Interview with Thomas D. Clark, March 26, 1980

Partial Transcript: The following is an unrehearsed interview--(coughs)--with Dr. Thomas D. Clark, retired professor of history of the University of Kentucky.

Segment Synopsis: Dr. Thomas D. Clark is introduced. He talks about University of Kentucky president Frank McVey's personality and impressions of UK. He talks about McVey's first wife, Mabel Sawyer McVey, her personality, and her death. He talks about McVey's second wife, Frances Jewell McVey, and how she changed her husband as well as the university.

Keywords: Ashland Avenue; Changes; Dean of Women; Death; Dr. Frank McVey; Formal; Mabel Sawyer McVey; Mary Frances Jewell McVey; Maxwell Place; Personality; President's house; Primitive; Receptions; Sophistication; Vassar College

Subjects: College administrators; College campuses.; College environment; College facilities.; College presidents; College presidents' spouses; College presidents--Dwellings; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Women in education--Kentucky--Lexington; Women in higher education.; Women--Education (Higher)

Partial Transcript: She, uh, uh, undertook to do three things with Maxwell Place, and did them very successfully-------??

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks more about Frances Jewell McVey and the changes she made at the University of Kentucky. He talks about her efforts to create a more welcoming environment for faculty and students. He talks about the McVeys' anger surrounding a situation involving James Hiram Graham. He talks about the McVeys' efforts to improve the quality of the university.

Keywords: "Town and gown"; Board of trustees; College of Agriculture; Controversy; Dean James Graham; Engineering professors; Entertaining; Home visits; James Hiram Graham; Library; Mary Frances Jewell McVey; Maxwell Place; McVey Hall; Opinions; Progress; Quality; Relationship with students; Relationships; Teas; Welcoming

Subjects: College administrators; College department heads; College environment; College presidents; College presidents' spouses; College presidents--Dwellings; College students--Social conditions; College teachers--Social conditions; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; Universities and colleges--Public relations; Women in education--Kentucky--Lexington; Women in higher education.; Women--Education (Higher)

Partial Transcript: You mentioned Walter Patterson having lived in the president's home.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about University of Kentucky president James Patterson's personality and leadership of the university. He discusses why Patterson's brother was allowed to remain living in the president's house after James' death, forcing the McVeys to live in a house off campus. He discusses the relationship between James Patterson and the newly appointed president Frank McVey.

Keywords: "Benevolent dictator"; Arrangements; Baths; Board of trustees; Break-ins; Committees; Dr. Frank McVey; Henry S. Barker; Housing; James K. Patterson; Judge Richard Stoll; Leaving; M. I. King Library; Maxwell Place; Personality; Political appointments; President's house; Retirement; Robberies; Sacrifices; University School of Education; Walter K. Patterson

Subjects: Academic libraries.; Campus size; College administrators--Selection and appointment.; College campuses.; College environment; College facilities.; College presidents; College presidents--Dwellings; Universities and colleges--Administration.

Partial Transcript: Back in 1932, 1933 the history department initiated a senior seminar for the first time.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about President McVey's concern over the quality of the University of Kentucky history department which led to the creation of the Senior Seminar program, and later the beginning of the department's doctoral program. He talks about the leadership of the history department.

Keywords: College classes; College courses; Comprehensive exams; Dean Paul P. Boyd; Doctoral programs; Dr. Frank McVey; Dr. James Tuthill; Graduate programs; History department; Innovation; Professor Paul Clyde; Professors; Quality of education; Senior Seminar; Undergraduates; William Funkhouser

Subjects: College administrators--Rating of; College department heads; College teachers.; College teaching.; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Examinations; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; Universities and colleges--Graduate work.; Universities and colleges--Ratings and rankings.

Partial Transcript: I want to go back to something about that--

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about being appointed to survey the collections of the University of Kentucky libraries to determine the availability of resources.

