Interview with Geraldine Stamper Click for bio
Geraldine Stamper
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Tyler Slick: Hi, my name is TS*, I am here today to interview my grandfather, Geraldine Stamper, My grandfather way born in 1946 would make the 60's most of his teenage years. How are you doing today Grandpa?
Geraldine Stamper: I'm doing well, happy to be here and help you out.
TS: Amazing, I am happy to be here and learn more about your life in the early days.
GS: Well, I have lots of stories for ya kid.
TS: Amazing, well I will start out by asking, where were you born?
GS: I was born in Clearwater Valley Hospital in Orofino Idaho where I was raised in a 2 bedroom apartment with my sister and my mother. My Father passed at a very young age in my life due to lung cancer.
TS: I am very sorry to hear that, so you grew up in Orofino your whole life?
GS: Yes, I graduated from Orofino High school and stayed here once I came back from Vietnam.
TS: How was your experience at Vietnam, how long were you there?
GS: I was only deployed once thankfully in March of 1972. I was there for about 7 months where I was a mechanic for the airborne unit. I was never on the front lines of danger but back a ways where we would have units bring their planes to us for us to fix. I was a part of a small team with a couple of other guys who I am still in contact with today. All of us were there less the 9 months and were brought back in November.
TS: That's amazing, I am very thankful for your service and am very happy that you and your team were able to make it back from that war safely. Is there anything specific about the war that you enjoy thinking back on, or what you least enjoy thinking back on?
GS: I personally try not to think about it too much and try to live my life. There was a lot of sadness in my life in those times that I wish didn't happen. I do enjoy thinking back to the first couple of years when we all came back to the US and we would meet up once a year in Vegas to spend time with each other and catch up.
TS: I am very sorry to hear that and I am glad you are past thinking about what happened. I think that is very cool that you guys did that, do you still try to continue to see each other?
GS: We have not been able to meet for about 6 or 7 years now but us old folk still try to call when we can.
TS: That is awesome I am glad to hear it, I got one more question then we can move off from this topic if that works with you?
GS: Sounds great, sorry for not having much to say about my experience there.
TS: Don't worry about it I appreciate you sharing how you feel about what you can. And again very grateful for your service. The last question I had about it was how you felt about the Cold War and if this influenced you into wanting to fight in Vietnam.
GS: The Cold War was a very real and scary thing all over the US. I remember that a lot of my fellow soldiers had family members or themselves who had fought a part in that war and that fueled them for the Vietnam war. I personally didn't want to be deployed as well as many others but I am glad that I was able to do my part when I was there. Coming back from war gave me a different perspective on what war was, so knowing more information I felt more safe coming home and faithful that we could finish the Cold War in peace.
TS: I'm really glad to hear that, speaking of faith, how much did religion play a role in your life? Did you go to church?
GS: Religion played a hugely significant role in many people's lives during this time, mine included. Church attendance was more common back then, especially in smaller towns like Orofino. I grew up going to church every Sunday, and it wasn't just a religious experience, it was also about the community that we had in our small town. Church gatherings were social events as much as they were spiritual, and many people that I knew would organize their lives around church activities like youth groups and the choir. In my family, faith was very important. We would say grace before meals and look at holidays like Christmas and Easter with religious significance. Church was a place where I found a sense of belonging, and it provided me with moral guidance. For many families, including mine, church was a cornerstone of life, especially earlier in the decade.
TS: That is so amazing to hear, what was it like walking into a church back then? I assume that it is worlds different than it is today.
GS: Oh, absolutely! Walking into a church in Orofino during the 1960s was a special experience, and it felt very different from what you'd see today. The church was very simple, but it was the heart of the community. When you walked in, the first thing you'd notice was the sound of the organ playing and all of the familiar faces of your neighbors. Everyone knew each other, so there was always a lot of friendly conversation before the service started. Most people dressed up for church back then, men wore suits and ties, and women wore dresses most of the time with hats or gloves. It was just what you did to show respect, and it made Sunday mornings feel like an important occasion. The building itself was pretty small, with wooden panels on the wall that had seen years of use. But there was something comforting about being inside like you were part of something much bigger. The service was traditional, with a choir leading the congregation, and some of my friends singing. The sermons focused on the importance of family, hard work, and living a moral life. Since Orofino was a small town, the pastor knew everyone personally, so the messages often felt very well directed toward our community. You'd hear about local events, which made it feel like the church was truly a part of everyday life. After the service was over most people didn't rush home. They'd stay around, chatting on the church steps or making plans for Sunday dinner. It was as much about the social connections as the spiritual ones. It really felt like the church was the center of everything. Things are more relaxed now, but back then, going to church was a big part of what made our community feel connected.
