e-mail exchange & 1977 newspaper version
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May 26th, 2013
Dear Mr. Mundinger, I have an aging copy of a wonderful article that appeared in the "Challenger" in 1977, which was taken from an interview you did with my uncle James Mason about growing up on his parents' farm in Downers Grove (which was also where my father Dave Mason grew up). I'm wondering whether you might still have the original audio recording of that interview, as we have no other recordings of our Uncle Jim, and would love to be able to share it with the rest of our family, including his children, who are all in their seventies now (I'm a decade younger at 64). If you still have the tape, I'd be willing to pay to have it digitized, as it would be extraordinary to have as a piece of our family's history. In any case, I hope to hear back from you when you find time. Many thanks, Russ Mason Nashville, TN |
May 29th, 2013
Dear Mr. Mason, I am glad that you enjoyed the article from the "Challenger". I didn't know any of those articles were still around after all of these years. Unfortunately, there never was an audio recording from your uncle. I did a number of similar interviews of older area residents and none of them were comfortable being taped. After a while I didn't even try. Mr. Mason would come to my office at Maercker School for the interviews. I was principal there at the time. He also wrote out many of his memories and that made it a lot easier for me when I wrote the articles. Usually, I would just write furiously and try to keep up with the interviewee. A couple of years ago, I put all of the articles and a "History of Maercker School" together in a booklet and donated them to the Westmont Historical Society. Your uncle's stories are one of the features. If you will send me your complete address, I will be happy to mail you a copy. Thank you for your interest, Fred Mundinger |
About Fred Mundinger
Fred Mundinger began teaching at Maercker School in 1969. Over the next 33 years he served as the principal of Maercker, principal of Holmes school, Assistant Superintendent, and Superintendent of Schools. He retired in 2002.
In July, 2014, three of the Mason cousins invited Fred Mundinger to join us for lunch at a restaurant in Downers Grove...
In July, 2014, three of the Mason cousins invited Fred Mundinger to join us for lunch at a restaurant in Downers Grove...
Fred Mundinger, Frannie Pribyl, Ellie Hanke & Russ Mason - Downers Grove, 2014
Below is Fred Mundinger's two-part interview with James Mason as it appeared in the May 5 and May 12, 1977 editions of a local Chicago-area newspaper. Though the two articles are each on a single page, they had to be scanned in sections because of their size.
