Gina Ingoglia Weiner

Interview Description

Oral History Interview with Gina Ingoglia Weiner

Born in Philadelphia in 1938, Gina Ingoglia Weiner grew up in New York City and Long Island. She moved to the neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights in 1968 and, with her husband Earl Weiner, lived in a brownstone they bought in 1979. She attended Dickinson College for her undergraduate degree, mastered in Publishing at New York University and attained a bachelor's degree in landscape architecture at Rutgers University. Weiner wrote over eighty children's books and also wrote and illustrated publications on nature and gardening. In her private practice, she designed gardens and landscapes for residences. Weiner served on several boards and committees in the New York City cultural community, including that of Brooklyn Historical Society. Gina Ingoglia Weiner died in March, 2015.

In the interview, Gina Ingoglia Weiner talks about her family and her family's history as well as her career as a children's books writer and illustrator. She tells her parents' stories; her mother, Denis Gerdes spent some formative years in the Park Slope neighborhood of Brooklyn, and her father, Frank Ingoglia was born in Brooklyn and grew up in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn and later New Jersey. Weiner relates the various moves of the couple; New York City, then Philadelphia, and later New Hyde Park, Long Island, and traces their jobs and careers. She also goes further into her family background, covering her grandparents and a great grandmother. Weiner talks about her education, and some of her children's books, as well as meeting her husband Earl when they were both attending Dickinson College, and their decision to move to Brooklyn Heights in 1968. She discusses her career moves, work highlights, and creative process; taking note of her work for the Golden Books imprint, stories inspired by Disney properties, and Brooklyn Botanic Garden publications. In closing, she describes what volunteering means to her and welcomes a future opportunity to discuss her board service and experiences at Brooklyn Historical Society. Interview conducted by Sady Sullivan.

The Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Arts and entertainment series features a dynamic range of narrators. Some are well-known public figures and others are well-known in their communities or field. This ongoing series focuses on the arts and the experiences of these Brooklyn narrators, as well as documents local, national, and international cultures. The narrators often discuss their production of works of art or entertainment media. The oldest narrator in this series was born in 1917.

Citation

Weiner, Gina Ingoglia, Oral history interview conducted by Sady Sullivan, April 21, 2014, Voices of Brooklyn oral histories: Arts and entertainment, 2008.031.1.011; Brooklyn Historical Society.