Preserving the Past Through Oral Histories
Joseph Norris
The importance of collecting oral histories is to record the stories and experiences of the elderly before they are gone and preserve the history and traditions of Southern Maryland. In this workshop, Joe Norris shares how this has shaped his 44-year career as a journalist, stating, “my strength as a writer came from the stories of those I interviewed: The man whose band gave hillbilly music its name; the officer who trained Dolittle’s pilots for their famous raid during World War II; old watermen; and residents who lost property when Patuxent River Naval Air Station came into being.”
In this oral history workshop, participants will review a Southern Maryland cultural interview to learn about interviewing techniques, taking notes, and turning those notes into an immersive story. Participants will use techniques learned from St. Mary’s College of Maryland and professor Andrea Hammer, founder and publisher of the SlackWater series. Participants will also be able to share their experiences with oral histories as well as some of their own collected stories.
Joseph Norris is St. Mary’s County born and raised, with deep Southern Maryland roots. His mother’s family came to St. Mary’s in the earliest days of the colony and their father’s people migrated to St. Mary’s from Virginia in 1750, where they settled initially in the 1630s.
Joseph retired from a 44-year career in journalism throughout Southern Maryland including newspapers in St. Mary’s, Charles, Calvert and Prince George’s counties. Throughout his employment, he focused on human interest stories, gathering the oral histories of many prominent citizens.
In 1984, he was honored by the St. Mary’s County Historical Society, the Maryland Historical Trust and the Maryland Historical Society for his efforts promoting Maryland history during the 350 th anniversary of the state’s founding. He reported on every significant historical discovery at Historic St. Mary’s City over a 30-year period.
Mr. Norris is currently working on an oral history of St. Mary’s County.