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Faculty Oral History Project
Notifications
Held at: Princeton University Library: University Archives [Contact Us]
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Princeton University Library: University Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
The Faculty Oral History Project was conducted by Richard Challener, Class of 1944, under the direction of Princeton University Archivist Ben Primer. Challener, a member of the History Department 1949-1993, was assistant and then associate dean of the college from 1958 to 1966, and clerk of the faculty from 1986 to 1988.
The collection consists of audio files and transcripts of interviews with faculty members of Princeton University, most of whom were retired at the time of the interview. The interviews cover their experiences at Princeton and the history of their departments.
The collection is arranged by interviewee in alphabetical order.
The collection was an unfinished project of Ben Primer, University Archivist from 1990 to 2002, who directed the project.
For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.
This collection was processed by Helene van Rossum in February 2020. Finding aid written by Helene van Rossum in February 2020.
The transcripts are available as printouts and on discs in WP5 format. The printouts are not reviewed for accuracy. Spellings of certain names are therefore sometimes incorrect, including those of Richard (Dick) Challener (spelled "Chowner"), Stanley Kelley (spelled "Keeley") and Bob Goheen (spelled "Kohine"). When available, dates of the interviews were provided in the finding aid. Dates of transcriptions were obtained from the computer discs that are kept with the audio files
No materials were separated from this collection.
People
- Bogdonoff, Seymour M.
- Danielson, Michael N.
- Drewry, Henry N., 1924-
- Finch, Jeremiah Stanton (1910-2005)
- Gillispie, Charles Coulston (1918-2015)
- Gordon, Ernest, 1916-2002
- Johnson, Walter C.
- Judson, Sheldon
- Kelley, Stanley
- Kennan, George F. (George Frost) (1904-2005)
- Litz, A. Walton.
- Reynolds, George T.
- Simmons, Ruth J., 1931-
- Sollenbenger, Norman
- Spitzer, Lyman, 1914-1997
- Tucker, Albert W. (Albert William), 1905-1995
- Publisher
- University Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Helene van Rossum
- Finding Aid Date
- 2020
- Access Restrictions
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The collection is open for research use
- Use Restrictions
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Single copies may be made for research purposes. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. The Trustees of Princeton University hold copyright to all materials generated by Princeton University employees in the course of their work. For instances beyond Fair Use, if copyright is held by Princeton University, researchers do not need to obtain permission, complete any forms, or receive a letter to move forward with use of materials from the Princeton University Archives.
For instances beyond Fair Use where the copyright is not held by the University, while permission from the Library is not required, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.
Collection Inventory
The interview covers the history of the department, the development of the School of Engineering, and the development of Forrestal campus.
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The interview covers coeducation at Princeton and the history of the Politics Department.
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Topics of the interview include minority students and race at Princeton, the development of the teacher training program, and the Afro-American program, eating clubs and Wilson College.
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The interview covers his work as Dean of the College, Harold Dodds and Bob Goheen, and his work as Secretary of the University.
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The interview discusses the History Department after WWII, the founding the program of the History of Science in the 1960s, his relationship with the Philosphy Department and with Bob Goheen, undergraduate education at Princeton, and the impact of coeducation.
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In this interview Gordon discusses his appointment by Harold Dodge, the Father Holten conflict, the abolishment of the rule to attend chapel in 1964, the student protests after the Cambodia bombing and his role collecting draft cards, and the introduction of coeducation.
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Because the transcript of the interview was only available as a WP5 document on disc at the time the collection was processed, the contents of the interview are as yet unknown. An audiotape of the interview is not available.
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The interview discusses changes at Princeton University, the Geology Department, and the sciences.
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The interview mainly discusses the establishments of the Committee on the Structure of the University.
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The interview mainly covers Kennan's undergraduate years at Princeton.
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The interview covers his time at Princeton as an undergraduate and the Department of English.
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In the interview Reynolds discusses his war research as a graduate and the Manhatten Project, the Physics Department after he joined the faculty, his recollections of Harry Smythe, the Science and Human Affairs program, and Bob Goheen.
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The interview covers her arrival at Butler residential college and the social needs of students, her conditions to become acting director of Afro-American studies, Dean of the Faculty Aaron Lemonick, her work as Vice Provost, and diversity on campus.
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The interview covers Civil Engineering at Princeton during the war years, and the developments at Civil Engineering and other engineering departments during his tenure.
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In the interview Spitzer discusses Henry Norris Russell, the sciences at Princeton in the 1930s, the development of a graduate program in astrophysics, the development of Forrestal campus and the Matterhorn project, the Research Board, and Bob Goheen.
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The interview deals with the history of the Department of Mathematics, the teaching of Army and Naval officers during WWII and war research, the department during the 1930s, the relationship with the Institute of Advanced Studies, Fine Hall, Presidents Harold Dodds and Bob Goheen. The original audiotape of the interview is not present.
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