Susan and Rob Burneson conducted oral history interviews between 2007 and 2011 for the film A Community Mosaic and the Voices of the Violet Crown project. They also interviewed Friends of Brentwood Park Leadership Team members and honorees and donors of dedicated trees in 2010 and 2011 for the film We Planted 115 Trees.
Original residents, noted below, moved to Brentwood or Crestview in the early 1950s or before. Dates in parentheses indicate year of interview. Sample questions are below the list of interviewees. An asterisk (*) indicates that a DVD of the full video-recorded interview and a signed permission form is housed at the Austin History Center. Interview excerpts and other information about each person can be found on this website, either by clicking on the link on or above the name or using the search box at the top of this page. Friends of Brentwood Park and Violet Crown Community Works provided financial support for many of the interviews.
Copyright 2007-2011 Susan Burneson. All rights reserved.
2007-2011
A Community Mosaic—
Beverly Lester, daughter of original residents, Crestview (2008).*
Emory and Wanda Muehlbrad, original residents, Crestview (2008). Emory, 92, died May 28, 2018.*
Ronnie Prellop, former owner and son of original owner, Crestview Minimax IGA (northwest corner of Crestview Shopping Center, now Fresh Plus, as of 2021), Crestview (2008).*
Kay Swenson Ramsey, daughter of original residents, Brentwood (2008). Kay, 78, died January 7, 2023.*
Sylvia “Scooter” Rushing, daughter of original residents, Brentwood (2008).*
Bill Williamson, original resident, Crestview (2007); Bill, 88, died November 2013.*
Wall of Welcome—
Jean Graham, Brentwood (2007).*
Tile Stories—
Carmen Canann (with Chale Rangel), Highland/Crestview (2009).*
Valerie Harrington (with David Ort), Brentwood (2009).*
Barbara King (with Chris Glenn), Brentwood (2007).*
Mark McNeese, former pastor, First Cumberland Presbyterian Church, Brentwood (2009).*
Kristie Zamrazil, Crestview (2009).*
More Voices of the Violet Crown—
Jim and Mickey Bauer, original residents, Crestview; Mickey first moved to the area in 1936, when her father purchased a farm on what later became Burnet Lane in the Brentwood neighborhood (2010). Jim, 87, died September 2017.*
John and Judy Carlson, original residents, Crestview (2009). Judy, 86, died March 2015. John, 95, died July 2019.*
Richard Chaffee and Jan Root, son and daughter of original residents, Brentwood (2009).*
Louise Cooke, original resident, Crestview (2009).*
Don and Gladys Gresser, original residents, Crestview (2009). Don, 85, died February 2011. Gladys died March 6, 2022.*
Al Kirby, original resident, Brentwood (2009); Al first moved to the area in 1940, when his father purchased a farm on North St., which later became part of the Brentwood neighborhood, and he later lived on Payne Avenue; Al, 85, died October 2012.*
Ben Petmecky (Benjamin Joseph Petmecky Jr.), original resident, Brentwood (2009); Ben, 88, died October 2011.*
Anne Eagle Walker, Brentwood (2011).*
Madison (Madi) Ward, Brentwood (2009).*
Friends of Brentwood Park Leadership Team (interview excerpts in We Planted 115 Trees)—
Kat Correa, Crestview (2010).*
Denman Glober, Crestview (2010).*
Karen Lorenzini, Crestview (2010).*
Hedrich Michaelsen, Crestview (2010).*
Emily Wilson, Crestview (2010).*
Friends of Brentwood Park Tree Dedications (interview excerpts also in the dedication section of We Planted 115 Trees)—
Evangeline Bushacker (with Lynnette Alley), original resident, Crestview (2010); Evangeline, 94, died March 2014.*
Elizabeth Freng, Brentwood (2010).*
Jack, Michele, and Finnigan Holt, Brentwood (2010).*
Margaret Lankford, original resident, Brentwood (2010); Margaret, 91, died November 2011.*
Wendy LeBlanc-Arbuckle, Brentwood (2011).*
Richard May (with Kelli May), Brentwood (2010).*
Carol Ramsey, Brentwood (2010).*
2003-2006
Susan Arbuckle, Crestview, daughter of early residents (2006).
Roger Beck, musician and barber, Crestview Barber Shop, Crestview (2004). Roger, 84, died September 2016.
