Indiana University History Department Centennial 1994

A Guide to the Collection of Oral History Interviews at Indiana University Bloomington

Finding aid prepared by the staff of the Center for the Study of History and Memory with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities Division of Preservation and Access, 2000-2002

Creator: Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory
Title: Indiana University History Department Centennial
Collection No.: ohrc045
Dates: 1994
Quantity:

Quantity: 9 Interviews

(Audio files, transcripts, and collateral materials )
Abstract: In this project, retired professors from the Indiana University Department of History discusses their experiences in the profession. Topics discussed include educational and work history, the history department curriculum, development of the history department over time, prominent people in the department, publishing, teaching, and changes in the student body over time.
Location: Interviews are housed in Franklin Hall, Room 0030A. Contact ohrc@indiana.edu for more information. Copies of interview transcripts are also held by the IU Libraries University Archives. For other locations housing the interviews from this project, please contact the Center for Documentary Research and Practice office.
Language: Materials are in English
Repository: Center for Documentary Research and Practice
Franklin Hall 0030B
601 E. Kirkwood Avenue
Bloomington, Indiana 47405
Business Number: 812-855-2856
ohrc@indiana.edu
URL: https://cdrp.mediaschool.indiana.edu/

Scope and Content Note

This collection contains nine interviews over the course of one year. Interviews range from about 76 minutes to 286 minutes. All of the interviews consist of audio tapes and typed transcripts.

Restrictions

Usage Restrictions:

The archive of the Center for Documentary Research and Practice at Indiana University is open to the use of researchers. Copies of transcript pages are available only when such copies are permitted by the deed of gift. Scholars must honor any restrictions the interviewee placed on the use of the interview. Since some of our earlier (pre-computer) transcripts do not exist in final form, any editing marks in a transcript (deletions, additions, corrections) are to be quoted as marked. Audio files may not be copied for patrons unless the deed of gift permits it, and a transcript is unavailable for that interview. The same rules of use that apply to a transcript apply to the audio interview. Interviews may not be reproduced in full for any public use, but excerpted quotes may be used as long as researchers fully cite the data in their research, including accession number, interview date, interviewee's and interviewer's name, and page(s).

Administrative Information

Preferred Citation

[interviewee first name last name] interview, by [interviewer first name last name], [interview date(s)], [call number], [project name], Center for Documentary Research and Practice, Indiana University, Bloomington, [page number(s) or tape number and side if no transcript; if digital audio and no transcript, cite time when quote occurs].

Acquisition Information

Oral history interviews conducted by the Indiana University Center for the Study of History and Memory from 1968 to the present, with particular focus on the history of twentieth-century America and the Midwest.

Collection Inventory

Baxter, Maurice , April 27, 1994

No(s): 94-008

Physical Description: 29 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 76 minutes; index

Scope and Content Note: Maurice Baxter speaks of his time as a history professor at the Indiana University Department of History. He describes his educational background and interests in history that led to his position at IU. He talks about changes over time in the history department and in the field of history. He discusses departmental politics and people he has known through the years.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Subjects:
    • 1944 GI Bill
    • American history studies
    • forced retirement
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • narrative history
    • salary disputes
    • student activism
    • student attitudes
    • World War II
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • University of Illinois
  • People:
    • Lundin, C. Leonard
    • Solt, Leo F. (Leo Frank), 1921-

Access Status: Open

Byrnes, Robert F. , November 4, 1994

No(s): 94-003

Physical Description: 55 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 120 minutes; index

Scope and Content Note: Professor Robert F. Byrnes discusses his time as a faculty member and chairperson of the Indiana University Department of History. He speaks of his educational background in English and Russian history, his teaching positions as various universities, and his time in the CIA before settling at IU. He speaks of the field of historical studies, which he feels has been hurt by super-specialization among scholars. He talks about incidents within the department, like hiring practices, promotions, and salary disputes. He speaks of developing the curriculum of the history department, made possible by the encouragement of former IU president, Herman B Wells.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
    • history department chairperson
  • Subjects:
    • Cold War
    • history department curriculum
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • interdisciplinary studies
    • libraries
    • narrative history
    • political history
    • Russian history studies
    • salary disputes
    • social history
    • student protests
    • subject specialization
    • world history studies
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • CIA
    • Harvard University
  • People:
    • Buley, Roscoe Carlyle
    • Jelavich, Barbara, 1923-1995
    • Jelavich, Charles

Access Status: Open

Carmony, Donald , May 4, 1994

No(s): 94-002

Physical Description: 43 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 83 minutes; index