Keywords: Checklists; Doctoral programs; Duke University; Evaluation; History department; Kentucky; Leaving; Library catalog; Library collections; Mississippi; PhD programs

Subjects: Academic libraries.; College facilities.; Lexington (Ky.); Universities and colleges--Evaluation; Universities and colleges--Graduate work.; Universities and colleges--Ratings and rankings.; Universities and colleges--Research; University of Kentucky. Libraries

Partial Transcript: In the--while I was gone in 1930-31, there came on two doctoral candidates.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about the first doctoral students who graduated from the University of Kentucky history department and discusses their later careers. He talks more about the leadership of the history department.

Keywords: Annual reports; Careers; Doctoral candidates; Doctoral programs; Doctoral students; Dr. James Tuthill; History department; Leadership; PhD programs; Professor James Hopkins; Teaching; Virginia McClure

Subjects: College administrators--Rating of; College graduates; College students--Attitudes.; College students--Conduct of life.; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Graduate work.; Universities and colleges--Ratings and rankings.; Women in education--Kentucky--Lexington; Women in higher education.; Women--Education (Higher)

Partial Transcript: In April of 1937, uh, professor Paul Clyde resigned from the history department to accept an offer from Duke University.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about Ellery Hall, a professor in the University of Kentucky history department. Hall was a World War I veteran, and taught British history at the university. Clark discusses Hall's health problems.

Keywords: British history; Department chairman; Doctorate; Finance; Great Depression; Health issues; Illness; Poor; Professor Ellery Hall; Professor Paul Clyde; Salary cuts; Vacancies; World War I veterans

Subjects: College administrators; College teachers--Rating of.; College teachers--Salaries, etc.; College teachers--Social conditions; College teachers--Workload; College teaching.; Depressions--1929--Kentucky; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; World War, 1914-1918--Veterans

Partial Transcript: Uh, now Clyde is an altogether different story.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about University of Kentucky professor Paul Clyde who he says had several altercations with other university faculty members, and was under suspicion due to his association with Japan in the years prior to World War II. He talks about helping Clyde find another job at Duke University.

Keywords: Arguments; Canadians; Controversy; Dean Paul P. Boyd; Dr. Charles Knapp; Dr. James Tuthill; Duke University; Fights; Influence; Mandated islands; Personality; Professor Paul Clyde; Scandals; Suspicion

Subjects: College teachers--Political activity; College teachers--Rating of.; College teachers--Selection and appointment.; College teachers--Social conditions; Educators; Japan.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.

Partial Transcript: Now he was replaced by a man that, uh--

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about University of Kentucky professor Huntley Dupre who was an active pacifist during World War II. He talks about a deal that may have been made between Dupre, Dean Boyd, and James Tuthill about making Dupre head of the history department.

Keywords: Adolf Hitler; Arguments; Controversy; Deals; Dean Paul P. Boyd; Department chairman; Dr. J. Huntley Dupre; Dr. James Tuthill; Head of department; Ohio State University; Pacifism; Problems; Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC)

Subjects: College administrators; College department heads; College teachers--Political activity; College teachers--Rating of.; College teachers--Social conditions; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.

Partial Transcript: Now would you discuss the Depression in Kentucky generally and, and the things like the WPA projects, the Federal Writers Project, uh, and, and what role the university played in all of this.

Segment Synopsis: Clark discusses how the state of Kentucky was affected by the Great Depression. He talks about unemployment rates, Civilian Conservation Corps camps, and the migration of laborers to more industrial cities like Detroit. He talks about some of the projects completed by the WPA, including roads and reforestation. He discusses the subdivision of land in Kentucky.

Keywords: C.C.C. camps; Civilian Conservation Corps (C.C.C.); Coal mining; Detroit (Mich.); Distilleries; Division of land; Exports; Fire towers; Harm; Highways; Industry; Isolation; Labor force; Land; National forests; Planting trees; Prices; Reforestation; Roads; Telephone lines; Trained personnel; Unemployment; Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Subjects: Agriculture--Kentucky; Civilian Conservation Corps (U.S.); Depressions--1929--Kentucky; Great Depression; Kentucky--Economic conditions; United States. Works Progress Administration.

Partial Transcript: The, uh--as far as the university was concerned the Depression hurt it badly, in that it was just beginning to try to expand its graduate program...

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about how the University of Kentucky was affected by the Great Depression and how projects like the WPA and PWA assisted the university. He talks about the quality of the WPA workers and the work they did.

