UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT
Interview #1365
MITCHELL, ROBERT “BOB”
MITCHELL, ROBERT “BOB” (1951 - )
CALS/Agricultural Journalism Staff; Undergraduate in Ag Journalism; News Manager for the
College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.
At UW: 1970-72, 1973-76 (student); 1982-present (staff)
Interviewed:
Interviewer:
Index by:
Length:
3 sessions (November 14 & 22, 2013; January 16, 2014)
Troy Reeves
Troy Reeves
2 hours, 55 minutes
Abstract: In his three interviews with Troy Reeves, Bob Mitchell reminisces about his
over 40-year involvement with the University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a child, student,
and later staff member. He offers childhood perspectives on the Madison campus, where
his father worked in the 1950s, and then discusses changes from his student days to the
present. He recalls the turmoil of the Vietnam era, athletics and student life, and the
publication process. He also detailed his program of study, major influences, and eventual
work in the department of Agricultural Journalism.
Key Words: UW-Madison; Wisconsin State Fair; Mifflin Street; Sterling Hall Bombing;
Soil Sciences; Agricultural Journalism; College of Agriculture and Life Sciences; Jessee,
Ed; Status of Wisconsin Agriculture Report; Hiram Smith Hall; website development;
125th anniversary of CALS; Ag Hall.
First Interview Session (November 14, 2013): Digital File
Time
Keywords
00:00:00 Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction.
00:00:28 Question: Was Mitchell born in Madison? Answer: Robert “Bob” Mitchell (BM) was
born in Maryland; his dad worked for the federal government in the Washington, DC,
area during parts of the 1940s and 1950s. His family moved to Madison in 1955, just
after BM’s 5th birthday. They initially lived in University Houses, Shorewood Village.
When asked about his father’s office on campus, BM noted he started in Moore Hall
then moved to Russell Labs. The family moved to Eden Ridge, a neighborhood on
Madison’s Westside near West High School.
00:04:12 Question: Selling soda at Badger games? Answer: For one football season, BM sold
soda and other items inside Camp Randall. The big lesson: it is tough to sell frozen
Robert “Bob” Mitchell (#1365)
malts in November. When asked about his other pre-college jobs on campus, he spoke
of working in residence hall kitchens, specifically Holt Commons. He enjoyed
working there, primarily because of its proximity to the lake and a pier.
00:06:01 [no question] BM spoke of other pre-college memories of campus. He mentioned the
following items: Horticulture Gardens, hanging out and playing with the sundial;
Walnut Street Gardens and Picnic Point, helping his dad water plants and trees;
McCardle Labs, assisting his aunt and uncle (the Millers) in feeding the rats. He also
spoke of McCardle Labs locations, including noting that buildings built in the
1960s/1970s fit the “Cold War Bland” motif.
00:10:33 Question: Other memories of campus? Answer: JM talked about his memories of/near
the Agricultural Campus, which was really the end of campus in the 1950s and 1960s.
He then noted how easy kids could get on their bikes and ride to campus. He recalled
going to dinner at the Memorial Union after attending church at UCC on Breese
Terrace and Old University Avenue. When asked about the Humanities Building, he
remembered it being built, particularly the fence that surrounded the site. The fence
became a spot for students to write on, called “painting the fence.” When asked about
his pre-college involvement in campus protests of the 1960s, he said he never came
down during them. He and his brother did try to attend the first Mifflin Block Party,
but someone stopped them before they entered and told them they should turn out,
because “the cops were angry.”
00:14:11 Question: Why attend UW? Answer: BM went to Colorado State University for his
freshman year; he explained why. But he realized that CSU was not the right place for
him, so he returned to Madison and attended UW. He called that year, “his big foray
out of Madison.” When he returned, he and a high-school classmate, who also went to
CSU for a year, rented a room in a house on Mendota Court, near the current location
of the Pyle Center.
00:16:11 Question: Worked at exhibit shop for Agricultural Journalism? Answer: He started at
that job the summer after high school and worked there for at least three summers. He
noted that during his time, the shop moved to two or three different locations. Ag
Journalism, at that time, led communications activities for the College of Agriculture.
This shop, then, crafted exhibits that were stationed at summer county fairs and the
Wisconsin State Fair. BM talked in detail about the process of creating the exhibits
and getting them to the fairs.
