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

Born on August 15, 1919, William Keck is a 1941 alumnus of Indiana University. He served for five years in the United States military during World War II before returning home to southwestern Indiana where he worked at his family's Ford car dealership. Later in life, he became an active member of the Indiana University Foundation. Keck speaks of his days as an Indiana University student, recalling memories of his fraternity, Phi Gamma Delta, and his activities as a student baseball manager. In addition, he speaks of World War II, university growth, and the ROTC program at Indiana University. Some of Keck's anecdotes include his friends, Dick Stoner, Claude Rich, and many others.

Born on March 10, 1932, Charles Lanham is a 1954 Indiana University alumnus. In this interview, he speaks of his experiences as a student in the early nineteen fifties. He discusses Greek life, campus life in general, and the effects of the Korean War on Indiana University. Lanham recalls the requirement of enrolling in ROTC and his three years of service in the United States Air Force. In addition, he speaks of his involvement with the Indiana University Foundation, the university's continuing financial struggles, and his thoughts of and association with John Ryan, Herman B Wells, and Thomas Ehrlich.

Born on August 23, 1945, Guy R. Loftman is a 1967 alumnus and graduate of the Indiana University School of Law. A self-proclaimed hippie, Loftman recalls his days as a student at Indiana University in the turbulent nineteen sixties. Very active in campus politics and student government and a former student body president, he crusaded for the abolition of women's hours and was strongly against the Vietnam War. Loftman speaks of racism and its appearance in Greek life and the state of Indiana in the nineteen sixties. Groups such as the Ku Klux Klan, Students for a Democratic Society, or SDS, and the Progressive Reform Party play large roles in Loftman's characterization of the nineteen sixties in southern Indiana. In addition, he speaks of the draft and his experiences as a attorney in Bloomington.

Born in 1945, William G. Mays is a 1968 Indiana University alumnus who received his MBA degree from the university in 1973. He went on to establish his own multi-million dollar business. Mays speaks of his days as a student at the university in the nineteen sixties and his experiences with racism, fellow African-American students, and the Greek system. In addition, he recalls the assassination of president John F. Kennedy, the Vietnam War, and the repercussions of both. A recipient of the distinguished alumni award, Mays has been involved with the Indiana University Foundation.

Frederick Mitchell, born on November 20, 1926, began his education at Indiana University in 1948 and received his undergraduate degree in 1953 after two interruptions for United States military service in the Merchant Marines and the army, respectively. A former student body president, he was actively involved in campus life through student government, and membership in his fraternity, Sigma Nu, and the Sphinx Club. In addition, Mitchell discusses the impact of veterans, the Korean War, World War II, and hazing on Indiana University. He also speaks briefly of his relationship with Herman B Wells.

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.

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.