Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

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  • Collection DOI:
    Principal Investigator:
    Marifrances Trivelli
  • The Port of Los Angeles celebrated its Centennial on December 9, 2007.  As part of the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project, these interviews feature various members of the Los Angeles Harbor Area community who were interviewed in 2007 to document different eras in Port history.

Interviewee Sort descending Collection Description Interviewer Date of Interview Location of Interview Affiliation
Mike Godward Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Michael Godward was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. Michael Godward was born in 1947 in downtown Los Angeles and is a third-generation Los Angelino. He embarked on a career in law enforcement after initially working as a machinist apprentice and later as an air crewman in the Navy reserves. The interview begins with Godward describing his early life and education. He attended elementary school in Los Angeles before his family moved to Covina, California, where he completed high school.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Min Tonai Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Oral history interview with Min Tonai.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Nancy Call Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Nancy Call is a descendant of Phineas Banning, a prominent figure in the history of Los Angeles' harbor development. Her lineage traces back to Banning, who was instrumental in the founding of Wilmington and played a significant role in the growth of transportation in the region. Call's familial connection extends through the generations, with Banning's sons continuing the transportation legacy and expanding into areas such as the acquisition of Catalina Island.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Nancy Utovac Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Nancy Utovac was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. Born in Harbor City, California, in 1958, Utovac grew up in the San Pedro area during the 1950s and 1960s. She recounts early memories of days spent at Cabrillo Beach and the tightly-knit, less populated community, where many residents were related or worked in harbor-related industries such as fishing and longshoring. The interview covers Utovac’s family background, particularly focusing on her father, a hardworking longshoreman.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Patricia Leckner Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Patricia Leckner was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. Patricia Leckner was born on June 23, 1932, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and later moved to San Pedro, California, where her husband, a civil engineer, was stationed at Fort MacArthur. The interview focuses on her significant involvement with Ports O' Call Village, a specialty shopping and dining center in San Pedro, California. Leckner discusses her initial arrival in San Pedro in the mid-1950s, the development of Ports O' Call Village, and her role as the village manager.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Pearson Jackson Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Oral history interview with Pearson Jackson.  

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Rawlin Nelson Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Oral history interview with Rawlin Nelson.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Ray Falk Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Ray Falk was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. He was born on September 23, 1922, on Terminal Island (formerly East San Pedro). Falk's grandfather, a German-born Swede, was an entrepreneurial ship captain who first arrived in San Pedro in 1877. He established a business in the area, including the Pepper Tree Saloon, and invested in property and ships, significantly contributing to the port's early maritime activities. Ray Falk recounts his early life on Terminal Island, where his father operated a fishing boat with a Japanese crew.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Robert Curry, Jr. Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Robert A. Curry was born in 1931 in Toledo, Ohio. In 1939, his father moved to San Francisco, California, and the family relocated to Los Angeles in 1940. Bob grew up in the transportation and trucking industry. The family’s transition to the West Coast marked the beginning of their involvement in the trucking business. Bob’s father founded California Cartage Company during the war years, around 1943-1944, focusing on transporting aircraft parts between Los Angeles and San Diego.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles
Ron Reddick Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project

Ron Reddick was interviewed for the Port of Los Angeles Centennial Oral History Project. Born in 1944 in Long Beach, California, Reddick grew up near the Port of Los Angeles, where his early exposure to the port influenced his eventual career as an engineer. After initially working for the City of Los Angeles in the Department of Public Works, Reddick became intrigued by the variety of engineering tasks required at the port and chose to transfer to the Port of Los Angeles, where he spent his career.

Unknown Los Angeles, CA The Port of Los Angeles