This oral history interview with Paul T. Gillette was conducted by Jim Strassmaier on February 9, 1983. An unidentified woman was also present and occasionally contributed interview questions.

In this interview, Gillette discusses his family background and early life in Ellston, Iowa, including life on his grandparents’ farm. He talks about teaching high school in South Dakota and shares his memories of the Depression. He discusses his marriage to Jennie Maude Maule, his association with football player Frank Leahy, and working for the Kresge Company, which later became Kmart, in Buffalo, New York. He reflects on the places he lived and shows photographs to the interviewers, while discussing the effects of aging on his appearance and health. He then revisits the topic of his family background and early life in Ellston, Iowa. He talks about his religious affiliation, coaching basketball at a school in South Dakota, and attending the University of South Dakota. He closes the interview by revisiting the topic of working for the Kresge Company.