This oral history interview with Tobin Smith was conducted originally as a video by Jules Johnson (JJ) and exported as audio by Stephanie Mills Trice. Tobin was born at Columbia Hospital for Women. He and his family moved to the Hawaiian Gardens Apartments in Fort Totten when Tobin was nine years old. He attended Keene Elementary, Rabaut Junior High School, and Roosevelt Senior High School. He discusses several of his teachers, including his favorite teacher. After high school, he attended UDC (University of the District of Columbia) as well as the University of Maryland and earned a bachelor’s degree in radio, TV, and film. Tobin recalls Fort Totten as a small community that was buffered from nearby communities by Fort Totten Park and Rock Creek Cemetery. He recalls finally meeting people outside the neighborhood when he went to Roosevelt Senior High School. He recalls fun activities from his childhood such as riding bikes with friends, attending Fort Totten Day Camp in the summertime, playing sports with friends, going to the Keene recreation center, and seeing a man climb the WOOK radio tower. He discusses the ways that Metrorail’s arrival impacted the community and the gentrification that has occurred.