UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON ARCHIVES
ORAL HISTORY PROJECT

Interview #1370
SMITH, PEYTON

SMITH, PEYTON (1951 - )
Undergraduate and Graduate Student; Academic Staff
At UW: 1970-2010

Interviewed: 	2014
Interviewer: 	Troy Reeves
Index by: 	Troy Reeves and Carolina Hernandez
Length: 	2 hours, 25 minutes

Abstract: In his two February 2014 interviews with Troy Reeves, Peyton Smith detailed his thoughts and memories as an undergraduate student and academic staff on the UW-Madison campus. Smith spoke of the time period between 1960s and 2010 and on the following topics: UW-Madison, Vietnam Era Campus Protest, Sea Grant, Public Information Office, Sesquicentennial, and the Cluster Hiring Initiative. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW-Madison Oral History Program.

Key Words: UW-Madison, Vietnam Era Campus Protest, Sterling Hall Bombing, Sea Grant, Public Information, Sesquicentennial, Academic Staff, Center for the Study of Upper-Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC), Ira and Ineva Reilly Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment, Cluster Hiring Initiative, David Ward

First Interview Session (February 18, 2014): Digital File

Time	Keywords

00:00:00	Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction. 

00:00:45	Question: Pre UW-Madison life? Answer: Peyton Smith (PS) offered an overview of his years before he matriculated at UW-Madison. He talked about moving around several small towns in Wisconsin, his parents’ educational background and expectations for him, and his father’s way of instilling in PS the need to work to pay for things. 

00:04:03	Question: Transformative moments, pre-UW-Madison? Answer: PS focused on two moments. First, he took a debate class in high school, which pushed him to think critically, as well as to show him the need to go to college away from his then hometown. Second, his family brought students from Milwaukee to live with them, which instilled in him the importance of diverse experience. His family also participated in at least one civil rights march in Milwaukee. His mother or father (unsure of which) told him, “Anyone could be the best or worst at anything,” regardless of race, gender, etc. 

00:07:35	[No question.] PS talked about where he wanted to attend college. He wanted to attend Berkeley or Madison, as well as University of Minnesota. He ended up at UW-Eau Claire for one year before transferring to Madison. In this section PS talked about Vietnam, specifically the draft, loomed over what he, as well as other young men, did during this time period. 

00:11:20	[No question.] PS, while at Eau Claire, came down to Madison on weekends. He talked generally about the events that happened in April/May 1970. But he only participated in the non-violent protests; he heeded his father’s words that he did not want to do the time, so he chose not to do a crime. He noted he worked hard during his weekdays in Eau Claire, so he could come to Madison on the weekends with no school worries. He also talked about getting a high draft number, which lessened his worries about that.

00:14:53	Question: April/May 1970? Answer: PS offered his memories about this tumultuous time on UW-Madison’s campus. He would come from Eau Claire for the weekends and go to library mall to participate. He had friends living in the residence halls or working on State Street, giving him a place to get away from tense situations, when needed. PS never picked up rock or brick to hurl at police or a window. He offered an anecdote about he, and others, stopping a student from shooting “steelies” at the fire department from his Sellery Hall perch. He concluded his thoughts here by noting how he saw the protests differently once he came on campus and starting working at the Space Science Building.

00:20:00	Question: Sterling Hall Bombing 1970? Answer: In August 1970 PS had moved to Madison and lived on the 900 block of Johnson Street. His dad called him after the bombing and chewed him out, even though PS had nothing to do with it. PS’ grandmother was in the University Hospital, right across the street from the bombing, which probably led to PS’ father’s tone. PS registered that fall, just a few days after the bombing, and found the campus tone to be quite subdued. He also mentioned the removal (?) of the draft lottery also tamped down protests. His thoughts about Sterling Hall reminded him of earlier that year, when he sat in on Friday afternoon classes at Madison, leading him to see the 1970 TAA Strike.

00:24:03	[No question.] PS talked briefly about his sophomore year, where he took some time off and headed out West. He returned and majored in Communication Arts, focusing eventually on the Radio/TV aspects of it. 

