It's So Hard to Say Good-bye

Yep, I broke out a Boyz 2 Men lyric; this must be serious.

This week marks the end of two student staff tenures at the OHP. Both of these people attended/participated the 2008 WOHD and assisted in the preparation and implementation of the 2009 WOHD. On top of that, they both toiled under my draconian leadership for well over a year each. For this they deserved more than a farewell letter. But I hope this missive will pass for some type of golden parachute.

Allison Page started working for us in late 2007 as part of the student team involved in the Forest Products Lab oral history project. Except for initial project planning and funds securing, Allison played a role in every other aspect of this endeavor. She worked on the project through the 2008 calendar year, first as a graduate student at the campus’ library school, then as a limited-term employee after she graduated with her M.A. in May 2008. After she helped put that project to bed, Allison worked on various projects for our program, including doing her share of the behind-the-scenes work for the 2009 WOHD. She helped me keep my sanity during the build up and presentation of the Day, and she also built this blog in its aftermath.

Sarah Mueller began her “career” with us in May 2008, one month after she attended that year’s WOHD. Over the last 15 months, she accomplished more than I can describe here. She digitized extent oral histories; summarized, cataloged, and updated our website for recently conducted interviews; answered reference questions sent from around the state and country; started work to collaborate with the campus digital collection center to post audio and summaries to a soon-to-be-created UW—Madison Campus Voices web presentation; and handled just about every small fire that I sent to her to extinguish. She, too, graduated from the library school with her M.A.; in her case she just finished this month. Plus, she shared with me her love of Def Leppard, one of the 1980s Hair Bands. Since I, too, have rocked out to their music, we bonded.

Most important they helped me as I continued to implement the changes to bring the OHP into the 21st Century. Their enthusiasm, sense of humor, willingness to try new ideas or to propose new ways to look at things, and their work ethic will be tough to replace. They leave to greener pastures: Allison to help lead a group of students going to Ireland; Sarah to look for gainful employment in the U.S. South. I wish them good luck and good times.

But on top of their solid contributions to the advancement of WOHD and OHP, I will take with me the memories [of them] to be my sunshine after the rain. Yep, I finish with Boyz 2 Men, too. Corny, yes, but sometimes the sappiest sentiment sounds the best.

Reflections on 2009 WI Oral History Day, Or How Many Pop Culture References Can Be Made?

One of my favorite movies, Field of Dreams, has spawned a mantra used and/or paraphrased by many, myself included. “If you build it, he [they] will come.” That phrase was uttered to Ray Kinsella by a bodyless voice that we find out is the ghost of “Shoeless” Joe Jackson. I don’t know how effective this phrase is for other folks who use it. I suppose if I asked around or used the Google I could find examples of its application (both effective and not) within many different spheres. But that’s not the point of this essay, nor do I have the motivation to research it.

My point is to summarize the 2009 Wisconsin Oral History Day (WOHD). I will do a summary to submit to the Wisconsin Humanities Council, one of the primary WOHD sponsors. That document will touch on the facts, such as the event’s dates, location, attendees, publicity strategies, survey results, yada, yada, yada. Don’t perceive my Seinfeld as criticism, that information is vital not only for the quintessential state humanities group but also for our program as we look forward to at least one more WOHD (next spring in or near Milwaukee.

That summary, however, will not capture the moods, feelings, and thoughts of not only me (the self-professed Ruben Kincaid of this Partridge Family bus) but also (and more importantly) the nearly 65 men and women who attended at least one of the Day’s events. Nor does it capture the same emotions for those folks who attended last year’s event in Madison. And it won’t capture a prominent goal in doing all of this work: building a guild of people interested in oral history in the state and region. Guild, although containing few letters, is a “50 cent word,” as my father (and probably many others) would say. (Although in today’s economy is might be called a “50 cent word now valued at 15.) One of the interweb’s dictionary sites defines guild as “an association of persons of the same trade or pursuits, formed to protect mutual interests and maintain standards.” That definition is a touch too high brow for my tastes, but I feel it captures the essence of WOHD. A hot word on this campus is community, and I use that word too. So, for those who feel guild is a little too hoity toity, insert community.

So, are we building a guild or community? I don’t know for sure. I do know I watched people seek out our presenters to ask questions when sessions stopped due to shortage of time. I do know that people marveled at Jim Leary’s poise and poignancy when he gave a presentation on Joua Bee Xiong with his widow and other family members in attendance. I do know that Stephen Sloan’s presentation led folks to see how a long, tall Texan does hard work to add to the oral history of his state and region through cross-cultural and community-focused oral history projects. And it gave him a cult following in America’s Dairyland. And I know that people appreciated Barb Sommer’s grace when she discussed the work behind the American Indian Oral History Manual, offering a method to assist researchers interested in embarking on oral history or tradition gathering within the Tribes/Nations. (Personally, I hope this book will continue to encourage ongoing discussions with Indian Country about gathering & preserving their rich histories, whether or not they choose to ask for help from us whites.)

