UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #193
BRADFORD, LOLA

BRADFORD, Lola (1900- )
Administrative Secretary, President’s Office
At UW: 1927-1962

Interviewed: 1980	
Interviewer: Donna Hartshorne
Length: 1.5 hours

Years as secretary and then administrative assistant under presidents Glenn Frank, Clarence Dykstra, E. B. Fred, Conrad Elvehjem and Fred Harvey Harrington; Their different styles of work; Mary Frank and Lillian Dykstra. 

Tape 1/Side 1

00:00:14	Began work in president's office, 1927.  Frank dictated to typewriter.  Did a lot of typing himself. 

00:03:24	Visitors; she often worked at his house, once for budget.  Philips, business manager, came to fill him in on figures.  Later, business office did budget and Frank added statement. 

00:07:50	Variety of events in a day.

00:10:16	Miss Wilkinson, 1903-43 in president's office.  Baldwin called her practically an assistant president.  Faculty often came to her.  Died suddenly in office.  Dykstra asked LB to take civil service exam to qualify as secretary to president.  Fred made her administrative assistant.

00:15:12	More on Wilkinson.

00:20:48   	The Franks.  Mrs. Frank clever, wrote well.  Wrote tribute to Wilkinson.  Not an outgoing person.  Wrote an article about girls joining sororities.  Critical of pledging.  Went for walks in country.  Social events at the Franks'. 

00:27:33	Firing of Clarence Little. 

00:28:55   	Staff reaction to information regents thinking of asking Frank to leave. 

00:30:38   	End of side. 
 
Tape 1/Side 2 

00:31:41   	Frank dictated his statement to LB. 

00:34:00	His talk to students.  The last day.  Sellery at 8 a.m. next day put his feet on desk while dictating to Wilkinson. 

00:38:17	Speculations on reasons for Frank's unpopularity.  

00:40:52	Dykstra easy to work for.  Began using ediphone.  LB's opinions on Dykstra's and Frank's leaving. 

00:53:25   	Changes under E.B. Fred.  LB hired Eleanor Oimoen in 1945. She became Fred's secretary.  LB in charge of preparations for regents meetings, requisitions, repair.

00:57:04   	Luberg replaced Frank Holt. 

00:59:12	LB's responsibilities.  Duplication of effort under Fred. Hard to work with.  Often unimportant last minute revisions. 

01:03:34   	L&S people didn't support Frank.  Fred and Holt stood by him, and Kiekhofer. 

01:04:50   	End of side. End of tape.
 
Tape 2/Side 1 

00:00:01   	LB here until 1962.  Elvehjem easy to work for.  His heart attack.  Harrington's scraps of paper--his replies to letters.  He didn't like dictating.  If he took work home at night, would be big stack of letters in morning.  Esther Madsen replaced LB.  Had been in College of Agriculture.  Didn't like the work.  Went to work for Dean Wendt.  (LB moving to Florida.) 

00:13:04   	Juta Reilly had been secretary to Dean Snell of Extension.  Frank would help with spelling. 

00:15:30   	Her work on Carnegie Retirement Fund.

00:18:12	Salary waivers during Depression.  For people in Civil Service also.  Expected to get money back, but never did. 

00:22:43	Staff of only three, 1927-62.  She never wanted to stop working.  Enjoyed it.  Retired at 62 due to husband's health. 

00:25:08	End of tape. End of interview.
END