1
University Archives
UAR 5047-5071, 5142-47
Ball State University Oral History Project, 2004-2005: Interviews with
Faculty, Department and Area Administrators who Retired between the Years
1996-2005
3 Boxes (0.8 cu. ft.)
Background
In the early 1990s Warren Vander Hill, then Provost and Vice President for Academic
Affairs, decided to sponsor a Ball State History Project with funding provided from his
office. Mr. Vander Hill set two goals. First, to create a collection of taped and
transcribed interviews with faculty, administrators and staff who had played an
important part in BSU’s growth and development since the 1960s. These interviews
form the basis of the current collection. Second, Mr. Vander Hill sought to collaborate
with colleagues in the BSU History Department to research and write a scholarly one
volume history on the university from its beginnings to the end of the twentieth
century. This second goal was fulfilled with the publication in 2001 of Ball State
University: An Interpretive History, written by BSU professors Tony Edmonds and
Bruce Geelhoed.
Edmonds and Geelhoed interviewed several dozen people for their study but stopped
doing interviews and began writing in 1996. As a result, Mr. Vander Hill’s project
focuses on interviews with faculty and staff that have ended their full-time service to
BSU since 1996, filling in the gap left by Edmonds and Geelhoed. Following his
retirement in June 2004, Mr. Vander Hill, Emeritus Provost and Vice President for
Academic Affairs/Professor of History and University Distinguished Professor of
Environmental Studies, began this phase of what hopes to be an ongoing series of
interviews with retired faculty and staff.
Mr. Vander Hill selected the individuals for interviews for two main reasons. First,
they represent a variety of academic disciplines and are all people who, in a number
of ways, contributed a great deal to the university during their tenure. Second, they
are somewhat atypical in that all of them decided to retire in the Muncie are and are,
in almost every case, still involved in the life of the institution – they regularly attend
cultural and, in some cases, athletic events and participate in a variety of town and
gown programs. A few have even kept a faculty office with their home department’s
approval. Mr. Vander Hill also tried to interview as many people as possible who
were faculty for most of their academic careers, but who, from time to time, held
administrative responsibilities. In addition, many distinguished professors were
interviewed to gain insight into BSU’s move in the 1980s toward greater emphasis on
scholarly productivity.
2
Scope and Content
Audio recordings and transcripts of interviews conducted by Emeritus Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Warren
Vander Hill with 31 Ball State faculty, department and area administrators who retired between the years 1996-2005. The
transcripts are organized alphabetically by last name. The recordings are organized by format, divided into audiocassettes and
micro cassettes, and thereunder by alphabetically by last name.
Container List
Box
1
2
Contents
AUDIO RECORDINGS
Audiocassettes
Name
Amman, Doug
Annis, David
Behforouz, Mohammed
Behforouz, Nancy
Bloom, Gil
Conn, Earl
Costello, Tony
Errington, Paul
Hall, Jeff
Hemeyer, Julia Corbett
Hendrix, Jon
Hoover, Dwight
Kirkwood, Jim
Koontz, Tom
Laseau, Paul
Lowe, Tom
McComish, Tom
Mitchell, Paul
Parkison, Paul
Payne, Wayne
Reno, John
Schmottlach, Neil
Position
Professor of Music, Director of Choral Music
Chairman and Professor of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Distinguished Professor, Chemistry
Professor, Biology
Professor, Theatre
