{"@context":"http://iiif.io/api/presentation/3/context.json","id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/iiif/h98z89415v/manifest","type":"Manifest","label":{"en":["Russell DiBella Oral History"]},"logo":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","metadata":[{"label":{"en":["Description"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1:\u003c/strong\u003e Russell DiBella speaks about his involvement in the construction work that took place at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in preparation for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePhotos: Scenes of the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair during and after construction. Courtesy of Lori DiBella Wallach.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOver the course of his career in the construction industry, Russell DiBella worked on many seminal building and infrastructure projects in New York City and on Long Island. As a member of the Teamster Union, Local 282, he was primarily involved in the concrete business, and drove both dump trucks and cement mixers. In this interview, recorded for the 50th anniversary of the 1964-65 World’s Fair, he recalls his work during the construction phase of the fair: bringing in gravel to help stabilize the marshy ground; pouring concrete for roadways and building foundations; and making corrections and adjustments as necessary between the fair’s two seasons. He notes that Robert Moses, architect of the fair, made occasional visits to check on the construction progress, surrounded by an entourage and not to be approached.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e \u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRussell also reminisces about visiting the fair with his family and marveling at the technological advances on display, including color television, electric typewriters, a wireless “remote phone,” and an early hybrid diesel/electric dump truck. He was impressed as well by the international foods and cultural exhibits, which introduced many Americans to countries “which probably most of us never would get to.”\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Rights Statement"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eContact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},{"label":{"en":["Source Metadata URI"]},"value":{"en":["http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/44158","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/24838","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/24851","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/24843","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/24834","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/24848","http://digitalarchives.queenslibrary.org/search/browse/24845"]}},{"label":{"en":["Date"]},"value":{"en":["2014-08-09 (created)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Type"]},"value":{"en":["Audio","Video"]}},{"label":{"en":["Agent"]},"value":{"en":["Russell DiBella (Interviewee)","Lori DiBella Wallach (Interviewer)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Coverage"]},"value":{"en":["1960s (temporal)","Flushing Meadows Corona Park and John F. Kennedy International Airport, Queens, NY; Port Washington, NY (spatial)"]}},{"label":{"en":["Language"]},"value":{"en":["English"]}}],"summary":{"en":["\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eClip 1:\u003c/strong\u003e Russell DiBella speaks about his involvement in the construction work that took place at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park in preparation for the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003ePhotos: Scenes of the 1964-1965 New York World's Fair during and after construction. Courtesy of Lori DiBella Wallach.\u003c/p\u003e","\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSummary of Full Interview\u003c/strong\u003e\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eOver the course of his career in the construction industry, Russell DiBella worked on many seminal building and infrastructure projects in New York City and on Long Island. As a member of the Teamster Union, Local 282, he was primarily involved in the concrete business, and drove both dump trucks and cement mixers. In this interview, recorded for the 50th anniversary of the 1964-65 World\u0026rsquo;s Fair, he recalls his work during the construction phase of the fair: bringing in gravel to help stabilize the marshy ground; pouring concrete for roadways and building foundations; and making corrections and adjustments as necessary between the fair\u0026rsquo;s two seasons. He notes that Robert Moses, architect of the fair, made occasional visits to check on the construction progress, surrounded by an entourage and not to be approached.\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003e\u0026nbsp;\u003c/p\u003e\r\n\u003cp\u003eRussell also reminisces about visiting the fair with his family and marveling at the technological advances on display, including color television, electric typewriters, a wireless \u0026ldquo;remote phone,\u0026rdquo; and an early hybrid diesel/electric dump truck. He was impressed as well by the international foods and cultural exhibits, which introduced many Americans to countries \u0026ldquo;which probably most of us never would get to.\u0026rdquo;\u003c/p\u003e"]},"requiredStatement":{"label":{"en":["Attribution"]},"value":{"en":["\u003cp\u003eContact digitalarchives@queenslibrary.org for research and reproduction requests.\u003c/p\u003e"]}},"provider":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/aboutus","type":"Agent","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"homepage":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/","type":"Text","label":{"en":["Queens Public Library"]},"format":"text/html"}],"logo":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/organizations/logo_images/000/000/010/original/Aviary_QPLlogo_192x192.png?1578574261","type":"Image"}]}],"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/259/263/small/dibella_russell_20140809_clip1.mp4_1734103384.jpg?1734103388","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259263","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 1 of 2 - dibella_russell_20140809_clip1.mp4"]},"duration":152.32,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/259/263/small/dibella_russell_20140809_clip1.mp4_1734103384.jpg?1734103388","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259263/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259263/content/1/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/259/263/original/dibella_russell_20140809_clip1.mp4?1734103383","type":"Video","format":"video/mp4","duration":152.32,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259263","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[]},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262","type":"Canvas","label":{"en":["Media File 2 of 2 - dibella_russell_20140809_edit_mono.mp3"]},"duration":2533.752,"width":640,"height":360,"thumbnail":[{"id":"https://d9jk7wjtjpu5g.cloudfront.net/collection_resource_files/thumbnails/000/259/262/small/dibella_russell_20140809_portrait.jpg?1734103702","type":"Image","format":"image/jpeg"}],"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/content/1","type":"AnnotationPage","items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/content/2/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"painting","body":{"id":"https://aviary-p-queenslibrary.s3.wasabisys.com/collection_resource_files/resource_files/000/259/262/original/dibella_russell_20140809_edit_mono.mp3?1734103380","type":"Audio","format":"audio/mpeg","duration":2533.752,"width":640,"height":360},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262","metadata":[]}]}],"annotations":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712","type":"AnnotationPage","label":{"en":["Full Transcript [Transcript]"]},"items":[{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/1","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: OK, today is August 9th, 2014, and I'm talking to Russell DiBella about his experiences with the 1964 World's Fair. And I understand you were involved in the construction of the fair. At what point did you start working on that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2.0,26.