00:21:24 [no question] BM then focused on the exhibits created for the state fair. At that event
they used an entire building, which they filled with exhibit and a big exhibit or
presentation in the middle. BM’s strongest and proudest memory was the “trash pile”
they created for the 1970 Wisconsin State Fair. BM explained that the university’s
focus on Earth Day and the environment led to this exhibit. He recalled the exhibit
receiving notice in the Milwaukee paper that year. While at the state fair, BM (and his
co-workers) stayed overnight on the grounds in one of the fair buildings. They shared
the building (not a room) with Alice in Dairyland. When asked about going to the
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county fairs, he said he went to Farm Progress Days only.
00:25:11 Question: Sterling Hall Bombing? Answer: Ironically, BM was staying at the state
fair overseeing the exhibit building the night of the Sterling Hall Bombing. Someone
told him about it the next morning. He thought he went back to Madison either that
night or the next day and made it to campus soon after that. His strongest memory
was watching people take their research out of Moore Hall, because they feared its
proximity to T-16 (ROTC’s 1970 home) would make a bomb there inevitable and
possibly damaging to their research.
00:28:06 Question: Vietnam War protests after Sterling Hall Bombing? Answer: BM talked in
general terms about post-Sterling Hall bombing protests. He said people still protested, because they were still upset about the war. He called it an interesting time to be
on campus. He lived on West Dayton, the fringe of “Miffland;” he felt living there put
him in “occupied territory.” No one in the ROTC wore their uniforms on campus and
if they did, no one thanked them for their service. BM finished his thoughts with an
anecdote. He and his roommates decided to clean the dining room floor; their work
activated a coat of tear gas, causing them all grief. They found out, after the fact, that
the police or National Guard had gassed that house a few years earlier.
00:32:45 Question: When did BM realize his undergraduate majors? Answer: BM started in
Journalism, which resided inside the old Wisconsin High School at that time. Writing
became a comfortable skill, so journalism seemed to fit. He spoke of a 1 ½ year
hiatus he took from college, where took a variety of odd jobs. Finally, a job trimming
trees allowed him to see that earning a college degree would have merit.
00:35:54 [no question] BM returned to campus and a couple of recent event drew his focus to
forestry science. But the math requirements led him to look elsewhere, so he focused
on soil science. He never regretted that decision. His advisor Ed Engelbert convinced
BM to meet with someone in Ag Journalism and to look at that as a minor or another
major. Once he joined that program, he quickly saw it as a path to a profession.
00:39:45 Question: Classes and/or professors that stood out to BM? Answer: He immediately
recalled Soils 101, its instructor (Love) and its starting time (7:45a, three days/week).
BM listed some other professors in Soils.
00:42:27 [no question] BM then shifted his thoughts to Ag Journalism. He reminded the
interviewer that his previous work in Ag Journalism (summers doing exhibits) gave
him some inroads. He focused his memories here on a class taught by Lloyd Bostian
that he considered the best writing course he took and on a production class which he
regarded (as a compliment) in the same terms as an arts and crafts class.
00:44:48 Question: Acumen in writing? Answer: BM found out early that good writing could
overcome deficits in other academic areas. When asked about non-writing classes in
Ag Journalism, BM said they all proved useful, because he realized that a wellrounded journalism education could benefit him. Specifically, he talked about
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learning about photography paid dividends later.
00:47:13 Question: Final projects to graduate? Answer: While BM took no capstone project per
se, he recalled a class that helped design publicity campaigns for local businesses &
non-profits. His project stood out in his mind, because he misspelled mortgage on a
bus card advertisement, which he then relived every time he rode the bus.
00:50:30 Question: Plans after graduation? Answer: He wanted a job in communications; if
pressed, he said his dream job would have been a stock photographer for agricultural
focused agency. He noted here the pros and cons to being involved in ag journalism
without a background in agriculture, meaning he grew up urban not on the farm.
00:52:26 Question: Overview of post-college, pre-UW job? Answer: BM spoke at length about
his first permanent, full-time job, an associate editor position for Johnson Hill Press
in Fort Atkinson. It led him to many small plane trips around the country to gather
material to create stories for their publications. The job focused more on marketing,
which appealed little to BM. The company, during a fiscal downturn, lost a big client.
That led them to sell one of their planes and fire BM. BM figured they lost more sleep
over the plane than him. He then worked as a freelancer for a couple of years, doing
essential the same thing he did for Johnson Hill Press.
00:59:17 Question: Final thoughts? Answer: BM called his early years in Madison interesting
and useful. He has enjoyed reflecting on his and his family’s past, particularly looking
for connections to help explain his life. He also noted that going to high school at
West High in Madison led him, when he returned to campus, to connect with the
parents of his classmates, which he liked. He concluded with the idea of family
connections and patterns when talking about how both grandfathers worked at
University of Minnesota.
