Interview with Linda Newman

Partial Transcript: "Linda, what position did you retire from, from the university?"

Segment Synopsis: Linda Newman (LN) retired from being assistant dean in the school of education at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, only to return and work for another four years as an ombud.

Keywords: Assistant Dean; Ombud; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "So where were you born?"

Segment Synopsis: LN was born in New York City. Her father came to the United States from Spain, where he had fought in the Spanish Civil War against General Francisco Franco. LN's mother graduated from Smith College and traveled to the Soviet Union for a year in 1936. Her parents met in New York while they were both working for the taxi industry. They married on July 5, 1940 and LN was born on May 24, 1941.

Keywords: General Francisco Franco; New York City; Smith College; Soviet Union; Spanish Civil War; Taxi Industry

Partial Transcript: "So your parents had a shared interest in radical politics it sounds like."

Segment Synopsis: Her parents were brought together by their shared interest in radical politics. LN's father was Jewish, but grew up in Irish Harlem and her mother was raised in Darien, Connecticut. LN said her mother's political interests helped form her connection with George Mosse. LN studied English literature during her undergrad and history in graduate school, upon her parents insistence. She volunteered for Henry Wallace's presidential campaign in 1948 and always took an interest in politics, although she did not consider herself to be as much of a radical as her parents. Her parents were tracked by the FBI because of their political affiliations while LN was growing up.

Keywords: Connecticut; FBI; George L. Mosse; Harlem; Henry Wallace; History; New York City; Politics; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "Have you accessed your parents files?"

Segment Synopsis: LN has not accessed her parents FBI files. Her mother was able to examine her own FBI file before she died, and enjoyed comparing it to the file of another one of her radical friends.

Keywords: FBI; FBI Files

Partial Transcript: "Well we've just requested George's file."

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer discussed how he has requested George Mosse's FBI file. George Mosse was involved in a Marxist reading group at Harvard, which caused him to be denounced by a colleague during the second red scare and get investigated by HUAC. LN discussed how George Mosse did not want to come to the United States. The interviewer and LN speculated that George Mosse most likely wished to stay in England and become an "English gentleman" like his cousin.

Keywords: England; FBI; George L. Mosse; HUAC; Harvard; Marxism; Red Scare

Partial Transcript: "So you had then; this interest in history?"

Segment Synopsis: LN studied history in graduate school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and also worked as an undergraduate advisor for the history department. She discussed the professors that she worked with in graduate school and her contacts in the history department when she was an assistant dean in the school of education. When LN became an undergraduate advisor, she quickly befriended George Mosse because his office was across the hall from hers. LN talked about the undergraduate students with whom she and George Mosse formed close bonds.

Keywords: George L Mosse; History; History Department; School of Education; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "So you came to Madison; Your mother knew Merle..."

Segment Synopsis: LN talked about her mother's involvement with Merle Curti, who was crucial to her mother's political development. The interviewer discussed audio recording of Merle Curti speaking against World War II from 1943. LN's mother graduated from Smith College in 1935 and lived with the Curti's for a year before going to the Soviet Union. Her mother helped Merle with his book "Peace and War."

Keywords: Merle Curti; Politics; Soviet Union; World War II

Partial Transcript: "So you arrived in Madison in 1962 to this world famous and very highly recognized and appreciated department..."

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer contrasted the history department of UW-Madison in the 1960s with the history departments of Harvard and Yale. He described UW-Madison's department as more radical, which was part of what attracted LN. She also applied to graduate school at Brown University and Yale, but UW-Madison was the only place she was accepted. She initially worked with Professor Lovejoy and for Professor Litwack researching black history after the Civil War in the Wisconsin Historical Society. She also worked as a teaching assistant for history 101 and 102.

Keywords: Civil War; Harvard; History; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Yale

Partial Transcript: "So, tell me a bit about your impressions of Madison in those years, your circle, a bit more about the department.."

Segment Synopsis: LN met her former husband while in graduate school at UW-Madison. Her main circle of friends during this time were a group of U.S. history students. She talked about the various graduate students that she was friends with and the professors they worked under. She lived on Broom Street when she first moved to Madison. LN later lived on Langdon Street after she married her first husband, Ken. She did not get to know George Mosse until she was hired by the history department.

