Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program Interviews, 1999-

The Stanford Historical Society's Oral History Program explores the institutional history of the University, with an emphasis on the transformative post-WWII period, through interviews with leading faculty, staff, alumni, trustees, and others. The collection includes interviews with some early Chicana/o-Latina/o-Latinx faculty members. 

The collection includes a project on Racial and Ethnic Diversity at Stanford, which seeks to recapture what happened in the two decades between the late 1960s and the late 1980s that initiated and then shaped a significant increase in undergraduate student diversity at Stanford. Over twenty-three interviewees have been interviewed for that project. Many transcripts and audio recordings are accessible online through the Online Archive of California. The collection also includes interviews with Chicana/o-Latina/o-Latinx alumni describing their experiences as students and beyond. 

Online exhibits with oral history interviews related to the history of the Chicana/o-Latina/o-Latinx community at Stanford include the Stanford Oral History Collection. This content can also be searched through the Stanford Historical Society.

Content includes:

Luis G. Nogales relates his experience as a student and then a senior staff member at Stanford University from 1966 to 1972 when the university began to embrace racial and ethnic diversity. He also speaks about how his own life experiences shaped his journey prior to coming to Stanford.

• Albert Camarillo

Albert Camarillo is a professor of history emeritus at Stanford University. In this oral history, he covers his family’s immigration from Mexico; growing up in Compton, California, in the 1950s and 1960s at a time of demographic change; his undergraduate and graduate studies at UCLA as Chicano history was just beginning to develop as a field; his career at Stanford; and his experiences mentoring undergraduate and graduate students. 

• Jim Leckie 

James O. Leckie, the C.L. Peck, Class of 1906, Professor in the School of Engineering, and by Courtesy Professor of Geological Sciences, was closely involved with the Chicano community on Stanford campus. In this interview, he talks about his background, the recruitment and representation of minority faculty, graduate and undergraduate students, as well as their retention. He also discusses the relationship between the Chicano community and other minority communities.

Estánfor: Our Voices

Recorded as part of the 2019 Latino Alumni Summit, these interviews explored the lives of Latino students at Stanford from the 1970s through the 2000s. Interviewees were asked to reflect on how they came to Stanford, the experience of Latino students during their time here, challenges they faced, and what Stanford has meant to them. In conclusion, interviewees were asked to give advice to current and future Latino students at Stanford.

Content Includes:

Araceli Velasquez graduated from Stanford in 1999 with a BA in biological sciences and a minor in Spanish. In this oral history, she briefly describes her family history and how being admitted to a GATE school in the third grade impacted the rest of her life. 

• Kim Garcia-Meza

Kim Garcia-Meza (AB Anthropology, 1989) speaks about her family history and experiences with racism, struggling with both leukemia and her multi-racial identity during her time at Stanford, and her efforts to help children of color today.

• Ricardo Muñoz

Ricardo F. Muñoz graduated from Stanford in 1972 with a degree in psychology. He later received his master’s and PhD degrees in clinical psychology from the University of Oregon. In this interview, he talks growing up in an immigrant family, his undergraduate experiences at Stanford, and his career in depression research and prevention including some of the innovative programs he started at San Francisco General Hospital.

• Cynthia Gomez

Cynthia Gomez earned her BA in human biology and Spanish literature from Stanford in 2005, as well as a master’s in communications in 2006. Cynthia Gomez shares her experience as a first generation, low-income college student at Stanford. She speaks about finding mentors and a community through her jobs on campus at El Centro Chicano, the Stanford Medical Youth Science Program, and the Career Development Center. 

• Miguel Márquez 

Miguel Márquez, Class of 1989, discusses his family history and the impact his upbringing had on his future aspirations. He recounts the family-like atmosphere of living in Casa Zapata, the mentorship of Professor Al Camarillo, and taking part in student activist groups, such as MEChA (Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlán) and ASSU (Associated Students of Stanford University). As one of four student body co- presidents, Márquez describes agitating for more diversity in the university’s faculty and curriculum, including a student takeover of the president’s office in 1989 in response to the report issued by the University Committee on Minority Issues (UCMI). He offers a critique of Stanford University both then and now, including a reflection on the obstacles he faced when pitching ideas to Stanford’s board of trustees.

Stanford 125 Video Stories

Recorded as part of Stanford's 125th anniversary events and activities showcasing the many ways the university has had a transformative impact in people’s lives and around the world. You can explore this website and read stories about Stanford breakthroughs and campus life. Timelines and other historic features highlight how the university’s teaching and learning enterprise, its campus and culture have changed through the decades.

In 2016, Stanford University celebrated the 125th anniversary of its opening on October 1, 1891. Founded by Jane and Leland Stanford in honor of their son Leland Jr., Stanford today is a global leader in teaching, research and discovery.

Content Includes:

• Natalie Sanchez

Natalie Sanchez a 2016 graduate from the Classics department explains her time at Stanford University, her social experiences and experiences with dance on campus. 

• Christian Angulo

Christian Angulo a 2014 graduate from the Political Science and Communications department shares his social experiences at Stanford University. 

Stanford Historical Society program recordings, 1997-2014

Audio and video tapes of annual meetings and public presentations on various topics in Stanford's history, including the museum, the Western CIV program, the human biology program, Herbert Hoover and Stanford, history of heart transplantation, overseas studies, KZSU (the student radio station), history of the endowment, and the Hoover Carillon. There are also some announcements of talks and handouts given at talks.

Many transcripts and audio recordings are accessible online through the Online Archive of California.

Content Includes:

• Albert Camarillo 

Stanford Professor Albert Camarillo reviews the history of Latinos at Stanford over three decades.

Bracero Oral History Interviews

The Bracero Program began during World War II during a massive labor shortage largely due to the military draft and the internment of Japanese Americans, a high percentage of whom worked in agriculture. Over 4.5 million contracts were awarded to over 2 million young male Mexican immigrants from 1942 to 1964 to work primarily in agriculture. 

More information can be found at the Special Collections Bracero oral histories page. 

Content includes:

Recording of the 6/2/20 SPICE webinar "Visualizing the Essential: Mexicans in the U.S. Agricultural Workforce" with Dr. Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez. Co-sponsored by the Center for Latin American Studies, Stanford University.

Bracero oral history interviews, 2017

Materials and interview directly relating with Dr. Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez Bracero Oral History Project.

Joaquin Avila oral history interview materials, 2012

Joaquin Avila is a civil and voting rights attorney. He was formerly the President and General Counsel of the Mexcian American Legal and Education Fund (MALDEF) and was a MacArthur Award recipient.

The materials consist of the recorded oral history itself on a thumb drive, DVDs, Joaquin Avila's CV, articles, information on Avila's legal cases, and over eighty pages of transcribed interviews, as well as interviewer Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez's notes and planning documents. This oral history is the only available full length interview with Joaquin Avila. The interviews were conducted on December 17, 18 and 19, 2012 by Ignacio Ornelas Rodriguez as part of his personal research.