Interview with Ben DaSilva
31 min., 21 min
oral history interview with Ben DaSilva
2000
Transcription of the FCI section
00;00;00;01 - 00;00;04;15
This is an interview
with Ben De Silva on May 22nd 2000
00;00;06;17 - 00;00;08;15
If you want to program
00;00;08;15 - 00;00;12;19
that too was a spin off
if you will from some of the modern
00;00;12;27 - 00;00;17;18
educational philosophy out of Columbia
and our courses
00;00;18;08 - 00;00;20;12
all ended fairly early
00;00;21;24 - 00;00;24;05
and started really late
00;00;24;05 - 00;00;26;07
so that we had a six week
00;00;26;07 - 00;00;28;17
period and all of that now.
00;00;28;26 - 00;00;30;08
No, we don't
00;00;31;28 - 00;00;33;23
And in that six weeks
00;00;33;23 - 00;00;36;16
we had to get a quote job unquote,
00;00;38;13 - 00;00;41;01
It might be just an assignment to some
00;00;42;07 - 00;00;45;22
institution where you observe.
00;00;45;22 - 00;00;47;26
You had to set that up yourself.
00;00;47;26 - 00;00;51;17
Well, no, you could
we could play a role in that.
00;00;51;21 - 00;00;53;27
But it had to be cleared by the committee.
00;00;55;08 - 00;00;58;10
And they also had a roster
that you could go.
00;00;59;17 - 00;01;01;26
You choose what you wanted to do.
00;01;03;12 - 00;01;04;20
One year
00;01;05;16 - 00;01;07;26
before you're 18 years old,
00;01;08;12 - 00;01;10;23
fresh out of high school,
00;01;11;09 - 00;01;14;21
never had to move too far from anything
00;01;16;19 - 00;01;18;24
And I chose to work at the prison
00;01;18;24 - 00;01;21;14
well, for six weeks.
00;01;21;14 - 00;01;24;22
And what a wonderful experience that was.
00;01;24;22 - 00;01;27;21
This is something you decided or it was
it was on the list.
00;01;28;02 - 00;01;29;17
But I decided
00;01;30;14 - 00;01;32;28
what the theory was,
00;01;32;28 - 00;01;37;10
what teachers ought to know more than just
what's in the books, what's on
00;01;37;10 - 00;01;41;00
the books, on classroom experiences,
from kindergarten through college to
00;01;42;06 - 00;01;44;20
getting a job, teaching what
00;01;46;08 - 00;01;48;09
they wanted them to expose themselves
00;01;48;09 - 00;01;51;22
to other facets of life.
00;01;51;22 - 00;01;53;17
They even allowed some jobs
00;01;53;17 - 00;01;55;29
that were pretty much almost manual,
00;01;56;27 - 00;01;58;27
if I'm not mistaken.
00;01;59;17 - 00;02;01;25
Not too much of that, but they wanted
00;02;01;25 - 00;02;04;24
people a different experience, experience
00;02;04;24 - 00;02;06;08
Well, let me tell you,
that was a different difference.
00;02;07;08 - 00;02;08;07
What did you do?
00;02;08;07 - 00;02;10;20
Well, they
00;02;10;20 - 00;02;12;27
they assigned us to different departments,
which
00;02;15;04 - 00;02;17;21
we've got with different departments.
00;02;17;21 - 00;02;19;03
There were others with you.
00;02;19;03 - 00;02;20;25
There were only two.
00;02;20;27 - 00;02;23;25
Another boy and I saw
00;02;23;26 - 00;02;26;20
and one week
we'd be in the Education Department.
00;02;26;20 - 00;02;28;00
Another week got
00;02;28;23 - 00;02;31;16
good service, another week of records
00;02;32;22 - 00;02;35;15
a department and
00;02;35;15 - 00;02;38;02
various other facets
00;02;38;02 - 00;02;40;01
of our section.
00;02;40;23 - 00;02;43;12
So we not only had the experience
of prison life,
00;02;43;12 - 00;02;47;11
but the occupation is that when we were
00;02;48;24 - 00;02;50;14
there, I got to meet a couple
00;02;50;14 - 00;02;53;11
of the Hollywood Ten or no, they long
00;02;54;15 - 00;02;56;06
ten people who were sent to prison.
