Allan and Barbara Carpenter oral history interview with Kathy Smiarowski

Item Information

Title:
Allan and Barbara Carpenter oral history interview with Kathy Smiarowski
Description:
Interview with long-time residents of Amherst, residents of neighborhood just above north end of campus. Barbara is the daughter of Arthur Julian, instructor in German at Mass. Aggie who moved to Amherst in 1911 and settled next to William Penn Brooks. Development of north campus area. (00:02:15) Fires at Abigail Adams House and barns. (00:04:10) Julian family. (00:06:10) Allan's time as student at UMass, studying "girls" from 1942, when tuition was $50. (00:07:35) All freshmen and sophomore leave for Fort Devens; off and on study until graduation in 1950; class size and courses. (00:11:00) First encroachment of university on their neighborhood with growth of Lederle building; growing up on the edge of campus; picking up produce, milk, and eggs at the college. (00:16:10) Impact of encroachment on residents; many more absentee landlords now and most homes in the neighborhood are rentals to students; changes in relations with neighbors now and then. (00:20:40) Changes in student body over the years; students are not friendly and make no eye contact and feel intrusive if they make eye contact; in the 1940s, everyone on campus knew everyone else, more community-based campus; student socializing in the 1940s with chaperones, housemothers at fraternities and sororities; university relations with the community, skating on the campus pond. (00:25:42) Old Chapel. (00:26:45) Struggles in town of Amherst to handle the university's growth; students and bad behavior, "uncontrolled use of alcohol;" landlords; negotiations between town and gown; moving Governor's Drive and impact and failure of communication over property; concern to town of expense for ambulance, fire, and police due to students' behavior. (00:35:50) Barbara's father would be "devastated" to see changes in campus, loss of agriculture part, change in attitude and stucture of campus. (00:37:10) When will enough be enough in living with the campus as a neighbor; Chancellor Scott and Beverly Wood did engage the neighborhood in planning relating to Governor's Drive expansion and construction of the Computer Science Building, but none since and agreements are no longer remembered. (00:42:22) Wysocki Farm and initiative to move the 1894 Horse Barn: a "useless" expense; ROTC and agriculture classes in the 1940s. (00:48:10) Noise pollution and relations with nearby fraternities; fire at fraternity and rebuilding as sorority, Kappa Alpha Theta; ongoing issues with fraternities and noise; less trouble with new residential halls on north campus. (00:52:44) Why have they stayed so long?
Interviewee:
Carpenter, Allan
Interviewee:
Carpenter, Barbara
Interviewer:
Smiarowski, Kathy
Date:
October 11, 2012
Format:
Audio recordings (nonmusical)
Genre:
Oral histories (document genres)
Location:
Special Collections and University Archives, University of Massachusetts Amherst Libraries
Box 001 (shelf locator)
Collection (local):
UMass Amherst Oral History Collection
UMass Amherst Sesquicentennial Oral History Collection
Series:
Amherst community
Subjects:
University of Massachusetts Amherst--History
University of Massachusetts Amherst--Students
Greek letter societies--Massachusetts--Amherst
Amherst (Mass.)--History
Old Chapel (University of Massachusetts Amherst)
Julian family
Places:
Massachusetts > Hampshire (county) > Amherst
Extent:
01:05:35
Link to Item:
https://credo.library.umass.edu/view/full/murg1_207_2013-i019
Terms of Use:
Requests to publish, redistribute, or replicate this material should be addressed to Special Collections and University Archives, UMass Amherst Libraries.
Contact host institution for more information.
Place of origin:
Amherst (Mass.)
Language:
English
Identifier:
murg1_207_2013-i019