01:03:57 End of First Interview Session
Second Interview Session (November 22, 2013): Digital File
Time
Keywords
00:00:00 Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction.
00:00:23 Question: Where did Bob Mitchell (BM) hang out during his undergraduate time at
UW-Madison? Answer: Nitty Gritty, Brat Haus, a restaurant on Henry Street (name
not recalled), and Mickey’s Tavern.
00:03:23 Question: Music BM listened to in 1970s? Answer: Lots of popular stuff: Beatles,
Rolling Stones, James Taylor, etc. When asked about going to UW athletic events, he
said living in the shadow of Camp Randall growing up had burned him out on UW
athletics during his undergraduate days. He also noted that his “counter-culture”
attitude did not gibe with cheering on the home team.
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00:06:35 Question: Thoughts/memories about his first job on campus? Answer: BM
remembered it well. Along with his brother and future wife, he lived on a house on
Rutledge on the Madison’s near east side. He worked as a freelancer but probably, in
his opinion, should have searched for full-time employment. While fixing a fence, his
future wife’s former boyfriend walked over and told BM about a job on campus with
Agricultural Journalism. He applied then was asked to be interviewed, then they
offered him a job as a development editor.
00:09:18 Question: Location of Agricultural Journalism building, circa 1982? Answer:
Agricultural Journalism was housed in both a Henry Mall location (currently
Biochemistry) and in Hiram Smith Hall. When asked about his office, he noted he
held offices in both Agricultural Journalism and Hiram Smith. BM also described the
purview of his job, specifically what departments he assisted with their publications.
00:12:48 Question: Difference between his previous jobs and his first CALS job? Answer: He
liked the regular pay check. He worked on campus with academics, not on the farms
with agriculturalists. He said his learning curve came from working with faculty with
a wide variety of interest or acumen. Overall, the job was a good fit. It allowed him to
be a generalist which fit his personality.
00:17:30 Question: To whom did BM report? Answer: Jim Griffiths served as the
communications head for Ag Journalism. Griffiths, like BM, worked as an academic
staff, which was a recent change for Ag Journalism. Before the 1970s/1980s, faculty
led communications for the college. When asked, BM talked about his other
development editors, as well as his colleagues in the classified staff. In his first job,
no staff served underneath him.
00:21:52 Question: In the 1980s how did a piece get published? Answer: JM offered great
detail about how a publication went from draft text to finished work.
00:26:48 [no question] BM detailed next steps in publication, including how photos were
inserted into the publication. He also offered some historic context about how they
printed these publications in the past.
00:31:10 [no question] BM spoke here about what happened when the publication went to the
print shop, which led to off-set printing. When asked about how long this process
took, he said it could go quickly, within a few days, but with delays it usually took a
few weeks for the entire process to unfurl. When asked about where they printed
these publications, he noted that smaller (or less complex) publications went through
the Ag Journalism print shop in Hiram Smith. And while Extension also included a
print shop, some of the more complex projects went off campus to a larger print shop.
00:34:14 Question: How about getting a press release to the media? Answer: Everything started
on a typewriter. BM talked in detail about the process, including how they were
printed and how they created mailing lists. He reminded the interviewer that all this
occurred in the era before the days of photocopying. Once finished the releases went
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to media around the state, as well as ag-related media around the country.
00:37:52 Question: CALS’ Status of Wisconsin Agriculture Report? Answer: BM started
offering context for the creation of this document, focusing on the state of agriculture
in the U.S. in the early 1980s, when many farmers blamed UW Extension for
exhorting farmers to getter bigger, and the work of Ed Jessee in creating the first
report. Since BM was connected to farm finance stuff, he started working with Jessee
on the Report. He then discussed the growth of the Report.
00:43:19 [no question] Initially, they created the Report type-written, using off-set printing.
The Report started in the 1980s; they now have finished their 27th one. BM has
worked on every one since he started the collaboration with Jessee; Jessee has worked
on most of them. BM talked about how EJ/BM worked together and about the
sections in the Report. He concluded this section with the note that this year’s
iteration of the Report included a part on the revitalization of the dairy industry.
00:48:03 Question: How does the Report look today? Answer: While still printed, they will
publish less total copies, while putting it up as a PDF. BM also noted that the Report’s
look has changed (for the better). BM concluded this section by noting that a third
person, Diane Doering who has helped with layout.
