Dwight Drexler

Publication Date

5-6-1974

Comments

This interview was recorded on a cassette tape on May 6, 1974 and was digitized in Spring 2018. Separated from two other interviews on the same tape: Jack Horenberger and Anne Meierhofer. The interviewer is not named but on the Horenberger tape he's caled Lenny.

[The abstract is only a summary of the first 13 minutes of the recording.]

Abstract

Dr. Drexler was a member of the Class of 1934 and taught at Illinois Wesleyan from 1943-79.

Drexler was a student when Presser was built and reflects on the classroom experience before and after; he also talks about classes in Old North. He mentions a student protest to allow for buildings being open longer to accomodate more practice time. He talks about the enrollment and how even the Depression didn't negatively impact the numbers; limited amounts of faculty time were more of a factor. He mentions campus Christmas traditions in the 1940s-50s and how the academic calendar changes made "light hearted" traditions more difficult.

He speaks of the opera productions staged at the Bloomington Consistory and how returning GIs meant that the maturity of men's voices made this possible; he also notes that Presser isn't suited to dramatic productions.

Drexler also shares details on the changes to the campus through street closures, house removals, etc.

Streaming Media

Duration

00:34:47

Disciplines

Higher Education

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