Interview with Milford W. Noe, October 20, 1977

Partial Transcript: --Morocco, uh, very--not too far from Gibraltar. The mission was in Gibraltar.

Segment Synopsis: The recording begins abruptly. Milford Noe briefly talks about his mission with the Navy during World War II.

Keywords: Azores; Missions; Radio officers; Strait of Gibraltar; Suez Canal

Subjects: United States. Navy.; World War, 1939-1945--Naval operations--Submarine

Partial Transcript: Well let me take you back to--

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about his experiences attending high school at the Model High School run by the University of Kentucky College of Education. He talks about its location on the UK campus, and discusses why he decided to leave to attend another high school. He talks briefly about UK football.

Keywords: Buell Armory; Centre College; Class size; Engineering; Fathers; Frazee Hall; J. T. Cotton Noe; Lexington High School; Offices; Professors; Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC); University School of Education

Subjects: Campus visits; College buildings.; College campuses.; College facilities.; College sports--Coaching; College teachers.; Education--Kentucky.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: Le--you know there's been a lot written about your father and, uh, a lot I've mentioned in other--

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about his father, UK professor J. T. Cotton Noe, and his popularity as a teacher at the university. He talks about his father's personality, his teaching philosophy, and his relationships with other faculty members.

Keywords: Advertisements; Dean F. Paul Anderson; Enjoyment; Fathers; Friends; Grading system; Humor; J. T. Cotton Noe; Jokes; Landfills; Liberal; Outspoken; Personality; Philosophy; Poems; Political science; Politics; Popularity; Professor Edward Farquhar; Public speaking; Radicals; Relationships; Strict; William S. Webb

Subjects: College environment; College students--Social conditions; College teachers--Job satisfaction; College teachers--Political activity; College teachers--Rating of.; College teachers--Social conditions; College teaching.; Educators; Noe, Cotton, 1864-1953; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; University of Kentucky. College of Education

Partial Transcript: Now your, your major field was engineering and you mentioned Dean Anderson. What, what was he like?

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about majoring in engineering and describes the dean of the college, F. Paul Anderson. He discusses Dean Anderson's personality and ways he incorporated tradition into the College of Engineering. He discusses whether there was ever conflict over resources for the College of Engineering, and talks about the construction of various buildings on campus.

Keywords: Agriculture and Mechanical College of Kentucky; Air conditioning; Carrier Corporation; Construction; Contact; Dean F. Paul Anderson; Dormitories; Dr. Frank McVey; Emphasis; Landmarks; McVey Hall; Name changes; Patterson Office Tower; Personality; Power plants; Promotion; Rivalries; Studying; Sycamore trees; Traditions

Subjects: College administrators; College buildings.; College campuses.; College environment; College facilities.; College presidents; College publicity; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering

Partial Transcript: I wanted to ask you about Dr. McVey since he was president while you were there and--

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about his father's opinions of Dr. McVey as well as his own. He talks about a friend who married into the McVey family.

Keywords: Atmosphere; Children; Delta Tau Delta fraternity; Dr. Frank McVey; Fathers; Friends; Image; J. T. Cotton Noe; James K. Patterson; Penrose Ecton; Political activity; President's house; Relationship with students; Relationships; Retired; Speeches; Teas

Subjects: College administrators--Rating of; College environment; College presidents; College presidents--Dwellings; College students--Social conditions; College teachers--Social conditions; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.

Partial Transcript: You, uh, you mentioned you were a member of Delta Tau Delta.

Segment Synopsis: Noe discusses the role of Greek organizations in campus life at UK. He talks about joining the Delta Tau Delta fraternity and the location of their fraternity house. He talks about the number of students involved in Greek organizations. He talks about the experience of pledging, and discusses why he chose that particular fraternity.

Keywords: Camps; Cherry Lodge; Choices; Clays Ferry; Control; Delta Tau Delta fraternity; Fathers; Fraternities; Fraternity brothers; Fraternity houses; Friends; Greek letter organizations; Hazing; Independents; J. T. Cotton Noe; Kentucky River; Leadership; Liberal; Maxwell Street; Membership; Out of state; Parties; Phi Delta Theta fraternity; Pledging; Rivalries; Shaving heads; Socializing

Subjects: College environment; College student parents; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Greek letter societies.; Noe, Cotton, 1864-1953

Partial Transcript: What were the main social activities on campus?

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about the social events available for students, which he says included dances every weekend. He talks about the atmosphere on campus during the Roaring Twenties and Prohibition. He talks about walking through an area of town where many saloons were located. He talks about the location of several buildings and facilities on campus, including the gym, football field, and fraternity houses.

Keywords: Agriculture farms; Alumni Gym; Avalon Park; Black neighborhoods; Bridges; Creeks; Dances; Drinking; Engineering; Euclid Avenue; Experiment station; Field house; Football fields; Football games; Home; Maxwell School; Moonshine; Patterson Hall; Pralltown; Roaring Twenties; Rose Street; Saloons; Sigma Nu fraternity house; Social activities; Socializing; Sororities; Stadium; Stoll Field; Stone Avenue; Tea dances; Tuxedos; Weekends; Work

Subjects: College buildings.; College campuses.; College environment; College facilities.; College sports.; College students--Alcohol use; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Greek letter societies.; Lexington (Ky.); Prohibition; Student housing; University towns

Partial Transcript: Uh, one thing I wanted to ask you about was--we talked a little bit about on the phone yesterday was the radio--

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about how he became involved in radio broadcasting while attending the University of Kentucky. He talks about his duties at the station, the types of shows they would broadcast, and discusses why UK was working with the radio station. He talks about the first broadcasting stations in the area, and talks about the changes that occurred when licensing policies changed.