00:28:22	Question: Where did PS attend classes? Answer: He attended classes in the Social Sciences Building and Bascom Hall. He fondly recalled eating dinner with some of his classmates on Bascom’s roof. He listed on and off campus places to dine or drink, including the Rat, Rennebohm’s, The Pub, and Nick’s. 

00:31:20	[No question.] PS returned from California in Fall 1972. He would accompany his then girlfriend to informal meetings held by her professor. PS talked to him about a campus job. The professor said “get a haircut, go to Sea Grant, and asked for Linda Weimer [sic?].” Before getting the student job at Sea Grant, PS worked “everywhere.” He listed some places, including a radio gig, where he used the pseudonym, Rickie Levitan. 

00:35:30	[No question.] PS called about his background in radio and his effort to get an environmental science radio program for Sea Grant. People told him to put together a proposal, although one faculty member he went to told him he had “no chance.” PS did his homework and talked to broadcast radio people; he found they needed public affairs program. So, he told them he could create 2-minute pieces. Sea Grant gave him a six-month project. He and others created 5 programs and got 12 stations to sign up. That started a multi-decade radio program that definitely succeeded.

00:41:04	[No question.] PS claimed he lacked in writing, but he held the radio program idea together. He found sponsorship through the Institute of Environmental Studies, now known as the Nelson Institute. PS offered an overview of his student years with Sea Grant. He said his real worth came in synthesizing ideas into a solid, one-page proposal. Plus, he found early on that UW-Madison, in its decentralization, could give a person freedom to find a niche. PS graduated in December 1973; Sea Grant offered him a staff position, which he took and started in that role in January 1974.

00:44:40	[No question.] PS focused on how Sea Grant exemplified two major campus goals, including its interdisciplinary and public service (WI Idea) tenets. He talked more about how the radio program not only fit into campus goals but could be replicated by other campuses in the state and country.  

00:47:51	Question: Sea Grant as seminal professional experience for PS? Answer: PS explained how the people at Sea Grant helped him, including making him a better writer. He talked about the summer retreat that he attended as not only a cook but as a participant. Through this experience, he received a seminar on not only science but also how to get things done. He spoke of the Sea Grant’s leadership in the 1970s, specifically Bob Radgotski (sic?). 

00:52:30	[No question.] PS spoke more about his early years as a Sea Grant staffer, including how his work led him to consulting jobs in Louisiana, Rhode Island, and Hawaii. He even considered a job at Louisiana State, but he was turned off by Louisiana’s physical environment. He also went back to school, because a master’s degree would help keep some doors open. Eventually, Bob Radgotski (sic?) offered him a job at Sea Grant as their communication coordinator.

00:55:46	[No question.] PS answered his own question, “How did he end up working inside Bascom [Hall]?” He talked about Linda Weimer, small campus grants, and Earth Watch (his radio program). He also noted that his work at Sea Grant allowed him to meet and mingle with on and off campus scientists and others; all of these interactions helped PS. 

00:58:08	[No question.] PS continued to explain how he ended up in Bascom. His new job was 75% Extension and 25% University News/Public Affairs. PS talked about the people who worked with/for him, calling them all “instrumental.” At this time he worked revolved around the idea of UW-Madison needing to show their success. 

01:01:51	[No question.] PS furnished some more memories of his years in communications with Sea Grant and Extension/UNews. These job put him in touch with myriad departments and programs, which helped PS continue to build networks. Even when his department or program shifted, his job/office remained under the Provost, therefore inside Bascom. 

01:05:08	[No question.] PS started to talk about the late 1980s. During this time he presented his credentials to led the sesquicentennial program, which he then led in the 1990s. In 1988 he started working directly with Chancellor Shalala. He staffed the Chancellor on trips; she amazed him with her ability to read and recall facts and names. He also worked with the Alumni Association and the UW Foundation. All these opportunities allowed him to see high-level administration as a non-faculty. He met future Chancellor John Wiley and played softball with myriad campus folks. He noted here that UW-Madison succeeded strategically through relationships. He offered a preview of the next interview when he listed which projects worked well, such as Robert W. Johnson Foundation grant, the Cluster hire program, the Sesquicentennial program, and the Baldwin WI Idea grant. 

