Oral History
Oral Historian Kate Cavett of HAND in HAND Productions began the Saint Paul Police Oral History Project by interviewing retired Deputy Chief James S. Griffin in 1998. He was chosen as the first interview because he was an outstanding storyteller, in addition to being the first Black American to achieve high rank in the department. Because of this project, his voice is preserved in an audio kiosk in the lobby of the new police headquarters named for him.
Oral histories are personal memories shared from the perspective of the narrator. By means of recorded interviews oral history documents collect spoken memories and personal commentaries of historical significance. These interviews are transcribed verbatim and minimally edited for accessibility. Greatest appreciation is gained when one can read an oral history aloud.
Oral histories do not follow the standard language usage of the written word. Transcribed interviews are not edited to meet traditional writing standards; they are edited only for clarity and understanding. The hope of oral history is to capture the flavor of the narrator’s speech and convey the narrator’s feelings through the tenor and tempo of speech patterns.
An oral history is more than a family tree with names of ancestors and their birth and death dates. Oral history is recorded personal memory, and that is its value. What it offers complements other forms of historical text, and does not always require historical collaboration. Oral history recognizes that memories often become polished as they sift through time, taking on new meanings and potentially reshaping the events they relate.
Memories shared in an oral histories create a picture of the narrator’s life — the culture, food, eccentricities, opinions, thoughts, idiosyncrasies, joys, sorrows, passions — the rich substance that gives color and texture to this individual life.
Oral Histories Available Here
Click the links below to listen to the audio file. The files are in the .mp3 format.
- Chief John Harrington's eulogy for Sgt. Gerald Vick (May 11, 2005)
- Captain Theodore Fahey Remembers Officer Allan Lee (November 29, 2007)
Oral History BooksAvailable Here
An Oral History Book is the spoken word in print.
- Retired Detective Herbert W. Scott
- Retired Commander Larry McDonald shares the story of the formation of the original Canine Unit 1958 - 1961
- Retired Captain Wilfred O. Jyrkas shares stories of being a new recruit in 1949, early community policing, a challenging assignment, and how faith can contribute to being an officer
- SPPHS’s Sergeant-at-Arms Timothy Bradley discusses the creation of the largest law enforcement time capsule in the USA