Keywords: "Bromo" Selzer; Broadcast laws; Broadcasting licenses; Broadcasting stations; Broadcasting studios; Cooperation; Eastern Kentucky; Elmer Selzer; Engineering; Federal Communications Commission (FCC); Ham radio; Lafayette Hotel; Listening stations; Penrose Ecton; Phoenix Hotel; Professors; Public service; Radio programs; Radio stations; Virgil Couch; WHAS; WLAP; Wages

Subjects: College facilities.; College publicity; College radio stations; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Employment.; College teachers.; Lexington (Ky.); Radio broadcasting--Kentucky.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: You, you mentioned a few minutes ago politics.

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about students' lack of interest in politics during the 1920s and how methods of communication affected this trend. He talks about his connection to John Scopes, who later became involved in the debate over evolution. He talks about his father's views on the teaching of evolution. He talks about the claim that many college professors are seen as liberal.

Keywords: Al Smith; Catholic; Caves; Communication methods; Controversy; Death; Disagreements; Evolution; Fathers; Floyd Collins; J. T. Cotton Noe; John Scopes; Leftist; Liberal; Martha Wentworth; Model High School; Newspapers; Political campaigns; Political issues; Political parties; Professor Edward Farquhar; Professors; Quick communication; Radio; Religious bias; Scopes Trial; Speed reading; Student teachers; Television; University School of Education; William Funkhouser; William Jennings Bryan

Subjects: College environment; College publicity; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Political activity.; College students--Social conditions; College teachers--Political activity; College teachers--Social conditions; College teaching.; Educators; Politics and government; Universities and colleges--Faculty.

Partial Transcript: He was named Poet Laureate of Kentucky in 1926, I believe.

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about his father's feelings about being named Poet Laureate of Kentucky and his feelings on becoming involved in politics. He talks about the influence of the campus newspaper, the Kentucky Kernel. He talks about the small number of female engineering students in his class and how they were treated.

Keywords: California; Emphasis; Governor Happy Chandler; Jesse Stuart; Kentucky Colonel; Kentucky Kernel newspaper; Lawrence Shropshire; Margaret Fry; Poet Laureates; Political favors; Political organizations; Reactions; Role of women; Singing; Social news; State legislature; Virgil Couch

Subjects: College environment; College student newspapers and periodicals; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Noe, Cotton, 1864-1953; Poetry; Poets laureate; Poets.; Sex discrimination in higher education.; Sexism in higher education; Universities and colleges--Periodicals.; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering; Women in education--Kentucky--Lexington; Women in higher education.; Women--Education (Higher)

Partial Transcript: What about the university's relationship with the Lexington community?

Segment Synopsis: Noe discusses behavior by UK students that was resented by the local people living in Lexington, including destruction of streetcars and a murder that occurred on campus.

Keywords: Clifton Pond; Freshman-Sophomore Tug-of-War; Injuries; Misbehavior; Misconduct; Murder; Relationships; Resentment; Rowdiness; Rowdyism; Security officers; Shootings; Steel cables; Streetcars; Theaters

Subjects: Campus violence; College discipline; College environment; College publicity; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; College students--Social conditions; Universities and colleges--Public relations; Universities and colleges--Security measures; University towns

Partial Transcript: Were athletics important on campus, uh, by the time you--

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about the importance of athletics at UK during his time as a student. He talks about some of the coaches and players, and discusses the emphasis placed on various sports.

Keywords: Athletics; Basketball; Coaches; Dr. Albert Kirwan; Football; Importance; Professional football players; Shipwreck Kelly; Track

Subjects: College athletes; College environment; College sports--Coaching; College sports.; College students--Social conditions; Kentucky Wildcats (Basketball team)

Partial Transcript: Well looking back at your college years at UK, you know it's often said that a college education changes a person a lot.

Segment Synopsis: Noe says that having a college education did not help him acquire a job after graduation but did help throughout his career once he had a job.

Keywords: CBS; Careers; College education; College experiences; Impact; Job opportunities; Jobs; Philosophy

Subjects: Broadcasting.; College graduates; College students--Employment.; Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae.

Partial Transcript: The first day that, uh, I worked for CBS I went to, uh--well, they put me in the theater department.

Segment Synopsis: Noe talks about working in broadcasting after graduating from the University of Kentucky. He talks about various companies he has worked for, including CBS. He talks about the shows he has helped produce and the celebrities that have been involved with the shows. He talks about moving from radio broadcasting to television. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: Actors; Broadcasting studios; CBS; Careers; Celebrities; Hollywood (Calif.); Movie stars; Radio shows; Theater department; WWII; World War II

Subjects: Broadcasting.; College graduates; College students--Employment.; Radio broadcasting; Television broadcasting.; United States. Navy.; Universities and colleges--Alumni and alumnae.; World War, 1939-1945