Quinney, Valerie

The oral history project was conducted by students in Prof. Valerie Quinney's History Research Methods class (Hist. 395A) during the spring of 1979. The students interviewed ten fishermen of Galilee, conducted additional research, and wrote research papers on various aspects of the fishermen’s lives or work. Six research papers are in the collection and cover the topics of fishing women; the Champlin families; technological changes in the industry; history of the Fisherman’s Co-operative; weather forecasting; superstitions and folklore; and confidential fishermen observers during WW II.

From the guide to the Galilee Fishermen Oral History, 1930-1979, (University of Rhode Island Library Special Collections and Archives Unit)

In the summer and fall of 1979, Professors Valerie Quinney and James Findlay of the URI History Department conducted a series of interviews with 26 members of the University of Rhode Island administrative staff and faculty regarding events that had a direct influence on the students, staff, and faculty of the University primarily during the mid 1960’s through to the early 1970’s. The first interview was conducted on May 21, 1979 and the last interview occurred on November 15th. A subsequent interview with Francis P. Allen, Head of the URI Library from to 1969 took place on August 7, 1981 was added to the collection later.

From the guide to the University of Rhode Island Oral History, 1979, (University of Rhode Island Library Special Collections and Archives Unit)

The oral history project "Galilee fishermen" was conducted by the students in Prof. Valerie Quinney history research methods class (Hist. 395A) during the spring of 1979. The students interviewed selected fishermen of Galilee and wrote research papers on various aspects of the fishermen's lives or work. Six research papers were written and are about: fishing women; the Champlin families; technological changes: 1930 to date; history of the Fisherman's Co-operative; weather forecasting; superstitions and folklore; and confidential fishermen observers during WWII. The students interviewed 10 fishermen. The tapes, partially indexed, are in the collection. There are also copies of articles from 1930-1978 from the Providence journal and Evening bulletin about Point Judith and the fishing industry.

From the description of Galilee fishermen. (University of Rhode Island Library, Kingston). WorldCat record id: 86086750

The Hera Oral History Project was spearheaded by Dr. Valerie Quinney of the History Department of the University of Rhode Island in the summer of 1988.

The Hera Gallery was founded in 1974 in Wakefield, Rhode Island as a small non-profit arts organization to serve as a venue for women artists, who were often under-represented at the time in commercial galleries. The founding of the gallery in the early mid-1970s, however, was also viewed as a political statement that reflected the feminist social movement of the time. Even the name, Hera, which comes from the Greek, refers to a wife who makes things uncomfortable, can be seen as a reflection of the feminist movement among the woman artists of South County.

For the founding members of the Hera Gallery, however, the gallery was meant to be a safe place to gather and create art. The difficulty women artists faced when searching for a sponsoring gallery, the lack of training in commercial art for women, and their treatment in the art world contributed to the feeling among women artists living in South County that they needed a cooperative art gallery in which to display their work. The gallery also served as a place where its members could engage in conscious-raising as a group, organize poetry readings and conduct classes in different art forms, such as printmaking.

From the guide to the Hera Gallery Oral History Project, 1988, (University of Rhode Island Library Special Collections and Archives Unit)

From 1981 to 1983 URI History Professor Valerie Quinney coordinated and conducted a series of interviews as part of the University of Rhode Island Oral History Project to document the lives of clerical workers in Rhode Island. The majority of interviews are from women who were employed as clerical workers during the 1930s through the 1970s. At least one interview documents a clerical career beginning in 1907 and an additional interview is from a woman who was still employed at the time of the interview. Just as the clerical career of each interviewee was different, the observations and comments each interviewee offered regarding their careers is different.

The subject matter discussed in the interviews covers a wide variety of topics. One interviewee, a Rhode Island state clerical worker describes the changes in women’s roles within a large state agency in context with the political climate of state management and union interaction. Another interview reveals the confusion many women clerical workers experienced over the lack of job descriptions, the lack of knowledge about company policy, and the vulnerability felt when working in an all-male environment. In contrast, a third interview describes the work-culture of an all-female department within a bank. The interviews reveal the unique problems women experienced as clerical workers within the cultural expectations and confines of mid-20th century America.

From the guide to the Rhode Island Working Women Oral History, 1981-1983, (University of Rhode Island Library Special Collections and Archives Unit)