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/2","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: The construction, or the preparation for the site for the fair to be built on started approximately in the latter part of 1960 and continued on to 1964, just right up to the opening. Tons of material were trucked in from Long Island to stabilize the ground, prepare it for the exhibit buildings -- am I going too fast?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=26.0,54.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/3","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: It's fine.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=54.0,55.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/4","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: -- exhibit buildings and the globe and the hemisphere, which were erected during the procedure of building the World's Fair. A man-made lake was made to accommodate the three Columbus ships -- the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria. A dock was built to have people access the boats. A tremendous amount of lighting, electrical wiring and utility poles were erected in such a manner that they were inconspicuous. So as the fairgrounds would be well-lit at night and not be having too many utility poles visible.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=55.0,128.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/5","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: What specifically, what part of that were you involved in personally?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=128.0,135.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/6","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, I was employed by a company on Long Island, and we trucked material. A special blend of material was brought in for base where concrete was to be bought -- poured, rather -- and for the roadways to be built. After the substructure was all prepared, concrete was poured for buildings, for roadways, sidewalks and paved areas for the exhibits.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=135.0,181.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/7","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So this was pretty much in the early stages of the development.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=181.0,185.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/8","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: From the very beginning, it was -- the site was part of what was a garbage dump years ago, and core drilling to see how much stabilizing was required. In some cases, concrete piers had to be poured into holes that were drilled into the ground to stabilize the areas where buildings were built.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=185.0,223.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/9","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Do you remember the name of the company that you worked for back then?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=223.0,234.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/10","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Some of the names were Ryan Ready Mixed for concrete, Tully and DiNapoli for road beds and stone, and Frank Mascali and Sicilian Asphalt for the paving of the roads. They were all local companies in and around the Flushing area. And the sand pits on Long Island that provided the blend for the base are long gone by now, and I'm trying to remember their names.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=234.0,288.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/11","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So, most of the material was actually, came from Long Island and was brought into Flushing?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=288.0,293.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/12","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: All of the material. Long Island is a mecca for sand and gravel. The whole 125 miles is a sandbar, which is conducive to building materials and mixing with other materials that become base. Some of the companies that participated, which are gone, Gotham Sand and Stone from Port Washington, the Colonial Sand and Gravel Company from Port Washington and Flushing. The Irving Gross Sand Quarry from Bethpage provided a major portion of the base that was mixed with sand and clay and also soil cement to provide stabilizing material over the previously dumped garbage dump.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=293.0,381.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/13","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: It sounds like a lot of the companies that you mentioned in the first place from the Flushing area are a lot of Italian names. Was that a largely Italian business at that time? A lot of Italian workers?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=381.0,394.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/14","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: The Italian names, owners, all dominated the construction business. The Sicilian Asphalt Company, which was a large enterprise in Flushing, made it a practice of employing Italian immigrants to give them a start in the new world. Cousins, uncles, brothers from Italy and Sicily were brought over specifically for projects throughout the Borough of Queens and Manhattan and the Bronx. Frank Mascali and Sons was also an Italian-based company; however, they were diverse in their employees.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=394.0,453.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/15","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: That was my next question. Were all the employees Italian or were there other groups represented?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=453.0,460.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/16","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: No, the majority were Italian because they were willing workers, hard workers, and came to work every day. People who could not read or write English; made their way by subway, by friends taking them, by buses. Oft times had problems with communications, but persevered and became naturalized citizens and worked at the companies for many, many years. Tully and DiNapoli, as their name will tell you, an Irish family and an Italian family joined forces, became one of the largest construction companies, and were associated before and after the fair with Consolidated Edison, paving the streets that ConEd habitually tore up in Manhattan, Brooklyn and Queens.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=460.0,540.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/17","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Were they union companies, or...?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=540.0,542.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/18","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: All union.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=542.0,546.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/19","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: All union. The Teamster union?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=546.0,548.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/20","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Teamster union for all trucks. The engineer union for all equipment to be run, the labor unions for the hard labor and steamfitters, carpenter's union -- the entire fair and entire buildings and roadways to support the fair were built by union labor.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=548.0,578.