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

Born on November 7, 1934, Jerome Strauss is a 1956 Indiana University alumnus who went on to earn his law degree from the New York University School of Law. Extensively involved in campus politics and student government, Strauss was first elected to the student senate and then to the position of student body president. He speaks of his experiences as a student, including anti-Semitism, upon citing his desire for the nomination for the student body presidency. In addition, he remarks on the McCarthy era and the impact of the anti-McCarthy Green Feathers group on Indiana University. One of the biggest influences on Strauss at Indiana University was Henry H.H. Remak.

Born in 1944, Ann W. Swedeen attended Indiana University from 1964 through 1971 earning both her undergraduate and graduate degrees. Swedeen pursued a course of study involving methods of team-based teaching of the arts, and she had a strong background in music. She went on to earn another master's degree and her doctorate from Ball State in educational administration. Later in her career, Swedeen became a member of the Indiana University board of trustees and the Indiana University Foundation Board. In addition, she was active in the Association of Governing Boards of Universities and Colleges, or the AGB. In this interview, Swedeen discusses the Indiana University School of Music, the impact of the Vietnam War on the university, and the university campus.

Born in 1938, Sue H. Talbot began attending Indiana University in 1956 and over the course of a few decades, she completed her doctoral degree. During this interval, she was a classroom teacher, a supervisor of education students at Indiana University, and worked for the state of Indiana in the area of education policy and reform. In this interview, Talbot discusses educational methods, a teacher strike in 1978, Weekenders teaching courses offered through Indiana University, and the A+ Program through the state of Indiana. She also speaks of the Japanese education system as compared to the system in place in the United States. In addition, Talbot discusses her active involvement in the education alumni association and her presidency of the Indiana University alumni association.

Born on April 13, 1939, Jerry Tardy came to Indiana University as an undergraduate student in 1957 and ended up staying on as an employee for the majority of his career. In 1971, he became the student foundation director and a few years later he rose to the position of director of the alumni association. In this interview, Tardy discusses the activities of the alumni association, Hoosiers for Higher Education, and the Indiana University Foundation, especially in the face of budgetary constraints of the past few decades. He also speaks of the Little 500 and the making of Breaking Away, a movie about the Little 500. Tardy describes his relationships with Bob Knight, John Ryan, Joseph Sutton, Elvis J. Stahr, Thomas Ehrlich, Bill Armstrong, and others.

Hugh Thompson describes his tenure as chancellor of the Indiana University campus in Kokomo. He describes the campus's relationship with Indiana University, Purdue University, the city of Kokomo, and surrounding communities. Thompson also details his other positions at small campuses in Michigan. Thompson was born 1934 in West Virginia.

Randall Lee Tobias was born in Lafayette, Indiana, in 1942, and grew up in Remington, Indiana. He discusses the history of his family in Indiana and his student days at Indiana University from 1960 to 1964. He talks about his post-graduate work with the Indiana University Foundation and compares his student days in Bloomington with the situation there in the mid-nineteen nineties.

Born on April 1, 1922, Charles Van Tassel earned his medical degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Bloomington in 1946. In this interview, he recalls his years as a student at Indiana University, the impact of World War II on the university, and the changes the campus has undergone in the intervening years. Van Tassel speaks of his continuing involvement with Indiana University including his active participation in the varsity club and the Indiana University Foundation Board, and his interest in university athletics. In addition, he discusses the Twelfth Man Club, the problems posed by funding, and the School of Medicine in Bloomington.

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.

Born in 1950, John Walda is a 1972 Indiana University alumnus who went on to receive his graduate degree from the Indiana University School of Law in 1975. Very involved in student activities, Walda was president of his undergraduate class for two years and an active participator in student protests against the Vietnam War. Walda speaks of the anti-war climate on campus during the early nineteen seventies and the unrest and protests generated by tuition hikes and the Civil Rights Movement, including the Ballantine Lock-In and the effects of the Kent State shootings. He also speaks of the financial problems Indiana University is facing, his participation on the board of trustees, and the status and growth of the IUPUI campus.

Born on August 17, 1941, August Watanabe received his degree from the Indiana University School of Medicine in Indianapolis in 1967 and went on to work at the Indiana University Medical Center, first as a resident and then as a faculty member in the nineteen seventies. From 1983 through 1990, Watanabe served as the chairman of the Department of Medicine in Indianapolis. In addition, he was a member of the board of the Indiana University Foundation. In this interview, Watanabe discusses his medical training, advances in the field of medicine, the IUPUI campus, and his roles as student, professor, and administrator.