UMass Amherst Libraries

Special Collections and University Archives

Michella M. Marino Collection

2011-2012

23 oral history interviews

Call no.: MS 812

Read collection overview

Michella M. Marino received her doctorate from the Department History of at UMass Amherst in May 2013. Her dissertation, Sweating femininity: women athletes, masculine culture, and American inequality from 1930 to the present, drew on extensive oral historical and archival research to examine how feminist women negotiated the cultural boundaries surrounding gender to carve out identities as women, athletes, and mothers. Focusing on women's participation in two sports, basketball and roller derby, Marino wrote that her goal was to "explain the tension between women's representation and agency, between cultural constructs and women's lives, between images of women and their individual identities."

The Marino Collection consists of 23 oral historical interviews with female and male participants in roller derby and basketball.

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Women and feminism

Background on Michella M. Marino

Michella M. Marino received her doctorate from the Department History of at UMass Amherst in May 2013. Her dissertation, Sweating femininity: women athletes, masculine culture, and American inequality from 1930 to the present, drew on extensive oral historical and archival research to examine how feminist women negotiated the cultural boundaries surrounding gender to carve out identities as women, athletes, and mothers. Focusing on women's participation in two sports, basketball and roller derby, Marino wrote that her goal was to "explain the tension between women's representation and agency, between cultural constructs and women's lives, between images of women and their individual identities."

Marino is currently an Assistant Professor of American History at Hastings College in Hastings, Nebraska.

Scope of collection

The oral histories in the Marino collection include interviews with prominent women athletes in basketball and roller derby from the 1950s through 1980s. Her subjects include several members of the sports' respective halls of fame, players (and a coach) with Nashville Business College and Wayland Baptist College AAU teams, the dominant teams of the 1950s and 1960s, Marino's questions include the basics of her subjects' biographies and sporting careers, reflections on gender roles.

Inventory

Basketball oral histories

2011-2012

11 interviews

Fiete, Sandra J.: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 June 5

00:52:32

Interview with former Iowa girls' basketball player and player with Iowa Wesleyan, Platt College, Pepsi.

Kazmer, Molly Bolin: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Palm Desert, Calif.)

2011 June 13

04:37:12

Interview with pioneer in women's professional basketball in Women's Pro Basketball League (WBL) and Women's American Basketball League with Iowa Cornets and Columbus Minks.

Lopiano, Donna A.: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Hadley, Mass.)

2011 Mar. 17

02:22:08

Interview with member of National Sports Hall of Fame and National Softball Hall of Fame; player with Connecticut Brakettes softball; Director of Women's Athletics at University of Texas, 1975-1992.

Lowry, Carla: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Georgetown, Tex.)

2011 July 15

01:42:16

Interview with member of Wayland Baptist College Hutcherson Flying Queens teams (1957-); Pan American gold medalist.

Morris, Missouri Arledge: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 Feb. 2

01:18:13

Interview with member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; first African American woman to play in a national AAU tournament from Philander-Smith College (1952-1953).

Neal, Patsy: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Sept. 13

01:26:38

Interview with member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; player with Wayland Baptist College, Pan American gold medalist.

No audio file: rights remain with Neal.

Redin, Harley: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Oct. 12

00:55:30

Interview with member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; coach of Wayland Baptist College teams (1956-1973).

Rogers, Doris: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Sept. 8

01:44:22

Phone interview with member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; player with Nashville Business College; Pan American Games and World Championship team member.

Rubel, Jane Christoffer: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Apr. 26

00:50:26

Phone interview with Iowa high school girls' player who successfully sued to be able to play after getting married.

Sprouse, Alline Banks: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Feb. 7

00:15:04

Interview with member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; player with Nashville Business College, Vultee Aircraft.

Washington, Katherine: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Apr. 6

00:47:15

Interview with member of Women's Basketball Hall of Fame; player with Nashville Business College and Wayland Baptist College; world championship teams of 1953 and 1957.

Roller derby oral histories

2011-2012

15 files

Behrens, Loretta: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Sept. 9

02:34:57

Interview with Roller Derby Hall of Fame member "Little Iodine" Behrens, New Jersey roller derby star of 1950s.

Bennar, Erich: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 Sept. 13

00:39:06

Interview with president of the national men's roller derby organization (MRDA).

Berkman, Leonard: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Dec. 20

01:17:34

Interview with the Anne Hesseltine Hoyt Professor of Theatre at Smith College regarding roller derby in New York City area.