Keywords: Construction; Development; Fine Arts Building; Graduate program; Lafferty Hall; National Youth Administration (NYA); Post-World War II; Public Works Administration (PWA); Quality; Student Union Building; Workers; Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Subjects: College buildings.; College facilities.; College students--Economic conditions; College students--Employment.; Depressions--1929--Kentucky; Great Depression; Kentucky--Economic conditions; United States. Works Progress Administration.; Universities and colleges--Finance; University of Kentucky

Partial Transcript: I was--in 1933... 1934 I guess it was. In, uh, December of 1934 I went to a meeting of the American Historical Association in Chattanooga.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about his involvement with the Historical Record Survey of Kentucky, which provided jobs for WPA workers. He talks about some of the people he worked with, the abilities of his workers, and opposition to the project.

Keywords: Abilities; Assistants; Directorship; Dr. Frank McVey; Expenses; Federal Writers Project; Fired; Firing; Luther Evans; O. B. Wiler; Opposition; Reports; Salyersville (Ky.); Western Kentucky; Workers

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; College teachers--Workload; Historical Records Survey (U.S.); Kentucky.; United States. Works Progress Administration.

Partial Transcript: But that, that didn't end my association with the Federal Writers Project.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about his involvement with the Federal Writers Project, writing a guidebook for Kentucky. He talks about his attempts to improve Kentucky's image. He discusses the differences between the CWA, WPA, and PWA.

Keywords: Building; Civil Works Administration (CWA); Dr. Frank McVey; Federal Writers Project; Harlan Atcher; Image; Labor; Maysville (Ky.); Public Works Administration (PWA); Publishing; Spitting contests; State guidebooks; Works Progress Administration (WPA); Writing

Subjects: College administrators; College presidents; College teachers--Workload; Kentucky.; United States. Federal Civil Works Administration; United States. Works Progress Administration.; Universities and colleges--Administration.

Partial Transcript: By the way I, I do want to come back and make a note of one thing.

Segment Synopsis: Clark tells the story of receiving a call in the middle of the night from J. W. Martin who told Clark to hurry to Frankfort. Clark found that the state librarian, Mrs. Cantrill, was destroying state records. Clark talks about his role in saving the records and taking them to Memorial Hall where they were reorganized by WPA workers.

Keywords: Ethel Gist Cantrill; Governor Happy Chandler; J. W. Martin; James W. Martin; Memorial Hall; Organization; Preservation; State librarians; State records; Tax commissioners; Works Progress Administration (WPA)

Subjects: Chandler, Happy, 1898-1991; Politics and government; United States. Works Progress Administration.

Partial Transcript: There's a fellow came to the university about 1935 I wanted to ask you about who, who caused a great deal of controversy.

Segment Synopsis: Clark talks about Dean of Engineering F. Paul Anderson and describes his personality. He talks about the difficulty Frank McVey had locating a replacement dean after Anderson's death. He talks about why James Hiram Graham was hired and talks about a disagreement between Graham and another engineering professor. He talks about why McVey became angry with Graham. He talks about Graham's role in the reorganization of the university during President Donovan's tenure that resulted in the elimination of the University Senate. The interview is concluded.

Keywords: "Little Paul"; Anger; Authority; Commencement; Controversy; Dean F. Paul Anderson; Dean James Graham; Dean of Engineering; Dr. Frank McVey; Dr. Herman Donovan; Ed Freeman; Frank Peterson; Heating plant; Henry Clay portrait; Influence; James Hiram Graham; John Brown; Judge Richard Stoll; Lafferty Hall; Mary Frances Jewell McVey; Personality; Reorganization; Retirement; Student Center; Transfers; Trips; University Senate; University of Michigan; WPA buildings; World War I; World War II

Subjects: Campus planning.; College administrators--Rating of; College administrators--Selection and appointment.; College buildings.; College facilities--Planning.; College presidents; College teachers--Selection and appointment.; College teachers--Social conditions; Educators; Universities and colleges--Administration.; Universities and colleges--Faculty.; University of Kentucky. College of Agriculture; University of Kentucky. College of Engineering