry Kiyomura Sep 13, 1977 audio8
- Interview with Maria Josepha Miras;
- Interview with Jose Lopez and Josephine B. Lopez – audio9
- Interview with Rafaela Sanchez Gehrig Mar 9, 1978 audio9
- Interview with Mary Hemenez Herrero Oct 13, 1977 audio9
- Interview with Juzo Hoshida Nov 8, 1977 audio9
- Interview with Atanasia Ramirez Feb 22, 1978 audio9
- Interview with Kozie Sakai Oct 24, 1977 audio11
- Interview with Fred T. Yonemoto Dec 4, 1977 audio11
- Interview with Simon Sias – audio11
- Interview with Emma Sias Mar 7, 1977 audio12
- Interview with Anna Gomez Morales Nov 9, 1977 audio12
- Interview with Dorothy Kobayashi Ishimatsu Oct 4, 1977 audio12
- Interview with Anthony Morales Nov 22, 1977 audio12
- Interview with Frank Yoshimatsu Watanabe Aug 19, 1977 Uyeda, E.audio14
- Interview with Yoshio Sasao and Kazuko Sasao Mar 1, 1978 audio15
- Interview with Shina Sakada Kinaga Oct 11, 1977 audio17
- Interview with Kizo Furiya and Yukie Koshiyama Furiya Sep 29, 1977 audio17
- Interview with Florence Tirado Garcia – audio19
- Interview with David Oku Oct 12, 1977 audio22
- Interview with Rachel Delgado Galedrige Dec 6, 1977 audio23
- Interview with Tak Hori Nov 10, 1977 audio25
- Interview with Helen Furuichi Miyake Sep 26, 1977 audio31
- Interview with Yoshiye Furuichi Aug 8, 1978 audio33
- Interview with Frances Avila Oct 1, 1978 audio35
- Interview with Roy Ozawa and Tomoko Tsuchiya Ozawa Oct 16, 1977 audio58
- Interview with Reverend LaVerne Sasaki Oct 25, 1977 audio69
- Interview with Frank L. Unquera Nov 7, 1977 audio77
- Interview with Tom Ozawa Oct 7, 1977 audio86
- Interview with Andrew Villasenor Nov 7, 1977 audio86
- Interview with Masao Oku, Yuriko Enomoto Oku, Alice Oku Sep 30, 1977