Interview with Melindee Barton
Date2022 August 3
Mediumborn digital audio file
DimensionsDuration: 22 Minutes, 46 Seconds
ClassificationsInformation Artifacts
Credit LineCommunity History Project Collection
Object number2022.20.67a-b
Description(a) Interview with Melindee Barton. Interviewed by Penny Newbury on 3 August 2022 in Danielson, Connecticut. (b) Photograph of Melindee Barton taken at her interview. She was interviewed as part of the Connecticut Historical Society's Community History Project discussing her experience during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
At the time of the interview Melindee was a life instructor at The Arc Eastern Connecticut.
Melindee recalls first hearing about COVID on television. The biggest disruption to her life was not being able to spend time and holidays with her family.
Melindee worked a lot more during COVID because many staff were getting sick, and her employer was short staffed. She also grocery shopped for herself and other family members to help protect them.
She used the internet to schedule vaccinations for her parents and in-laws, but shares that it was difficult to schedule their appointments because of websites’ requirements.
Melindee did not think masks helped one bit and did not agree with mask mandates. She was pro-vaccine because they prevented you from going to the hospital if you did catch COVID, but stated that they should not be mandatory.
Melindee’s brother contracted a severe case of COVID and spent over a month in the hospital. Her advice to people experiencing a future pandemic is to take their vaccines.
NotesSubject Note: The Connecticut Historical Society’s Community History Project (CHP) is a public-facing initiative, focused on contemporary collecting, gathering items of the recent past as well as from events happening today. This program developed community historians to identify, document, and preserve their experiences as residents of Connecticut, and to share these experiences during a series of community presentations. The project focused on the impact of Covid-19 on Connecticans, particularly on Black and Brown communities, funeral homes, and on nursing home and elder care populations.At the time of the interview Melindee was a life instructor at The Arc Eastern Connecticut.
Melindee recalls first hearing about COVID on television. The biggest disruption to her life was not being able to spend time and holidays with her family.
Melindee worked a lot more during COVID because many staff were getting sick, and her employer was short staffed. She also grocery shopped for herself and other family members to help protect them.
She used the internet to schedule vaccinations for her parents and in-laws, but shares that it was difficult to schedule their appointments because of websites’ requirements.
Melindee did not think masks helped one bit and did not agree with mask mandates. She was pro-vaccine because they prevented you from going to the hospital if you did catch COVID, but stated that they should not be mandatory.
Melindee’s brother contracted a severe case of COVID and spent over a month in the hospital. Her advice to people experiencing a future pandemic is to take their vaccines.
Cataloging Note: This cataloging project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services MA-249472-OMS-21.
Status
Not on view
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