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/21","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Wow. I didn't know that. That's great.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=578.0,585.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/22","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: The parkways received many new exits, entrances and elevated highways to accommodate the traffic that would be coming to the fair. And it still exists today and have enhanced travel throughout the Queens area to and from the city and to Long Island.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=585.0,612.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/23","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Right, right. And that area today is Flushing Meadows Park and a lot of those roads and some of those structures still stand.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=612.0,622.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/24","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yeah, I don't know if the restaurant in the sky [Terrace on the Park; formerly Top of the Fair] is still functional, but it was a very unique restaurant. And from the seat at the window in the restaurant, you could see the New York skyline and most of Queens, and some people said they could see the Jersey side of the Hudson River. The UN building, which is built along the river separating Long Island City and New York City, was very prominent for its glass structure, and when the sun beat on it, it was like a beacon.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=622.0,680.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/25","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So that restaurant was actually built for the fair?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=680.0,683.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/26","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: For the fair, yeah. Prior to the fair being built, most of the ground lay fallow, because like I said, it was a dump, and many facets were needed to reclaim the land, and with the impetus of the fair coming, it created parks which are still existing today. The expansion of the Van Wyck Expressway was attributed to the World's Fair, which led to, at the time it was Idlewild and now JFK [Airport]. And speaking of JFK, as the airport gained notoriety, it expanded into Jamaica Bay, and the previously mentioned contractors were all instrumental in expanding the airport.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=683.0,755.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/27","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Oh wow. You didn't work on that project, did you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=755.0,758.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/28","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yeah, I worked it. Again, it was Idlewild until Kennedy was assassinated and in honor of his assassination, or rather his presidency, it was changed to Kennedy in 1967. I was part of the roadway network in the airport when I had my accident. I was there. Somewhere there's a marker. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=758.0,802.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/29","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: What was that accident? I've heard the story, I think.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=802.0,807.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/30","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: We were bringing in material -- again, manufactured on Long Island -- and because of the instability of the ground we were dumping on, the dump trailer, at its point of unloading it, the body up in the air, the ground gave way and the trailer tipped over, injuring the driver. Since I'm saying this, I survived.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=807.0,841.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/31","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: But you were hurt, certainly, in the accident.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=841.0,844.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/32","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yeah. Not permanently, just for a long time. You don't want to discuss the personal aspects of that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=844.0,859.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/33","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Well, it took you off that project certainly.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=859.0,863.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/34","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Oh yeah. It took me off anything for quite a while in the...let me think a minute. Yeah, I don't think I went back to work till '68 because I had a brand new baby to take care of. [Ed. note - the interviewer was that baby.]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=863.0,892.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/35","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So going back to the World's Fair, how long did you work on that project?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=892.0,900.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/36","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Until it opened. Until the spring, the early spring of '64. And some of the people who were employed by the local concrete companies poured during the fair at night and the fair was open late. So they were working in the wee hours of the morning.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=900.0,924.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/37","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: What was still being constructed?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=924.0,926.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/38","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Sidewalk facilities, and also added areas where more exhibits could come in. What comes to mind, a small area, Goodyear Tire had brought to the World's Fair the largest manmade tire, easily six...10 foot in diameter. I wish I could find that picture.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=926.0,966.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/39","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Maybe we will. So you were working on roadways and sidewalks, and were you involved in the construction of the actual buildings, or that would've been a different...","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=966.0,982.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/40","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: That was a different local. I was a Teamster. Our job was to bring material and concrete throughout the building. It was a massive effort. It required two shifts, and people, beside being gainfully employed, were happy to be part of a historic event that was coming. Prior was the '39 World's Fair, and this one was going, billed as being the biggest World's Fair ever. I'm not sure if it made the mark.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=982.0,1018.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/41","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Yeah, I'm not quite sure. I think '39 actually brought in more money, but '64 might've been a larger enterprise.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1018.0,1028.