Suzi Resnik Makes Donation to SOHA in Honor of Tensia Moriel Trejo and Rob Ray

Dr. Suzi Resnik, the 2017 SOHA Mink Award recipient, has recently made a generous donation to SOHA in honor of Rob Ray and Tensia Trejo. SOHA thanks Suzi and celebrates oral historians Rob and Tensia in our SOHA 2020 Virtual Conference Program. 

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Rob is the Head of Special Collections at San Diego State University and nearing retirement. He is a consummate professional. Working with him since 2008 has been a delight for Suzi. He sought proper equipment and adhered to OHA and Columbia guidelines and ethics. He has presented oral histories beautifully online. As Suzi expanded her business, Viewing Voices, Rob welcomed Annie Duval and Jane Meyers. He worked with Suzi in establishing a template within the California State University system for collecting and showcasing the voices of past presidents and selected professors and alumnae relating their personal histories intertwined with their perspectives about the history of the university. 

According to Suzi, Tensia “is part of our Del Mar ‘Road Show.’” She is so proud to have become an integral part of annual SOHA meetings. She is the “griot” of Del Mar, the history keeper who has produced countless albums for the Del Mar Voices collection. Born in Del Mar, she is both the history keeper and a history maker. While Tensia has received accolades in Del Mar, Suzi and SOHA are honored to expand the context and acknowledge her.

Learn more about Viewing Voices at https://viewingvoices.com. Dr. Susan Resnik is the Founder and President of Viewing Voices, which uses audio and video technology to create oral histories for individuals, families, communities, organizations, institutions, and corporations. As experienced oral historians, when they interview their clients, they hold conversations so they can relate their life stories in the form of conversational narratives.

Dr. Susan (Suzi) Resnik received a master’s degree and a doctorate from The School of Public Health (now the Mailman School) at Columbia University. She has had over 30 years of experience as a public health educator working in a variety of health care settings, primarily in underserved communities. She became the Education Director of the National Hemophilia Foundation where she directed the creation of a model teaching guide for patients and families. It was translated into several languages and is still used worldwide.

Dr. Resnik returned to Columbia University to earn a doctorate in public health and anthropology and decided to address the social history of the US hemophilia Community when HIV infiltrated the blood supply. She was mentored by Dr. Ron Grele, then Director of the Oral History Office, capturing life stories from patients, their families, doctors, nurses, pharmaceutical company reps, and government officials. Her dissertation became a resource document for the Institute of Medicine’s hearings on the US Blood supply. Then she wrote a book entitled Blood Saga, (CA University Press) based upon her dissertation. Later her book became a resource for a documentary film, Bad Blood: A Cautionary Tale, viewed widely on PBS.

After moving from New York to Del Mar, CA she joined the Del Mar Historical Society (DMHS) and became the Director of their oral history project, Del Mar Voices. She became President of the DMHS and continued to both direct and participate in interviewing old timers, former mayors and community leaders.

Dr. Resnik founded Viewing Voices in 2004, beginning by reaching out to families. As her client base grew, she decided to bring other oral historians on board. She delights in working with her team: Annie Duval, Jane Meyers, Rob Healey, and Adam Weissman.

She became the recipient of the Southwest Oral History Association’s 2017 James V. Mink Award for making a significant contribution to the field of oral history.