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Full-Text Articles in History
Karen Zander, Karen Zander, Meg Miner
Karen Zander, Karen Zander, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Zander recalls writing to Myers when he was rumored to be considering closing the School of Nursing. Her primary contact with him was when she was selected as a recipient of an honorary doctorate in 2001 and she recalls being a guest in his home and seeing some of his collections. Her interview also includes a number of stories about her time as a student with topics including being a member of Sigma Kappa, Sigma Theta Tau, attending rallies against the Vietnam War and "women's hours," and the 300 level Humanities class she was part of. She closes with a …
Sarah Florentine, Sarah Vales Florentine, Meg Miner
Sarah Florentine, Sarah Vales Florentine, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Florentine recalls Myers loaning her 18th Century cook books from his collection for a History 290 research project she worked on and continued as an intern at the David Davis Mansion. In recalling that incident, she reflects on how Myers' willingness to loan his books "allowed his collection to do something" other than sit on a shelf. It could teach something to people he shared it with. She recalls Myers using his famous "do good" comment at Freshman Convocation. The book title is "Managing Clover Lawn: From Ingredients to Enjoyment: A Guide to the Kitchen of Sarah Davis and the …
John "Jack" Muirhead, John Muirhead, Meg Miner
John "Jack" Muirhead, John Muirhead, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Muirhead begins by telling the story of the home he lived in, which was removed when the Ames Library was built, and how Myers remembered his connection to the site while giving a library tour. He also recalls Myers cooking a special dinner for him and Pam Muirhead after Ellen Myers made a connection with their interests. Muirhead contrasts differences in the physical campus and atmosphere before Myers' era. He also recalls the emphasis Myers brought to the presence of John Wesley Powell at IWU and Myers' support for the Black History Project through the McLean County Museum of History. …
Jim Routi, Jim Routi, Meg Miner
Jim Routi, Jim Routi, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Routi was a member of the Cabinet for 30 years. His comments center mainly on Myers' leadership styles, comparing them with the four other presidents he served under. Routi shares observations on the role of a president and Myers' abilities in fulfilling those functions. He believes Myers' collecting was a life long passion and hobby that got out of hand and may have served as an escape from other aspects of his life. However, he does not feel that collecting had an influence on how Myers conducted his presidency. Routi makes brief mention of the collections he knew about: postcards, …
Suan Guess-Hanson, Suan Guess-Hanson, Meg Miner
Suan Guess-Hanson, Suan Guess-Hanson, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Guess-Hanson recalls Myers attending campus and community events and comments on the effects such visibility had with him, and other presidents, on the community. She taught in the same school that Ellen Myers did and mentions seeing her in the years since the time of Myers' presidency. Guess-Hanson shares recollections of changes in campus over the years and notes the positive impact that being able to attend events in different campus venues had on the community. She composed a choral piece in memoriam to Myers and donated a copy it to the archives which is also linked below.
Pamela Buchanan Muirhead, Pamela Buchanan Muirhead '68, Meg Miner
Pamela Buchanan Muirhead, Pamela Buchanan Muirhead '68, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Muirhead discusses Myers' interactions with students and his appreciation of her fascination with historical collections. In one story, she mentions name tags a student made for a class visit to Myers' home; she donated one to the archives' collections and a copy of it is linked below. Muirhead also covers her role in campus administration and how Provost and Dean Ellen Hurwitz influenced her; she then shares her views on Myers' management of the University and different aspects of his leadership style including perspectives on the dual needs of faculty scholarship and teaching. She offers insights into Myers' attitudes on …
Barbara Ford, Barbara Ford, Meg Miner
Barbara Ford, Barbara Ford, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Ford remembers Myers as being the key person to getting The Ames Library built and that in and of itself has had a major impact on IWU. She remarks on Myers' commitment to books as physical objects and reflects on research that supports "book as artifact" as still being popular among today's students; however, her own teaching experience shows otherwise. Ford affirms that there is a place for both, and that an emphasis on the quality and relevance of the source is more important than the format.
Brian Simpson, Brian Simpson, Meg Miner
Brian Simpson, Brian Simpson, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Simpson recalls meeting and getting to know Myers and his family as patrons of his store Babbitt's Books. Myers asked him to appraise collections the library received from estates and Simspon reflects on that work. Simpson describes Myers' goal in acquiring special collections for the library not so much for their suitability to undergraduate study but more so that people would come to campus to see these things. Myers understood the value that objects held for research rather than the content but Simpson also recalls Myers' willingness to balance the usefulness of content on microfilm when the original would be …
Garrett Davey, Garret Davey, Meg Miner
Garrett Davey, Garret Davey, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Davey recalls a class visit to Myers' home and the many things Myers shared about his collecting; reflects on the meaning he took from Myers' collecting and the influence his personal characteristics had. Davey observes that Myers' passion for his collections was contagious and that Myers' desire to find meaning in these objects was inspirational.
Dr. Muirhead recalls the same class visit and a copy of the name tag Davey recalls is associated with her interview.
James Martin, James Martin, Meg Miner
James Martin, James Martin, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Martin felt Myers' greatest influence was by being a positive personality who was present at events. He states that the presences of a positive authority influences students and faculty to want to do well. Martin uses the phrase "ministry of presence" to describe the impact this trait has. Martin felt the campus became more world-minded and interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on curiosity and diversity under Myer's leadership. The fire and passion Myers exemplified influenced the character of IWU.
