UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #542
NORTON, AGATHA A. AND HIGGINS, MARY ELLEN ROACH

NORTON, Agatha A. (1918-2011)
Professor of Human Ecology (formally Home Economics until 1968; Family Resources and Consumer Sciences from 1968-1997)
At UW: 1956-1986
				
and HIGGINS, Mary Ellen Roach (1921- )
Professor of Human Ecology (formally Home Economics until 1968; Family Resources and Consumer Sciences from 1968-1997)
At UW: 1960-1984

Interviewed: 2000	
Interviewer: Barry Teicher
Length: 8 hours, 30 minutes
		
Abby Marlatt, Nellie K. Jones and Francis Zuill; Background; Education and first employment; UW Home Economics program; Michigan State; Faculty; Relations with College of Agriculture; Fashion Institute of Technology; Department chairs; Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection; Professionalization; Rudolph Froker and Glenn Pound; Changes in discipline during the 1960s; Research; Courses taught and graduate students; Retirement.  

First Interview Session (February 22, 2000): Tapes 1-2

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:02	AN and MH discuss former head of the school of Home Economics Abby Marlatt.  MH describes the career of Nellie K. Jones.

00:04:32	AN relates her impressions of Francis Zuill and judges that she was a good manager but was not research oriented. MH characterizes Zuill as part of the "reigning deans", one who held the position for a long time and gave the school a strong direction.

00:09:05	AN speculates on why the Department of Home Economics became the School of Home Economics in 1951. AN explains why Zuill became an associate dean of the College of Agriculture. MH talks about the availability of research funding.

00:14:47	MH discusses her childhood and early schooling. She explains how the 4H Club influenced her later career.

00:23:09	AN grew up on a small Wisconsin dairy farm and discusses her high school experiences. MH continues her discussion of her childhood and highlights an influential teacher.

00:30:44	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:30:37	AN explains that being on the debate team really helped her, both in college and in her later career. AN and MH talk about high school courses they enjoyed. AN describes how and why she attended college. She explains why she chose to study home economics.

00:37:43	MH had no career plans when she began college but did have an interest in clothing. She discusses memorable courses including one on classical mythology.

00:46:54	MH describes her first job teaching high school home economics in Lebanon, Kansas. While on the job she learned to appreciate the value of versatility.

00:51:36	MH decided to pursue graduate work because she wanted to leave small towns and she had a developing interest in textile science.

00:53:26	AN recalls that she originally was interested in debate at the University of Wisconsin - Stout and also worked on the yearbook staff. Her first job was as a high school debate coach.

01:01:20	End of side. End of tape.

Tape 2/Side 1

01:01:23	AN explains why she attended the UW.

01:01:56	MH discusses her college experiences in a scholarship dormitory. She recalls how a dean’s comment encouraged her to take an economics course in college. MH received a teaching assistantship during her first year at Iowa State. She discusses some of the textiles teachers and course work at Iowa State. MH describes the areas she taught in after receiving her master’s degree.

01:18:26	AN came to the UW to study art with Agnes Leindorff. After receiving her MFA degree, she turned down university teaching jobs to take a position at a high school in Brookfield, Wisconsin. AN describes how she was hired at UW as an assistant professor in Related Art. She discusses the courses she taught and explains that the program offered only one major.

01:32:09	End of side.

Tape 2/Side 2

01:32:14	AN continues her discussion about the Home Economics program requirements.  She describes how student enrollment grew between the 1950s and 1970s. AN mentions that problems in the department almost led her to leave the university.

01:39:35	MH describes her employment at the University of Connecticut. After being let go from Connecticut she took a job at the University of Rhode Island and later worked at Michigan State University while also attending graduate school there.

01:43:33	MH discusses her research assistant position in anthropology/sociology at Michigan State. She outlines a particular research project she conducted about teenage girls. MH discusses some of her fellow graduate students at Michigan State who came from a home economics background.  

01:53:26	She explains why so many home economics students conducted research in anthropology and sociology. MH gives much of the credit to the chairman of the department, Charles Loomis.

01:56:00	AN discusses the changing emphasis on research within the School of Home Economics at UW. They describe the changes as part of a larger movement emphasizing the professionalization of the discipline.

02:03:04	End of side. End of tape.

Second Interview Session (February 24, 2000): Tapes 3-4

Tape 3/Side 1  

00:00:01	AN and MH discuss home economics emeritus faculty members Hazel Manning, Marion Juaire and Helen Parsons. AN describes her long friendship with Kathryn Rice Beach and discusses Beach’s way of interacting with students. MH recalls Beach’s work as a student advisor.

00:11:16	MH regarded Margaret Cooper as her mentor. They describe departmental lunches. AN calls Cooper an excellent teacher of textile chemistry. May Cowles was a good teacher and respected faculty member.

00:20:08	They explain that in the past teaching contracts could be broken if a female instructor got married or became pregnant.

00:25:43	They continue to discuss faculty members including Julia Dalrymple and Ruth Davis.

00:30:39	End of side.

Tape 3/Side 2

00:30:42	AN and MH discuss Helen Dawe and Beatrice Donaldson. They discuss home economics majors including Dietetics and Food and Nutrition.

00:40:37	They discuss faculty members Dorothy Hussemann Strong, Emma Jordre and Dorothy Jutton.

00:46:40	They describe departmental relations between Home Economics and the School of Agriculture.

00:52:46	AN calls Agnes Leindorff her mentor, in part because Leindorff helped her with design education. They discuss Ruth Myrland and Hazel Paschall.

01:01:19	End of side. End of tape.

Tape 4/Side 1

01:01:23	MH discusses the Fashion Institute of Technology.

01:03:42	May Reynolds was an internationally recognized researcher in nutrition. They discuss Mathilda Vandenbergh Schwalbach and her husband Jim. He was involved in the “Let’s Draw” radio series. AN explains how members of the Related Arts Department traveled throughout the state teaching art.

01:14:20	They discuss Louise Young and Lenore Landry, who both had been very active in Extension. Landry participated in a program called College Week for Women throughout the state.

01:23:21	AN and MH outline Helen Louise Allen’s background and textile collection.  Allen gathered historical textiles from throughout the world and also collected buttons and chess sets.

01:32:17	End of side.

Tape 4/Side 2

01:32:20	MH describes how Helen Louise Allen helped her with teaching. They relate several anecdotes that show Allen’s skill as a presenter and lecturer.

01:38:52	AN explains the origins of the Helen Louise Allen Textile Collection and library along with the legal wrangling that took place upon Allen’s death. They discuss the hiring of Ruth Harris and her role in the acquisition of the Allen collection.

01:46:13	They describe non-faculty staff members and the contributions they made to the department. Originally the Home Economics Department was housed with Extension. They describe the departmental tea room that served as a food preparation laboratory. They discuss the department’s laboratory facilities.

02:01:04	End of side. End of tape.

Third Interview Session (February 28, 2000): Tapes 5-6

Tape 5/Side 1

00:00:02	AN describes the functions of the Department of Related Arts. She outlines the expansion of the department during the 1960s and talks about her attempts to develop contacts with textile and clothing manufacturers.

00:07:21	Through her contacts with manufacturers, AN eventually arranged for student internships. She also helped expand relations with the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York City.

00:10:20	AN explains how the department moved toward increasing professionalization and discusses the various factors that made it work.

00:19:56	MH describes the state of the Textiles and Clothing Department when she came to UW. She discusses some of the course offerings, especially during summer sessions. MH briefly discusses graduate education in the department. She explains how and why she developed new courses.

00:30:51	End of side.

Tape 5/Side 2

00:30:57	MH continues her account of how she developed new courses. She discusses the merger of the departments of Related Arts and Textiles and Clothing in 1974.  AN describes the process of changing the name of the school from Home Economics to Family Resources and Consumer Sciences.

00:34:36	AN compares the changes in the UW department to national changes in Related Arts departments.

00:37:59	MH talks about her association with the Experiment Station. She also describes the role played by Geitel Winakor from Iowa State. MH describes some of her research trips. She discusses her contacts with Quentin Bell, the nephew of Virginia Woolf.

00:52:16	MH discusses the reaction of older faculty members to the increasing emphasis on research in the department. By the 1970s, research became a necessary requirement for tenure. They recount some of the problems with implementing research as part of the tenure process.

00:59:14	MH describes an accident she had in 1980.

01:01:33	End of side. End of tape.

Tape 6/Side 1

01:01:37	MH continues discussing the effects of the accident and her diagnosis of fibro myalgia, which ultimately contributed to her decision to retire in 1984.1

01:05:45	 AN gives her impressions of Rudolph Froker. While AN was chair of the department, she worked closely with Glenn Pound. MH describes some of the problems facing the department in the 1960s as research became increasingly important.

01:13:51	MH discusses Pound and says that he helped the department gain respect as an academic department. She describes some threats to the discipline as a whole including the closure of the department of Home Economics at the University of Chicago. They discuss the difficulty in finding women with appropriate degrees to hire as faculty.

01:18:13	They discuss the impact of the student protest movement on the school. AN and MH describe the atmosphere on campus during the protests.
 
01:25:50	AN notes that the UW community had difficulty understanding the “applied research” conducted by the home economics faculty. MH relates that serving on student degree committees with other faculty members helped improve the standing of the department.

01:30:20	They discuss three deans who served for very short periods during the 1960s and 1970s, including Josephine Staab.  

01:32:33	End of side.

Tape/6Side 2

01:32:27	They continue their discussion of the deans, which included Rita Youmans who served for only a short period. Louise Young was dean for only one year and was succeeded by William Marshall. AN and MH discuss Rose Marie Chioni.

01:47:10	AN and MH discuss Elizabeth Simpson and note that she had a strong research background. AN speculates on why Simpson left Washington D.C. to come to UW.

01:54:24	End of side. End of tape.

Fourth Interview Session (March 1, 2000): Tapes 7-82

Tape 7/Side 1

00:00:01	MH describes the growth of a costume course she taught at UW.

00:01:35	She discusses the reasons for her early retirement. MH describes some of her published work and mentions a book project that she had wanted to work on.

00:05:50	One of MH’s greatest disappointments was that her early retirement forced her to give up her position as coordinator of research at the Research Station. She was also unable to travel to Nigeria as an outside examiner for a Ph.D. candidate.

00:14:02	MH explains that the name changes taking place in the School of Home Economics at UW also occurred at other universities. She discusses the reasons for these name changes and outlines other shifts in her area of specialty.

00:20:03	MH describes her research interests after retirement. She discusses her library donations to the University of Minnesota.

00:30:40	End of side.

Tape 7/Side 2

00:30:54	MH continues her discussion regarding her donations of books and papers to Minnesota. She discusses the influence of Charles Darwin, Karl Marx and Sigmund Freud on her research.

00:45:49	In 1985, MH bought her first computer. She continues her discussion of Charles Darwin. MH describes research proposals incorporating Darwinian theory and textiles.

01:00:51	End of side. End of tape.

Tape 8/Side 1

01:01:21	MH continues her discussion of Darwin and cloth.

01:06:14	According to one study, MH was the most cited researcher in major home economics journals.

01:08:33	MH discusses her graduate students including Jin Goo Kim, Barbara Taylor, Kim Johnson and Cindy Jasper. She talks about Ruth Morrissey, who studied weaving in Guatemala.

01:22:41	End of side. End of tape.

Fifth Interview Session (March 8, 2000): Tapes 9-103  

Tape 9/Side 1

00:00:01	AN discusses courses she frequently taught during her career at UW. She describes how the students changed over time, particularly in their concentration on professional careers. AN outlines how the courses changed over time.

00:10:53	AN had little experience with computers before her retirement. She describes how computers impacted other areas of the field.

00:13:58	It was in the studio or lab portion of courses where individual teaching most often took place. AN discusses the evolution of her teaching style and approach.

00:18:48	AN explains when the number of male students and faculty in the department began to rise.  

00:22:45	AN discusses some of her memorable students including Joy Dohr. She discusses some of the changes in the purpose and goals of teaching students.

00:27:08	She describes the research environment in the department and how it changed during her tenure on campus.

00:30:40	End of side.

Tape 9/Side 2

00:30:41	AN continues her discussion of her research projects. She outlines the connections between the department and the textile manufacturing industry.

00:37:50	She describes the difficulties in clarifying tenure requirements for the discipline.  AN believes that the textile shows were a great forum for expressing her creativity. She describes other types of research within the department.

00:42:35	The dramatic changes in the department created a feeling of excitement.

00:46:59	AN discusses the most important and memorable exhibition of her career. She discusses her contacts with other textile makers and artists.

00:49:27	She describes her service as chair of the Chancellor’s Distinguished Teaching Awards committee. AN discusses Irving Shain.

00:55:50	AN talks about the importance of professional organizations within the discipline.

00:59:53	End of side. End of tape.

Tape 10/Side 1

00:59:55	AN notes the four areas of family concern in home economics: physical well-being, quality of material environment, management of consumer resources and family civility.

01:01:09	She discusses the effect of the women’s movement on home economics.

01:02:47	AN describes some of her international travels and how they affected her research and teaching. She discusses some of the international students she has taught during her career.

01:09:50	In 1970, AN received the Alumni Distinguished Service award from UW-Stout.  The Home Economics Alumni Association recognized her for Faculty Professional Excellence in the School of Family Resources and Consumer Sciences.

01:12:47	AN describes her decision to retire. She discusses her activities since retirement.

01:15:45	She makes some closing remarks about her career at UW.

01:17:41	End of side. End of tape.

END