Deford, Frank [Part 1 and 2]: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Apr. 18

00:38:06

Interview with sportswriter and Senior Contributing Writer at Sports Illustrated; author of Five Strides on the Banked Track: The Life and Times of the Roller Derby (1971).

Dietrich, Ciara: Oral history with Michella M. Marino

2010 Aug. 24

00:40:35

Iowa roller derby skater, discussing participation in roller derby; mentality of roller derby; competitiveness; team dynamics; gender, inclusiveness, culture of roller derby; team image.

Ebert, Alan: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Sept. 14

00:00:00

Interview with roller derby writer (b.1935) from New York.

Minutes from 30:32 to 31:35 redacted per request of interviewee.

Edwards, Lisa: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Iowa City, Ia.)

2010 Aug. 23

00:09:12

Iowa roller derby skater, University of Iowa; scholarship on roller derby; participation in other sports vs. roller derby; importance of derby in life.

Fahy, Jake: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 Sept. 14

00:55:46

Interview with "Bazooka Joe," co-founder with Sarah Lang of Pioneer Valley Roller Derby, the first modern revival co-ed roller derby league in the United States.

Grant, Megan: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Iowa City, Ia.)

2010 Aug. 23

00:53:33

Iowa roller derby skater; other sports vs. roller derby; importance of derby in life.

Hall, John: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Oct. 4

02:29:32

Interview with 1950s Los Angeles Thunderbirds skater.

Hendricks, Kimberly: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Iowa City, Ia.)

2010 Aug. 22

00:00:00

Iowa roller derby skater "Toxic Sugar"; parenthood; playing roller derby; derby vs. other sports; context of derby in life; acceptance in derby; gender, sexuality, and roller derby.

Hurst, Hannah: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Lawrence, Kans.)

2010 Aug. 27

00:50:47

Kansas skater; participation in sports and roller derby, motherhood; trying roller derby; gender and sexuality in roller derby; competition; community involvement; motherhood; media promotion of mother-athletes.

McMorris, Tara: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Coralville, Ia.)

2010 Aug 22

00:22:42

Iowa skater; other experience with sports; new participant in roller derby; gender, sexuality, motherhood; marketing for the league.

Massro, Mary Youpel: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011

01:40:52

Phone interview with Los Angeles Braves skater in 1950s.

Mateer, Bobbie: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (part 1) (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Feb. 1

01:43:58

Part one of phone interview with Chicago and later San Francisco Bay Bombers skater of 1950s and 1960s.

Mateer, Bobbie: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (part 2) (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Feb. 6

00:32:37

Part two of interview with Chicago and later San Francisco Bay Bombers skater of 1950s and 1960s.

Murray, Gerry: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011 Sept. 26

02:09:24

Interview with member of Roller Derby Hall of Fame, skater with San Francisco Bay Bombers.

Sections of the interview have been redacted per request of the interviewee.

Nygra, Joel Justin: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 Aug. 10

01:04:17

Phone interview with son of Roller Derby Hall of Fame members Joe Nygra and Gene Vizena, "villains" and stars of early roller derby.

Palermo, Mary Lou: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2011

01:17:07

Phone interview with Roller Derby Hall of Fame member.

Roman, Carol Meyer: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 July 13

02:00:38

Interview with Roller Derby Hall of Fame member "Peanuts" Meyer, San Francisco Bay Bombers skater in 1960s.

Seltzer, Jerry: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Sonoma, Calif.)

2011 June 17

04:46:37

Interview with Roller Derby Hall of Fame member; "The Commissioner," second owner of the original Roller Derby League and son of Leo Seltzer, inventor of the sport of roller derby.

Wall, Bert: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Amherst, Mass.)

2012 Jan. 25

01:45:04

Interview with original Roller Derby Hall of Fame member.

Williams, Joan: Oral history with Michella M. Marino (Coralville, Ia.)

2010 Aug. 24

00:42:58

Iowa skater "Killer Baker"; sports experience; participation in roller derby; "mentality" of league; femininity, motherhood, and skating; community participation; diversity and inclusiveness; motherhood, fatherhood, and skating.

Administrative information

Access

The collection is open for research.

Provenance

Gift of Michella M. Marino, Jan. 2014.

Processing Information

Processed by I. Eliot Wentworth, Apr. 2014.

Language:

English

Copyright and Use (More information )

Cite as: Michella M. Marino Collection (MS 812). Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries.

Search terms

Subjects

Roller derby
Sex discrimination in sports--History
Sports for women
Women athletes
Women's basketball

Contributors

Marino, Michella M. [main entry]

Genres and formats

Oral histories

Link to similar SCUA collections