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/42","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, '64 came at a more expensive time; '39 was still in the throes of the Depression. Labor was abundant and economically affordable to the contractors. From what I'm told, because I was four years old in '39, the Works Project [Administration], WPA, had amassed people to go to work at the fair, and while their rewards were meager there, it afforded them food and rent money. Similar, but on a much smaller scale than the Hoover Dam was, the projects were, the '39 project was manned by the people who were working for WPA who were on welfare. They had precedence to working there. [In] 1964, the unions had, finally had control of the labor market, and everyone that worked there was union. I myself was involved with the Teamster Union and was required to make sure that all Teamsters that came to the job were union members and paid-up dues. And while it seems unfair, it controlled that all the people that came into the fair were professional people with a background.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1028.0,1150.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/43","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Right. Now, this project, the World's Fair project, I know was headed by Robert Moses. Did he ever come around that you knew of to inspect the progress?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1150.0,1164.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/44","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: When Robert Moses came, you could not see him personally. He came with an entourage. You'd think -- well, he thought he was president of the world, and even though he tried to present himself as down to earth, [he] never touched ground.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1164.0,1187.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/45","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Yeah, I've heard that he made quite a few enemies along the way.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1187.0,1192.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/46","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, his ideas -- all the parkways and roadways on Long Island were part of his legacy. However, the constant thought of future growth were not part of his thought process, or he didn't realize how Long Island would become such an important spot supporting the New York metropolitan area. And he left many shortcomings on the roadways that travel in, which are now being corrected at a great expense and a great discomfort to commuters. However, on the upside, Robert Moses Park, Robert Moses Bridge, Robert Moses Causeway opened up beaches and recreational areas to the general population. All the beaches were, if not free, they were very, very little expense to families who could come and enjoy the pristine sands and the clear waters of the Atlantic Ocean. Yay Robert Moses. You want to go back to the fair?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1192.0,1284.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/47","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Well, does anything else come to mind about anything that particularly impressed you about being there, or didn't impress you?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1284.0,1293.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/48","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: After working there, I attended the fair several times with my family, and it was the first time we were, had viewed an animated Abraham Lincoln, and we were driven about the exhibits in motorized rail cars. And we were introduced to 3-D.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1293.0,1321.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/49","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: That's right. Yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1321.0,1322.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/50","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: And...I'm searching. What does the computer say, searching?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1322.0,1333.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/51","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Searching, right. [laughs]","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1333.0,1346.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/52","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Innovations in automobiles were first, some of the innovations, the...let me see now. There was a replica of Tucker's automobile, which was a new variation of automobile. It was the first front wheel drive here on this side of the ocean, and unfortunately, he did not have the backing or the sanction of the automotive industry, and he lost out. But he did bring his prized cars to the fair and they looked like spaceships. The front had a bullet, and there were the beginning of aerodynamics. Unfortunately, many years later, after Mr. Tucker was gone, his ideas were adopted, hence the aerodynamic cars.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1346.0,1437.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/53","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Did you visit the New York State Pavilion? I know that's still there today and there's been a movement to save that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1437.0,1444.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/54","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yes, we did. I think that was the beginning of promotion for the New York State -- I'm not sure if \"the Big Apple\" was coined that early, but after the World's Fair, all the roadways leading in and out, and I believe that's when we became the Empire State. I'll stand corrected on that one, but it was in that time.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1444.0,1487.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/55","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Since you had worked on the fair in the construction phase, were you there for the opening ceremonies or did you get any special privileges when you went to visit?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1487.0,1497.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/56","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: No, because we were still behind the scenes doing construction. However, early on in the fair, we went on Saturdays and Sundays. The fair could be visited many times, it was very affordable, but it could not be seen in its entirety in one or two visits.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1497.0,1522.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/57","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: It was that big.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1522.0,1523.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/58","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: And there was such a diverse group of people and foods, ethnic foods, and...","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1523.0,1533.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/59","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Yeah, the food court, I think, was a big attraction, right?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1533.0,1536.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/60","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Oh yeah.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1536.0,1537.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/61","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Do you remember any of that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1537.0,1540.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/62","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, unfortunately we went for the Italian foods, but we did try some Japanese food, which prior to that, we all grew up with the Japanese people being our enemy, and we came to realize that they ate and we could enjoy their food. And, I'm struggling...naturally we always enjoyed German food because of the German groups that inhabited New York and Chinese groups, but they were all represented there. The food court was a very popular location.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1540.0,1605.