TS: Wow. It seems like church really was a huge part of your life and you can very vividly think about your experience in your church. I think it is amazing how you remember exactly what the feeling was like doing back to Sunday church in the 1960s.
GS: It was a huge part of my life and nothing that I will never forget, I love thinking back to the time my mom and dad would hold my hand and walk me to church. Very fond memories there.
TS: That is amazing, I am very glad to hear that part of your life. When growing a little older and being in Orofino, were there a lot of civil rights movements there? Or what was your experience like with all of the Civil Rights Movements happening around you?
GS: Orofino was and still is a very small and rugged town, so the civil rights movements felt a bit distant compared to what was happening in larger cities. We didn't see protests or marches in the streets like you would in places like the South or heard on the radio. In fact, diversity in Orofino was pretty limited, so the everyday impact of the Civil Rights Movement was not doing much to affect our town. Most of what we knew came from radio and newspapers, and even that was filtered through the lens of a small community. But even in a place like Orofino, you could feel some type of shift happening. People were talking about it more. You'd hear about Martin Luther King Jr. or see news of the marches in Selma, and it sparked conversations that all of us wanted to have. I remember our church pastor touching on the topic during sermons, mostly about treating everyone with respect and equality. For many people in Orofino, it was an eye-opening time, realizing that these issues of injustice and inequality were happening on such a large scale. That being said, change was a lot slower to reach towns like ours. The community was more insulated, and many people didn't quite grasp the idea of what was happening across the country. But as the decade progressed, even in Orofino, there was a growing awareness that the world was changing, that people were standing up for their rights in ways we hadn't seen before. So while we didn't experience the Civil Rights Movement firsthand in our streets, we were still affected by it. It shaped how we viewed the country and our place in it, and even in our small town. And it did a lot when it came to sparking conversations about fairness, justice, and the kind of world we wanted to live in.
TS: Wow, that was amazing to hear. I think it is really cool that you could still feel the shift happening as you say when you were still in your small town. I had a good idea about the diversity inside of Idaho at this time and it makes sense that you did not see a lot of physical changes, but I think it is awesome that you would still talk about what was going on when hearing on the radio or reading it in the newspaper.
GS: It was a good time, we didn't have cell phones to look at all day so we had to talk to each other. Some of the time we thought, why not talk about something that is important?
TS: That is awesome, I love to hear it. With there not being a lot of marches and those types of things happening in Orofino, did you experience any of the feminist movements, and how did hearing about those types of things make you feel?
GS: Like with the Civil Rights Movement, the feminist movements in the 1960s didn't have the same kind of presence in Orofino as they did in larger cities. We didn't have rallies or protests in the streets, but there were definitely rumblings about it, especially as it started getting more attention in the media. Growing up in a conservative town, a lot of the traditional values about women's roles were still pretty strong. Women were expected to take care of the home and family, and it wasn't as common to see women pursuing careers or higher education. Not saying this is right, but this is how it was and how life was around me. Hearing about the feminist movements, especially with figures like Betty Friedan and her book The Feminine Mystique, challenged a lot of those ideas. I remember it causing a bit of a stir, even among people I knew. There was some pushback because it was new and went against what many people believed was the "natural order" of things. But at the same time, there were women in Orofino who quietly agreed with the movement, even if they weren't out there marching. You could see a subtle shift in attitudes like women starting to question whether they really had to follow the same path their mothers and grandmothers did. Personally, it made me think. I grew up with those traditional values, so at first, it felt a little unsettling to hear women fighting for things like equal pay or more opportunities outside the home. But the more I heard about it, the more I realized that it wasn't about rejecting family life or traditional values at all. It was about giving women the choice to decide what they wanted to do with their lives. And that idea, the idea of having options, started to make me feel for them and agree with parts of their movement. It wasn't an overnight change, and in Orofino, it took time for these ideas to really take root. But the feminist movement definitely had an impact, even if it was more subtle. It got people talking and thinking about the role of women in society, and slowly but surely, you started to see changes. More women were going to college or entering the workforce, and even though it wasn't happening on a large scale in Orofino, you could feel the change blowing through, just like with the other movements of the time. I remember my mom supporting this a lot at the time before her passing.
