Rutgers Oral History Archives

04/25/2026

The Rutgers Giving Day has been extended to Saturday, April 25, 2026—today! Please consider making the Rutgers Oral History Archives your philanthropic priority: https://give.rutgersfoundation.org/oral-history-archives/8689.html Your gift provides the essential tools to keep our stories alive.

Through the generosity and hard work of the Rutgers community and dedicated New Jersey citizens that make up the Rutgers Living History Society, we have been able to publish 1,300+ interviews amounting to 50,000+ pages online!

Now, here is the thing—we want to be able to onboard more student staff and retain our undergraduate and graduate interns beyond their practicum semester. Why? We have 1,200 more interviews not yet available to the public. To get them online, we need more undergraduate interns to review the transcripts! We also want to make it easier for you to find the published interviews. We have many initiatives grouping interviews by interviewee hometowns, fields of study, industries, and more. For these metadata to go live, we need graduate interns to categorize and curate the interviews! Finally, we also want to equip our graduate students and community partners with interview field kits so that they can go out and conduct more interviews.

Our goal this Rutgers Giving Day is $3,000, and we are a little over 50% of the goal with 8 hours remaining. We can meet the goal together! We deeply appreciate the generosity of those who have already donated to the Rutgers Oral History Archies Gift Fund.

Rutgers University Foundation

04/25/2026

Shaun and Jeongeun were joined by Spring 2026 public history interns extraordinaire Ilca Duarte, Peyton Martress, and George Canellis (not pictured) on Rutgers Day! It was rainy and cold, but the College Ave Gym was full of Rutgers energy 🙂 Rutgers Day

04/09/2026

It is with deep sadness that we share that Bart Klion RC'48, the last member of the Rutgers Oral History Archives' founding generation, passed away early Tuesday morning. Bart often remarked that his service was motivated by a desire to honor his late brother, Stanley '42. Yet it was Bart's own dedication, leadership, and steady guidance that left an indelible mark on our organization. May his example guide us in our endeavor to remember.

03/04/2026

Distinguished Professor of History Jochen Hellbeck is one of ROHA's wonderful faculty advisors on the Academic Advisory Board. His research "over the past two decades has centered on individual life stories and the shaping of the self in modern Europe, with a primary focus on the Soviet Union." It would be wonderful to see followers of ROHA at Professor Hellbeck's public lecture hosted by the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life! For more information, go to https://bildnercenter.rutgers.edu/events/event-details/1617-world-enemy-no-1-nazi-germany-soviet-russia-and-th

Distinguished Professor of History Jochen Hellbeck discusses his new book, which transforms our understanding of WWII. Join us Monday, March 23, 7:30 p.m. at the Douglass Student Center for new insights into the roots of N**i violence.

Learn more and register here or use link in bio: https://bildnercenter.rutgers.edu/world-enemy-no-1-nazi-germany-soviet-russia-and-the-fate-of-the-jews

01/14/2026

The Rutgers Oral History Archives is very pleased to announce three excellent events lined up for Spring 2026! Check out the January 2026 History Alive! 🎙️ ROHA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/news.history.rutgers.edu/jan-2026-history-alive

12/18/2025

Happy birthday, Bob Archibald RC'48! Bob is a dear friend of the Rutgers Oral History Archives at the Rutgers Living History Society. Read his interview with us here: https://oralhistory.rutgers.edu/explore/alphabetical-index/interviewees/759-archibald-robert-v

It's a over a century in the making as we celebrate the 102th birthday of Bob Archibald RC'48.

The WWII Navy pilot, Rutgers alumnus, and successful stockbroker and business investor described marrying his college sweetheart Wilma VanderMay DC'46 as, “The best thing that ever happened to me," when featured two years ago.

🎉 https://bit.ly/48L2uKU


Rutgers Oral History Archives

11/11/2025

Oct 2025 History Alive! 🎙️ ROHA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/news.history.rutgers.edu/oct-2025-history-alive

On this Veterans Day, ROHA honors the profound legacy of our veterans, whose blood, sweat, and tears define the very meaning and enduring cost of our freedom.

10/16/2025

After two weeks of rapidly escalating threats and harassment and no statement forthcoming from the university decrying them, the department voted and approved the following statement. We were pleased and surprised to see President Tate’s article in NJ.com the next day – which we only learned of, like everyone else, by checking the news at the end of the workday – and hope its commitment to same principles of academic freedom, First Amendment rights, and the safety of all university members will be followed by addresses to us, the university community he leads, and the specific circumstances we have been facing.

10/01/2025

Sep 2025 History Alive! 🎙️ ROHA Newsletter - https://mailchi.mp/news.history.rutgers.edu/sep-2025-history-alive-roha-newsletter

Ready, set, go! ROHA begins the new academic year with a full slate of student workers, events, and news, and by honoring the legacy of late Professor Al Howard.

06/06/2025

On June 6, 1944, Allied forces stormed the beaches of Normandy, turning the tide of World War II. Among them was Rutgers graduate Ernest A. Hilberg, who, at just 19 years old, faced the brutal realities of combat on Omaha Beach. His story—preserved by the Rutgers Oral History Archives—is a powerful testament to resilience, courage, and the sacrifices made for freedom.

Nearly one-third of all living Rutgers alumni at the time served in the war, and thanks to the archives, their legacy endures. From the harrowing moments of battle to the lasting impact of their service, these firsthand accounts capture history in a way textbooks never could.

As we reflect on D-Day, we honor the Rutgers men and women who played a role in shaping history. Their bravery will never be forgotten. https://bit.ly/43zkaYI