00;02;56;06 - 00;02;57;10
That was, of course,
00;02;57;10 - 00;03;01;21
the excuse to answer the question
as to whether or not they would come
00;03;02;28 - 00;03;05;26
They got to be quite friendly
with the local food.
00;03;07;11 - 00;03;09;04
So a wonderful screenwriter.
00;03;10;21 - 00;03;13;09
He's the author of Let's
00;03;13;09 - 00;03;14;18
See the movie. Sure.
00;03;14;18 - 00;03;16;16
It was a screenwriter.
00;03;16;19 - 00;03;19;28
I can remember looking at his records
00;03;20;04 - 00;03;25;14
and they had to state what their salaries,
what he was making.
00;03;25;16 - 00;03;28;19
$2,000 a week.
00;03;28;19 - 00;03;29;19
Imagine that.
00;03;29;19 - 00;03;35;08
I think the beginning teacher's
salary was on the year 1944, the new year.
00;03;36;01 - 00;03;39;09
It was only 2800 in 1954.
00;03;40;03 - 00;03;40;23
Well,
00;03;41;21 - 00;03;43;24
Robert was a starting salary.
00;03;43;26 - 00;03;47;03
He was getting in 1950 2000.
00;03;48;09 - 00;03;49;05
That impressed.
00;03;49;05 - 00;03;50;27
Yeah. Yes.
00;03;51;03 - 00;03;55;23
And I got to know him one or two of you
in the pocket of a very interesting guy
00;03;56;17 - 00;04;00;07
and also quite blank
00;04;00;07 - 00;04;01;29
Are you a Communist?
00;04;02;11 - 00;04;04;24
He said no,
but I'll be damned if I might say that.
00;04;05;10 - 00;04;08;00
No, I wouldn't answer the.
00;04;08;16 - 00;04;12;26
We have a right to answer the question
about whether he was or wasn't.
00;04;12;26 - 00;04;15;09
I don't know most of
those intellectual theories.
00;04;16;14 - 00;04;16;24
If they
00;04;16;24 - 00;04;19;26
want to solicit in that direction, things
in that direction,
00;04;20;20 - 00;04;22;07
it's understandable
00;04;24;01 - 00;04;25;18
Oh, they got to be
00;04;25;26 - 00;04;28;08
men who have been customers
00;04;28;08 - 00;04;31;12
who cross the road
and say there was no space.
00;04;31;20 - 00;04;35;28
They didn't have
or they had a small section of the prison
00;04;36;11 - 00;04;38;13
for hardcore criminals.
00;04;38;13 - 00;04;40;20
People didn't
realize that they thought it was a public
00;04;42;02 - 00;04;44;20
jail but there were a few of those
00;04;46;14 - 00;04;50;03
and probably some involved in a supply
00;04;53;04 - 00;04;55;03
who also
00;04;55;03 - 00;04;57;17
and one of the most interesting
experiences was
00;04;59;15 - 00;05;01;09
we were in the cafeteria,
00;05;01;09 - 00;05;03;25
one of them lunchrooms,
00;05;04;12 - 00;05;06;20
and broke up
00;05;07;26 - 00;05;10;22
into inmates who had
00;05;12;09 - 00;05;14;20
homemade weapons on the floor
00;05;14;21 - 00;05;16;28
fashioned from hawks or whatever.
00;05;18;06 - 00;05;21;13
And they were going at it
and the never taking sides
00;05;22;19 - 00;05;25;01
rooting for one or the other.
00;05;25;01 - 00;05;26;03
But before I knew it,
00;05;28;08 - 00;05;29;08
the tunnel
00;05;30;05 - 00;05;33;06
would go grabbing like I was a little
00;05;34;25 - 00;05;36;29
way to go to Watertown.
00;05;36;29 - 00;05;40;10
He hustled into an office
and locked the door.
00;05;40;23 - 00;05;41;28
You don't want to get hurt.
00;05;41;28 - 00;05;44;15
Well, so what do you mean is bothering me?