Keywords: Friendship; George L. Mosse; Graduate School; History; Langdon Street; Madison, Wisconsin; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "Were you engaged politically, because that period, when you came in '62..."

Segment Synopsis: LN said she did not known anyone "politically" in the history department. Her son was born in 1967, during which LN and her husband were often protesting the Vietnam War on State Street. She was on the UW-Madison campus in 1969, when the National Guard came to campus due to a strike. LN described her political education during this time as minimal and her passions as extreme. She discussed the people with whom she became politically involved.

Keywords: 1960s; Madison, Wisconsin; State Street; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Vietnam War; Vietnam War Protests

Partial Transcript: "This was, we should say a group of young gay men at the time that they were coming out, but also, really the formative generation for gay rights."

Segment Synopsis: LN and the interviewer discussed a group of gay men in Madison who were a part of the gay liberation movement. LN was involved with the movement in the late '60s and early '70s, even before she realized she was gay.

Keywords: 1960s; 1970s; Gay Rights; Madison, Wisconsin

Partial Transcript: "So yes, it certainly was an exciting time. I came in at the tail end..."

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer started school at UW-Madison in 1970, but was often on campus in '68 and '69. The interviewer described the divisive politics in Madison during this time, but also the sense of possibility and hope of changing the world. It was a time when many people believed that anything was possible. LN described Mosse as the least hierarchical person that she knew. The interviewer characterized Mosse as humble, despite his privileged background.

Keywords: 1960s; 1970s; University of Wisconsin-Madison; Vietnam War

Partial Transcript: "There were so many stories, but one of the stories I loved..."

Segment Synopsis: George Mosse was skiing in Europe and there was a princess, who he stopped to talk to in order to find out what it was like to be a princess. He loved skiing. George Mosse did not do many things in his life that he did not love. The interviewer described Mosse as intensely curious. LN talked about attending Mosse's annual holiday party. He often held his undergraduate and graduate seminars in his home. LN and the interviewer discussed a female student who loved to argue with Mosse. She mentioned how Mosse would walk his dog in the cemetery and let the dog pee on the graves of certain people.

Keywords: Europe; George L. Mosse

Partial Transcript: "Harvey, I knew Harvey especially close to his death very well..."

Segment Synopsis: LN discussed Harvey and other faculty member in the history department. Mosse had a high standard for the other faculty members. He would have never described his standards as being high. They were a given, which LN and the interviewer attributed to his family background. The interviewer talked about how Mosse had been on the Cambridge ski team.

Keywords: George L. Mosse; History Department; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "But this brings up the other side and that is that George, because of his high standards..."

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer discussed how George at times did not give people enough of a chance due to his high standards. This came into play with graduate students. Mosse expected intense engagement and discipline in his graduate students. LN and the interviewer speculated that Mosse's attitude towards teaching graduate students probably would not work today. LN discussed Mosse's extraordinary integrity and the fact that he would not take on any graduate student that he felt he could not work with.

Keywords: George L. Mosse; Graduate Students; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "So do you recall any experiences from when you were the undergraduate advisor that related to George's teaching..."

Segment Synopsis: George Mosse did not often teach an undergraduate seminar, but he took them very seriously. He took a deep interest in the students who studied abroad at Hebrew University. LN and the interviewer think that Mosse would be heartbroken over the current political situations in the United States and Israel. They discussed his vision of Zionism with a human face.

Keywords: George L. Mosse; Hebrew University; Israel; Politics; United States; University of Wisconsin-Madison

Partial Transcript: "Well I don't went to take up more of your time Linda..."

Segment Synopsis: The interviewer discussed the strong sense of community within the history department. LN discussed the new members of the history department when she was an advisor. She talked about a rivalry between two history department faculty members. She discussed the close relationships she built with certain members of the history department. LN described Mosse as "the finest version of the aristocrats."

Keywords: George L. Mosse; History Department; University of Wisconsin-Madison