Oral History
An Exploration of Allegheny County Residents' Experiences of Air Quality
Ongoing Inter-Generational Oral History Project of GASP's Environmental Education Program Fresh Voices for Clean Air
This project engages high school students and GASP staff in documenting the lived experiences of Allegheny County residents concerning local air quality. Through interviews, we are collecting firsthand accounts to create an oral history archive that illuminates the historical and personal dimensions of air quality in the region.
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Oral history is a effective way to preserve community memory, and few things have had a more significant impact on our region than air pollution, including the decades of advocacy work striving for cleaner, healthier air. We'd like to preserve those memories before it's too late.
Oral history also provides a unique opportunity to connect across generations. The conversations that happen as part of this project provoke reflection in both the interviewers and the subjects.
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Fresh Voices for Clean Air is an environmental education program in which high school students learn about local air quality and work on projects to increase awareness and understanding of related issues.
This oral history project started during the 2024-2025 school year with a cohort consisting of ten students from all around Allegheny County. The students learned more about air pollution while receiving training in skills relevant to the project and the team's interest, including interviewing, editing, photography, and filming.
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We will be accepting new students into the cohort for the 2025-2026 school year - please get in touch if you'd like to be involved in any way!
Interviews so far: Jonathan Nadle, Karen Gryzwinski, Zelda Curtiss, Patricia DeMarco, Barbara Murock, Gabriel Cisneros, Rick Sebak, Bob Gebhardt
This is an ongoing project! Here is a sample of the interviews we've recorded so far. The interviews are lightly edited for clarity and listenability.
Rick Sebak is an public broadcasting television producer, writer and narrator who lives and works in Pittsburgh. We caught up with him at the Mellon Park Arbor Day Celebration where he was acting as MC. Gemma asked about growing up in Pittsburgh and his memories of becoming aware of air quality. He remembered students organizing a GASP group at his high school in Bethel Park.
Patricia M. DeMarco is a Pittsburgh author with a doctorate in Biology from the University of Pittsburgh. Her work in energy and environmental policy has included both private and public sector positions. Lily's conversation with her includes memories of being told by a doctor about "Pittsburgh lungs" and advice for getting involved & building community and avoiding burnt out.
Jonathan Nadle is the President of GASP, serving in this role since 2002. His interview covers his childhood in Pittsburgh, becoming aware of air quality, and getting involved in GASP. He remembers going to see glowing slag heaps with his family, which is a core memory for many long-time Pittsburghers.
Zelda Curtiss, a GASP Board Member, has worked in environmental law since the 1970s and was an early member of GASP. In her discussion with Lily, they cover Zelda's early life as teacher and mother and later getting into environmental law and becoming involved with GASP.
Dr. Gabriel Cisneros and Barbara Murock were interviewed jointly via Zoom. Dr. Cisneros is a pediatrician with an interest in the environment and child health policy advocacy. Barbara is a long-time GASP member and an avid cyclist. Gabriel and Barbara, who didn't know each other before the interview, shared their different experiences becoming aware of air quality as well as some of their shared experiences with asthma.
Bob Gebhardt is a life-long Pittsburgh resident and avid traveler. Lily interviewed the ninety-five-year-old over the phone about his life experiences, including his memory a hot air balloon ride above the smog and how air pollution has affected his health.
We want to give a huge thank you to all of the Fresh Voices students for your work collaborating on this project, including project design, interviewing, and more! From the interview questions to our choice of subjects, this project is a product of your creativity and insight.
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Lilith B. Hutchins, Avery Marie Vogel, Maria Alejandra Ortiz, Gemma Brooks, Samuel Green, Ololade Antubosun, Shawnti Demus, Charlee Rae Opalko Sommers, Dylan Reddy
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This project will continue in the 2025-2026 school year. Please contact us if you'd like to participate in any way (student, interview subject, school- or community-based support, etc).
Thank you to the Grable Foundation for their generous support of this program.
Several amazing partners have offered project support through training, design input, equipment, and community connections. Your involvement has helped shape this project as well as allowing our student participants to build valuable skills and access new perspectives.
Special thanks to Larry Berger and the team at SLB Radio; WQED's Creator Academy; John Patterson of PCTV; photojournalist Quinn Glabicki; and project consultant Will Tolliver Jr.