00;05;44;18 - 00;05;48;05
Was lying
and he made an interesting point.
00;05;49;04 - 00;05;51;09
I said, you're a college girl.
00;05;51;09 - 00;05;53;17
They're friendly with you
and a joke with you and all that,
00;05;53;17 - 00;05;56;28
but they don't like they result
00;05;56;28 - 00;05;58;01
in many of them.
00;05;58;01 - 00;06;01;11
And in the military,
you were going to get hurt.
00;06;01;14 - 00;06;04;00
You spoke in order to be somewhat ticked.
00;06;04;00 - 00;06;07;16
You understand with you. Over.
Side A
0-10 min: DaSilva’s enrollment at Danbury State College, kinds of people he ran into at the school, classes at Danbury High School, relationship with teachers at DSC, Teacher’s College of Columbia
10-20 min: Modern education philosophy from Columbia, 6-week work contracts, working at the prison, The Hollywood Ten, prison fights, working at the children’s library
20-30 min: relationship with education professors, teacher’s dues, social events with teachers, due-day, college sports, practice teaching at local schools, learning music through Westconn, art at Westconn
Side B
0-10 min: Art appreciation, music integration in the curriculum, Ruth Haas, adjusting to the new age, learning everyone’s name, job screening at the university
10-20 min: Relationship with students, problems with commuting, Curly Hall, course demand, student teaching, stressing of experimental nature of the college in the 1950’s
Joseph Batchelor (interview)
65 min; 2 cassettes
1999-09-21
Herb Janick Papers, MS012
The content of the second 60 min cassette contained 5 min of pertinent audio (tape #2; item 4)
0-20 min: When he met Ruth Haas, Ruth’s education background, Ruth’s parents’ relationship and siblings, chemical branch in Canada, Ruth’s first teaching job, Ruth’s father’s involvement with the Franco-Persian War, fleeing Germany to go to England, aristocratic family tendencies, Ruth’s characteristics
20-40 min: When Joseph met Ruth, Joseph’s education and military service, Joseph’s family and work life, Joseph’s teaching career, Ruth’s interests in school, Frank’s death, moving to Danbury and legal issues with residency in Canada, connections with Nazi Germany, Joseph’s association with teachers
40-60 min: How Joseph remembered Ruth and her sister, Joseph’s wife and Ruth’s sister Fritz, Joseph and the interviewer share early photos of the university and the Haas family, Ruth’s death, Joseph’s family, humanitarian efforts, Ruth’s religious ties,
0-5: Family gatherings, Ruth’s friends, Ruth’s stock investment group, Ruth’s athletics, library renovations
Al and Claire Geddes Interview 2
The Geddes make some casual observations about the nature of the college, students and faculty.
On tape box: "Geddes, Al and Claire 3/26/99; Dean of Men/Dean of Women"
03/26/1999
http://archives.library.wcsu.edu//relatedObjects/MS012/MS012_2a.wav
MS012
Janick, Herb
Geddes, Alfred
10 min: Programs for students and faculty; Ralph Kerrington; men students who became doctors; women students who became doctors; Before Senate was CTA, a group of faculty and students together to run a school government; Physically challenged students;
20 min: Unusual memories of students; AccessAbility difficulties for blind students; Professional school for teachers; "People don't major in Education"; TAPE CUTS OUT; Intercolledgiate Student Legislator (CISL) in contact with State Representatives;
Al and Claire Geddes Interview
60 mins
Al and Claire Geddes met at Danbury State Teachers College and later married. Al was Dean of Men and Claire was Dean of Women. They discuss programs for students and faculty and administration of the college.
03/26/1999
http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/MS012/MS012_Geddes.wav
MS012
Janick, Herb
Geddes, Al and Claire Geddes
00:17
10 min: Al discusses his prior experience and becoming WCSU Faculty; Claire discusses her prior experience and becoming WCSU Faculty; Together they discuss the intention and character of the Faculty and the school
20 min: Claire develops a friendship with faculty members, living temporarily with Ruth Haas; Community projects within the school; WCSU Faculty and community were generous, often not being reimburst;
30 min: Claire's experiences with other schools during renovations; Shaping well-rounded students into professionals in difficult circumstances; Ruth Haas requested Claire to become Dean of Women when she would ascend to President of the school after the death of the former president.
