Entries drawn from collection & document descriptions
For the very first interview of the history project, Edmund Good and Thurman Grossnickle describe their coming out stories. Thurman is a retired Scientist Administrator and has spent many years in academia and in health professions, as well as in LGBT organizations. He considers himself Brethren...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Good, Ed and Grossnickle, Thurman - 042
Subject: Education, Health and Medicine, LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
From the time Joe Burns came out as gay at around 27 years of age, he was involved in gay activism. He was a part of many organizations that have helped to move gay rights forward, including the Mattachine Society and Le-Hi-Ho. He donated his entire library of gay-related books to Le-Hi-Ho...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Burns, Joe - 012A
Subject: LGBT History, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Born in 1949 to a Lutheran minister and his wife, Marlene Kanuck married a man, had two children, and got a divorce after 11 years of marriage before realizing that she was a lesbian. In this interview, she discusses her coming out process and the effects that being a lesbian has had on her life...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Kanuck, Marlene - 054
Subject: Education, LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Prior to coming out at the age of 32, Ted Martin had worked for many years for the government and public policy organizations, chiefly in the areas of communications and advocacy. Martin lived in Washington, D.C. and worked for Congress before returning to Pennsylvania, where he worked at the...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Martin, Ted - 074
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Nancy Datres was born in Altoona, Pennsylvania in 1948 and moved to Harrisburg to pursue computer science after becoming blacklisted by the Altoona Police Department when she was just 27 years old. Thereafter, Nancy moved through several careers, holding positions such as college professor,...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Datres, Nancy - 020
Subject: Education, LGBT History, Personal and Family Life
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Bobbi Carmitchell was born in Willow Street, Pennsylvania. She spent most of her professional career as a full-time musician, but currently has added contracting work in stained glass and woodworking art. Bobbi describes her journey in the musical world – from the Wood and Wind trio, to playing...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Carmitchell, Bonni - 013
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Visual and Performing Arts
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Bernie Pupo was born in Kulpmont, Pennsylvania in 1945 and attended Mount Carmel Catholic High School. After working in a factory after high school, Bernie moved to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, where he worked as a window decorator for Pomeroy’s department store for three years. During this time,...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Pupo, Bernie - 096
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Larry Lee Thomas was born in Burnham, Pennsylvania in 1941, living there for at least 19 years before spending four years in the military, and shortly thereafter moving to the nearby city of Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. After his first experience dating another man through a 20-year relationship,...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Thomas, Larry - 112
Subject: LGBT History, Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Transcription of Clarke Hess and Lee Stoltzfuss interview
Location: LGBT Oral History - Hess, Clarke and Stoltzfuss, Lee - 048
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Born in Chicago, IL in 1949 to a Catholic family, Mary Merriman joined the Air Force in 1967, where she struggled with her sexuality due to the environment, eventually becoming pregnant and discharging from the military before giving her son up for adoption. She attended Montgomery College in...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Merruman, Mary - 081
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Mark Stoner, born in 1959, grew up and currently lives in Lancaster, where he has worked as a graphic designer for the past 30 years. He came out as gay early in his college years at Penn State University and thereafter became involved in Lancaster’s gay community, both socially and politically...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Stoner, Mark - 111
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Michelle Probulus, 43, describes her experience with realizing that she is a lesbian at age 40, while married to a man with whom she had two young sons. She discusses the complications of figuring out her sexuality and coming to the realization she was a lesbian and the subsequent difficulty of...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Probulus, Michelle - 095
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Richard H. Hause was born in Pottsville, Pennsylvania, on May 21, 1947, moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, after he graduated from high school in 1965. After coming out to his family when he was eighteen, Richard began working for the State Government in the Department of Highways, and he...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Hause, Richard H. - 045
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period: 2000-2019
Born in 1951, Mary Nancarrow grew up in the Harrisburg area, and from a young age, she has been involved in the movements for LGBT and women’s rights, especially for Central Pennsylvania. She has worked extensively with NOW, serving as the president for Pennsylvania NOW in 1984 and 1985. As part...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Nancarrow, Mary - 084A
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Samuel Deetz was born in Quakertown (Pennsylvania), in 1951, on April 21st and was one of eight children. Sam’s father became a minister, which allowed his family to move from place to place over Sam’s young life. Sam’s family wanted him to continue into the Christian faith, but as Sam continued...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Deetz, Sam - 005
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Julie Lobur was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania in 1955 and moved to Harrisburg in 1970. She received her bachelor’s degree from Penn State and added a master’s degree in computer science in 2003. Julie briefly served in the military in 1983 where she met her wife Marla, but was discharged...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Lobur, Julie - 068
Subject: LGBT History, Military Affairs and Conflict, Personal and Family Life
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Teresa “Teddy” Maurer was born in Lykens, Pennsylvania. Following a move to Upper Dauphin County, she grew up and graduated from Halifax High School. From there she worked at the Nedrich shirt factory for a few years before moving onto a job with the state government. She eventually moved to...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Maurer, Teresa - 077
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Daniel (Dan) C. Miller’s colorful humor and personality were persistent throughout the interview. He shares his experiences growing up and coming out in his early 30s. His coming out experience was during his time working for Donald L. DeMuth. Specifically, homosexuality was listed as a fireable...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Miller, Dan - 082
Subject: Legal Affairs, LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Margaret “Peg” Dierkers was born in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1957 and attended a Catholic school as a child. She earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from Ohio State University, and eventually enrolled in a doctoral program in Human Development and Family Studies at Penn State University. Peg...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Dierkers, Margaret - 028
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Barry Loveland was born December 28th, 1956 in Schenectady, New York. After graduating from high school, Barry attended Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, where he obtained a Bachelors of Science degree in Architecture and Building Sciences. Following his undergraduate career, Barry got accepted...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Loveland, Barry - 070
Subject: Education, LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
John Folby was born in Pittsburgh in 1947. He was the oldest of five children in an Irish-Italian Catholic family. He relocated to Harrisburg in 1975 with his partner. John continues to live with his partner in Harrisburg in a relationship lasting more than 44 years. John is well-known for his...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Folby, John - 035
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Jon Johnson was born in Southern Lancaster county, Pennsylvania and lived on his family’s farm in his early life. Charles (Charlie) Maser was born in Brownstown in Lancaster County Pennsylvania. Jon spent most of his life in Pennsylvania. He went to the York Academy of Arts in York, Pennsylvania...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Johnson, John and Maser, Charles - 052
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Brian Patchcoski was born in Scranton Pennsylvania, brought up in a very strong Irish, German, and Polish Roman Catholic family. Brian progressed through high school, working for a Catholic church for 10 years and expecting to go into the priesthood until he left the Diocese of Scranton to get...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Patchcoski, Brian - 089
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Religion and Spirituality
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Alanna Berger and Blaise Liffick are the co-founders of the Silent Witness Peacekeepers Organization. Alanna was born in 1954 in Hummelstown, PA. Before committing full time to Silent Witness, Alanna by profession worked as a systems analyst after having received undergraduate degrees in...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Berger, Alanna, and Liffick, Blaise - 007
Subject: LGBT History, Politics and Government, Religion and Spirituality, Social Reform and Advocacy
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
Ann Van Dyke was born in a farming community in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, where she was raised in a devout Methodist home. After moving to Mechanicsburg to work at the Methodist Home for Children at age 19, Ann was exposed to the more diverse Harrisburg community that challenged the ideals...
Location: LGBT Oral History - Van Dyke, Ann - 118
Subject: LGBT History, Personal and Family Life, Politics and Government
Format: Interviews and Oral Histories
Time Period:
