UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #321
HINKEL, GERALDINE

HINKEL, Geraldine (1912- )
Economics Department Secretary; Secretary, Chancellor's Office
At UW: 1939-1943; 1958-1975

Interviewed: 1985	
Series: Department of Economics
Interviewer: Julie Nelson
Length: 1 hour

Background; Economics Department during WWII; Post-war expansion; Department office staff; Faculty; Graduate students; Social life in post-war years. 

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:00	Interviewer’s introduction. 

00:00:25	Background.  Came to economics department as senior clerk, stenographer in 1939.  1943  With Edwin Witte to Detroit for National War Labor Board for one year.  1954 to 1958 job. Invitation back by Alma Bridgeman, about to retire.  Stayed with Ed Young while he was L&S dean.  Then to chancellor's office when he was made chancellor.  Recollections of dean's and chancellor's offices.

00:07:23	Employees.  Assignment committees.  Terrible job after WWII due increase students.  Big lectures in Music Hall and Ag Hall.  Students protested if couldn't get in Kiekhofer's section.

00:11:54	Walter Morton.

00:14:18	Alma Bridgeman.  She taught quiz sections for Kiekhofer, helped revise his text.  GH did MS work for third edition. 

00:16:36	Economics department during WWII.  

00:18:44	Milton Friedman.  Not aware of controversy.

00:19:25	Groves, Morton, and Capital Times affair.  Ingraham's running of department meetings.

00:22:38	Professors counseled own students, chose TAs.  TA ships highly prized.  Not many fellowships existed.

00:25:12	Women graduate students superior.  Not discriminated against.  Alma Bridgeman wouldn't have allowed it.

00:26:23	More on Alma Bridgeman and running of department.

00:28:07	Graduate students work space.  

00:30:48	End of side.

Tape 1/Side 2

00:30:55	Faculty members during the period.

00:35:14	Atmosphere of University in those days.  Perhaps snobbish, but interesting.  Kiekhofer's annual dinners for TAs--maids, sherry, film.  Anecdotes.

00:39:09	Annual fall reception until war.  Professors entertained graduate students at their homes.  Anecdote.

00:40:08	John R. Commons Club had Christmas parties.  Anecdotes.

00:42:35	End of interview.

END