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In photos: Oral history tour brings past to life

Associate Professor Janet Saidi, Missouri School of Journalism, left, and Associate Professor Claire Syler, Theatre and Performance Studies. 

Associate Professor Janet Saidi, Missouri School of Journalism, left, and Associate Professor Claire Syler, Theatre and Performance Studies. 

In early May, students from the Missouri School of Journalism and the College of Arts and Science led an oral history tour through the Mizzou campus. After spending the semester drawing stories from audio recordings containing firsthand accounts of life in Columbia, Missouri, in the 1930s and 1940s, they led students and the public to touchstones of the era, including student hangout spots, a “secret pond” and other nuggets of history with traces still evident in the present. 

They also gave participants the flavor of cultural trends of the time, including “blanket parties” and a popular purple drink simulated with cans of grape Crush soda.

The tour had its origin in a large collection of audio recordings collected by former MU Chancellor Haskell Monroe and his students in the 1990s. With the help of a $15,000 grant in 2025 from the Missouri Humanities Council, the Missouri School of Journalism’s Janet Saidi teamed up with the College of Arts and Science’s Claire Syler and the State Historical Society of Missouri to first digitize the collection, then mine it for precious stories of the past.

Before leading the oral history tour, the spring class led by Syler — which featured both journalism and Arts and Science students, as well as one business major — developed “audio portraits” from the recordings that subsequently aired on KBIA.

Take your own walk into the past with the images below, taken by J-School photographer Nate Brown.

Will Morris, Audrey Snider and Carly Riggs, lower left, open “History Speaks” in the RJI Amphitheater with a brief history of Mizzou.
Will Morris, Audrey Snider and Carly Riggs, lower left, open “History Speaks” in the RJI Amphitheater with a brief history of Mizzou.
Audio producer Trevor Harris, center, plays an oral history clip during “History Speaks.” 
Audio producer Trevor Harris, center, plays an oral history clip during “History Speaks.” 
“History Speaks” tour guides spread out tarps and blankets in Peace Park to re-create a “blanket party,” a 1940s term for an outdoor picnic.
“History Speaks” tour guides spread out tarps and blankets in Peace Park to re-create a “blanket party,” a 1940s term for an outdoor picnic.
An audience member holds a can of Crush Grape soda while listening to an oral history clip during “History Speaks” in Peace Park. Tour guides passed out cans of the beverage in a nod to “Purple Passion,” a popular drink among students in the 1940s. 
An audience member holds a can of Crush Grape soda while listening to an oral history clip during “History Speaks” in Peace Park. Tour guides passed out cans of the beverage in a nod to “Purple Passion,” a popular drink among students in the 1940s. 
Robin Crouch, left, discusses the impact of mid-Missouri's waterways on student life in the 1940s during “History Speaks” in Peace Park. Looking on are Ryan Barnes, center, and Hannah Garcia.
Robin Crouch, left, discusses the impact of mid-Missouri’s waterways on student life in the 1940s during “History Speaks” in Peace Park. Looking on are Ryan Barnes, center, and Hannah Garcia.
An audience member reads a brochure, titled “Simple Steps to Recording Oral Histories,” during “History Speaks” in Peace Park.
An audience member reads a brochure, titled “Simple Steps to Recording Oral Histories,” during “History Speaks” in Peace Park.
The Theatrical Devising – Engaging in Columbia’s Past class poses for a group photo at the end of “History Speaks.” Back row, left to right: Will Morris, theatre; Ryan Barnes, public history; Carly Riggs, public history; Scout Hudson, journalism; Cass Isele, technical theatre; Davis Mosby, history; Audrey Snider, business; Nora Crutcher-McGowan, journalism; Ansa Sunil, psychology; Jack Andersen, journalism; Hannah Garcia, film studies; and Robin Crouch, journalism.
The Theatrical Devising – Engaging in Columbia’s Past class poses for a group photo at the end of “History Speaks.”
Front row, left to right: Claire Syler and Trevor Harris. Back row, left to right: Will Morris, theatre; Ryan Barnes, public history; Carly Riggs, public history; Scout Hudson, journalism; Cass Isele, technical theatre; Davis Mosby, history; Audrey Snider, business; Nora Crutcher-McGowan, journalism; Ansa Sunil, psychology; Jack Andersen, journalism; Hannah Garcia, film studies; and Robin Crouch, journalism.

Updated: June 29, 2026

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