Dean, CCIM and Chair and Professor of Journalism
Irving Distinguished Professor of Architecture
Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Dean, CAP & Chair Landscape Architecture
Professor, Religious Studies
Professor, Biology
Director, Center for Middletown Studies & Professor of
History
Professor, Industry and Technology
Chair and Professor of English
Professor, Architecture
Associate Provost and Professor NREM
Distinguished Professor of Biology/Fisheries
Chair & Professor, Urban Planning & History
Chair and Distinguished Professor of Accounting
Professor, Physiology & Health Science
Director & Professor, Physical Education
Director & Distinguished Professor, Wellness & PE
Date
02/11/05
09/27/05
12/02/04
01/25/04
10/25/04
10/04/04
09/26/05
09/27/04
01/31/05
11/22/04
10/14/04
06/09/05
UAR #
5047
5147
5048
5049
5050
5051
5144
5052
5053
5054
5055
5146
11/15/04
10/27/04
11/03/04
05/18/05
10/05/04
11/18/04
02/18/05
10/11/04
10/13/04
12/06/04
5056
5057
5058
5145
5059
5060
5143
5061
5062
5063
3
Container List
Box
2
Folder Contents
Audiocassettes (cont’d)
Name
Smith, Don
Spoerner, Tom
Sullivan, Mike
Micro Cassettes
Barber, John
Beekman, John
Keil, Kathy
Park, Sung Jae
Seager, Sharon
Wells, Grant
3
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
TRANSCRIPTS
Name
Amman, Doug
Annis, David
Barber, John
Beekman, John
Behforouz, Mohammed
Behforouz, Nancy
Bloom, Gil
Conn, Earl
Costello, Tony
Errington, Paul
Hall, Jeff
Hemeyer, Julia Corbett
Hendrix, Jon
Hoover, Dwight
Keil, Kathy
Position
Dean, CAST & Chair & Professor Industry & Technology
Chair & Professor, Art
Professor of Geography
Date
02/07/05
01/18/05
09/25/05
UAR #
5064
5065
5142
Chair & Professor, History
Distinguished Professor, Actuarial Science
Chair & Professor, Computer Science
Director, Asian Programs and Professor of PE
Professor, History
Professor, Finance
09/28/04
10/28/04
11/02/04
01/27/05
10/14/04
01/17/05
5066
5067
5068
5069
5070
5071
Position
Professor of Music, Director of Choral Music
Chairman and Professor of Philosophy & Religious Studies
Chair & Professor, History
Distinguished Professor, Actuarial Science
Distinguished Professor, Chemistry
Professor, Biology
Professor, Theatre
Dean, CCIM and Chair and Professor of Journalism
Irving Distinguished Professor of Architecture
Professor, Physics and Astronomy
Dean, CAP & Chair Landscape Architecture
Professor, Religious Studies
Professor, Biology
Director, Center for Middletown Studies & Professor of
History
Chair & Professor, Computer Science
Date
02/11/05
09/27/05
09/28/04
10/28/04
12/02/04
01/25/04
10/25/04
10/04/04
09/26/05
09/27/04
01/31/05
11/22/04
10/14/04
06/09/05
11/02/04
4
Container List
Box
3
Folder Contents
TRANSCRIPTS (cont’d)
Name
16
Kirkwood, Jim
17
Koontz, Tom
18
Laseau, Paul
19
Lowe, Tom
20
McComish, Tom
21
Mitchell, Paul
22
Park, Sung Jae
23
Parkison, Paul
24
Payne, Wayne
25
Reno, John
26
Schmottlach, Neil
27
Seager, Sharon
28
Smith, Don
29
Spoerner, Tom
30
Sullivan, Mike
31
Wells, Grant
Position
Professor, Industry and Technology
Chair and Professor of English
Professor, Architecture
Associate Provost and Professor NREM
Distinguished Professor of Biology/Fisheries
Chair & Professor, Urban Planning & History
Director, Asian Programs and Professor of PE
Chair and Distinguished Professor of Accounting
Professor, Physiology & Health Science
Director & Professor, Physical Education
Director & Distinguished Professor, Wellness & PE
Professor, History
Dean, CAST & Chair & Professor Industry & Technology
Chair & Professor, Art
Professor of Geography
Professor, Finance
Date
11/15/04
10/27/04
11/03/04
05/18/05
10/05/04
11/18/04
01/27/05
02/18/05
10/11/04
10/13/04
12/06/04
10/14/04
02/07/05
01/18/05
09/25/05
01/17/05