Western Washington University Centennial Oral History Project Records

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1996 - 1997
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Format: 2024/03/29

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Carol Diers interview
Carol Diers interview
Dr Carol Jean Diers, was an undergraduate at Western and eventually a full professor in the Psychology department. Dr. Diers attended kindergarten through second grade at Western's Campus School. Later, she finished her last two years of college at Western. She returned to teach at Western in the 1960s during a hiring boom and remembered it as a very exciting time. In 1974, Dr. Diers served as Director of the Honors Program and became the first woman on the Honors Board. Since her retirement she occasionally gives talks at Western.
Dorothy Ramsland interview
Dorothy Ramsland interview
Dr. Dorothy Ramsland, Professor Emeritus and Chair of Home Economics. Dr. Ramsland joined the faculty of Western in 1949 to teach Home Economics during President William Haggard's administration. She talked about the early staff. She also talked about the older faculty's positive treatment of new faculty. She discussed faculty women and their accomplishments. She talked about the Faculty Forum. She also discussed President James Jarrett, the Great Books program and the changes wrought by his administration. Dr. Ramsland told anecdotes about Dr. Jarrett. She talked about President Harvey Bunke and the attempt to discontinue Home Economics. She told anecdotes about President Jerry Flora and discussed town and gown relations between Western and Bellingham. Dr. Ramsland discussed President Paul Olscamp, Ralph Thompson, Jim Davis and President Robert Ross. She also discussed various president's "open-door" policy for faculty. She talked about the lack of books at the library as well as librarians Mabel Zoe Wilson and Mildred Herrick. She discussed the campus sculpture collection. Dr. Ramsland talked about the Capital Nomenclature Committee. She also discussed Sam Buchanan as well as the reasons she remained at Western.
Ingeborg Paulus interview
Ingeborg Paulus interview
Ingeberg Paulus, Associate Professor Emeritus of Sociology. Dr. Paulus described the personal and professional paths that led her to Western. She discussed studying at the University of London. She talked about her youth in post-war Germany and how she got to Canada. Dr. Paulus discussed her interest in and experience with gender issues. She also discussed her research on border smuggling. She talked about her perceptions of students over her twenty year career at Western. She also talked about her interests and activities after retirement. Dr. Paulus discussed the collegial climate at Western as well as the reduction in force (R.I.F.) in the early 1970s. She discussed the cultural offerings of Western and Bellingham. She also talked about criminology, the Equal Rights Amendment and what made her retire.
Meridith Cary interview
Meridith Cary interview
Dr. Meridith Cary, Professor of English. Dr. Cary joined Western's faculty in 1964. In 1972 she and Marge Ryan team-taught a Women's literature course. She also helped design and promote the Women's Studies program at Western acting as manager for the first five years. She described a period when the administration cut faculty from all departments, and remembered that the English department faculty handled it with distinction. Dr. Cary has also authored works in a number of different genres.