Sabrina Becker and Lucretia Doyer, granddaughters of Dora and Felix Custer, original owners of Perfecto Cleaners, formerly just south of the grocery store (Crestview Minimax, Arlan’s, and now Fresh Plus) in the northwest corner of Crestview Shopping Center (2004). Sabrina later owned Perfecto Cleaners, and Lucretia owned Little Deli.
Shayla Fleshman, former president of Violet Crown Community Works (Domino the Pig story at 0:58 in the film First Night W/Domino & Friends), Crestview (2005).
J. D. Harper, former owner, Crestview Pharmacy, Crestview (2004); J. D., 77, died May 2012.
Billie Herron, original resident, Crestview (2003).
Chuck McCullough, owner, Violet Crown Shopping Center, Brentwood, and son of Clarence McCullough, who helped develop the Violet Crown Heights subdivision (2003). Chuck (Charles Ellis “Chuck” McCullough), 82, died September 16, 2018.
Mae Waggoner, original resident, Crestview (2005). Mae, 92, died June 12, 2018.
*
VOICES OF THE VIOLET CROWN INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
ORIGINAL (OLDER) NEIGHBORS
Today is [date]. My name is Susan Burneson, and I am interviewing [name(s)], who live at [street address] in the [Brentwood or Crestview] neighborhood of Austin. Also here are [if someone else was present]. My husband, Rob, is video-recording the interview. We are talking with [interviewees] as part of an oral history project in the Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods, called “Voices of the Violet Crown.”
What is your full name?
Where were you born? Where did you grow up?
How long have you lived in Austin? How long have you lived in Crestview?
What other places have you lived in Austin?
Did you or your husband serve in World War II?
Why did you move to Crestview?
How did you select your home and/or lot on Aggie Lane?
How much did you pay for your home?
Who built your home?
What is your earliest memory of moving to [Brentwood/Crestview]?
There were few trees here then. What kind of trees did you plant? Did you grow a garden? What did you grow in it? Did you do any canning?
What do you remember about the drought of the 1950s? How did it affect your family? What do you remember about how it ended?
Do you remember any farms or ranches along Anderson Lane or down by Brentwood Elementary School? Who owned them? What did they raise there?
What are some special stories you could share that give people a flavor of what this neighborhood was like over the years?
What kind of neighborhood was it to raise children in? Please tell us about the schools they attended in this area.
Were you involved in other ways in the community?
What did your family do for fun around the neighborhood, such as go to the park, drive-in, skating rink, restaurants?
Did you know any of these people in the neighborhood? (If so) What can you tell us about them? A. B. Beddow [Crestview developer], Ray Yates [Crestview developer], McCowns [paved streets], Pringles [homebuilder], Dr. Joe Koenig [developer of Violet Crown Heights], Frank Richcreek [his farm became Crestview].
Do you remember a large barn or two-story building at the corner of Koenig and Lamar (possibly part of a farm)?
What are some of the places where you shopped that aren’t around anymore?
What do you miss most about the way it used to be in the neighborhood?
Do you attend a church in the neighborhood? (If so) How long have you gone there? How have you participated in church activities over the years?
*
Now I want to ask you about Jean’s mosaic wall at the shopping center.
Did you do a tile for your family? (Please describe it and how you chose a design for it.)
What are some of your other favorite images on the wall? (Name some of the images of businesses and other landmarks.)
Did you visit Jean while she was working on the wall? Did you attend the dedication of the wall in March 2008? Did you ever come to the Violet Crown Festivals in Brentwood Park? (If so) How was that experience?
Why do you the think the mosaic wall is important for the neighborhood?
What do you think it says about our neighborhood to people who aren’t familiar with Crestview?
*
What is the happiest experience you’ve had living here?
What has been the most challenging?
Who have been some of your favorite neighbors to you here and what made them special to you and your family?
Did you (do you) often together with neighbors? (If so) What favorite ways to spend your time with them?
There are many young families moving into the area now. What would you say you have in common with the young families moving in now?
I’ve talked to some younger people who love the neighborhood but are not sure how to be a good neighbor. What could you tell them about how to do that?
What are the most important ways we can keep this a good neighborhood to live in?
What would you like for people to know most about you and the [number of] years you’ve lived here?
Thank you for talking with us!
YOUNGER NEIGHBORS
Today is [date]. My name is Susan Burneson, and I am interviewing [name], [daughter/son] of [names] of the [Brentwood/Crestview] neighborhood of Austin. Rob Burneson is video-recording the interview. We are talking with [name] as part of an oral history project in the Brentwood and Crestview neighborhoods called “Voices of the Violet Crown.”
