Oral History ProjectBy: Kevan Michon

Teri Michon Born December 25, 1961 Fort Carson, Colorado My Mom has lived in: Colorado, Alabama, Hawaii, Georgia, N. Carolina, S.

Carolina, Michigan, Iowa, Okinawa, Arizona & Massachusetts. My Mom’s, Mom, was born in Kentucky-The daughter of a doctor & a nurse, who

owned a hospital in Morganfield, Ky. Member of the D.A.R. (Means we had family that fought in the American Revolution). Also, The Shoshone tribe lived on our family land in Kentucky and this is where we got our Native American blood.

My Mom’s Father, was born in Mt. Clemens, MI., youngest of 17 brothers & sisters. His family was from Germany & Ireland. He served in Vietnam, as an M.P. (Military Police Officer)& after 21 years in the Army, he become a police officer with the El Paso County Sheriff’s Department, during which time he received The Purple Heart.

My Great Grandfather is 96, he fought in World War ll and still lives in Colorado & my Great Grandmother passed away several years ago.

My Mom married my Father in 1982 and had 3 children: Jacqui, Sean & Kevan. We all attended school in Ellicott Colorado, at the same school my Mother went to, until we moved to Cape Cod. My Mom & Dad divorced in about 2004.

When it comes to “values”, my Mom is relaxed in a lot of ways, but tough in others. She has kind of old fashioned customs. She doesn’t really look back at how things were, because it doesn’t change how things are. Even though my Grandmother comes from a rich family, my Grandfather & Grandmother weren’t rich.

My Mom grew up learning not to waste anything. She says to live by the Golden rule, it worked in her Grandmothers time and it is still true today. If everyone lives that way, we would have a lot fewer problems. More people are living on hand outs, instead of relying on their own hard work. She says that is one thing that is different and shouldn’t be.

My Mom is a hard worker, doesn’t believe in hand outs. In her upbringing, it was best to rely on yourself and your family and then your community when you need it. She was also raised on a ranch in Colorado, from the time they moved back to the states after living in Okinawa, Japan. Living in the prairie made my Mom more self-sufficient and living on a working ranch, my Mom worked hard, taking care of her Mom’s horses and going to horse shows and stuff.

Growing up in the country taught her about community and the importance of making friends that last for life. She doesn’t like to waste things, She cares strongly about the environment & has also been a volunteer for the Cape Cod Stranding Network. She is strongly opposed to the Cape Wind Farm and is a volunteer for Save Our Sound.

She does love music and has seen everyone from Lynrd Skynrd to Tina Turner. She likes it that “I” listen to the same music that she grew up listening to. Like Led Zeplin, Bob Marley, Aerosmith and on and on. We like it that she likes “our” music, like Drop Kick Murphy’s, Green Day and on and on.

My Mom was living in Hawaii and didn’t see the protests of the Vietnam War , but did see the fun part of it, with the styles of clothes, music and a kind of free spirit attitude. Especially in Hawaii, life was just carefree.

My Mom is surprised that our society has moved away from the free spirit and creative lifestyle. Everyone talks about being “one people, one world”, but people have become too selfish to really live it.

Our government and schools are more regulated, more laws, more violence, more anger, aggression and crime. She kind of thinks that technology has been great in many ways, but it has disconnected people from people. She thinks that we have so many laws and rules, that we can’t be a free society any longer, because of our dependency on our government.

Her upbringing in places like Hawaii & Japan, made her more tolerant and understanding of other peoples beliefs and traditions. Being brought up through the 60’s and 70’s is why she feels like we are all connected in some way.

In the 80’s the Aids epidemic came to awareness as a major public health issue. When it first came out, everyone thought only gays could get aids. Then, it was gays and i.v. drug users, then it was gays, i.v. drug users, anyone who had unprotected sex back then. In the 80’s if you got aids, you would probably die. Now, people are living with aids and we have learned a lot about the disease.

When my Mom was young, vaccines were the biggest medical advances and now we are looking at genes and gene therapy.

My Mom says her biggest community accomplishment was starting a soccer program, in Colorado. My brother, sister and I, all played soccer, and my Mom was driving into town everyday of the week (over 70 miles of driving each day). My Mom decided that all kids should be able to play soccer and because of how far away we lived from the city, most kids couldn’t, so my Mom started as soccer league with over 200 players in the first season, she even trained & certified the coaches and referees. Even today, kids are playing soccer that would never have gotten to, if it wasn’t for the work she did.

She said growing up, in Okinawa she could remember Alice Cooper, Aerosmith, The Ohio Players, The Doobie Brothers & Fleetwood Ma playing on the military radio stations. When she came back to the USA, Saturday Night Fever became a hugely popular movie & she said that really is when disco became so popular. My Mom wasn’t into disco, but was into rock n’ roll. But, liked all music.

In Colorado, “The Rocky Mountain High”, was the way people lived. My Mom was into nature and the mountains and living naturally.

To her the most memorable moments in history was, the death of President Kennedy, 911, the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. She was a little girl living in Hawaii when President Kennedy was killed. The remembers seeing it on the t.v.

My Mom remembers Desert Storm, clearly. Because of the human rights violations by Saddam Hussein, she couldn’t understand why we stood by for so long. Regardless of why we went to war, she is glad we did, because now freedom and democracy are possible. Women one day, will have the same rights and protections as here in the USA.

My Mom says the biggest technological advancement in our time is the internet, and the effect it has had on every area of our lives. Cell phones are the other one and the conversion of data into digital information.

My Mom’s highest moments in life have to do with us. She said that personally, “we” are her most important work.

The last few years my Mom has been working at Comcast, even though she hated it. For her that was a low point, because working nights, she never got to see us. She was always dealing with angry people.

My Mom is excited now, because my brother, Sean, my Mom and I are opening a skateboarding shop, which is opening this Memorial Day weekend.

“My Mom’s Mom” “My Mom’s Dad”

“They lived in Hawaii during the Vietnam War & when Kennedy

was assassinated. They drove a silver convertible Camaro,

listened to Nancy Sinatra, Irish Rovers & Don Ho and other

Hawaiian music. My Mom learned to play the ukelele (even though she forgot how). They also went on the U.S.S. Arizona, which had a big impact on my Mom. They grew up celebrating Hawaiian

holidays and learning Hawaiian dances and

going to luaus.

The hospital in Kentucky

Lynrd Skynrd- Mom loves music,Which has really not changed over the years