TS: That was great to hear, I assumed that there was not a whole lot of attention right away in Orofino but I am glad to hear your perspective on how it made you and others feel. I think it is crazy to look back and see how all of that was totally normal of you when that is not the case for me in my life at all.
GS: The world changes fast and we can be grateful and scared of that fact.
TS: Wow, I couldn't agree more with that. Now, let's talk about some fun things that were happening in the sixties. What was dating like for you back then?
GS: Oh, dating in the 1960s was definitely a lot of fun, but it was pretty different from what you'd see today! When I was in Ophonio there were not that many girls around and everyone knew everyone. This was a little awkward when it came to dating, but there was still a lot of love in the air and it happened all the time. When it comes to actually trying to date a girl, for one thing, everything was much more formal. If you were interested in someone, you were not able to text them or meet up, you had to muster up the courage to call their house. That usually meant speaking to their parents first, which could be the most nerve-wracking part. You'd ask permission to take their daughter out on a date, and then plan something, usually on a weekend. The dates were simple but meaningful. You would go to the movies, grab a soda at the local diner, or maybe attend a school dance. You had to be creative because there wasn't a lot of entertainment like we have now. If you were lucky, you'd go to a drive-in movie. That was always a favorite because you could watch the film from your car, which gave you a little more privacy. But there was still an unspoken set of rules about behavior, especially if the girl's parents were keeping an eye on things! And as I said before, everyone in my town knew everyone, so there was no funny business with anyone. Once you start dating someone regularly, you might give them your class ring or letterman jacket as a sign you were exclusive. It was a big deal when that happened back then. People took dating seriously, but it was a slower, more deliberate process. There wasn't as much pressure to rush things, and there was a clear sense of stages in a relationship Looking back on it, I think that dating was a lot more innocent. There was more emphasis on getting to know someone through conversation and shared activities, rather than just jumping into a relationship. It was a little more formal but in a charming way. There's a certain nostalgia to it that you don't see as much today. But me and your grandmother still share that type of love.
TS: That is amazing and so sweet that you share this type of love still. I think it is awesome and very sweet how this was what you had to do to get a girl back in the day. I could not imagine you giving a girl your football jacket back in the day.
GS: I personally never did, one of my best friends did and they are still married to this day. Used to live about 2 miles from here.
TS: That is so sweet. Keeping with a happy topic, what was some of your favorite media back in the day? What were some of your favorite music you listened to?
GS: The 1960s were such a great time for music and movies, It was an era where you could feel the culture in the media we were consuming. The music was amazing and something I very much miss. The Beatles were a huge part of the soundtrack of that time. Their arrival in the U.S. with the British Invasion completely changed the music scene. I remember when "I Want to Hold Your Hand" came out and it felt like every teenager in the country was hooked. Their albums like Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and Revolver were groundbreaking. You couldn't go anywhere without hearing their music, and that was the best part. But it wasn't just The Beatles that were popular at the time, there were also The Rolling Stones, The Beach Boys, and Motown artists like The Supremes and Marvin Gaye that really shaped the sound of the decade. I was obsessed with music when I was your age and would do anything I could to listen to all of the new songs no matter who made them. I also enjoyed Elvis Presley who was extremely popular in the early 60s, and his rock and roll style was a major part of our youth. My mom would always be singing Elvis songs in the kitchen while she cooked or did other things around the house and I remember when I was little she would dress me up like Elvis and I would run into the living room saying, "Hello there pretty mama", in my best Elvis impression. As the decade went on, folk music became a lot more popular with artists like Bob Dylan and Joan Baez becoming a way for people to express themselves, especially during the civil rights movement. The mix of rock, pop, and folk created this amazing variety of music to listen to.
TS: That's awesome, I remember a lot about my mom talking about her mom singing those songs to her as well so it sounds like it stayed in the family well which is awesome. I think music from back then was very cool but I had no idea it made such an impact on the people at the time. It seems like you remember a lot about the music that was coming out and the artist which is very cool to me.
