The Interviews
Students in the Public History Practicum course each interviewed three early residents of Greenhills in the winter of 2018. The class developed a suggested set of interview questions to help them gain a full understanding of life during Greenhills' early years. Interviews were conducted in locations chosen by the interviewee. One interview was conducted by Skype.
Please note that the interviews and transcripts below are the remembrances and opinions of the interviewee. They have not been checked for factual accuracy and do not represent the opinions of the Greenhills Historical Society or the University of Cincinnati.
Click on the buttons below to watch interviews hosted by Vimeo or to read written interview transcripts.
Be aware that the recorded volume differs significantly from interview to interview,
so you may need to turn your volume up or down to fully enjoy each interview.
Ann Rolfes Brooks: Ms. Brooks moved to Greenhills with her family in 1938 when she was two years old. After graduating from college in 1957, she left Greenhills to go to graduate school. She currently lives in Brignon, France.
Nate Cain interviewed Ms. Brooks via skype.
Al Dilz: Mr. Dilz's family moved to Greenhills in June of 1938 when he was seven years old. He attended Greenhills School and graduated in 1948. He later moved to Forest Park with his wife and six children, who all attended Greenhills School until it became part of the Forest Park/Winton Woods Schools.
Robbie Due interviewed Mr. Dilz in the historic kitchen of the Greenhills Historical Society.
Wendel Fisher: Wendel Fisher moved with his family to Greenhills in 1938. Mr. Fisher remained in Greenhills after graduating from Greenhills High School in 1954 and has lived there ever since. He now serves as one of the archivists for the Greenhills Historical Society.
Rebekah Knaggs interviewed Mr. Fisher in the Greenhills Historical Society archive.
Bernice Gay: Ms. Gay was born in Greenhills in 1939. Her mother wrote for the Greenhills Tribune and the Greenhills Journal, and she carries on her mother’s interest in the history and community of Greenhills. Although she has lived in many places, she always comes home to Greenhills.
Kevin Rigsbee interviewed Ms. Gay in the Greenhills Community Building.
Glory Southwind Green: Ms. Green was born at the end of WWII and moved to Greenhills with her family from Cleveland in 1950. She served as president of the National New Deal Preservation Association advocating for protection of Greenhills’ New Deal buildings and village plan. She currently resides in Chicago, Illinois.
Nate Cain interviewed Ms. Green in the Greenhills Community Building.
Thomas Haverland: Mr. Haverland moved to Greenhills with his family in 1942 from Wyoming, Ohio when he was a young teenager. For Mr. Haverland, Greenhills was a place of adventure and mischief, but also community and mutual love. Today, Mr. Haverland keeps his vivid memories of Greenhills alive by telling the most colorful stories to anyone smart enough to listen.
Maria Schumacher interviewed Mr. Haverland in his home in Cincinnati.
Oscar Hoffman: Mr. Hoffmann's family moved to Greenhills shortly after he was born in 1939, and he resides in Greenhills to this day. After a long stint on the town council, Mr. Hoffmann served Greenhills as mayor for eighteen years. Even now, Mr. Hoffmann and many of his family members are still involved with the Greenhills volunteer fire department.
Maria Schumacher interviewed Mr. Hoffman in his home in Greenhills.
William Johnstone: Mr. Johnstone moved with his family to Greenhills in 1938. He grew up on Alcott Lane, and graduated from Greenhills High school in 1954, William talks about his life growing up in the Greenhills community. After inheriting his childhood home, he raised his own family in the same house and he still lives there today.
Rebekah Knaggs interviewed Mr. Johnstone in his home in Greenhills.
Barb Rouff Koch: Ms Koch was born in 1937 and moved with her family to Greenhills a year later. She is dedicated to preserving childhood memories of Greenhills and she has maintained close ties with her childhood companions from Greenhills.
Ms. Koch was interviewed by Fuwei Li in the historical kitchen at the Greenhills Historical Society.
Marian Lampl: Marian Lampl moved with her family to the Greenhills farms in 1938. After graduating from Greenhills High School in 1950 Marian left, but ultimately came back and raised her own family in Greenhills. She is still a resident today.
Rebekah Knaggs interviewed Ms. Lampl in her home in Greenhills.
Jackie Krebs Noble: Ms. Noble moved into Greenhills in 1938 and still lives in the community with her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
Ms. Noble was interviewed by Fuwei Li in the historical kitchen at the Greenhills Historical Society.
Connie Osuna: Ms. Osuna moved in Greenhills in June 1938. One of the first Greenhills residents, she spent her entire childhood in this community. She is full of memories of life in Greenhills.
Ms. Osuna was interviewed by Fuwei Li in her home.
Roger Petering: Mr. Petering moved to Greenhills in 1938. He is an active member of the Greenhills High School Alumni Association and has written several articles on his experiences growing up in Greenhills.
Kevin Rigsbee interviewed Mr. Petering in the Greenhills High School Alumni room.
Dan Rolfes: Mr. Rolfes was born in Greenhills in 1943. He was the founder of Holiday Homes custom home builders, and his family is still involved in the home-building industry. He currently lives in Loveland, Ohio.
Kevin Rigsbee interviewed Mr. Rolfes in his home in Loveland, Ohio.
Barbara Shanklin: Ms. Shanklin moved to Greenhills from Washington D.C. with her family in 1938 when she was five years old. Ms. Shanklin's years in Greenhills were defined by her participation in athletics, as well as her many friendships with her fellow Greenhillians. She was even voted "most popular" by her graduating class of 1952 from Greenhills High School!
Maria Schumacher interviewed Ms. Shanklin in the historic kitchen at the Greenhills Historical Society.
Bob Shanklin: Mr. Shanklin moved to Greenhills on September 1, 1938 from Clifton when he was six, almost seven. Mr. Shanklin has lived in six different buildings, houses, or apartments in Greenhills over his lifetime. Mr. Shanklin raised his family in Greenhills and recently moved back to the village.
Robbie Due interviewed Mr. Shanklin in the historic kitchen at the Greenhills Historical Society. A small segment at the end of Mr. Shanklin's interview failed to record on video and must be listened to on audio only.
Louis Steinert: Born in 1938, Mr. Steinert grew up in Greenhills before attending Northwestern University and earning his PhD in chemistry at the University of Cincinnati.
Casey Huegel interviewed Mr. Steinert in his home in Cincinnati.
Jane Steinway: Ms. Steinway moved to Greenhills with her parents and grandmother in June of 1938 when she was eight years old. She attended Greenhills School from third to twelfth grades. She currently lives in Springfield Township.
Robbie Due interviewed Ms. Steinway in the historic kitchen at the Greenhills Historical Society
Stanley Wernz: Born in 1935, Stanley Wernz was raised on a farm on the outskirts of Greenhills, but attended Greenhills’ schools. His father was the town’s first mail carrier. Wernz was influenced by Greenhills' music program to become a music teacher himself and today works as an Abraham Lincoln reenactor.
Casey Huegel interviewed Mr. Wernz in a classroom at the University of Cincinnati.
Larry Zettler: Mr. Zettler moved to Greenhills in October 1942 as an infant. After serving three years in Vietnam from 1962 to 1965, he served on the Greenhills police force for twnety-three years. He later served in Green Township for an additional ten years before retiring in 2008. One of the cases he worked on as a policeman was reopening the Patty Rebholz murder case from 1963. He currently lives in West Chester, Ohio.
Nate Cain interviewed Mr. Zettler in the archive of the Greenhills Historical Society.