And that only touches on our key speakers. The panel presenters spoke on a variety of topics, from women farmers and hip-hop artists, to AIM schools, to a couple of African American women who worked hard to make their workplace and place of worship better. These men and women took the time to reflect deeply and present thoughtfully on myriad topics and made WOHD a rousing success. And that does not touch on one last characteristic of WOHD: fun. Yep, fun. In Idaho we joked that state employees were not allowed to have fun during work. But this UW—Madison employee, along with other state/university people and Wisconsinites who attended, smiled and laughed quite a bit. (If Wisconsin does not allow its employees to enjoy themselves during work, then let us forget that I wrote this paragraph, OK.)

So, I will begin my conclusion [you know a conclusion will be long when it has a beginning] with this thought, which is another of my [paraphrased here] favorite sayings. It takes a village [in this case] to create an oral history guild. So, while events, such as WOHD, start to bring people together as a community or guild, all of us need to take the energy from it to set up meetings, plan projects, and assist each other. While oral history as a transaction works best with two people, oral history as a field or avocation or hobby works best when people (scholars, public historians, teachers, genealogists, librarians, and interested individuals) work together to create the best projects, procedures, and practices to gather and preserve someone’s memories, thoughts, and stories. Bringing together folks for a night and day is good; working on doing good oral history all year is better.

I end with another quote from Field of Dreams. Just before Ray Kinsella discovers that his dad was playing catcher in the recently finished game, he says this to Shoeless Joe. “I have done everything you have told me to, and I’ve never once asked, ‘What’s in it for me?’” When Joe asked, “What are you saying, Ray?” Ray says, “I’m asking, ‘What’s in it for me?’”

So, what’s in it for you? Well, whether you actually record an interview or not, oral history can show a person that value of doing one’s homework; reflecting deeply on a topic, meeting interesting people; asking questions, actively listening to the answers, and posing better follow-up questions; and following through on goals.

These are all vital items to not only be a good oral historian but also a good human being. And in Wisconsin [fill in any other state or country] we always can use a few more good folks. As I say to most everyone I meet or train, I appreciate the time given to me to talk (or in this case) write about oral history. And if I never see that person again, I always wish them well. But I hope every meeting (and this missive) is just the start of a beautiful friendship. There, I got Field of Dreams, Partridge Family, Seinfeld, Field of Dreams again, and Casablanca; my work here is done. For now.

-Troy Reeves
Head, UW-Madison Oral History Program

Wisconsin Oral History Day, 2009 Eau Claire, WI

The 2009 Wisconsin Oral History Day was held on April 26 & 27 in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. The Sunday night opening session (6-8 pm) was held at the Chippewa Valley Museum with a presentation by Dr. Jim Leary, entitled "Oral History and Public Folklore: Working with Joua Bee Xiong.”

Most of Monday’s morning activities focused on oral history project planning, beginning with a mini-workshop, led by UW—Madison Oral History Program Head, Troy Reeves, and finishing with a presentation on community planning in diverse setting, given by Baylor University Oral History Program Director, Stephen Sloan. In between those events, students from UW—Eau Claire students offered a case study of project planning as they discussed a current oral history project with the UW—Eau Claire Women’s Studies Program.

Monday’s keynote was given by independent oral historian/author Barb Sommer. Sommer, who resides in St. Paul, will present, “The Story Behind the Manual: The Creation of The American Indian Oral History Manual: Making Many Voices Heard. As with Leary’s talk, the Wisconsin Humanities Council sponsored Sommer’s presentation.

Also, WOHD featured panels/roundtables with students, teachers, and professors. The Day ended with a brief wrap-up, led by Reeves and Sloan, as they and the attendees reviewed what did transpire and how best to move WOHD forward.

Why Oral History Day?

The organization charged with overseeing oral history throughout the U.S.—The Oral History Association—has defined oral history as a method of gathering and preserving first-hand information through recorded interviews with participants in past events and ways of life. People throughout the U.S. have used this historical practice since the days after the Revolutionary War through World War II, including the 19th Century efforts of Lyman Draper at the Wisconsin Historical Society. Since 1945 and with assistance from advancements in technology, specifically the tape recorder, men and women throughout the country have embarked on oral history interviews and projects of every shape and size. In Wisconsin the last sixty years have brought oral history projects at the statewide level, such as at the Wisconsin Historical Society & Wisconsin Veterans Museum, and the campus level, with projects and programs at UW—LaCrosse and Lawrence University, to mention two. There have been myriad projects and interviews done at the local, community, and individual level, too.

In the early 21st Century, doing quality oral history has become as important as ever. In this age people communicate probably more than ever, with assistance from recent technologies, such as cell phones and email. Those same people, however, will communicate in great detail (or in a way that can be preserved) less than ever. Creating a situation where a person’s stories, memories, and opinions and the context around them can be gathered and preserved can help to bridge this resource gap. Oral history does serve as a logical way to build primary-source material for future students, educators, historians, and interested individuals.

For all of these reasons and more, the UW—Madison Oral History Program (OHP) head, Troy Reeves designed Wisconsin Oral History Day (WOHD) to bring together people from around the state and region interested in the practice and methodology of oral history to a single location to learn the steps to conduct quality oral histories, to discuss extent projects, to network regarding future collaboration, and to strengthen the guild of past, present, and future practitioners of oral history.