Interview with Charles H. Holbrow

Partial Transcript: Today is February 4th, 2016...

Segment Synopsis: Why UW? Decision by father who thought CH needed to have less fun. CH not overly eager to go. Father selects UW as it's not a "city school".

Segment Synopsis: Early life in Boston Area. Moving for father's jobs after WWII. Moved to a suburb of Columbus, OH at end of junior high school years. Student with mixed grades, but they had improved by tenth grade.

Keywords: education; family; high school

Segment Synopsis: First visit to Madison. Finding a rental. Relationship with Herbert Howe. Avoiding ILS due to interest in science degree.

Keywords: Herbert Howe; ILS; academic interest; apartment

Segment Synopsis: Searching for housing. First roommate. Recalls large numbers of inadequately prepared students.

Keywords: Camp Randall

Segment Synopsis: First memories of Madison. Enjoyed the variety. Never missed a home football game. Neighbors/friends with other Ford students. Union at center of social existence. Special Sunday dinners. Socializing with ILS students.

Keywords: Badger football; Camp Randall; Rathskeller; Wisconsin Union; social life

Segment Synopsis: Registration memories. IBM cards. Long lines and registration in the armory.

Subjects: ROTC

Segment Synopsis: CH discusses meeting his wife. Social attachments to home. Married in 1966.

Keywords: birthday; student life

Segment Synopsis: Interested in physics since youth. Came to college with an interest in physical science. Took physics second year. Optics third year--a depressing experience. 7:45am class Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday. Becoming a history major half way through junior year.

Keywords: high school; history; optics; physics

Segment Synopsis: Other undergraduate relationships. The surprise of meeting students from New York later leads to meetings in NYC during breaks. Lived in a building designed and disowned by Frank Lloyd Wright.

Keywords: Christmas breaks; New York City; student life

Segment Synopsis: Social spaces on campus. Drinking on intramural fields and boating on lake Mendota. Renting canoes. Visiting friend's apartments. State street.

Keywords: North Butler Street; South Park Street; State Street

Segment Synopsis: Relations between generations of Ford Scholars.

Keywords: ILS

Segment Synopsis: College rituals and social events. Girlfriends and dances. Pledges a fraternity (DKE) freshman year, but later lost interest over pledge process antics.

Keywords: Great Hall; Greek life; dating; fraternity; student life

Segment Synopsis: Religious observance. Wrote a few pieces for the Cardinal. Part of Green Feather (?) organization. Joe-Must-Go campaigns and thoughts on McCarthyism.

Keywords: Joseph R. McCarthy; The Daily Cardinal; University Avenue

Segment Synopsis: Graduation in 1955. BA vs BS in history. Summers in Madison. Influence of Russian scholars. Admitted to Harvard and Columbia's Russian Studies programs. Went to Columbia an worked in Russian institute, but was somewhat unhappy with the experience. Thinks Columbia mistreats graduate students. Married in June after graduation and moved into apartment together. Had a baby in 1957. Studying history had become depressing. Sneaking off to math class. Significance of Sputnik for return to science. Admitted to graduate school in physics. Money problems (before Sputnik).

Keywords: Columbia; Russian Institute; financing education; graduate school; marriage; math; physics

Segment Synopsis: Jobs during graduate school. Cleaning paint mills. Job with US armed forces institute. Hired as grader for United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI).

Keywords: United States Armed Forces Institute; financing education

Segment Synopsis: Differences between undergraduate and graduate life. Early doubts as husband and father. A moment of clarity and confidence. Degree awarded in 1963.

Keywords: Bascom Hall; Sterling Hall; student bonding

Segment Synopsis: Frequent returns to WI, esp. during the summer. Bombing in Sterling hall near what had been CH's office. Knew the wounded and dead. The process of getting the accelerator back up and running. Tensions with Barshall following the bombing. Stopping by Madison.

Keywords: Robert Fassnacht; Sterling Hall bombing; nuclear physics

Segment Synopsis: Keeping up with Ford scholars. Naming a Professorship after Herbert Howe. Recollections of Howe.

Keywords: Herbert Howe

Segment Synopsis: Describing accompanying photographs. Air Force ROTC freshman year. Experience as photographer. Describes first nice camera. Reunions.

Keywords: John Israel; ROTC; drills; graduation

Segment Synopsis: Thoughts on coming to college at an early age. Gratitude to father.