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Oral history interview with Nora B. Womack

 Collection
Identifier: SR168

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Nora B. Womack was conducted by Robert J. Gassner on September 6, 1988. The interview was one of a series conducted in 1988 by Oregon Historical Society volunteer Robert Gassner with members of the Syrian and Lebanese community in Portland, Oregon.

In this interview, Womack discusses her family background and early life in St. Helens, Oregon, particularly the immigration of her parents from Lebanon to the United States in the 19th century. She talks about the Syrian and Lebanese community in St. Helens and in the Portland, Oregon, area. She briefly discusses working for the telephone company, as well as the work of her husband, Robert W. Womack, for the Jones Lumber Company. She then revisits the topic of her childhood and the Syrian and Lebanese community in St. Helens, including her memories of cooking Lebanese food. She talks about the activities of the Lebanese Ladies’ Society, as well as other Lebanese cultural groups in Oregon. She talks about how the independence of Lebanon affected the Lebanese community and about the contemporary issues affecting Lebanon. She discusses the charitable work of the Lebanese Ladies’ Society and talks about Lebanese cuisine. She closes the interview by discussing her siblings and their families, as well as her extended family.

Dates

  • Creation: 1988 September 6

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society. Use is allowed according to the following statement: Creative Commons - BY-NC-SA: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/.

Biographical note

Nora Baseel Womack, nee Nora Martha Baseel, was born in Portland, Oregon, in 1905. She grew up in St. Helens and in 1933, she moved to Portland, where she worked for the telephone company. She and Robert William Womack were married in 1948. She died in 1998.

Extent

.1 Cubic Feet (1 audiocassette (45 min., 49 sec.) + index (5 pages))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Nora B. Womack conducted by Robert J. Gassner on September 6, 1988, as part of the Portland's Syrian/Lebanese-American Community series. Womack was a Lebanese-American living in Portland, Oregon.

General

Forms part of the Portland's Syrian/Lebanese-American Community series.

Title
Guide to oral history interview with Nora B. Womack
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.
Sponsor
Digitization funded by the James F. Miller Endowment.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240