40 min: Begin Side 2; Ruth Haas was well-liked by student and Faculty; Student body was generally age 18 when liquour laws changed, making alcohol legal at age 18; Reaction of campus to alcohol, to increased male population; Discusses Ruth Haas family situation and work experience prior to WCSU; Unionizing Faculty drew direction and organization within the system;
50 min: Why Ruth Haas retired, her health before and after her position as president; Students graduate with more social confidence due to increasing diversity; Political/Social influence to receive position as Faculty;
60 min: Foodservice became an outside agency after WCSU became co-ed and introduction of off-campus housing, therefore no more dorm-wide dinners; Sports became prominent in the school after WWII; 1950s WCSU went through much change and expansion;
70 min: Claire tells her "Favorite Haas Story";
Ray Baubles Interview
Baubles joined WCSC English Department faculty in 1967. He discusses the general character, diversity, beliefs of student body at the time and his opinion about Ruth Haas and how she handled those issues. He discusses the emergence of Unions and his opinion of President Bersi.
08/02/2000
http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/MS012/BAUBLES/MS%20012_baubles.wav
MS012
Janick, Herb
Baubles, Ray
62:00
10 min: Joined WCSU Faculty in 1967; Added a great number of faculty members that year; Baubles explains his credibility and experience, how he got position; Discusses the English Department of WCSU at the time; Discusses general class, character, diversity, beliefs of student body at the time; Explains his opinion about Ruth Haas; Discusses issues faced by faculty and how Ruth Haas handled those issues
20 min: Continues discussion of character and approaches of Ruth Haas in respect to educational norms at the time; Explains process of gaining tenure as a Faculty member, random/lack of standards; Explains administrative structure; Explains his interview for employment with Ruth Haas, had to wait months for a response;
30 min: Was granted position; Further discussion on administrative figures; Explains specific piece of Baubles' resume; Discusses Ruth Haas position and relationship to student body and Faculty; Discusses the Senate
40 min: Side 2 Discusses most controversial issue for the Senate; Discusses the issues that had risen regarding Unions and his opinions thereof;
50 min: Discusses contracts by which Faculty and Unions had to work; Discusses best experience with heads of union;
60 min: Worst experience with heads of union; President Bersi becoming president of WestConn; Bersi's character/What it's like working under Bersi;
Ann Girolmetti Interview
Girolmetti was a student in the class of 1928 and discusses, student life at the Normal School, one -room school teaching and the college faculty. Upon graduation she taught in the Ridgefield schools.
05/17/1999
http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/MS012/Girolmetti_7_25.wav
MS012
Janick, Herb
Girolmetti, Ann
24:34
10 min: One -room school teaching; faculty descriptions; teaching in Ridgefield, Conn; attending Danbury Normal School
20min: Danbury Normal School attendees; faculty; high school; music programs; teaching observations
30min: High school classmates
Ann Titsworth Carey Interview
Ann Titsworth was an alum of Danbury State Teachers College and describes of Ruth Haas, student life and the faculty as well as her life after graduation.
undated
http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/relatedObjects/MS012/Carrie_7_13.wav
Janick, Herb
Carey, Ann Titsworth
Cassette
33:02
10 min: Applying to Teachers College; description of Dr. Haas; life in the dorms
20 min: Student life; professor descriptions
30 min: practice school; personal life; struggles with teaching; gender relations
Mortimer Johnson interview
Mort Johnson describes his years as a college student, student teacher program, and university life during the late 1930s and early 1940s.
12/21/1998
http://archives.library.wcsu.edu/dav/relatedObjects/MS012/Johnson_7_30.wav
MS012
Janick, Herb
Johnson, Mort
12:56
10 min: Student years (late 1930s); admission to Danbury State Teachers' College; courses; Tara Augusta Sutton
20 min: Teaching faculty; music program; student teaching;
30 min: Attempts at military enlistment; Danbury; college campus buildings; college sports; student work programs
40 min: Do Day; student commute; women teachers; university relations;