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/63","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So, the fair actually ran two seasons, '64 and '65.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1605.0,1610.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/64","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1610.0,1612.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/65","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Was there any necessary construction in between one season? Did you have to go back and...","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1612.0,1617.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/66","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, it operated continually. There were repairs where engineering had missed and there were some roadways that weren't as smooth as they should have been, and they had to be removed and repaired. And some cracking of sidewalks when the heavy equipment that was on display...many -- General Electric had on display an off-road dump truck that was powered by diesel, but the wheels were driven by electric motors. Probably the first hybrid we saw.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1617.0,1674.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/67","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Yeah, I was going to say, it sounds like an early version...","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1674.0,1675.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/68","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: They were used mainly in coal mines, and that's where the giant tires came from.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1675.0,1683.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/69","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Oh, OK.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1683.0,1684.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/70","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Today, many manufacturers make them such as Erie -- Bucyrus-Erie -- Link-Belt, but GE was the first innovator of electric-driven wheels powered by the diesel engine. [It] not only powered the driving mechanism, but also charged up the electric motors, the batteries for the electric motors, hence the hybrid of today.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1684.0,1719.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/71","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Wow. I had no idea.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1719.0,1724.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/72","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: The second season I thought was better, because all the people that went there had -- the negative comments that were there -- were polished up and became positives for the second season.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1724.0,1740.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/73","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So there were some improvements.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1740.0,1743.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/74","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Since I worked there, I felt a negative comment was a slam on me and my fellow workers.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1743.0,1755.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/75","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: What were people complaining about?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1755.0,1757.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/76","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: First of all, which was surprising for New York people, the crowds, the crowding! But everybody wanted to be there and everybody wanted to be first. And also the foreign exhibits, for flavor, they had people talking in the foreign languages, and unfortunately, many of our local people who came and people from around the country who came took exception to that. There were interpreters, and the people that were speaking, for example, French, Indian, Greek, Italian, also had the ability to interpret what they were saying, but they wanted to retain the flavor of their exhibit, which I thought was neat. But that was some of them. I guess maybe on a curve of one to 10, 10 being the best, maybe two, number two or three were negative thoughts.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1757.0,1847.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/77","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: That's surprising, for New York. You would think that there would be more acceptance of diversity.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1847.0,1853.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/78","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yeah. And the second year around people went for the exhibits.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1853.0,1858.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/79","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: They did?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1858.0,1858.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/80","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yeah. Oh, it was an opportunity to flavor a foreign country, which probably most of us never would get to. They were dressed in their natural habitat -- natural clothing in their natural shapes of their buildings and they practiced their customs. One of the things that was outstanding to me was that the Netherlands, the people wore wooden shoes; the German exhibits, they wore, what are they? Lederhosen and suspenders and so forth.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1858.0,1930.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/81","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Would you say that the people who attended the fair were a diverse group also? Was it a good cross-section of the local population, or?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1930.0,1941.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/82","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, the second, the latter part of the first year and the second year were people from all over the country. In the beginning, people in other states, not New Jersey or Connecticut, but the further -- the Midwest and the Southern states -- were kind of wary of coming to New York. But as they read about it -- it was highly publicized, the fair. Life Magazine every week did another segment. People began to realize that it was an opportunity of a lifetime. They came, and they conquered their fears and enjoyed it. The aging population today, every once in a while, remark about what a wonderful time it was.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1941.0,1994.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/83","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: The one [thing] probably not well thought of was housing. The frenzy of constructing the roads and the fair left little time to build hotels to house people in the immediate area. And unfortunately, the immediate area around Queens was residential, albeit high-rise. There were still people who lived in the apartments. And as you came out to Long Island, there were no, as we know today, hotels and motels. That was a big detriment. New Jersey, on the other hand, just on the other side of the river, had many hotels, and a lot of people were bused over into the fair from New Jersey.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=1994.0,2065.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/84","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Wow!","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2065.0,2065.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/85","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Yeah. And also, Rockland County -- Westchester was pretty much untouchable -- but Suffern, NY, and I think that's also Rockland County, I'm not sure.