What is your full name?
Were you born in Austin?
Have you lived in [Brentwood or Crestview] your whole life?
Did you go to Brentwood Elementary, Lamar Middle, or McCallum High? What stands out from your time there?
Do you know when your parents moved to [Brentwood or Crestview]?
What kind of neighborhood would you say [Brentwood or Crestview] is to grow up in?
Did you ever wish you lived in a different neighborhood? If so, why?
What school or other activities have you been involved in?
What kinds of things do you and your family do for fun around the neighborhood?
Do you and your family go to Crestview Shopping Center? What businesses?
Did you see the film or history booklet Rob and I did? If so, what did you learn from them about the early days of the neighborhood?
*
Did you and your family do a tile for the mosaic wall? (Please describe it and how you chose a design for it.)
What are some of your other favorite images on the wall? (Name some of the images of businesses and other landmarks.)
Did you ever visit Jean Graham while she was working on the wall? What was that like?
What do you think of the Violet Crown Festival we have at Brentwood Park and at the shopping center?
Why do you the think the mosaic wall is important for the neighborhood?
What do you think the wall says about our neighborhood to people who aren’t familiar with Crestview?
*
What is the best experience you’ve had living in [Brentwood/Crestview]?
What has been the most challenging?
What do you think it means to be a good neighbor?
Who are some of the people you know who have been good neighbors, and why?
Some of the older people here, who are now in their 80s, moved to this neighborhood when the neighborhood first began and raised their own families here. Do you know anyone like that? What have you learned from them?
What would you say you are most proud of in your life?
What would you like for people to know most about you as someone who has lived in [Brentwood/Crestview].
Thank you for talking with us!
FRIENDS OF BRENTWOOD PARK INTERVIEW QUESTIONS
CO-FOUNDERS
Today is [date]. My name is Susan Burneson. I am interviewing [name], a co-founder of the Friends of Brentwood Park. Rob Burneson is video-recording the interview. We are in Brentwood Park in Austin, Texas.
Please tell us your name and what inspired you to become involved in the Friends of Brentwood Park.
How did the group decide to do the tree planting project? What has been your role? What is something valuable you’ve learned?
How have you been involved in the community, besides the park tree planting project?
Who in the neighborhood has inspired you the most? Why?
What is next for the Friends of Brentwood Park?
How do you see the park, 10, 20, or even 50 years from now?
Why do you think it’s important to be involved in community projects?
What would you want neighbors in the future to know and remember about you?
What do you think the tree planting means for the park and for the community, both now and in the future?
What has it meant to you personally?
Thank you for talking with us!
LEADERSHIP TEAM
Today is [date]. My name is Susan Burneson. I am interviewing [name], a founder of the Friends of Brentwood Park. Rob Burneson is video-recording the interview. We are in Brentwood Park in Austin, Texas.
Please tell us your name. What was the inspiration for the Friends of Brentwood Park?
How did the group decide to do the tree planting project? What has been your role? What is something valuable you’ve learned?
How important have partnerships – with neighbors, community groups, and city organizations – been for the project?
What has been the most challenging?
What has been easier than you thought it would be?
What would you say to encourage people in other neighborhoods who are considering similar projects?
How have you been involved in the community, besides the tree planting project?
Who in the neighborhood has inspired you the most? Why?
What is next for the Friends of Brentwood Park?
How do you see the park, 10, 20, or even 50 years from now?
Why do you think it’s important to be involved in community projects?
What would you want neighbors in the future to know and remember about you?
What do you think the tree planting means for the park and for the community, both now and in the future?
What has it meant to you personally?
Thanks for talking with us!
DONORS OF TREES IN HONOR OR IN MEMORY OF A LOVED ONE
Today is [date]. My name is Susan Burneson. I am interviewing [name], who donated a tree in Brentwood Park [in honor or in memory] of [name]. Rob Burneson is video-recording the interview. We are in Brentwood Park in Austin, Texas.
Please tell us your name.
What is your street and neighborhood?
How long have you lived there?
Who is your tree dedicated to and what can you tell us about him?
Why were you inspired to be part of this tree planting project?
What do you think makes our park a unique place?
How have you spent time here?
What do you think it means to be a good neighbor?
What do you think the park will look like, 20 or even 50 years from now?
How would like for [honoree’s name] to be remembered by those who visit the park?
How would you like to be remembered by neighbors coming here in the future?
Thank you for talking with us!