01:09:56	Question: Final thoughts? Answer: He offered a few anecdotes. One was how a conference at UW-Milwaukee led to a statewide tour of the Great Lakes through its historic maps. Another was working with the former archivist at UW-Madison on a project that helped Japanese researcher write about the history of basketball in their country. He also recalled working with Ken Frazier and Louise Robbins on a database to tie resources to K-12 education. 

01:15:43	[No question.] PS wanted to note two more people who influenced him. First, a librarian in Green Bay, who let PS (as a youngster) review/read the “banned” books in their collection. And, a literature teacher who asked PS to join a play’s cast and who challenged PS to think critically and do more. 

01:17:44	End of First Interview Session

Second Interview Session (February 19, 2014): Digital File

Time	Keywords

00:00:00	Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction.

00:00:49	Question: Music as a part of Peyton Smith’s (PS) life? Answer: Very much so. PS reminded the interviewer that his father played jazz, particularly swing. PS also wanted to sing and play in a band. After a follow-up question, PS noted that his taste in music began to clash with his father’s, although his father grew to appreciate some of the music behind the rock n’roll of the 1960s and 1970s. PS talked about the transistor radio and 1960s/1970s counterculture music. PS also furnished his memories on some good Wisconsin bands of the 1970s and listening to music at clubs and to popular groups, such as Pink Floyd, when they played at the Coliseum.  

00:04:24	Question: Son vs. parents, re: Vietnam? Answer: PS offered his personal experience about what might have happened if drafted. He also recalled his parents arguing (with PS in the room) regarding Vietnam; they differed on what would happen if PS was called to serve. He called the Vietnam Era an “interesting time.” He hitchhiked most everywhere, felt an “us vs. them” mentality, and wore the counterculture uniform of long hair and bell bottoms. 

00:07:23	Question: Earthwatch? Answer: It started with PS and a graduate student working on it. He noted that several current science writers started with a job at Earthwatch. By the 1980s, 5.5 million people listened over nearly 175 stations. He offered an story about of Earthwatch’s wide-reach, an example of early Board of Regents support, and the importance of Art Hove as an early mentor/adviser. 

00:10:44	Question: Sesquicentennial? Answer: From 1988 PS worked in the Provost Office, including working on campus’ strategic plan. Through this work and through Sea Grant, PS made connections throughout campus. As the 150th anniversary of UW-Madison approaches, campus leadership wanted a strategic plan. Some campus leaders “pre-qualified” PS for the leadership role. PS took the job with one caveat: he wanted the project to move beyond being a glorified birthday party. 

00:13:40	[No question.] PS spoke of events or programmatic elements that grew out of the planning. First, they wanted one event to overlap with the state’s 150th. That event actually ended up being protested by students, which gave PS a quick lesson on campus event planning. PS talked about another travelling exhibit that started at the Chazen (Elvejhem) and about the implementation of events let PS see how much the 1960s/1970s protest still cast a shadow statewide. 

00:16:41	[No question.] PS continued his thoughts on the sesquicentennial. He talked about the signature events, the strategic goals, and the public relations campaign towards both faculty and staff on campus, as well as alumni off campus. PS started work on this project in early 1997; he talked to people who had planned other similar events on other campus. He found a double-edged sword; most people who led similar events could not find a campus job after it. The Dean of Continuing Studies told PS his position was secure. 

00:19:40	[No question.] PS offered the 150th’s major themes. He reiterated that this event stood out as far more than a glorified birthday party. He marveled at David Ward’s leadership and what Ward taught him through certain aspects of the 150th. PS also spoke to DW’s work with the legislature, specifically how DW addressed their concerns before asking for any “new” programs or projects. 

00:23:59	[No question.] PS returned to the 150th by talking about the leadership structure for the project, including a steering team and council. They tried to create publications or exhibits to showcase the campus’ treasures. PS listed more specific events, including work with the two newspapers to print supplementary issues featuring UW-Madison history and highlights. All this led to the kick-off events in February 1999. 

