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John Garland Flowers oral history interview

Description
This is the transcript from the first of three interviews that Bruce Roche conducted with Dr. Flowers just prior to his retirement. Dr. Flowers (Class of 1913) was President of Southwest Texas State College from 1942-1964. In this interview, Dr. Flowers talks about the history of education in Texas, his educational philosophy, and the need for vocational schools to provide practical skills to their students. He also talks about growing up in a family that had books in their home, and how he was encouraged to get his master’s degree at the age of 30. Interviewer Bruce Roche was director of the College News Service. This interview was the source material for his article “Goal: Excellence – Dr. Flowers’ Lifelong Watchword,” published in the Austin American-Statesman on August 30, 1964.

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John Garland Flowers oral history interview

Description
This is the transcript from the second of three interviews that Bruce Roche conducted with Dr. Flowers just prior to his retirement. Dr. Flowers (Class of 1913) was President of Southwest Texas State College from 1942-1964. In this interview, he talks about the development of general education requirements that brought the Humanities (arts and philosophy) back into mainstream course requirements. He discusses his opinions about faculty qualifications and who should supervise student teachers, about the college adopting a team-teaching approach, and the role of a college president. Flowers also talks about funding from the Danforth Foundation and the Hogg Foundation that allowed the school to implement programs it couldn’t otherwise afford. Interviewer Bruce Roche was director of the College News Service. This interview was the source material for his article “Goal: Excellence – Dr. Flowers’ Lifelong Watchword,” published in the Austin American-Statesmanon August 30, 1964.

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John Garland Flowers oral history interview

Description
This is the transcript from the third of three interviews that Bruce Roche conducted with Dr. Flowers just prior to his retirement. Dr. Flowers (Class of 1913) was President of Southwest Texas State College from 1942-1964. In this interview, Dr. Flowers talks about the people who influenced his life and career, his relationship with his predecessor Dr. Evans, and various faculty, staff, and administrators at SWT who contributed to the success of the college. He talks about meeting Lady Bird Johnson in Washington in 1942 and how she helped get a resolution passed in Congress to give a part of Riverside (now Sewell Park) to the school. Flowers also talks about his pride in the institution and being able to work with faculty even when they disagreed. Interviewer Bruce Roche was director of the College News Service. This interview was the source material for his article “Goal: Excellence – Dr. Flowers’ Lifelong Watchword,” published in the Austin American-Statesmanon August 30, 1964.

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Clara Louise Cape oral history interview

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Clara Louise Harrison Cape (1892-1995) was married to Edward Matthew Cape (1890-1972), son of early San Marcos settler John Matthew Cape. Her scrapbooks and knowledge of local history contributed to the research that produced "Clear Springs and Limestone Ledges: A History of San Marcos and Hays County for the Sesquicentennial." For the first part of the interview, Cape reads from a prepared statement that highlights what she remembered about San Marcos after arriving here in 1906 when she was about 15 years old. She talks about how different Texas was from Alabama, life as a student at the East End School, and the creation of Southwest Texas State Normal School. Cape then answers interviewer questions, discussing topics including the San Marcos River, native vegetation, the Depression, her family history, and being a friend of Lyndon Johnson.

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Retta Murphy oral history interview

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In the 1974 interview, conducted by students Bobbie Vaughn and Stan Siler, Dr. Henrietta "Retta" Murphy talks briefly about her family, her education, and her first teaching job at Trinity where she was also Dean of Women. The focus of the interview is related to her experiences at Southwest Texas State, beginning with her arrival in San Marcos in 1919. Dr. Murphy discusses her memories and observations of the History Department, examples of discrimination she experienced as a woman on the faculty, and some memories from teaching troops on campus during WWII. She also talks about President C.E. Evans, President John G. Flowers, Professor Greene, and Lyndon Johnson.

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J.M. (John Matthew) Cape oral history interview

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John Matthew (J.M.) Cape II (1924-2013), grandson of early San Marcos settler John Matthew Cape, was born in his family home on the banks of the San Marcos River. He joined the family cotton business, working for 43 years as a cottonseed broker. Cape discusses growing up in San Marcos, his family’s business, the history of cotton in Texas including farms, mills, and gins, the current state of cotton oil production, and some of the changes he’s witnessed in the city and the surrounding areas.

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Retta Murphy oral history interview

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In the 1978 interview, conducted by History faculty members Merry FitzPatrick and Ronald C. Brown, Dr. Henrietta "Retta" Murphy talks about her experiences at Southwest Texas State, from her arrival in 1919 when the school was still a Normal College, through her retirement in 1956.  She relates stories about President “Prexy” Evans, President Flowers, Lyndon Johnson, and mentions SWT professors H.M. Greene, James Taylor, Emmie Craddock, Alfred Nolle, and Betty Kissler among others. She also talks about her beliefs about education and teaching and offers examples from her years of teaching college students.  The interviewers and Dr. Murphy had a collegial relationship and they laughed through much of the interview.

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Charles E. Clayton oral history interview

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Charles Clayton talks about his Texas State experiences as both a child growing up on campus and in San Marcos and as a faculty member in the history department. He shares his memories attending the campus's laboratory school and working on the college's maintenance crew. He recalls prominent memories concerning other well-known faculty members, such as President Evans, President and Mrs. Flowers, Dr. Spurgeon Smith, J.R. Buckner, Coach Strahan, Jerome Cates, Prof. Green, James Taylor, Retta Murphy, Leland Derrick, Deacon Wright, and others. Mr. Clayton describes how the New Deal played out on campus, including the construction of certain buildings like Evans and Sayers Hall. He talks about earning his BA and MA degrees and then working as Vice Principal at San Marcos High School. He touches on other topics such as the San Marcus River, Old Main, and the changes he's seen on campus and in town.