Scope and Content Note: Donald Carmony discusses his tenure the Indiana University Department of History. He outlines his educational background and work history as a professor at Indiana Central College and then as an administrator in various positions at Indiana University. He speaks of his desire to teach, which led him to seek a professorship. He talks about departmental hiring practices and salary disputes. He outlines the importance of studying history for everyone—especially local history. Finally, he discusses the history of the history department, mentions some individuals important in its development, and compares the history department of today with the department of the past.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
    • university administrator
  • Places:
    • Shelbyville, Indiana
  • Subjects:
    • Indiana history studies
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • student protests
    • student veterans
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • Indiana Central College
    • Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne
    • Indiana University South Bend
  • People:
    • Esarey, Logan
    • Wells, Herman B

Access Status: Open

Ferrell, Robert H. , November 3, 1994

No(s): 94-009

Physical Description: 53 pages;3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 162 minutes; index

Scope and Content Note: Robert H. Ferrell discusses his tenure as a professor at the Indiana University Department of History. He describes how his experiences as a soldier in World War II made him interested in studying history. He talks about his graduate experience at Yale and his mentor, Samuel Bemis. He describes the writing of his dissertation, and other publications after that. He talks about people he knows in the history department, and contacts with other historians in the United States. He describes the importance of being a good teacher as well as a good scholar, which he feels are inseparable despite the push in universities today where scholarship and publishing are valued far above teaching skills. He speaks of the declining quality of students since the 1960s. Finally, he speaks of the reasons for his retirement.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Subjects:
    • American history studies
    • Foreign Relations of the United States
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • McCarthyism
    • Pearl Harbor bombing
    • publishing
    • study habits
    • teaching
    • Vietnam War, 1961-1975
    • Woodrow Wilson and World War II
    • World War II
    • writing styles
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • Ballantine Hall
    • Bowling Green University
    • CIA
    • Michigan State University
    • Yale University
  • People:
    • Ballantine, Elijah
    • Bemis, Samuel Flagg
    • Bryan, William Lowe, 1860-1955
    • Buley, Roscoe Carlyle
    • Byrnes, Robert Francis (1917-1997-06-19)
    • Castle, William R., Jr.
    • Commager, Henry Steele
    • Dulles, Foster Rhea
    • Grant, James
    • Gucker, Frank Thomson, 1900-
    • Hesseltine, William Best
    • Kohlmeier, A. L. (Albert Ludwig)
    • Labaree, Leonard
    • Lukacs, John
    • McCullough, David
    • McMains, Howard
    • Morison, Samuel Elliot
    • Morris, Richard
    • Nevins, Allan
    • Rudin, Harry Rudolph
    • Sonneborn, Tracy
    • Tyrrell, Robert
    • Wells, Herman B
    • Winther, Oscar Osburn, 1903-1970
    • Wilz, John E.

Access Status: Open

Lundin, C. Leonard , April 18, 1994

No(s): 94-005

Physical Description: 55 pages; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 136 minutes; index; article about death of interviewee; profile of interviewee written by colleague

Scope and Content Note: C. Leonard Lundin speaks of his tenure as a professor at the Indiana University Department of History. He speaks of his early interest in teaching history that developed in high school due to one of his teachers, Edwin Whitemarsh. He speaks of his time at Harvard University studying American history, and his eventual position at IU teaching European history. He speaks of the conservative nature of the department in the 1930s, and of the differences between students in the Midwest and from the east coast. He speaks of his experiences in World War II, and the change in attitude of the student body after the war. He speaks of the changes made in the department and university after the war, and of desegregation and student activism. He talks about the people in the department, especially a scandal involving a lecturer who plagiarized from another professor. Finally, he talks about his research in Finnish history, and publishing in the academic universe.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Places:
    • Boston, Massachusetts
    • Finland
  • Subjects:
    • American history studies
    • Communism
    • departmental scandal
    • desegregation
    • European history studies
    • Finnish history studies
    • history department curriculum
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • McCarthyism
    • narrative history
    • publishing
    • segregation
    • social history
    • Spanish Civil War
    • student attitudes
    • Vietnam War, 1961-1975
    • World War II
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • Harvard University
    • Simmons College
    • Students for a Democratic Society
  • People:
    • Bryan, William Lowe, 1860-1955
    • Buley, Roscoe Carlyle
    • Esarey, Logan
    • Ferrell, Robert H.
    • Lynch, William Orlando
    • Wells, Herman B
    • Whitemarsh, Edwin

Access Status: Open

Neu, Irene G. , April 25, 1994

No(s): 94-007

Physical Description: 53 pages; 3 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 144 minutes; index; interviewee's vita curriculum