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2065.0,2085.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/86","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: But not Manhattan. People weren't staying in Manhattan?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2085.0,2087.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/87","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, again, out-of-town people were the less sophisticated people or people that had never been to Manhattan to shows and so forth, were intimidated by the crowds. I personally know people who came to quick New York and Queens for the fair and came back years later and still marveled at the density of the people walking in New York day and night and -- just something that they weren't used to. Most rural states or Southern states used to, at 10 o'clock at night, everything shut down. But it also educated these people that a place like this existed. And I don't know what else.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2087.0,2153.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/88","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Oh, well one last thing I was thinking about, 1964, of course, was also the Freedom Summer and the time when there was a lot of racial unrest in this country. So did you see any evidence of that around the World's Fair?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2153.0,2170.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/89","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Well, Queens was always a diverse neighborhood, so people co-existed. There was never the racial tension that were in other areas. Plus the people, the diverse people of Queens, realized that economically it was a boost. People who prior had no jobs or couldn't get a job were now hired on in the fair; pushcarts with hot dogs, roasted chestnuts, toasted pretzels were on every street corner around the fair and in the fair. It was really -- the tensions were calmed by the ability to make money or support themselves more, and everybody that wanted to could work at the fair. There were always two and possibly three shifts of workers.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2170.0,2250.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/90","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: So even with the crowds coming in, like you mentioned from some of the Southern states or Midwest states, you didn't sense any tension like that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2250.0,2259.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/91","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: No. It was...the police department, anticipating problems, had a very strong presence, but I don't remember...I'm sure there were some skirmishes here and there. That's anytime you put a big crowd of different people together. But I don't remember anything. Nothing got burnt down and I don't think anybody was killed. And you felt very comfortable walking around. You never feared for anything. So it was men, women and children just enjoyed themselves. It was like a country fair magnified by 10,000. It was very enlightening; if you went there, you learned. There were so many new -- I think, and I'll stand corrected, I think the electric typewriter came about, or it was displayed there. Color TV was making its debut. It had been around, but it allowed the masses to see color TV. I don't know.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2259.0,2357.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/92","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: That's great. Those are some unique perspectives that I hadn't heard before on the fair. Anything else you'd like to add about that?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2357.0,2368.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/93","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: In conclusion, I don't know that we could ever see another project such as the '64 World's Fair because technology changes every day. Up until then, there were certain aspects that we never thought of. The remote phone -- it wasn't called a cell phone then -- where the speaker and listening apparatus was not attached to the base. People said it would never work. And there were many artifacts, I just wanted to say that. From [the] Civil War, Revolutionary War -- something people would never be able to see.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2368.0,2423.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/94","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Displayed at the...?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2423.0,2424.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/95","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: Displayed at the fair.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2424.0,2425.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/96","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Oh, I didn't know that.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2425.0,2429.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/97","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: In the New York Pavilion, the Amagansett Indians from Long Island were there with a very small contingency. And I'm going to go out on a limb and say, I think there were some Mohawk descendants of James Fenimore Cooper's fame. There were small replicas of the Niagara Falls, the Erie Canal, which many, many people had never even thought of. If you were not part of the upstate industry and didn't realize what a tremendous boon it was to industry because you had that waterway to travel. Incidentally, it's still there. Have you seen it?","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2429.0,2503.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/98","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Yes.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2503.0,2504.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/99","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: OK. I'm running out of thoughts.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2504.0,2511.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/100","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Well, that's great! Thank you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2511.0,2514.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/101","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: I don't know how many minutes you expected to get.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2514.0,2517.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/102","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: That's fine, that's fine.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2517.0,2518.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/103","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: It's my take on the World's Fair.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2518.0,2520.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/104","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: That's great. Thank you very much. And of course, if you think of anything or find any pictures or anything, that'd be very welcome.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2520.0,2526.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/105","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Russell DiBella: OK.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2526.0,2528.0"},{"id":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262/transcript/73712/annotation/106","type":"Annotation","motivation":"transcribing","body":{"type":"TextualBody","value":"Lori DiBella Wallach: Thank you.","format":"text/plain"},"target":"https://queenslibrary.aviaryplatform.com/collections/21/collection_resources/140254/file/259262#t=2528.0,2533.752"}]}]}]}