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Betty Jane Kissler oral history interview

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Dr. Kissler discusses her early educational experiences in Colorado, including a failed stint in law school before getting her BA and MA in history. She recalls her trip to Europe in 1950 and early teaching experiences in Montana and California. She details her PhD work at UT-Austin under Dr. W.P. Webb and how she began working at SWTSTC in the education department before becoming an assistant professor in the history department in the late 1950s and 1960s.

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H. Y. Price, Jr. oral history interview

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H.Y. Price talks about the difficulties he faced while starting up the San Marcos Telephone Company, the task of remaining independent in the midst of other large telephone cooperations, and about his involvement with the Campus Christian Community Center at Texas State.

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Marian Meeks oral history interview

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Marian Meeks talks about talks about the life of her father, H.A. Nelson, who taught agriculture at Texas State for many years. She shares his own experiences attending SWTSTC in the 1930s and 1940s. She discusses aspects of campus life including literary societies, athletics, recitals, the Faculty Club, Aquarena (Spring) Lake, and shares stories about campus figures such as Mary Brogdon. Mrs. Meeks shares her early teaching experiences in Moulton, her graduate studies at UT-Austin, work in VA hospitals, and how she returned to San Marcos.

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Betty Jane Kissler oral history interview

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Dr. Kissler discusses developing the teacher training program and working with student teachers in the history department. She shares her experiences in working with academic organizations such as AAUP and TACT, including serving on councils and in leadership positions. Dr. Kissler also talks about her time serving as chairwoman of the history department and serving on the San Marcos City Council.

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Edwin M. Fauver oral history interview

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Edwin Fauver talks about his early life and upbringing in Washington, D.C. and shares how he came to Texas via attending college at Corpus Christi University. He discusses playing college football, joining the Navy, his job at Gary Job Corps Center, and more extensively about the responsibilities of his job as director of the university's physical plant. .

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Emmie Craddock oral history interview

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Emmie Craddock talks about her early life in Louisiana and then Houston, her education at Rice, and her early teaching days in Missouri City. She recalls her time in the U.S. Navy during WWII, during which she was head of the women's reserve, as well as studying for her PhD in history with W.P. Webb at UT-Austin. She discusses how she was hired by James Taylor to join the history department and her career as a faculty member at Texas State. Dr. Craddock also describes her political career as a councilwoman and mayor for the City of San Marcos, touching on topics such as creating a local charter and dealing with environmental disputes, ordinances, flooding, and landfills.

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Merry Kone FitzPatrick oral history interview

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Merry Kone Fitzpatrick talks about how her family came to settle in San Marcos and her childhood in San Marcos. She recalls her elementary, junior high, and high school experiences, including tidbits about the Blanco and San Marcos Rivers, Sewell Park, the Presbyterian Church, and attending the campus school. Professor FitzPatrick shares information about her brothers and their careers. She describes downtown San Marcos and its local landmarks and businesses, covering her childhood through the 1930s.

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Edwin M. Fauver oral history interview

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Edwin Fauver reflects on the changes he has seen on campus since he first came to the university. He talks about the challenges that have accompanied the campus's expansion and offers some information on campus buildings like the Music Building, Jowers Center, Evans Field, and the Psychology Building. He also recalls some of San Marcos's floods.

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Richard B. Henderson oral history interview

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Richard Henderson talks about coming to SWTSC after serving in the Army Air Corps in WWII. He describes what campus looked like the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s, detailing aspects such as university and veterans housing, the effects of the GI Bill, segregation and integration, the realities of teaching political science during McCarthyism , and the growing radicalism of the student body, illustrated by the San Marcos Ten. He also reflects on writing his book on Maury Maverick and campus figures such as Dr. James Taylor, Dr. Cecil Hahn, Prof. Green, Retta Murphy, Leland Burgum. He also discusses changes the university has undergone, with specific mention of campus buildings and layout.

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William E. "Henry" Norris oral history interview

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William "Henry" E. Norris talks about his experiences at Texas State as both a student in the 1930s and a faculty member. He also discusses his experiences in the Navy during WWII, his own botany research, and how San Marcos has changed. He specifically mentions Sewell Park, Spring Lake, flooding, campus housing, the demonstration school, and past and current campus buildings.

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Ralph Houston oral history interview

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Dr. Houston talks about growing up in Denton County, attending college at UNT and teaching in Big Spring, Texas. He discusses studying for his PhD at UT-Austin and being recruited by Deacon Wright to teach at SWTSTC in the 1930s. He describes campus, the English department and its staff, and his experiences as a professor, head of the English department, and Dean of Liberal and Fine Arts during his time at the university (1937-1970). He also relates stories about Dr. McCrocklin and the university's participation in the AAUP and other academic organizations.

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Lillian Dees oral history interview

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Lillian Dees talks about her experiences working under many different deans, including Bruce Roach, Ralph Houston, Keith Lovin, and departments, including Journalism and News Service and Liberal Arts. She describes how she acquired her final position as Director of the LBJ Student Center. She also recalls the changes in the campus, including buildings and student body population, over the twenty-year period that she was employed at Texas State. She discusses changing university administrations, alluding to President James McCrocklin and the McCrocklin Scandal, interim president Jerome Cates, and others. She recalls "Lillian Dees Day" created by Dr. Henry Norris.