Princess Galloway, Princess Galloway, Meg Miner
Princess Galloway, Princess Galloway, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Galloway shares the story of how she became a candidate in the Wade McCree, Jr. Scholarship Program as a Middle School student in Detroit. The year she entered the program was the first time a private college out of state became part of the program. She recalls Myers learning about her when she was 14 through an introduction by C. Robert Berg, Class of 1965, and that Myers kept in touch throughout her high school year. They had additional interaction throughout her four years and describes herself as a challenge for Myers. She describes the efforts she led during her …
Rebecca Anderson Matuszak, Rebecca Anderson Matuszak, Meg Miner
Rebecca Anderson Matuszak, Rebecca Anderson Matuszak, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Matuszak recalls the influence a speech about multi-talented individuals had on her life. Myers cited books about and articles about geniuses in this talk that she feels helped her understand herself better and that continued to influence her career path. She relates examples of how the ease of relating to him led her and her peers to go to him first about problems and how he supported student initiatives. Overall, he set the example of what a life-long learner could be. He left the impression that he was listening for what he could learn from you and so when he …
Mike Davis, Mike Davis, Meg Miner
Mike Davis, Mike Davis, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Davis was WESN manager and reflects on Myers' support for the station. He cites this as an empowering experience, when someone believes in you. Davis is now an academic and has been an administrator and draws on the experiences he had as a student in his interactions with students today. He thinks the administration isn't usually visible on a college campus but that his presences and way of emphasizing the unique qualities of IWU students was intended to make students feel welcome. Davis also describes the condition of Myers' office.
Katherine Brokaw, Katherine Brokaw, Meg Miner
Katherine Brokaw, Katherine Brokaw, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Brokaw is a 4th generation IWU alumna and recalls her first memory of Myers is from when she was in 4th grade and asked to conduct an interview with him. She described Myers' support for her many academic interests ad that he invited her and her friends to look at and use books in his home. One memorable title he showed her was an early printing of Dante's La Comedia. He also gifted her books he thought she would like. She observes that Myers was "curious about the world and about other people" and that he seemed to have an …
Faizal Chaudhury, Faizal Chaudhury, Meg Miner
Faizal Chaudhury, Faizal Chaudhury, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Chaudhury recalls a conversation with Myers during a Sophomore year reception at Myers' house about being a Renaissance Man and the value of liberal arts education in achieving that level of knowledge. He also shares memories of living in I-House (the International House, located in Kemp Hall). Chaudhury says Myers had an interest in acquiring a book by Tagore, an Indian poet of Bangladeshi origin but that Chaudhury was unable to make it home to find a copy before Myers' death. Overall, he believes Myers' interests in students was genuine and made a difference in his experiences at IWU.
Cindy Gendrich, Cindy Gendrich, Meg Miner
Cindy Gendrich, Cindy Gendrich, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Gendrich shared an interest with Myers in 18th century etiquette books and shares insights into why Myers collected them. She directs Wake Forest University's Performance and the Liberal Arts Center and discusses how she and Myers shared an understanding of the need for education to encompass a knowledge about the world around a particular discipline. Myers loaned her about ten of his books for her dissertation and she describes that encounter and the way some of Myers' books were shelved in his home. Gendrich characterizes Myers as a "walking around president" and reflects on the qualities of presidents.
Daniel Bassill, Daniel Bassill, Meg Miner
Daniel Bassill, Daniel Bassill, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Bassill describes his encounter with Myers that led him to believe Myers was a collector of "people who were doing good things." Myers supported his work with Tutor-Mentor Connection (http://tutormentorexchange.net) and was interested in getting faculty and students involved in it. Bassill received an Honorary Doctorate in 2001.
Meghan Murphy-Lee, Meghan Murphy-Lee, Meg Miner
Meghan Murphy-Lee, Meghan Murphy-Lee, Meg Miner
All oral histories
Murphy-Lee served in Student Senate and so recalls getting to know Myers through Board of Trustee meetings and that he took an interest in her desire to be a contract Russian major. Myers and Dr. Marina Balina helped her achieve her goals and served as models of scholarly behavior for students.
Chris Kawakita, Chris Kawakita '98, Rick Lindquist '99
Chris Kawakita, Chris Kawakita '98, Rick Lindquist '99
All oral histories
Chris Kawakita, Class of 1998, now works for the Office of Admissions.
Tony Bankston, Tony Bankston '91, Rick Lindquist '99
Tony Bankston, Tony Bankston '91, Rick Lindquist '99
All oral histories
Tony Bankston, Class of 1991, serves as Dean of Admissions at IWU.
Stew Salowitz, Stew Salowitz '76, Rick Lindquist '99
Stew Salowitz, Stew Salowitz '76, Rick Lindquist '99
All oral histories
Stew Salowitz, Class of 1976, recalls his experiences working for WESN.
Paul Nolte, Paul Nolte '84, Rick Lindquist '99
Paul Nolte, Paul Nolte '84, Rick Lindquist '99
All oral histories
Paul Nolte, Class of 1984, worked at WESN for four years, and still continues to do radio broadcasting today (as of 2007).