Interview with Frank Clover

Partial Transcript: Introduce yourself, please.

Segment Synopsis: Question: Introduce yourself, and tell your story? Where were you during the demonstrations? Answer: Frank was a member of the History faculty at UW teaching at Bascom Hall during the demonstrations. He became aware of the protests due to the noise coming from the Commerce Building. Because police forces remained stationary at Commerce Building, many congregated in Bascom Hall to escape the violence.

Keywords: Bascom Hall; Commerce Building

Partial Transcript: And another moment across the day...

Segment Synopsis: Frank talks about a memory of a student regretting that the events of October 18th transpired at "his" university. He remembers that campus was in a state of confusion but that "everyone made it home" at the end of the day.

Keywords: Bascom Hall

Segment Synopsis: Frank discusses the staff meetings that followed the Dow Demonstration. These meetings were packed, and the staff of UW decided to support Chancellor Sewell (an anti-war chancellor who feared that campus violence would continue). He later stepped aside and Edwin Young became the chancellor. Young took a harder stance against protests.

Keywords: Edwin Young; William Sewell; chancellor; faculty; vote of confidence

Partial Transcript: And you were mentioning that this day, 50 years ago set off repercussions of activity on campus, making the university stand out among the nation for various reasons.

Segment Synopsis: Question: What kinds of activity did the Dow Demonstrations set off on campus? How did these actions give UW a certain reputation? Answer: Frank discusses student responses to Young's disinterest in negotiation. Frank believes that some students sought shutting down the university. Conflicts between Young and students led to a slew of violence in January 1969 as various campus protests erupted. The National Guard was called to these protests, and Frank believes that the Guard had a "calming effect" on students.

Keywords: Edwin Young; National Guard; protest

Segment Synopsis: The next major protest occurred in May 1970 as Nixon moved troops into Cambodia. These protests were again quelled by the National Guard.

Keywords: Cambodia; National Guard; Nixon; Vietnam War

Partial Transcript: The reason I mentioned I was going to bring Art Buchwald into play...

Segment Synopsis: Frank discusses humorist Art Buchwald: he was involved with the Wisconsin State Journal. Buchwald likened attending UW - Madison to joining the war as protests became increasingly hostile. Buchwald discusses the differences between National Guard involvement at UW and Kent State.

Keywords: January 1969; Kent State University; National Guard; Wisconsin State Journal

Partial Transcript: If we may back up, to this day 50 years ago and maybe the subsequent semesters until '69, what was it like to be a faculty member...

Segment Synopsis: Question: Was it possible to resume normalcy as a teacher during this era of protest? Answer: Frank believes the protests "came and went," but radical students started to mobilize specific academic departments by 1968. Disruptions of classes became common. He recalls an instance in which outraged students interrupted his class but were subdued by his own students.

Keywords: disruptions; students

Partial Transcript: Well, thank you for these stories. Is there anything else you'd like to add, the way this anniversary being marked, reflecting on it, shaped your life in the last 50 years?

Segment Synopsis: Question: Additional Thoughts? How did this event shape your life? Answer: Frank discusses the rapid expansion of universities in the 1960's and how this led to disorder within the faculty/administration of UW. He also discusses how he believes the protests were more likely against the increasingly conservative nature of the US government than against the war.

Keywords: January 1969; Nixon; U.S. government; expansion; university