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Herman Butler

Herman Butler

Description

P.S. 243 faculty member Mr. Herman Butler and educator Ms. Jean Derico discusses the transformation of the Weeksville School (formerly known as the Isaac Newton School) during their 50 and 30-year careers with the school, respectively. In their combined interview, Butler and Derico covered a multitude of topics, including school demographics, education, the rediscovery of Weeksville excavation and much more. The interview begins with Butler and Derico each describing their childhood households and their experiences growing up. Then they describe what led them to P.S. 243 the Weeksville School. Derico reminisces growing up in a two-family house on Boerum Street in the predominately white Williamsburg section of Brooklyn during the 1950s. In addition, she reveals her experience attending P.S. 147. Meanwhile, Butler recalls his memories growing up in a private house on Franklin Street in Augusta, Georgia and reveals what influenced his decision to migrate to the New York City in the late 1940s. Butler shares how P.S. 243 hired him in the 1960s and describes what the working environment was like then to 2017. Meanwhile, Derico states what it was like moving from Williamsburg to a predominately black neighborhood on Hancock Street in Bedford-Stuyvesant, highlighting social differences between the schools and activities. Moreover, Derico emphasizes her parents’ involvement into her academics and underlines what contributed to her decision in pursuing a career in education, which comprise of her high school teacher at Central Commercial High School and a City University of New York (CUNY) faculty member. In addition, Derico...
Type:
Oral History
Created Date:
January 6th 2017
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From Collection

Voices of Crown Heights