GS: Music at the time was a way to escape from some of the things going on around you, as well as when you are out with your friends it is a great time to enjoy tunes we all knew the words to. I was also a big fan of movies back then but they were a lot harder to get to.
TS: I was wondering about that, what were some of your favorite movies then and what did you have to do to watch them?
GS: Watching movies when I was a kid was very difficult. We had to actually go out to the theater, and in a small town like Orofino, we didn't have a local movie theater on every corner. Sometimes we'd have to drive to a bigger town nearby. It wasn't something you did every weekend, so when you did go, it was a big event. You'd plan ahead, maybe get a group of friends together, and make a night of it. The theaters were often pretty basic, nothing like the multiplexes you see now, but that didn't matter, we were just excited to see the film and be at a theater. If you missed a movie at the theater, you had to wait for it to show up on TV, which could take a while. Also having working television in Orofino was pretty rare tell about 1967 I would say. There would be a couple of families that had them here and there, and some at the schools and such. But my family and a lot of my friend's families didn't get them to tell about that time. And even at that time when the films did come out, they would be edited for time and commercials, so it wasn't quite the same experience as the big screen. So, when you went to the theater, you really felt like you were part of something special. I also feel that in the 60s, going to the movies was definitely more of an adventure than it is today! Some of my favorite films were the big musicals and epics, like The Sound of Music and West Side Story. Those were huge productions with amazing soundtracks that everyone loved. I also got really into the James Bond series. James Bond was this larger-than-life character, and the action and style of those films were something completely new at the time. Television was also starting to take off in a big way. Shows like The Andy Griffith Show, I Love Lucy, and Bonanza were family staples. Very interesting and funny shows that you can watch in the house with the whole family. But toward the end of the decade, shows like The Twilight Zone and Star Trek brought something different with more futuristic ideas. It felt like the media was reflecting all these big possibilities that can happen around the world. Not as much as music, but movies were a huge part of life back then. They weren't just entertainment, they really shaped how we saw the world and reflected the culture of the 60s. Looking back, it was a great time to be a fan of both!
TS: That is awesome to hear, I wish I could go back and experience what it was like going to a movie theater back then. I have never watched a movie from that period, but I do have to do a report one on for this class as well, do you have any recommendations that you think I would enjoy the best?
GS: I always think it is really fun to rewatch the first Planet of the Apes, as well as the first James Bond film Dr. No. I think these are some of my favorites to go back and watch. that I would recommend for you to see.
TS: Thank you I appreciate it, I have a question that I have been curious about and wanted to ask you. How did the effect of the assassination of JFK and MLK make you feel? Or how did it affect what was going on around you?
GS: The assassination of John F. Kennedy and Martin Luther King Jr. had a really big effect on me and other people during that time. Both of them were seen as symbols of hope and change in the country, and their influence on people was way beyond just politics or civil rights. So much happened in the 60s like the civil rights movement and the Cold War. And these two figures represented a kind of vision for a better America which involved peace. JFK, with his youthful charisma, brought a sense of hope to the country. When he became president, there was this feeling that we were entering a new time. He talked about things like civil rights and equality, and although he didn't solve everything during his time in office, his support of those ideas gave people hope. It felt like we were heading in the right direction, even in small towns like Orofino. When JFK was assassinated in 1963, it was like the whole country stopped. I remember people were in shock, it felt like we had lost a leader who could have made real change. Then, you had Martin Luther King Jr., who was on the front lines of the fight for civil rights. His message of nonviolent protest was very inspiring, even from a distance. For someone like me, living in a small town, we didn't see the marches first hand, but we felt the impact of his work in the newspapers and on TV. King wasn't just fighting for Black Americans, he was pushing for a country where everyone had equal rights, and that was a strong message. The connection between JFK's vision and King's movement made it seem like the country was at a sort of crossroads. You could sense that something big was happening, and even though change was slow in Orofino, you knew the world was shifting. When MLK was assassinated in 1968, it was devastating. We had already lost JFK, and now, one of the most important voices for equality was gone too. But despite the tragedy, there was also a sense that their legacies would continue to inspire people. In a way, their assassinations, and then their deaths, brought people together in grief which made us talk peacefully. There was this feeling that even though they were gone, the values they stood for had to keep moving forward. For me, and many others, it was a time of reflection and a realization that change had to come, even if it was slow and painful.
