1. What is your full name?
Darvas Edward Goss
2. Why did your parents select this name for you?
My mother saw it in a movie's end credits
3. Did you have a nickname?
D.
4. When and where were you born?
1969, Oklahoma City
5. How did your family come to live there?
Great grandmother moved from Texas
6. Were there other family members in the area? Who?
All immediate family, two generations up on both sides
7. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity?
Project housing, small, crowded. 4 bedrooms for 8 people. 1 bathroom.
8.Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
Yes and yes
9. Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
A perfect circular spoon that my cousin and I used to fight over
10. What is your earliest childhood memory?
Sitting on a wooden floor at 2 years old.
11. What kind of games did you play growing up?
Hide and seek, tag, and football
12.What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
Eat.
13.Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
No - too poor for allowance
14.What school activities and sports did you participate in?
Band, track and field, basketball, debate.
15.Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
Parachute pants, Jheri curls, Michael Jackson Thriller jackets
16.Who were your childhood heroes?
James Brown and OJ Simpson
17.Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
Max, a Rottweiler
18.What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
Baptist. Neighborhood Missionary Baptist Church
19.Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
Yes, for writing a poem. The poem was published as well.
20.Who were your friends when you were growing up?
Al, Ervin and Keith Johnson who lived next door.
21.What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally
affect your family?
The attempted assassination of Reagan. Explosion of space shuttle Challenger. No personal effect.
22.How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special
traditions?
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners always included all family on mother's side, and a visit to grandmother on father's side
23.How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
Electronics were a luxury; not a way of life. No internet, and no instant access of information
24.Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his
paternal grandfather?
Most of my great uncles and cousins are named Edward or John
25.Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
I'm related to Kanye West. Check TMZ for the latest story
26. Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
Big butts on my mother's side
27.Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in
your family?
No, but my grandfather hands out $2 bills to all the grandkids and great grandkids every year
28.What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
Luana Zamora, Christopher Deaun Goss, Horace Edward and Charla Rozell Goss
29.When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
1989 walking to work on a military base. We traveled into Tokyo to buy CDs
30.What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
You have to actually like each other
31.How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time?
My wife wrote me a note.
32. Why did you choose your children's names?
They had rings to them
33.What was your proudest moment as a parent?
I don't have any. Both my children are failures
34.What did your family enjoy doing together?
Taking road trips
35.If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
Musician. Little chance of success and stability
36.What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
My kids think I'm funny
Darvas Edward Goss
2. Why did your parents select this name for you?
My mother saw it in a movie's end credits
3. Did you have a nickname?
D.
4. When and where were you born?
1969, Oklahoma City
5. How did your family come to live there?
Great grandmother moved from Texas
6. Were there other family members in the area? Who?
All immediate family, two generations up on both sides
7. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity?
Project housing, small, crowded. 4 bedrooms for 8 people. 1 bathroom.
8.Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
Yes and yes
9. Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
A perfect circular spoon that my cousin and I used to fight over
10. What is your earliest childhood memory?
Sitting on a wooden floor at 2 years old.
11. What kind of games did you play growing up?
Hide and seek, tag, and football
12.What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
Eat.
13.Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
No - too poor for allowance
14.What school activities and sports did you participate in?
Band, track and field, basketball, debate.
15.Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
Parachute pants, Jheri curls, Michael Jackson Thriller jackets
16.Who were your childhood heroes?
James Brown and OJ Simpson
17.Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
Max, a Rottweiler
18.What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
Baptist. Neighborhood Missionary Baptist Church
19.Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
Yes, for writing a poem. The poem was published as well.
20.Who were your friends when you were growing up?
Al, Ervin and Keith Johnson who lived next door.
21.What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally
affect your family?
The attempted assassination of Reagan. Explosion of space shuttle Challenger. No personal effect.
22.How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special
traditions?
Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners always included all family on mother's side, and a visit to grandmother on father's side
23.How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
Electronics were a luxury; not a way of life. No internet, and no instant access of information
24.Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his
paternal grandfather?
Most of my great uncles and cousins are named Edward or John
25.Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
I'm related to Kanye West. Check TMZ for the latest story
26. Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
Big butts on my mother's side
27.Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in
your family?
No, but my grandfather hands out $2 bills to all the grandkids and great grandkids every year
28.What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
Luana Zamora, Christopher Deaun Goss, Horace Edward and Charla Rozell Goss
29.When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
1989 walking to work on a military base. We traveled into Tokyo to buy CDs
30.What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
You have to actually like each other
31.How did you find out your were going to be a parent for the first time?
My wife wrote me a note.
32. Why did you choose your children's names?
They had rings to them
33.What was your proudest moment as a parent?
I don't have any. Both my children are failures
34.What did your family enjoy doing together?
Taking road trips
35.If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
Musician. Little chance of success and stability
36.What is the one thing you most want people to remember about you?
