UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #282
SYMON, MARY LOUISE

SYMON, Mary Louise (1922- )
Wife of Keith Symon (Professor of Physics)

Interviewed: 1984	
Length: 1 hour 13 minutes
Series: Faculty Wives
Interviewer: Jean Barreras

Background; Marriage; Coming to Madison; Physics Department social life; Security measures; Work for husband Keith Symon; Madison Friends of International Students; Pre-Madison political activity; Work for minority housing; Triangle area report; Chairing citizen's group; Breeze Stevens incident; Work on Dane County Board; Anti-war movement; Observation of Mifflin Street block party; Other causes; Women's movement; Husband's household role; His support of her work.

Tape 1

00:00:02	Background. Expectations as child.  Wanted to be a doctor or a politician.

00:01:53	Marriage. Move to Washington.  Husband an ensign.  Had two children.  Harvard, then Wayne State University, 1949-55.  Working in MURA, Midwest Universities Research Associates.  Designing a particle accelerator at UW.  Husband came here to work on it.  The physical sciences lab near Stoughton was being set up.

00:06:36	ML's father had been here in mechanical engineering.  ML and husband moved 	into present house.

00:8:23	Meeting people, through MURA, department, Congregational Church.  Several sites being considered for MURA.  She describes process by which government decided. 

00:10:56	Rollefson chairman.  Her entertaining.  Foreign visitors.  Q. about McCarthyism.

00:13:11	The issue of security measures.  Faculty felt superfluous.  Security screening when people went abroad.  Los Alamos background of many.

00:14:57	She typed first draft of his textbook.

00:15:34	She joined League of Women Voters.  Also active in University League.  Remembers teas at Mrs. Fred's.  She remembers names.

00:18:23	Husband quiet and reserved.  Department interesting group. Canoe trips, picnics.  Year in Switzerland.

00:21:03	Ivan Nestingen.  Urban development study.  MLS on TV with him.

00:22:16	Husband keeps regular hours, 8 to 6.  His role in housework, the neighborhood.

00:24:55	She has no resentment.  He likes to do woodwork and building.

00:26:45	Entertaining students.  Madison Friends of International Students.  Sometimes had foreign students living with them.

00:28:05	End of side.

Tape 1, Side 2

00:28:20	Story about African student at Halloween supper.

00:29:33	Q. re department.

00:31:53	Mrs. Elvehjem, the Congregational Church.

00:33:15	Parents were involved in politics and community action.  She became politically active in college.  Tried to get state law changed in Massachusetts re birth control.  Did social work in Boston.  State League of Woman Voters study on minority housing, discrimination.  NAACP in Madison, 1959 and Triangle area report.  She became chairwoman of Citizens Group.  Steering committee of organizations interested in it.

00:41:50	Keith to India.

00:42:35	The Citizens Commission, the Breeze Stevens incident, NAACP.

00:45:57	NAACP Board & Dane County Board.  Husband in favor of what she did.

00:47:30	Anti-war movement.  Group began observing.  Wore white armbands.  FBI and CIA people.  Vukelich's program against war.  Alicia Ashman and MS to Mifflin St. to observe Block Party.

00:52:40	Welfare Rights march.

00:53:55	Father Groppi.  Keith chairman of church committee to set up boys' home.

00:54:41 	End of tape.

Tape 2

00:54:45	The draft resistor story.  Paul Soglin.

00:58:22	So husband was involved in church and other causes.  Black speaker from Chicago at church.

01:00:03	Not affected by bombing.  Heinz Barschall's reactions to demonstrations.  Research destroyed by students.

01:02:33	Women's movement.  Women's Political Caucus.  Kay Clarenbach, Midge Miller.  MLS to Washington.

01:04:42	How did it affect MLS personally.  Description of women.  She's chairing Robert Kastenmeier's election campaign.  Does half time.  His opponent.  

01:09:34	How does she see her life in terms of the women's movement? 

01:11:08	Keith Symon more aware now of lack of women on staff in physics.

01:13:09	End of interview.

END