Audio interview from the Wes Phelps Podcast Interviews Collection recorded on October 21st, 2022 in Houston, Texas. In this interview, Chris Haight discusses the lives and deaths of John Griffin and Tommy Lee Tremble, two gay men who were close friends and roommates in Dallas in the 1980s. Haight discusses their negative treatment through newspaper coverage following their murders and the significance of applying humanity to their cases. Haight continues on to describe the trial and arrest of Richard Bednarski for the murders of the two men, critiquing his sentence and the roll Judge Jack Hampton played in his case.

Audio interview from the Wes Phelps Podcast Interviews Collection recorded on September 30th, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Phelps interviews Linda Morales on her life as a dedicated activist and plaintiff in Morales v. Texas. She speaks on her experiences with racism and discrimination in the LGBT community in Houston, and her creation of the Latina lesbian AMIGA organization. Morales also speaks on discrimination faced by the LGBT community due to penal code 21.06, a discriminatory sodomy law which made "homosexual conduct" illegal in the state of Texas.

Audio interview from the Wes Phelps Podcast Interviews Collection recorded on September 22nd, 2022 in Houston, Texas. Phelps interviews Marco Roberts on his involvement with the Gay Student Services organization at Texas A&M University. Roberts speaks on the lawsuit Gay Student Services v. Texas A&M University, through which his group fought to be recognized as an official Texas A&M student organization. Roberts, as former president of the Gay Student Services, speaks on his experiences with political tensions in the group during the 1980s.

Audio interview from the Wes Phelps Podcast Interviews Collection recorded on August 26th, 2022 in Houston, TX. Phelps interviews former United States Representative Craig Washington on his experiences with the Texas State Legislature. Washington begins by discussing a penal code which came to the legislature in 1973, exploring his involvement in rewriting and codifying said penal code. Specifically, Washington speaks on his attempts to repeal sodomy laws found under code 21.06 from state legislation.

Interview with Tommy Daniels discussing his childhood in Kerrville, going to Rice University on a football scholarship, his career in banking, and his family.

Interview with Arthur Baker Bell and Robert Alan Bell, alumni of Tivy High School, from Kerrville, Texas. The Bell brothers recount their memories of the public Cascade Swimming Pool, Robert's time as a university swimmer, Arthur's hitchhiking trip to Alaska, and their community activities that have occurred since their retirement.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an interview with A K Sheffield. Sheffield joined the Navy in late 1943. He completed Armed Guard School in San Diego. He served with the Navy Armed Guard aboard a transport ship, and traveled to the Philippine Islands. In May of 1944, Sheffield was aboard the SS Henry Bergh when it ran aground on the Farallon Islands, and shares details of those events. He traveled through the Pacific Islands, to Japan and throughout the Atlantic. Sheffield does not speak of participating in any battles or combat. He returned home aboard USS Iowa (BB-61) after the war ended in late 1945.

Interview with Gretchen Broun Stacy, the daughter of the owners of Camp Rio Vista, from Houston, Texas. Stacy gives a brief history of her life, including her time living in Houston before moving to Kerrville as a freshman in high school, setting up a cooking school at Camp Waldemar, and running a catering business.

Interview with Cynthie Jane Ragsdale, the director of Heart O' the Hills Camp, from Houston, Texas. Ragsdale recalls her time going to summer camps during her childhood, her time studying journalism at Texas Woman's University, and her time working at Heart O' the Hills Camp. Photos relating to the interview follow the transcript.

Interview with Jack Hunt Parks, the owner of the Hunt Store, from Houston, Texas. Parks speaks about his experiences as owner of the Hunt Store, his experiences as a member of the Hunt Preservation Society, and about his grandfathers (one of which was a Texas Special Ranger, the other of which was a cowboy on the Matador Ranch north of Abilene).

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Aaron Mendoza. Mendoza joined the Navy in 1943 and received basic training in San Diego. He attended torpedo school and was assigned to an aircraft torpedo lab at Kaneohe Naval Air Station. There he filled warheads with air so the torpedo could be retrieved after test fires. Torpedoes that passed quality control would then be filled with explosive warheads and loaded into underground silos. After 14 months, his unit was dispersed. Mendoza was in Great Lakes awaiting further orders when the war ended. He was discharged in December 1945 and worked as a civilian employee at Kelly Air Force Base, retiring with a GS-12 ranking. He then worked as a salesman for Control Data, selling supercomputers to the likes of NASA and Texaco. He emphasizes the importance of staying active in retirement, and at the age of 88 he ranked number one nationally in Wii bowling.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Albert Barton. Barton joined the Navy and was trained as a radioman. He became a crewman on an Avenger torpedo bomber in October 1943. Barton flew off of the USS Mission Bay (CVE-59) and the USS Tripoli (CVE-64) and performed anti-submarine patrols in the North Atlantic. He describes how depth charges were dropped, the armament of the plane, and how they were trained to skip-bomb. Barton was then sent to the Pacific where he flew off of the USS Anzio (CVE-57) for the remainder of the war. He describes an incident where his plane had a failed landing and ended upside-down in the water. Barton had to break some glass in the cockpit to escape. He flew ground support missions over Okinawa. Barton discusses how the radio and radar functioned on his plane. He was discharged several months after the surrender.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with Al Jowdy. Jowdy enlisted in the Navy in July 1942 at the age of 15, with his parents’ consent. His first assignment was pulling bodies out of sunken ships in Pearl Harbor. At Guadalcanal, his ship was torpedoed. Due to the presence of enemy subs, he could not be rescued initially and spent two weeks floating in a raft. Then he joined a rescue effort to aid the USS Wasp (CV-7), only to be torpedoed again, spending another four days in the water. Jowdy was then assigned to the USS Salt Lake City (CA-25), patrolling the Bering Sea and participating in the Battle of the Komandorski Islands as a second loader on a 40-millimeter. After witnessing the Marianas Turkey Shoot and also seeing MacArthur film his famous return, Jowdy participated in the bombardment of Iwo Jima, amidst kamikazes and suicide boats. After the war, he survived a typhoon and served occupation duty in Japan, later transporting troops as part of the demobilization effort before being discharged in January 1946.

