The Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, 1986-2000 (bulk 1998-2000), consists of thirty-seven oral history interviews and transcriptions. Historian, Glenna Matthews, conducted these interviews as part of the research for her book, Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream: Gender, Class, and Opportunity in the Twentieth Century (2003). Matthews' study originated from her dissertation, which she completed at Stanford in the 1970s. She extended her original research on Santa Clara County in the Great Depression to include the transformation of the "Valley of the Hearts Delight"-reflecting the agricultural roots of the region-to become known as the "Silicon Valley," from mid-century to the present. The focus of this work is on the social and economic history of the region, with a specific focus on women workers. She documented the workforce during the agricultural hey-day through the modern era of high-tech industries. The book and the oral interviews demonstrate how poor and immigrant women have shouldered the work production, while making the lowest wages. Moreover, the oral histories provide primary sources that document the diverse experiences of individuals living in this region, while providing the historical context for understanding the sweeping changes that produced the Silicon Valley. The collection consists of audio cassette tapes, transcriptions, and select release forms from the interviewers. The interviews include: Bacon, David; Batchet, Robert; Brownstein, Bob; Caleb, Ambrosio; Case, John; Ching, Vicky Kwon; Coates, Karen; Cruz, Jose; Cuffman, Rebecca; Dean, Amy; Farrell, Terry; Ferri, Dora Peregrina; Ficarotta, I.G.; Goddard, Joan, Hawes, Amanda; Henley, Albert; La Barbera, Joe; Lamborn, Patricia; Lofgren, Zoe; Manan, Romie; Mar, Warren; Marshall, Rachel; McCaffrey, Mercedes; McCrorey, Dee; Mendacci, Norma; Naslund, Leila; Newell, Amy; Payne, Perley; Perea, Theresa; Phan, Lien; Powell, Deborah; Rocha, L.H.; Ruffo, Al; Sanchez, Sig; Sawicky, Ed; Shope, Claudia; Smith, Arlene; Smith, Ted; Wakefield, Barbara; Wilson, Susanne; Woods, Pat; Zimmerman, Marlene ;. This collection is arranged into a single series: Series I. The Glenna Matthews Oral History Collection, 1986-2000 (bulk 1998-2000).

Dr. Glenna Matthews, historian, received her B.A. from San José State University in 1969 and in 1977 she received her Ph.D. from Stanford University. Matthews is the author of several books on the history of U.S. women. Among her major publications are Silicon Valley, Women, and the California Dream: Gender, Class, and Opportunity in the Twentieth Century (2003), Rise of Public Woman: Woman's Power and Woman's Place, 1630-1970 (1992), and "Just a Housewife" : The Rise and Fall of Domesticity in America (1987). Matthews has worked as an associate professor at Oklahoma State University and a visiting associate professor at Stanford and the University of California, Berkeley and Los Angeles. In addition, Matthews also served as the principal consultant for an award-winning documentary about historian Angie Debo.

4 custom boxes, 2.29 linear feet

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