Indiana University Bloomington Indiana University Bloomington IU Bloomington

A–D

Browse Our Interviews

The alphabetical ranges contain an annotated list of the projects in the Center for Documentary Research and Practice archive,1968 to the present. On these pages, the projects are listed alphabetically by project title. Each annotation includes the year(s) the project was conducted, the number of interviews, the major time period(s) covered by the interviews, the interview’s access status, and a list of subjects discussed by the interviewees. The project title hyperlinks to our new finding aid at Archives.IU, where you can find more information about the project and each interview in that project. The project number hyperlinks to our previous finding aid at Archives Online. Both finding aids contain the same basic information, but the new finding aid has corrections and updates.

Copy Costs

The Center can make copies of interviews upon request, in most cases. Please contact the office before sending payment for any interview copies to ensure that we can fulfill your request. Additional information for obtaining a copy of an interview can be found on our Copy Costs and Policies page.

Statement on Potentially Offensive Language

At the Center for Documentary Research and Practice’s Oral History Archive, we are committed to using inclusive and non-derogatory language when compiling finding aids and catalog records. The Center for Documentary Research and Practice’s Oral History Archive and Indiana University in no way condone the use of racist or otherwise offensive language. Because of this, we acknowledge that some of our collections may contain language that can be viewed as potentially offensive or damaging to the people and communities that are described within them.

Additionally, because of the nature of our collections, you may encounter potentially offensive material that has deliberately been left intact for historical and contextual accuracy. Our reason for this is that the original content and language are important to understanding and interpreting the bias and racism that was present at the creation of the resource. However, when content within our finding aids and/or metadata is identified as potentially offensive, and we believe it was recorded by an archivist, it will be updated to reflect current standards of practice.

If you encounter language or content in this collection’s finding aids or metadata that you find offensive or damaging, please contact us at this email.

Our statement was written with guidance from the statements at the following links:

Additional Resources:

Archives for Black Lives in Philadelphia, Anti-racist Description Resources

Santa Clara University “Statement on Harmful Materials”

Princeton University “Statement on Language in Archival Description”

Temple University Libraries “SCRC Statement on Potentially Harmful Language in Archival Description and Cataloging”

A

American Bar Association Section on Legal Education Oral History (2001), #110
1 interview. Time Period: 1960s-2000. Law schools. American Bar Association. Academics vs. practicing lawyers. Changes in the legal profession. Diversity in the profession. Increasing specialization in lawyers and legal training.

American Foundations Oral History Project (1989-1993), #001
42 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-1990s. Life histories. Values and motivations. Impact of philanthropy and its future. Philosophy. Blacks. Women. Grantsmanship. Generational issues. Professionalization. Government interface with philanthropy.

AURA (Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc.) (1984), #002
4 interviews. Time Period: late 1950s. Building of Kitt Peak Observatory in Arizona. Negotiations and relations with Papagos Indian Tribe for land lease. University vs. community. Mineral rights.

Autobiography: Edward O. Craft (1978), #005
1 interview. Time Period: 1930s-1970s. Early life and education. U.S. House of Representatives. Office of the Legislative Counsel. House Ways and Means Committee. Tax restructuring of 1954. Presidents Nixon and Carter.

Autobiography: Ernest D. Butler (1970), #006
1 interview. Civil rights movement in Indiana.

Autobiography: Hobert Billingsley (1980), #007
1 interview. Childhood, education. Diving coach. National diving championships. Water shows.

Autobiography: John M. Cooper (1978), #008
1 interview. History of basketball. Coaching. Physical education at Indiana University. Kinesiology. Biomechanics. University sports scholarships. Jump shot.

Autobiography: Mary M. Barr-Koon (1984), #009
1 interview. Time Period: 1940s-80s. Life history of IU-Kokomo professor and Voltaire bibliographer. 20th century politicians. Teaching French and music. Women in academia. Indiana farm woman.

Autobiography: Raymond Seifert (1978), #010
1 interview. World War II experiences. Views on war.

Autobiography: Robert C. Wiles (1976), #011
1 interview. Life in Bloomington. Military experiences. World War I. Indiana University. Family drug store. Life in the early 20th century.

B

Biography: Helen Gahagan Douglas (1981, 1983), #014
18 interviews. Time Period: Mostly 1930s-40s. Life and political history of Helen G. Douglas. California politics. Campaign for California Congress against Richard Nixon. Democratic politics in the 1930s.

Biography: Homer E. Capehart (1969-1973), #015
29 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-60s, especially late 1950s and early 1960s. Most interviewees are political associates of the subject; one interview with Capehart. Biography of U.S. Senator from Indiana, Homer E. Capehart. Indiana politics. Foreign affairs. McCarthyism. Capehart’s Indiana business interests. 1962 campaign against Birch Bayh.

Biography: Ignatius Donnelly (1971), #016
1 interview. Interview with Donnelly’s wife. Congressman. Writer. Vice presidential candidate for the People’s Party. Interviewee’s early life, emigration from Norway, job as secretary. Spiritualism. Temperance movement.

Biography: J. Edward Roush (1969), #017
3 interviews. Time Period: 1950s-60s. Interviews with and about Roush, 5th District Congressman from Indiana 1958-1968. Indiana political history. Inner workings of party politics (especially opposition politics). Application of science to social problems. Conservation. Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore. Educational programs. Reminiscences on famous national politicians.