00:50:31 Question: Comments on two more publications BM mentioned (CALS Quarterly and
CALS Science Report) in his brief bio? Answer: BM talked first about the CALS
Quarterly, which he stated rarely came out quarterly. He then described the
magazine’s layout, intended audience, and its longevity.
00:52:32 [no question] BM then furnished his memories of the CALS Science Report. They
published it annually (or biennially) and used it as a way to touch on “bigger” stories,
which included stories with a broader context. Both of these publications basically
ended the same time (ca. 2006), morphing into Grow, the current CALS periodical.
00:55:07 Question: Final thoughts? Answer: BM compared the “tools” then and “tools” now to
create periodicals, focusing on technology (computers). He thought it had been at
least 10 years since they printed a press release; they now “printed” them as PDFs on
the internet. He concluded with some brief thoughts about the current state of
journalism, including social media and smart phone as video camera.
00:59:03 End of Second Interview Session
Third Interview Session (January 16, 2014): Digital File
Time
Keywords
00:00:00 Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction.
00:00:43 Question: Editing research reports and brochures? Answer: BM observed that this
was part of the job—“everything was on paper.” Research reports that weren’t big or
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good enough for professional journals would occasionally need to be edited and
published by Ag Journalism, and Extension reports were just part of their stock in
trade. He cited some examples of common publications.
00:04:50 Question: The editing process? Answer: Mitchell talked about how the editors would
always do their edits and send them back to the authors—he noted that some authors
were very grateful for this input and felt their writing improved, though others were
insulted. He discussed the specifics of the timeline for publications, including regular
periodicals, and where the process could bog down at all people’s desks.
00:11:21 Question: Special publications for CALS 125th anniversary? Answer: He didn’t think
there was one specific thing, though he thought the issue of Grow would celebrate the
things that had developed in the last 25th year, such as cutting edge work that had
been done on climate change.
00:13:08 Question: The website? Answer: He noted that as part of the paradigm shift of how
information was disseminated, websites were generally “coming on in the early 90s,”
observing that the smaller the university unit, the easier and faster websites came up.
He talked about how immediately after the CALS website was developed, he and a
colleague worked to revise it and he was actively involved in keeping it updated until
the early 2000s.
00:17:28 Follow up: What did the internet do for your job at CALS communications? Answer:
He noted that it was almost difficult to imagine what communications was like before
the web, talking about the convenience of the web, though the challenge was the
sheer volume of information out there now.
00:19:51 Question: Your relationships with deans? Answer: He said that while he worked with
all of them, he hadn’t been based in Ag Hall, so he wasn’t in constant contact with
them. He recounted the succession of deans and talked about how he’d work with
them through task forces, special publications, etc.
00:26:14 Follow up: Did some deans want to write their own stuff? Answer: He said his boss
did most of that work, and some deans were better writers than others—but everyone
needed editors.
00:28:28 Question: Campus characters? Answer: He talked about Fritz Albert, a filmmaker
from Nazi Germany who came and also hired Wolfgang Hoffman, the “Europe
contingent in the basement.” He also discussed Pete Willoughby, who was eccentric
and actually lived in the basement for a while; and Larry Muller and Margaret
Andreasen were at the other end of the building doing farm radio. Finally he talked
about Dick Powers, who taught people statistics and was identified with the dept.
00:36:25 Follow up: Byron Jorns? Answer: He said that many people remembered Jorns, who
was an illustrator on campus years ago who worked often on very mundane subjects
that Mitchell still thought were cool.
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00:39:27 Question: Ag Hall wasn’t always your office? Answer: He remarked that when he
was a student, Ag Journalism was housed in Ag Hall; but during the early 1970s they
moved to 440 Henry Mall in the old offices of Joshua Lederberg and then in Hiram
Smith Hall. He moved back to Ag Hall out of Ag Journalism he thought in 2006.
00:43:28 Question: Update to Extension publication? Answer: He said that he anticipated
retiring sometime to the end of 2014, and wanted to finish this project at the end. He
hoped that after his retirement he’d still be able to keep his hand in publications.
00:45:22 Question: Your legacy? Answer: He thought that some people’s legacies were
obvious, like Steenbock or DeLuca; but it was hard to untangle his own legacy from
that of other people. He thought that communications on campus was closer to
staying current than it was. He spoke about some examples of these updates. He was
happy to be a part of the legacy of this transition from communicating by letter to
doing it electronically through a news staff.
00:51:57 End of Third Interview Session
End of Oral History Interview #1365
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