Collections : [Indiana University, Center for Documentary Research and Practice]

R. Keith Michael, professor of theatre, was born on November 16th, 1930 in Muncy, Pennsylvania. He served as the first Chair of the Department of Theatre and Drama from 1971 until his retirement in 1996. Keith discusses his background and education, time in the Navy, and his arrival at Indiana University in 1971. Also, he talks about the changes made in the Department of Theatre and Drama under his tenure as Chair. He discusses fundraising for the department and staffing issues encountered while he served as Chair. Lastly, he recalls his memories of teaching and discusses his retirement.

Robert Millisen came to Indiana University in 1937 as a professor and later administrator in the speech pathology division of the Department of Speech. Prior to this, Millisen discusses his experiences at Creighton College, Simpson College in Iowa, and the University of Iowa. He also speaks of the Great Depression, his father's career as a railroad engineer, and how he entered the field of speech pathology. In addition, he recalls the creation of a speech pathology residence clinic at Indiana University, and the dedication and funding provided by the sorority, Psi Iota Xi, for the creation of speech services for handicapped children in the state of Indiana.

Henry H. H. Remak, born on July 27, 1916, discusses his family background and youth in Germany, his education, his long association with Indiana University and recalls much of the university's history from the years spanning 1936 through 1996. A long-time faculty member, Remak discusses his career in languages, particularly German and French, and speaks of the German Department and the Institute for Advanced Study. Dr. Remak comments on the beauty of the Indiana University campus, the social anti-Semitism he experienced in the United States, the effects of World War II on enrollment in the German Department, and German Americans and culture in America. In addition, he speaks of teaching, especially in the context of the Cold War, McCarthyism, and the Vietnam War and the unrest of the nineteen sixties. Professor Remak shares anecdotes about two of the most well-known figures in the history of Indiana University, Herman B Wells and Alfred Kinsey, and he speaks of the increased and misplaced emphasis on academic specialization, the teaching vs. research debate, and faculty tenure.

Raymond Smith, born in 1917, earned his graduate degree in 1939 from the Indiana University Department of Speech as part of the first class to receive a graduate degree from this department. Smith speaks of the Great Depression and the employment and financial constraints it inflicted. He served in the United States Army Air Corps during World War II as a radio instructor, after which he completed his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin in 1950. From 1950 through his retirement in 1982, Smith served as a professor in Indiana University's Department of Speech, later Department of Speech Communications. Smith discusses some influential members of Indiana University's Department of Speech and university faculty including Robert E. Barton Allen, Robert Milisen, Lee Norvell, and psychology professor, Snoddy.

Cecilia Hendricks Wahl, a 1938 Indiana University alumnus, returned to Bloomington in 1953 when she and her husband became employees of the university. In this interview, Wahl describes her coming of age in the town of Bloomington, her mother and aunt's faculty positions at the university, her undergraduate years, and interest and involvement in the Department of Speech, specifically the theater aspect of this department. She speaks of the impact of the Great Depression and World War II on her life and her jobs, including radio station manager and secretary to the Indiana University board of trustees. In addition, Wahl recalls her participation in the Association of Women Students, or AWS, and, later in life, the Bloomington Hospital, and the Annuitants. She speaks of the changes manifested by fraternities and sororities over the years and the rapid changes of the turbulent sixties. Finally, she fondly recalls members of the Indiana University Department of Speech, including Lee Norvelle and Bill Kinzer.