00:28:04	[No question.] PS talked about the Scholarship Gala at Monona Terrace. He listed the co-sponsors and chairs, including Bernie Easterday and his wife. He also offered his memories of a Sunday afternoon event during kick-off week, a concert done by the School of Music. PS worked with the concert’s leadership to create a variety of pieces and music types to appeal to as many different people as possible. They held it in the Kohl Center, and around 8,000 people attended. 

00:33:42	[No question.] PS offered the title of a book that came from the 150th and the special issues of UW-Madison magazines. He also noted other events, such as the Undergraduate Research Symposium. He also talked here about the off-campus efforts to build support for not only the 150th but also campus in general. They also reached out, for probably the first time, to international alumni. 

00:37:55	[No question.] More on the 150th. There were summer activities and other events to get people to campus. This included special showing of annual events, such as the Wonders of Physics and Science Is Fun. They also brought the Wisconsin Ducks on campus to give people tours on campus and on the lake. He briefly noted the 150th at 1999 Homecoming and the Future Fair. 

00:40:48	[No question.] Here, PS offered his memories on student exhibits, including letting students present on protest topics. He lauded the project for not stifling individualism and academic freedom. Common message: UW-Madison, Your Resource for a Lifetime. They strove to provide enough diversity (and to publicize it well) to give people a reason to come to campus. 

00:43:08	[No question.] PS then discussed his transition from the 150th back to other campus responsibilities. He moved into University Communications, specifically within the Provost’s Office. Soon after that move, John Wiley became Chancellor. PS started working for the Chancellor on special projects. The first was the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation project to work to decrease incidents of binge drinking on campus. PS worked with Aaron Brower on that project. This project started Chancellor Wiley to ask PS to “bird dog” projects. PS then offered an overview of specific projects they implemented to decrease drinking on campus. 

00:48:30	[No question.] PS then moved his thoughts to the Wisconsin Idea Project. He offered an overview of it and its importance, particularly in regards to a campus-wide strategic plan. He noted briefly that things changed when Chancellor Martin arrived in 2008. 

00:50:51	[No question.] PS moved into managing the Baldwin WI Idea Grant program. He talked about the history of the program, including those who helped with it, including Ken Shapiro from CALS. 

00:53:50	[No question.] PS continued discussion on the Baldwin grant. Chancellor Wiley asked PS to chair the fund. PS and others came together to build the grant criteria. PS then drafted the proposal and used committee input to finalize it. PS noted who took over overseeing the program after PS retired and how he helped her transition into the position.

00:58:51	[No question.] PS furnished a brief overview of another grant project, this one with the Evjue Foundation. PS also helped Deans to figure out ways to best expend “small pots of money.” PS always built in space to work on his own projects too. 

01:01:16	[No question.] PS said a health scare decreased his energy but not his passion. He listed here people who helped him to “thrive,” while on campus. He then talked about his own Baldwin project: concrete grottos and parks. PS also described his relationship with the Center for the Study of Upper-Midwestern Cultures. He returned to his Earthwatch time, saying it let him “see the soul of the university.” He briefly spoke about one find and effort (Aldo Leopold’s Field Notes and coordination of science education for K-12). 

01:06:02	Question: Final thoughts? Answer: PS did evaluate the Cluster Program, so he wanted to talk about the program a bit more next interview. He did talk briefly on the interdisciplinary nature of it. 

01:07:56	End of Second Interview Session

Third Interview Session (March 19, 2014): Digital File

Time	Keywords

00:00:00	Start of Interview/Interviewer’s Introduction.

00:00:41	Question: Legacy of Sesquicentennial? Answer: PS recalled feeling like he had “survived” the whole thing when it was over. He felt it provided an opportunity to improve University relations with alumni, donors, Wisconsin stakeholders, and politicians. There might not be a legacy, but he feels that some good things came out of it, including the Undergraduate Research Symposium and stronger ties with the University Foundation. He saw it as more of a continuing trend that helped the university move forward.