TS: Wow, that was inspiring to hear. I knew that it was a very hard time for a lot of people in America for many different reasons when both of these assassinations happened, but I didn't know that people were directly thinking of their impact when they died. I assumed that a lot of people felt more hate for the men who did these acts or confusion of why it happened, not as much as looking at the hope they provided and trying to continue what they were speaking on.
GS: When crazy things like that happen people need to talk to each other to try to get over their grief, many of the conversations were about what they stood for and how it was a good thing. I think myself and others just wanted to make them proud in a way because we did believe in what they stood for.
TS: That is amazing, I have one more question for you then we can wrap up this interview.
GS: Perfect, I don't know if I can remember much else about those days.
TS: I understand and appreciate all that you have given me. My last question is, if you could go back to the 60s and bring something back to now, what would it be and why?
GS: If I could bring something back from the 60s to today, I think it would be the sense of community and togetherness we had back then. There was something about that era, especially in small towns like Orofino, where people really knew their neighbors, and we were more connected on a personal level. Families, friends, and communities would gather more often, whether it was for a church event, a picnic, or just a weekend barbecue. People helped each other out more, and there was this underlying feeling that we were all in it together. It wasn't perfect back then, but that sense of community really helped carry people through difficult times, and I think it could make a big difference in today's world too. As for an item I wish I could bring back, it would definitely be my favorite view master with all of the discs I had when I was young. It was those red lenses that you put to your eyes to see through and you could move to slides and watch small film-type things and other stuff like that. It is definitely a part of my childhood that I look back on often and I loved playing with that viewmaster. One of my favorite memories when I was a kid would be when my dad would get back from work and surprise me with a new disc to watch. I would love to bring that back and play with it again.
TS: That is awesome, I really like hearing how close the town felt for you and the impact that it had on you. I felt that when I was being raised on the small island of Ketchikan, I felt those close connections and how that community feeling can make you be happier and have support in different ways. I also think it is awesome that you had a bunch of different discs for your Viewmaster. I remember being little and my mom had one for me to play with and it had all of the Disney characters, I can only wonder what you were looking at in yours at the time. That is really amazing to hear and I'm glad you have fond memories looking back at those times.
GS: It was a great and simple time that I will never forget, I am really glad I grew up in the 60s and live my life now and really see how the world has changed so much and how much of a difference being kind can be.
TS: Amazing I am so glad to hear it. Thank you so much for having this interview with me and letting me ask you questions about your past and record it for my class. I had a really good time hearing how your life was back then and how you felt about the numerous topics that I brought up. Thank you again for sharing your insight on life in the 1960s.
GS: Of course, thank you for bringing me back to the old days, I hope I gave you enough information to work from. I appreciate you talking to me kid!
TS: You did perfect and gave me more than enough information. I appreciate you very much and thank you again!
- Title:
- Interview with Geraldine Stamper
- Date Created:
- 2024-09-29
- Description:
- Interview with my grandfather, who grew up in the 1960s. The interview is about his life experiences and world outcomes that occurred in the 1960s.
- Subjects:
- Subjects Include: His childhood and parents, the Vietnam War, his friends, the Cold War, religion, Civil Rights movements, Gender movements, dating life, media like music and movies, assassinations of JFK and MLK, and nostalgia and toys from his past.
- Location:
- Orofino, Idaho, at my grandfather's house.
- Latitude:
- 46.48656066
- Longitude:
- -116.251011
- Type:
- text
- Format:
- record
- Preferred Citation:
- "Interview with Geraldine Stamper", The Long 1960s - 2024 Fall, Center for Digital Inquiry and Learning (CDIL)
- Reference Link:
- /thelong1960s/items/stamper.html
- Rights:
- In copyright, educational use permitted. Educational use includes non-commercial reproduction of text and images in materials for teaching and research purposes. For other contexts beyond fair use, including digital reproduction, please contact the University of Idaho Library Special Collections and Archives Department at libspec@uidaho.edu. The University of Idaho Library is not liable for any violations of the law by users.
- Standardized Rights:
- http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/