Scope and Content Note: Irene G. Neu discusses her tenure as a professor at the Indiana University Department of History. She outlines her educational and work history before she obtained a position at IU. She describes her struggles to gain equal rights for women faculty and students within the history department throughout her career. She talks about the changes the department has gone through over the years.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Subjects:
    • Affirmative Action
    • departmental politics
    • economic history
    • gender discrimination
    • history department curriculum
    • salary disputes
    • social history
    • student attitudes
    • Vietnam War, 1961-1975
    • women's movement
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • Cornell University
    • Harvard University
    • Indiana University Office of Women's Affairs
    • Marietta College
    • Rockford College
    • Southeast Missouri State University
  • People:
    • Buley, Roscoe Carlyle
    • Gates, Paul Wallace
    • Madison, James H.
    • Vasser, Rena

Access Status: Open

Pletcher, David M. , April 13, 1994

No(s): 94-004

Physical Description: 43 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 113 minutes; index

Scope and Content Note: Professor David M. Pletcher discusses his tenure as a history professor with the Indiana University Department of History. He speaks of his educational and family background, which led him to pursue a career in higher education. He talks about the classes he has taught over the years, and his primary interest in American history. He speaks of the department intrigues through the years over hiring practices and salaries. He also discusses departmental growth and changes.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Subjects:
    • academic dishonesty
    • American history studies
    • history department curriculum
    • salary disputes
    • social history
    • subject specialization
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • University of Chicago
  • People:
    • Byrnes, Robert Francis (1917-1997-06-19)
    • Neu, Irene
    • Rippy, J. Fred
    • Quirk, Robert E.

Access Status: Open

Quirk, Robert E. , March 28, 1994

No(s): 94-001

Physical Description: 40 pages; 2 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 105 minutes; index

Scope and Content Note: Professor Robert E. Quirk talks about his tenure at the Indiana University Department of History. He discusses his educational background and his interest in Latin American studies, which eventually led to a position at IU. He talks about the department's hiring practices over time, which were discriminatory in the 1950s and gradually became more liberal, especially after affirmative action. He speaks of the importance of Professor Robert F. Byrnes in the development of the department. He also discusses notable events he remembers, including student protests, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and salary disputes.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Places:
    • Bloomington, Indiana
    • Detroit, Michigan
  • Subjects:
    • Cuban Missile Crisis
    • Great Depression
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • Latin American studies
    • narrative history
    • publishing
    • salary disputes
    • student protests
    • tenure
    • World War II
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • Harvard University
    • Wayne State University
  • People:
    • Byrnes, Robert Francis (1917-1997-06-19)
    • Kohlmeier, A. L. (Albert Ludwig)

Access Status: Open

Wilz, John Edward , April 19, 1994, April 21, 1994

No(s): 94-006

Physical Description: 82 pages; 6 tapes, 1 7/8 ips, 286 minutes; Doonesbury cartoon; letter written by interviewee to Jane Pauley

Scope and Content Note: John E. Wilz discusses his time as a professor at the Indiana University Department of History. He outlines his early education and collegiate experiences at the University of Kentucky. He talks about the early days at IU, where his first position was as a lecturer. He speaks of the people he knew, particularly Robert Ferrell, R. Carlyle Buley, Maurice Baxter, and Robert Byrnes. He speaks of his academic career, and his slow rate of promotion, which he attributes to his lack of publishing scholarly books, and writing a high school textbook. He speaks of the emphasis he placed on the quality of his teaching. Finally he speaks of the changes in the student body over the years, especially in the increasingly little amount of work that is being assigned to undergraduate students.

Indexed Terms:

  • Occupations:
    • history professor
  • Places:
    • Washington, Indiana
  • Subjects:
    • 1944 GI Bill
    • American history studies
    • Catholicism
    • Civil Rights Movement
    • collegiality
    • Great Depression
    • Guillain-Barré Syndrome
    • Indiana University hiring practices
    • Journalism
    • Korean War
    • military history
    • publishing
    • salary disputes
    • social history
    • student attitudes
  • Corporate Bodies:
    • Lilly Endowment
    • University of Kentucky
  • People:
    • Baxter, Maurice G.
    • Buley, Roscoe Carlyle
    • Byrnes, Robert Francis (1917-1997-06-19)
    • Ferrell, Robert H.
    • Mooney, Chase C. (Chase Curran), 1913-1973
    • Nevins, Allen
    • Solt, Leo F. (Leo Frank), 1921-

Access Status: Open