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Will Fulton talks about his early childhood, in which he lived in a number of locations around the United States, and his life in Broomfield from sixth grade through his freshman year of high school (when this interview was conducted). Much of the interview focuses on his travels in Europe during the summer of 2004 and a school trip he took to Washington, D.C., but he also discusses school, including teachers and curriculum units that have made a lasting impression on him; scouting; sports; his experiences at the time of the 9-11 attacks; and his thoughts about military service.

Helen Risley, who was born in 1929, the day after the stock market crash that marked the beginning of The Depression, describes growing up in Wyoming, Oklahoma, and in Denver, including attending Smiley Junior High School and then East High School in Denver during the 1940s. She talks about what teenagers did for fun at that time, the social structure of high school groups, and high school teachers she remembers. She also talks about her memories of the World War II years, including rationing, FDR’s death, a “war effort” contribution she and a friend undertook to create a day care center as a way to raise money for war bonds, and the end of the war. She briefly describes her college years at CU-Boulder, and subsequent jobs working for oil companies.

Joe Clark was a 15-year-old high school freshman at the time of this interview. He describes many aspects of being a student at Broomfield High School, what being a teenager is like for him and his friends in 2005, in what sorts of extracurricular activities he participates, and what his goals for and vision of his future include. He also mentions adoption, religion, and significant political events so far in his life.

In this interview, Renee Kozisek Sereff discusses growing up in Broomfield, Colorado, during the 1950s and 1960s. She describes growing up in a farming family in which she had a bedtime of 8:00 pm even as a high school student. She describes the Broomfield of her youth as a small, close-knit community in which there “was not much to do,” but which nevertheless was a very positive and enjoyable place to grow up. She talks about high school life, including teachers, cheerleading, pranks, social life, social groups, and the value placed on working hard. She mentions traumatic events of those years, some local and some national. She concludes by describing her post-high-school education and career goals at the time.

Judah Levine has worked for JILA at the University of Colorado, and in partnership with NBS/NIST (the National Bureau of Standards/National Institute of Standards and Technology), since his arrival as a post-doc in 1967. He discusses his research, ties between JILA and NBS/NIST, and organizational history and issues. Research topics discussed include atomic beams; properties of O2-; measuring the speed of light; technology for the detection of nuclear explosions; various geophysics experiments; and development of a time scale, an automatic time scale, and the Automated Computer Time Service system. Issues explored include the growth in size and compartmentalization of JILA, decisions about what projects get funded, and decisions about whether possible extensions of government services should be handled by the government or by private industry.

Cheryl Glenn has been the executive assistant to the chair of JILA since 1978. She also deals with a variety of issues as support for the visiting fellows and post-doctoral programs. She describes the organization as it was when she began working there and details the overall structure of the program, reasons for its success, the ways in which it has changed between 1978 and 2007 when this interview was recorded, and thoughts about JILA in the future.

Carl Lineberger, who is a JILA fellow and E. U. Condon Distinguished Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Colorado, describes his career as a scientist in general, and at JILA in particular. His work at JILA began when he was a post-doc in 1968. He discusses the development of JILA as a laboratory and the ways in which it has changed over time, including the evolution of the organization from the Joint Institute for Laboratory Astrophysics to dropping that name and just retaining the initials JILA as the mission broadened and the organization has grown. He also lauds the spirit of cooperation and of excellence at JILA and the partnership of JILA with the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

Frank Quinn, an employee of the Rocky Flats nuclear weapons plant for more than 33 years, talks about his early years of education in Denver and Golden, as well as his military service in the U.S. Army as part of the Army Marine Ship Repair Company. He was on his way to fight in Japan when the atomic bombs were dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and later served in Japan during the post-war occupation. After he returned from the Army, he was employed first at Hanford Works and then at Rocky Flats from 1952 to 1985. He talks about the construction of and uses of the Rocky Flats buildings, the 1957 and 1969 fires, how nuclear safety was handled, women workers at Rocky Flats, unions at Rocky Flats, the satisfactions of the job, and the wind at Rocky Flats. He also describes a time he was contaminated when working in a glove box at Hanford.

This is a telephone interview and difficult to hear in portions, due to crossover talking as well as external noise (such as an overhead airplane). Robert Greene speaks about some of his experiences in Boulder starting in 1965. Greene came to Boulder to attend Colorado University; he describes the culture of CU at that time, including student shenanigans and protests. Most of the interview focuses on Boulder’s tumultuous time between 1965 and 1974: the counter culture, people involved, specific events, and repercussions. Greene himself was involved with SDS and the anti-war movement, opposing Vietnam. He recollects: a march against Dow Chemical; the S. I. Hayakawa speech; his expulsion from CU following a Farrand Field demonstration protesting the invasion of Cambodia (and CU trials that exonerated his case); experiences with the People’s Clinic; and, more broadly, his effort to create a leftwing political movement for peace and social justice in the United States.

Jamestown, Colorado, resident Martine Amadé speaks about her experience during the September 2013 flood. She talks about her family’s evacuation to the Jamestown School, being airlifted out by helicopter, and her stay in Boulder while her husband repaired their house. She describes the damage to Jamestown, reconstruction of houses and the town, and the many ways townspeople helped each other and pulled together. She expresses hope that boundaries that previously existed between town residents and, for example, bicyclists and different groups within the town, may remain broken down in the future.

John Thompson was the principal at Baseline Junior High for 19 years, from 1964 to 1983. In this interview, he talks about his childhood in Iowa, his family’s genealogy, and his career in middle school administration. He discusses changes over time for the Boulder Valley School District, including its creation, when 33 small school districts in Boulder County were consolidated into two (the Boulder Valley School District and the St. Vrain School District), and the expansion of the school district that took place when IBM located a branch in Boulder. He also talks about cultural issues that came up for schools during his tenure, such as tension about religion in school programs, disciplining students for alcohol and drug use, and anti-Vietnam-War protests that involved students. He describes some of the successful programs at Baseline, including an honors program, the BLAST program, the yearbook, and an award-winning art program.

Deborah DeBord describes her memories of the September, 2013, flood and their evacuation from Pinewood Springs, CO. One of the reasons they had to evacuate was because her defibrillator was remotely monitored and telephones were down. With the one suitcase they were allowed to carry in the Chinook helicopter, she had a few clothes and her medications but she did not have with her the adaptive technology she needed as a blind person. The interview was conducted at her home, six months since the flood. Her feelings are not as raw now and she is looking forward to a harvest, to create the recipes for the CSA farm and to replace the condiments and sauces and other foods she had to abandon at her home.