Biography: John Hurt (1986), #018
5 interviews. Time Period: 1930s-60s. Indiana political history. Inner workings of party politics. Personal experiences of interviewees.

Biography: Martin Luther King Jr. (1974), #020
2 interviews. Civil Rights Movement. Adult education. Racial equality. Social change.

Biography: Melvyn Douglas (1972-1980), #021
35 interviews. Time Period: especially 1930s-40s. Interviews with and about Melvyn Douglas. Acting career. Political activism. New Deal. Depression. Politics 1940s-70s. Hollywood “golden years.” American entertainment scene.

Biography: Morris L. Ernst (1977), #022
1 interview. Censorship. First Amendment rights. Organized crime. Pornography. James Joyce’s Ulysses trial defense. Trial strategy.

Biography: Robert A. Taft (1968), #003
1 interview. Time Period: 1920s-40s. Cincinnati, Ohio. State and national politics. Political corruption. Campaigning. Prohibition.

Biography: William Fortune (1986), #024
2 interviews. Time Period: especially 1900s-10s. Interviewees are the daughters of Indiana businessman William Fortune, friend and father-in-law of Eli Lilly. Life in Indianapolis at turn of the century. Recollections of famous people like the Lillys, James Whitcomb Riley. World travel. Philanthropy.

Blacksmithing (1979), #025
1 interview. Blacksmithing. Welding. Casting bells.

“Bloomington Cares” Oral History Project (2012-2013), #115
27 interviews. Time Period: 1980s-2010s. Interviews are with leaders and active members of nonprofit organizations involved in promoting cultural activities and addressing social issues in Bloomington, Indiana. The interviews were done as a class project.

Burmese Immigrants in Indiana (2001-2002), #112
20 interviews. Time Period: Late 20th century to early 21st. The 1988 uprising. Education. Ethnic identity. Political activism. Religion.

C

Careers in Librarianship (1992), #032
10 interviews. Time Period: 1940s-90s. Life histories and careers of librarians. Philosophy of librarianship. Changes in libraries. Teaching at IU. Future directions for libraries.

Castleton, Indiana in Transition (1983), #026
4 interviews. Time Period: 1910s-1980s. Transformation of Castleton from a farm town to Indianapolis suburb.

Christian School Movement (1985), #027
10 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-80s. Christian education. Societal values. Public education. Sex roles.

Claude Barnett and the Associated Negro Press (1976-1977), #028
7 interviews. Time Period: mostly 1920s. Interviewees who knew Barnett and the Associated Negro Press. Black journalism. Relationship with NAACP.

Coming Together: An Oral History of the Ostroms and Their Scholarly Impact on Problem Solving (2014), #117
32 interviews. Time Period: 1960s-2000s. Professional and personal acquaintances of Elinor and Vincent Ostrom. The Ostrom Workshop. Nobel Prize. The “commons.” Political science. Political theory. Environmental issues. Interdisciplinary collaborations.

Committee for Environmental Information (1972-1973), #029
4 interviews. Time Period: mostly 1950s. Formation of Committee for Nuclear Information and Committee for Environmental Information. Place of science in society. Views of Barry Commoner.

Communism in the United States (1968), #030
1 interview. U.S. Congressman. Mayor of Wheeling, West Virginia. Member of the Fish Committee. Communist activities in the 1920s and 1930s. William Borah’s 1936 presidential campaign.

Council on Foundations (1991-1992), #031
17 interviews. Time Period: late 1950s-90s. Philanthropy’s professionalization. Philosophy and role of philanthropy in society. Values of foundation employees.

D

Development of Political Science in the Twentieth Century (1978), #033
1 interview. Time Period: mostly 1940s-50s. Interviewee was President of the American Political Science Association. Professionalism. Development of the discipline of Political Science. Curriculum development. Indiana politics. U.S. War Department.

Dubois County: A Home for God’s People (1997-1998), #034
10 interviews. Time period: 1930s-90s. Catholic church. Church as physical landmark. Church as symbol. Communal identity. Spiritual identity.

Dubois County: Christian Communities in Southern Indiana (1998-1999), #037
10 interviews. Time period: 1930s-90s. German-Americans, Reformed church traditions, pietism, Evangelical Synod of North America, religious instruction, community identity, life histories.

Dubois County: German Americans (1993-1994), #035
10 interviews. Time period: 1930s-90s. German immigrants to Dubois County, Indiana. Preserving German heritage. Historic preservation. Nature of community. Multicultural education. German language instruction.

Dubois County: Hoosier Faiths, Hoosier Communities (1996-1997), #036
10 interviews. Time period: 1950s-90s. Interrelationship of religious and community identity in the county. Religious diversity. Churches as community centers.

Dubois County: Religion, Community, and Ethnic Identity (1995-1996), #038
11 interviews. Time period: 1960s-90s. Interrelationship of religious and ethnic identity. German-Americans in Dubois County. St. Joseph’s Church. Churches as community centers.

Dubois County: The Interwar Years (1994-1995), #039
10 interviews. Time Period: 1920s-1940s. The Depression. World War II. Religion. German clubs. German language in Dubois County. Family histories.