00:07:20	Question: How did your health scare affect you? Answer:  PS ended up in the hospital with pancreatitis, which blew out his pancreas and gave him diabetes. This affected his energy to do things.

00:08:30	[No question.] PS states that from the very beginning of his time at UW, he felt like he was doing important work that was helping people and communicating to the public the results of that work. He had the opportunity to work on his own projects and affect real change while he worked in the Provost office. This helped keep his passion for work alive.

00:15:40	Question: Role of academic staff? Answer: According to PS, the number of academic staff was increasing when he started working at UW. Because he did not have tenure status, he felt the pressure to work harder, which kept him sharp. While working with Sea Grant, he felt respect from faculty members with whom he worked, because they saw the value of academic staff. There was a collaborative environment.

00:18:57	[No question.] After PS began working at Bascom, he discovered that associate deans or associate provosts were not always willing to work with academic staff. However, the deans’ staffs were often very respectful of academic staff members. Even chancellors, such as David Ward, often recognized the benefits of academic staff.

00:22:22	[No question.] According to PS, many faculty members coming into provost roles were unaware of how things ran at a campus-level. They would also treat PS like an assistant, which he challenged because that was not his role. PS states that the short terms of these provost positions also created a disconnect in the administration.

00:27:17	[No question.] PS had been offered a raise to move and work for the Chancellor, but once he was there, they told him it would have to wait. He was also reduced to one-year appointments instead of the three-year appointments he had while working on grants. When leadership started to change, he decided to move on to avoid having to defend his position to a new group of people. Since then, he has come back to work on a few projects.

00:30:24	Question: Why the interest in CSUMC? Answer: The Center for the Study of Upper-Midwestern Cultures (CSUMC) is illustrative of an outreach effort with faculty applying for grants. PS assisted the faculty members with their grant application for the CSUMC, having previously worked with them on other applications. He appreciated their projects and focus, partially due to PS’s interest in religious grottos in the Midwest. At one point, they took on a project that examined the rate of English language acquisition in immigrants.

00:40:03	[No question.] PS states that when people of varied positions are working in teams, there is more respect because there is a lack of hierarchical structure. However, he believes that governance for academic staff is not very strong at UW.

00:42:32	Question: Campus resources and K-12 Education? Answer: During the Baldwin proposal, many were interested in dealing with science and K-12. Because of this interest, PS felt that there was a need for an Office of Science K-12 in order to establish partnerships with schools. He helped establish an office in the Center for Biology Education. He also worked on establishing partnerships between arts and humanities with K-12 schools.

00:48:03	[No question.] PS believes the campus is too decentralized, which can cause lots of people working in different directions and not together. This is why he wanted a centralized science k-12 outreach office which would provide experts with which to meet. To make this happen, he partnered with groups that were interested in moving things forward and taking chances.

00:50:58	Question: Involvement in the cluster hire? Answer: The cluster hire program began before PS became involved, started by David Ward. Its goal was to hire 150 new faculty members, because in the 1980s, there was a declining number of faculty members. They were hired in interdisciplinary areas, to help break down barriers between departments. The money to support this was coming from three different budgets, which could be confusing at times for those who did not understand that. After Steve Stern took over, PS backed off and became less involved at the end.

00:57:39	[No question.] Around 2001, there were money problems from the foundations, which affected the cluster hire. They began to change their agreements. Despite some issues, PS says he still enjoyed working on the cluster hire. He had an interest in interdisciplinary work from the beginning, and this spoke to that since many of the clusters were interdisciplinary.

01:00:46	Question: Post-retirement projects? Answer: After PS retired, no one was hired to replace PS in taking care of the pre-proposal and full proposal for the Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment. He continued to manage the project at half-time for five months. The second year, they asked PS to work on the project again. After that, he was asked to write a 30-year history of the Chancellor’s scholarship program.

01:04:23	Question: What would you like to be remembered for? Answer: PS does not expect to have a big legacy since he was not running any big programs during his time at UW. He sees himself as more of a behind-the-scenes player. He hopes that helped advance at least one of the core values of the institution and that the programs helped start are able to continue.

01:08:06	End of Third Interview Session

End of Oral History #1370