George Koch interview part 1, 2017-09-29
Scope and Contents
George Koch reflects on growing up in a family of German immigrants in a small Ohio town. He speaks about the influence of his time in the Peace Corps, in the VISTA program, and his time on the organizing committee of a union for federal employees, and how these came to influence his politics and outlook on life. George talks about how he then solidified his prominent role in the Washington, DC arts community when he opened a studio in Adams Morgan, a year after the 1968 riot that had left much of the city burned.
Dates
- Creation: 2017-09-29
Creator
- Koch, George, 1939- (Person)
- Barras, Jonetta Rose (Person)
Biographical / Historical
George Koch was born and raised in a small town in Ohio, where he came of age in the 1950s. He was one of the first Americans to serve in the Peace Corps, and it’s U.S. equivalent VISTA. He attended college at Bowling Green State University and worked in the federal government, where his position on his union’s organizing committee led to him becoming active in the labor right and Anti-Vietnam War movement in the 1960s. Having a love for painting, in 1969, just as Washington, DC was reeling from riots that burned huge swaths of the city, George opened an art studio in Adams Morgan, and has been a prominent member of the Washington, DC arts community ever since.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Language of Materials
English
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository