I approached this project already having the story I wanted to share in mind. I always had a basic knowledge of my dad’s radical activities in the 1960s and 1970s but I never knew the deep details. The story that has always stuck out to me was The Takeover of Willard Straight Hall at Cornell University, so that’s what I interviewed him about. Enjoy.
4 Responses to “Ivy League Radical (except not lame)”Leave a Reply |
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June 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
I am not from Ithaca. I had no idea that such a “Takeover” ever happened. Because of your story, I have done some research and learned more about this community. My Ithaca education has been really fascinating. I owe this to you for sharing such an interesting interview about such a tense time period.
June 2nd, 2008 at 12:46 pm
Very interesting to hear how your father was part of one of the most historical events in a university as famous as Cornell. The story itself is also a great example of the racism of the time period and should be kept as a reminder as to what we’ve been through in just 50 years in terms of intergration and diversity as a community.
June 6th, 2008 at 10:13 am
Thank you both for sharing this story from an insider’s point of view. I am not Ivy League and actually had the opposite experience while on a large midwest campus during the sixties — my job was as a dispatcher for the Campus Police. So, you can imagine the contrast! However, time gives us a different perspective and I really did enjoy a first-hand account. If I had not visited Cornell, I would not have understood what “The Strait” (spelling?) is — this is truly an inside thing.
June 16th, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Thanks for this story. I love the idea of a dad telling his son about his own radical days. The transmission of stories from generation to generation was what gives a family its sense of who it is. The question might be: what myth is my family living?