1st Quarter Report, 2006
for Jay Ruby's Oak Park Research

Helena Gervais McCullough
1909-2006

Helena McCullough was the cornerstone of the third Oak Park Story. Along with her daughter Katherine Trezevant and son-in-law, Bob Trezevant, they provided me with a chance to explore how some of the Oak Park white establishment was able to make the transition from the "Old Oak Park" to a village that is now a model for how to successfully intregtate blacks and gays into a community. I consdier it a priviledge to have known this grand lady who died after 96 long years of a remarkable life. (Link to her obituary.)

DEAR OLD OAK PARKERS
(DOOPERS)

DOOPERS is the title of my third Oak Park Story. It explores white Oak Park through the lives of three people. Helena's story provides us with some insight into how it was possible for some very traditional DOOPERS to accept the profound changes that occurred in the village over the past fifty years. Katherine's Story (She was Helena's daughter) is that of someone my age who left Oak Park and returned after the major battles for diversity were fought. She and her Texas born husband, Bob, fit into the values of a "New" Oak Park and thrived in that world. As of this writing I have finished a complete draft of this ethnography. I have sent it to Bob for his examination and comments. We plan to meet in June to explore his reactions and to film a final interview. I find with each ethnography that I am able to explore new ways of intregrating the videos, stills and text. Now that the technical problems are more or less solved, I have more time to play with new ideas. My plan is to give a finished CD to my distributor soon thereafter.

Some Spinoffs

Val Camiletti in Val's Halla

I interviewed Val as someone who is an acute observer of Oak Park and its countercultural folk. I used some of the interview in the family portrait of Rebekah and Sophie. In looking at the entire interview recently I was very impressed with her articulateness about the dying world of the independent record store like hers and about Oak Park as a place tolerant of "off-center" folk. I slightly edited the thirty minute interview and burned it as a DVD. As of the writing of this report, I am considering releasing it as a stand-alone DVD if my distributor will agree.

Ethel Cotovsky
(1932-2006)

Ethel was a delightful person to interview. I did so in pursuit of a better understanding of the gay and lesbian community. Raised a communist, devoted to the pursuit of social justice, Ethel seemed always to say excatly what she thought no matter what. When I learned of her death, I decided to take her thirty plus minute interview and convert it into a DVD. I am sending it to OPALGA, the Oak Park lesbian and gay organization, to do with as they see fit. I have a treasure chest of material from this long term research project. I hope to mine it for as many uses as possible.

As always your comments, suggestions and criticisms are most welcome. Email me at ethnographic@earthlink.net.