UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #405
WIRTZ, DOROTHY

WIRTZ, Dorothy (1915- )
Graduate Student, French
At UW: 1939-1944

Interviewed: 1984	
Interviewer: Mailed questionnaire
Length: 0.5 hour

Decision to come to UW; French House; French Department; Graduate student life; Professors Julian Harris, William Bandy, Casimir Zdanowicz, Frederick Cheydleur, Laura Johnson, Andre Leveque and Germaine Mercier.

Tape 1

00:00:01	DW attended the UW between 1939 and 1944, as a graduate student in French language and literature.  She graduated from Keokuk Senior High School, in Keokuk, Iowa, and attended Culbert-Stockton College and the University of Iowa before coming to the UW.

00:00:38	DW decided to come to the UW because it had a French house, and she wanted to improve her ability to speak the language.

00:00:56	She comments that the UW put more stress on learning facts than did the University of Iowa.

00:01:33	DW came to Madison by herself, and was greeted by a fellow student.  Her faculty advisor was the chairperson of the French Department, Hugh A. Smith.  DW describes him as very helpful.

00:02:28	There were no dress codes for male or female students.  The classes were generally co-ed, and DW says that male and female students were treated equally.

00:03:08	The faculty of the French department gave a mix of lecture, discussion and recitation courses, which DW says worked well.  Students were usually addressed by their last names.  Professors were addressed as "Professor."  Classes were generally held three times each week, and lasted about an hour, although there were some two-hour classes for graduate students.  Undergraduates were expected to prepare for two hours for each hour of class.  Graduate students were expected to do a bit more than this.

00:05:14	DW says that most professors were accessible to students during office hours.  Professors would often come to the French House for receptions, parties and ceremonies, as well.

00:05:53	Course grades were based on papers, participation, exams, etc.  As a graduate teaching assistant, DW remembers that everyone in the department was required to submit questions for under-graduate final exams and to help grade the exams.  There was a reading period of three or four days before exams.  The exams were generally proctored, and the final grades were mailed to students.

00:07:29	Professor Smith founded the French House.  He and Professors Harris, Bandy and Zdanowicz often invited students to their homes, which let the students get to know them more personally.

00:08:51	Casimir Zdanowicz taught a course in sixteenth-century literature.  DW remembers that his course was not particularly exciting, in part because of his presentation.

00:10:07	Professor Frederick Cheydleur was on DW's Ph.D. committee.  Professor Samuel Rodgers taught contemporary literature, which was a popular subject for most students.  Rogers was also a practicing writer, and DW remembers being stimulated by his class.

00:11:02	Julian Harris taught Old French.  Laura Johnson, who often visited the French House, specialized in the spoken language.  Professor Mitchell, DW's advisor, specialized in eighteenth century literature.  DW reports that he was a good advisor, even though her thesis was on nineteenth century literature.

00:12:27	Professors Andre Leveque and Germaine Mercier were both native French speakers.  Leveque taught Civilization and Mercier taught Conversation.  Edward Milligan taught nineteenth century literature, and was very thorough.  Karl Bottke, who specialized in Phonetics, directed two French plays in which DW participated.  William Bandy specialized in Boudelaire.  DW says that, although he knew his subject well, she did not enjoy Bandy's class because he talked too much and did not allow his students to participate.

00:14:46	DW says that most of the women in the department were discriminated against, and were not encouraged to stay after completing their degrees.

00:16:05	The French House had two French hostesses in residence.  The students living at the house were required to speak French in all areas of the house except in their rooms.  DW lived there for five years.  The house contained a dozen rooms and was very comfortable, but was old and not in good repair.  The director of the house was Lucille Reid, who DW says was very efficient.

00:18:08	DW remembers that meals at the French House were generally very good.  The food was served by students, some of whom were native speakers.  Manners were stressed, as they are in France, but no prayer was said.  House rules included a curfew, and were enforced by the director.

00:20:12	Leisure time was spent going to movies, folk dancing, eating out, ice skating, and skiing.  They often spent time at the Union.  French club meetings were sometimes held at the union, as well.

00:21:00	DW says that everyone had equal access to the Union and other buildings on campus.

00:22:47	All students could drink beer at the Union, and while more students smoked at that time, there were no drugs on campus of which DW was aware.

00:23:21	During her first year, DW had a part-time job as a secretary at the Department of Agriculture.  She also typed radio scripts for the French Radio program.  She made about 40¢ per hour as a secretary, and a bit more for writing scripts.  At times she performed in some of the radio programs.

00:25:15	When DW first arrived at Madison, there were a lot of male graduate students, particularly in the Spanish Department, whom the female French graduate students would often date.  By the end of DW's five years at the UW, many of the men had left school to fight in the war.

00:25:49	Upon graduation, DW's career goals were to obtain employment teaching French.  She found the job search difficult, but managed to find work by the end of the summer after graduation teaching French to military police at the University of Minnesota.

00:27:16	At Minnesota, DW taught for six years as an instructor, but she says there was no chance for promotion.  The staff was small and there were many full professors already there.  DW, as a junior faculty member, had a lot of extra responsibilities, such as the French Club and the French Radio Program.  As a result, she didn't have much time to publish.  When she went to Arizona, she was promoted very quickly.  The staff there was also small, but the university was growing very quickly.  

00:28:57	DW says she has fond memories of the UW and the quality of the education she received.  In particular, the experience of living in the French House was very positive.

00:29:36	End of side.  

END OF INTERVIEW #405