Interview tith Dr. Thomas S. Matney discussing his youth, family, education, and career at MD Anderson. He begins the interview by talking about growing up in Texas and attending Trinity University of his bachelor's and master's degrees. He discusses his early career at MD Anderson and his research into bacteria and genetics.

The National Museum of the Pacific War presents an oral interview with James Hood of Indianapolis, Indiana. He discusses entering the U.S. Navy in September of 1942 without basic training as he was a college graduate. After being sworn in at Wabash College he was sent to Harvard Business School for Supply Corps for 4 months before being assigned to a ship in Pearl Harbor despite having no sailing training. Mr. hood was assigned to the Cummings DE643, he was supposed to be on the Samuel B. Roberts but the naval officer over him changed his mind last minute and 37 days later the Roberts sunk. While in Tulagi, Mr. Hood was involved in shooting down a Kamikaze plane, even receiving a ribbon for it after the war. He was also involved in the Battle of Okinawa and even saved two shells and years later had them signed by U.S. pilot Paul Tibbets. Mr. Hood was discharged from the Navy on February 28th, 1946, at Santa Ana, California as a Full Lieutenant. He was recalled to the Navy for the Korean War on March 2nd, 1951, and discharged for the final time on March 30th, 1953, as a Lieutenant Commander.

Interview with Dr. Peter Almond talking about the history radiation therapy. He outlines the various treatments including the x-ray, cobolt-60, betatron, magnetron, klystron and cyclotron. He also talks about the emerging field of proton therapy. He also describes the early history of radiotherapy at MD Anderson especially under the direction of Drs. Gilbert Fletcher and Leonard Grimmet.

Interview with Dr. Charles A. LeMaistre, beginning with the story about how he met his wife, Joyce Trapp LeMaistre. This story intermingles with his early career that lead him to his role as Chancellor at the University of Texas in Austin. Dr. LeMaistre offers insight into the effect desegregation had on the University of Texas campus and M. D. Anderson’s faculty diversity. He recounts how he was offered the presidential position at M. D. Anderson, the transition in administrative procedures, and growth of the institution. Dr. LeMaistre shares his wife’s personal fight with cancer and uses it as an example of how effective the institution’s policies and procedures. Dr. LeMaistre’s modesty in his administrative accomplishments shine a light on the high regard he had for his team and institutional family. The interview concludes with Dr. LeMaistre crediting members of the University Cancer Foundation Board of Visitors and donors.

Interview with Kenneth Larry Clemmons, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War from Houston, Texas. Clemmons describes his time in basic training and experiences in Vietnam, including seeing Bob Hope and how he was treated upon returning to the United States.

Interview with Raymond Barajas, an infantry veteran of the U.S. Army who was discharged after a training accident in 1943. It includes a list of questions, which focus on Barajas's time in training, his subsequent injury, and impressions of his time in the service and war in general.

Interview with Jerry L. Campbell, a U.S. Army veteran who served in the Vietnam War from Houston, Texas. Campbell describes his experiences in the war as a Chinook helicopter mechanic and the time his helicopter was shot down.

Interview with Ornell Balzer, beginning with the evolution of her career at M.D. Anderson. She recounts how she moved to Houston after graduating from nursing school and her return to M.D. Anderson. Ms. Balzer then details her memories of time spent working at Baker Estate and her interactions with colleagues and patients.

Interview with Jessie Clark regarding her experiences during World War II. She discusses having to adjust to a lifestyle of rationing for food products and shoes as well as blackouts and scrap metal drives. Her husband worked for the Southern Pacific Railroad and was often absent while she stayed home to raise their children in Houston. She discusses the scarcity of toys during Christmas and hosiery.

Interview with Carl Clay, a veteran of the U.S. Navy during the Persian Gulf War, who also served in the civil wars in Lebanon, Kosovo, and Somalia. Clay describes his time working in aviation on the flight deck of ships and the many countries he visited while in the service, such as Brazil, Spain, and Cuba.

Interview with Gary Anderson, a veteran of the U.S. Army National Guard from Wausau, Wisconsin. It includes a list of questions about Anderson's time as a medic in the late 1970s in Baltimore and Houston, where he was part of the 389th Transportation Battalion, as well as his opinions on Desert Storm and September 11th.