His Life’s Story
A Oral History
For my Oral history I interviewed my Papa, Gordon Larue Kile Jr.My Papa was born in Bloomsburg, Columbia County, Pennsylvania. We interviewed on a casual Monday afternoon after my grandfather just finished doing yard work for my Nana. While I was in a spacious study room in the Miller Learning Center all by myself. We used the video chat feature on Facebook Messenger to conduct the interview.
In the interview we talked about many different topics. We talked about my Papa’s childhood, adolescent years, and his adult years. Also, we talked about the different jobs he did as a teenager, and how the work life differed to todays society. Also, we talked about how life has gotten easier due to advancing technology. In the interview I refer to anything that my Papa said with a “P” and anything I said with an “N”.
N: To start ,this question is an easy one, what is your name?
P: My name is Gordon Larue Kile Jr.
N: How old are you?
P: I am 66 years old.
N: Ok… When and where were you born?
P: I was born on August 4th,1952 in Bloomsburg, Pennsylvania.
N: Where did you grow up for most of your childhood?
P: I grew up in Troupsburg, New York.
N: How long did you live in Bloomsburg before moving Troupsburg?
P: I lived in Bloomsburg for 4 years before moving to Troupsburg.
N: Do you remember anything about Bloomsburg?
P: No not really, I moved away at the age of 4, so I do not remember much?
N: What was living in Troupsburg like as a kid?
P: Troupsburg was a small community where everyone knew everyone. There was nothing to do there because it was all farms, and the nearest McDonalds was 40 minutes away.
N: Huh that is interesting. So, what did you do for fun as a kid?
P: Yah know usual kid things. I rode bikes, I went fishing in the summers. In the winter I went hunting.
N: Sounds fun! What jobs did you work as kid / Teenager?
P: Well when I was in my early adolescents, I got my own paper route at the age of twelve, then when I was sixteen, I worked on many farms working sun up to sundown bailing Hay. Then in the winter I would plow people’s driveways. Then when I was an adult, I would work at the Polly O Cheese factory where I produced cheese. We would make mozzarella and Cheddar. I did that for six years. Then I worked in a packaging plant for 31 years. There I would work in packaging meats, cheeses, and produce.
N: Wow that’s cool. So, as you were working these jobs how has technology changed over time? Did it make your job easier?
P: Yeah with the advancement in technology it made my job a lot easier on myself as I got older. Especially while I was working in the packaging plant. Before I retired, we got new machinery which made the packaging of different materials a lot faster. All I had to do was just push a button, and it did everything. But the machine was all in German, so I had to learn a little bit of German before the English translated buttons came in.
N: Oh, wow that’s interesting I just finished three semesters of German.
P: We had a worker from Germany and knew fluent German, so he was such a huge help.
N: So, Over the course of your life did you ever have any issues adapting to today’s societal norms?
P: Not really everything came to me smoothly. But the smart phone is one thing that I will never get used to. I still have a flip phone that I use to call and text. But, I do have an iPad that I use to go and like stuff on Facebook.
N: So, if you had to choose one thing that was hard for you to come to terms within today’s society what would it be?
P: Society was easy for me to adapt to, but it would still have to be technology. I am still not completely used to it. So, that’s why we call you.
N: That is understandable. So, what is your favorite memory of me and you?
P: Ugh my favorite memory? My favorite memory of us was when you first came back from Guam. Before you guys got stationed in Connecticut you guys lived with us for awhile. Also I remember the Christmas you spent with us that made me so happy.
N: Aww those were good times!
N: What was the best thing that has ever happened to you?
P: Um I do not want to mess up this answer, so I am going to say meeting your Nana, and being the father to your Dad and Aunt.
N: Good answer! If you had to describe family in a few sentences how would you describe it?
P: I would describe it as you, Bri, Matt, Joe, Ashley, your Mom and Dad, and your Aunt and Uncle being all happy. Also, enjoying the time we have together because we do not get to do it that often. Because we all live so far apart.
N: Yeah I understand that, I miss everyone so much. So,Final question, if you had to change one thing in your life what would it be and why?
P: Really my life made me the man that I am today. But if I had to choose one thing, it would be spending time with my father. I never got the chance to spend a lot of time with him due to the divorce. That is the one thing that I would want to change. But because I have my five grandchildren, your Nana, and your Dad and Aunt that is all that matters.
Smithsonian Questions:
1) How does your tradition-bearer’s story relate to your community in both the present and the past? How does it relate to you?
My Papa’s community is mostly in the past, but he is more open to more of the community of the present. In his history he got more into the smaller aspects of his life and how it related to the past. He did not look at the big picture, but he broke it down into smaller pieces, and it made it more interesting. In my community’s history it is more of the big picture aspects we barely break down the ideas and look into greater detail on life.
2) How did your perception of community history change, from before the interview to now?
My perception on community history saw a very big change after conducting this interview. Before the interview I saw my community more as a big picture I never truly investigate the greater details. All I do is briefly read then be like ok I understand the key concepts. But after this interview I finally see why it is important to look more into the aspects of other lives, especially into the lives of our grandparents because they really saw the drastic change in society over time. So, to hear them talk about their childhoods, and be able to hear these stories of the past was truly eye opening.
3) How did this project inspire you to learn more about your family and community?
With having a strong interest in History, I also developed an interest in learning about my family history and culture. This project was not only interesting, but it also was eye opening and allowed me to learn about an era that I did not live in. It gives me insight into how life was different back in the mid twentieth century.
4) If the roles were reversed and you became the tradition-bearer, what stories would you like to tell?
I would tell stories that played a major impact on my life. I would tell stories that are truly meaningful to me. Also, I would tell stories that played a major role in society. These stories are very important because it gives strong insight into the society that I lived in. Also, it gives strong insight into the era that I lived in.
5) What were some of the challenges you faced during this project? What could you do differently in your next oral history interview?
The biggest challenge that I found during the Oral History was trying to get my Papa to answer most of the questions. I saw that he would close off, and not answer the question due to how shy he is. If I was able to do one thing differently for my project, I would try to come up with more interesting questions that can produce a more interesting interview experience.