My kids think I'm funny
Interview with Luana Goss (mom)
1. What is your full name? Why did your parents select this name for you? Did you have a nickname?
Luana Zamora. No particular reason. Lu.
2. When and where were you born?
1970. Tularosa, New Mexico
3. How did your family come to live there?
Everybody born there
4. Were there other family members in the area? Who?
All immediate family
5. What was the house (apartment, farm, etc.) like? How many rooms? Bathrooms? Did it have electricity?
Moved around a lot. Small houses. Yes and some
Indoor plumbing? Telephones?
6. Were there any special items in the house that you remember?
Really nice pencil
7. What is your earliest childhood memory?
Coloring easter eggs
9. What kind of games did you play growing up?
Tag, hide and seek, kickball
10.What was your favorite toy and why?
Cassette tape that I loved to listen to music on
11.What was your favorite thing to do for fun (movies, beach, etc.)?
Hang out
12.Did you have family chores? What were they? Which was your least favorite?
Yes, sweeping, mopping, vaccuming, dishes, windows, weeds, dusting. Washing windows
13.Did you receive an allowance? How much? Did you save your money or spend it?
No allowance, way too poor for that
14.What was school like for you as a child? What were your best and worst subjects? Where did you attend grade school? High school? College?
Boring. Favorite subject was science; didn’t have a worst. All grades in carizozo, new mexico
15.What school activities and sports did you participate in?
Volleyball
16.Do you remember any fads from your youth? Popular hairstyles? Clothes?
Big hair, parachute pants, skinny jeans, high tops
17.Who were your childhood heroes?
none
18.What were your favorite songs and music?
Salsa music
19.Did you have any pets? If so, what kind and what were their names?
Chihuahua named baby
20.What was your religion growing up? What church, if any, did you attend?
Catholic. Only catholic church in town
21.Were you ever mentioned in a newspaper?
Only time was when uncle scott died
22.Who were your friends when you were growing up?
Judy, Diane, Cathy, who were friends from school
23.What world events had the most impact on you while you were growing up? Did any of them personally affect your family?
Space thing blew up.
24.Describe a typical family dinner. Did you all eat together as a family? Who did the cooking? What were your favorite foods?
Chili, beans, tortillas. Ate together. Brother cooked. Posole
25.How were holidays (birthdays, Christmas, etc.) celebrated in your family? Did your family have special traditions?
Dinners, always a dance for big activities.
26.How is the world today different from what it was like when you were a child?
There were no computers, no access to google. You had to do your research and learn. No route guidance. Use a map (an ancient paper one)
27.Who was the oldest relative you remember as a child? What do you remember about them?
Great grandmother. She was always laughing and smiling
28.What do you know about your family surname?
nothing
29.Is there a naming tradition in your family, such as always giving the firstborn son the name of his paternal grandfather?
First boy gets named Jr.
30.What stories have come down to you about your parents? Grandparents? More distant ancestors?
No stories about parents. Grandfather, when he was a kid, ran into Billy the Kid. Billy the Kid gave him a knife that the family still has.
31.Are there any stories about famous or infamous relatives in your family?
No stories
32.Have any recipes been passed down to you from family members?
Enchilada casserole
33.Are there any physical characteristics that run in your family?
Colorful eyes
34.Are there any special heirlooms, photos, bibles or other memorabilia that have been passed down in your family?
no
35.What was the full name of your spouse? Siblings? Parents?
Darvas Edward Goss. Duane and Scott Zamora.
36.When and how did you meet your spouse? What did you do on dates?
First military base, 1989. Was walking past each other, said hello. Took the train into Tokyo and hung out, ate, bought CD’s, explored.
37.What was it like when you proposed (or were proposed to)? Where and when did it happen? How did you feel?
Pretty cool
38.Where and when did you get married?
Married in 1992 in Bitburg, Germany
39.What memory stands out the most from your wedding day?
him
40.How would you describe your spouse? What do (did) you admire most about them?
Warm, loving, honest, sense of humor, no shame, loves to laugh at people
41.What do you believe is the key to a successful marriage?
You have to like each other
42.How did you find out you were going to be a parent for the first time?
At work and got hurt. When I went to the doctor, they took a pregnancy test before giving me medicine.
43.Why did you choose your children's names?
They were cool
44.What was your proudest moment as a parent?
Theres so many. I just have really awesome kids.
45.What did your family enjoy doing together?
Exploring, road trips, travel
46.What was your profession and how did you choose it?
Technical write, it chose me
47.If you could have had any other profession what would it have been? Why wasn't it your first choice?
Artist, unstable
48.Of all the things you learned from your parents, which do you feel was the most valuable?
nothing
49.What accomplishments were you the proudest of?
Going back to school while working, having two kids, and a husband