Oral Histories

An initiative that began in 2017, the University Archives has begun to digitize items from the Historical Audio Recordings collection and other collections. We have sorted these recordings into four categories: Lectures and Presentations, Oral Histories, Performances and Speeches. At present the category of Oral Histories is the only category that we are actively adding to. With support from the Office of the Provost, the University Archives has been interviewing current and emeritus faculty, staff and students on their experiences at Eastern Michigan University.

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Ted Ligibel, Oral History Interview, 2019

Matt Jones

Ted Ligibel was director of the Eastern Michigan University Historic Preservation program from his arrival in 1991 until his retirement in 2019. Already a recognized figure in Historic Preservation prior to his tenure at EMU, Ligibel speaks on his upbringing in Toledo where, as a child, he worked in his father's butchery grinding hamburger and dining on raw hot dogs. Ligibel describes the state of Historic Preservation under the Reagan administration and his battles with the mayor of Toledo over the nomination of historic sites. Ligibel also describes the "losing side" of historic preservation and the fact that those losses serve as valuable learning experiences. When Ligibel was appointed director of the EMU Historic Preservation program in 1991, he immediately set out to raise the visibility of the program, reflecting the concept that in the broader field of Historic Preservation, visibility is key to the success of any preservation project. Ligibel discusses the evolution of the Historic Preservation program throughout his tenure, describing the implementation of field school, the creation of graduate assistantships and student orientation, and the importance of vigorous networking even in the earliest stages of student involvement in preservation. Ligibel also speaks on several colleagues including Marshall McLennan, Nancy Bryk, Andrew Nazzaro and Chris Mayda, whom he credits with breathing new life into the Department of Geography and Geology before her death in 2016.
William Shelton Oral History Interview, 1998 April 3

Laurence Smith

William Shelton served as President of Eastern Michigan University from 1989 until 2000. In this interview, Shelton discusses the importance of good faculty/administrator relationships, marketing the university, and university fundraising. Shelton also evaluates his presidential predecessors on their merits and what he saw as their shortcomings. This interview is the first in a series of two interviews. This interview was conducted for the purpose of gathering primary research for Laurence Smith’s book, Eastern Michigan University: A Sesquicentennial Portrait (1999).
William Shelton Oral History Interview, 1999 April 19

Laurence Smith

William Shelton served as President of Eastern Michigan University from 1989 until 2000. In this interview, Shelton details his upbringing in the Mississippi Delta and the hardships his family endured in his youth. Shelton details his experience as a student at Memphis State University, and as vice president for Institutional Advancement at Kent State University. Shelton also speaks about changing the controversial EMU logo and mascot. This interview is the second in a series of two interviews. This interview was conducted for the purpose of gathering primary research for Laurence Smith’s book, Eastern Michigan University: A Sesquicentennial Portrait (1999).
William Shelton, Oral History Interview, 2021

Susan Wentz and Matt Jones

William Everett Shelton (b. 1942) was president of Eastern Michigan University 1989-2000, and is universally recognized for his work to do away with the EMU logo and mascot, seen as culturally insensitive to many inside and outside of the university. In this interview, Shelton recounts his rise to higher education administration from his roots in segregated southern schools, and the turmoil surrounding the change of the EMU logo and mascot. Arriving on the heels of the Michigan Civil Rights Commission recommendation that all Michigan schools with culturally insensitive logos and mascots make changes to those depictions, Shelton was thrust into the spotlight as a brand new university president grappling with painful institutional growing pains. This interview centers around the values espoused by Shelton in his recommendation to the Board that EMU should, in fact, change the logo and mascot, that change is inevitable, and that it was the responsibility of universities to encourage growth and change along with the rest of American culture. Shelton also wrestles with his legacy at EMU as he describes the backlash from alumni unhappy with the logo change and the longterm effects of the Board's decision to drop the Huron logo.
William Stephens Oral History Interview, 1998 May 13

Laurence Smith

Colonel William Stephens served on the Eastern Michigan University Board of Regents from 1996 until 2001, serving as vice chairman and being named EMU Regent Emeritus in 2001. In this interview, Stephens details his experience as a black student in a majority-white college in the 1950s, his extensive military service, and his involvement with the United States Republican Black Caucus in Washington D.C. Stephens also discusses his service on the EMU Board of Regents, and his desire to ensure that Board members act as honest brokers for the University. This interview was conducted for the purpose of gathering primary research for Laurence Smith’s book, Eastern Michigan University: A Sesquicentennial Portrait (1999).
W. Scott Westerman, EMU Roles and Perspectives Interview, 1972

Robert Hoexter

EMU Roles and Perspectives was taped television program broadcast from the campus of EMU, and produced by Robert Hoexter (1930-1978). Hoexter joined the faculty at the EMU School of Education in 1964, and served as Coordinator of Graduate Advising from 1969-1971. A member of the Faculty Senate from 1973-1976, Hoexter was elected vice-chairman from 1974-1975, and chairman, 1975-1976. In this interview, Hoexter sits down with W. Scott Westerman. Westerman served as Dean of the Eastern Michigan University College of Education from 1971-1992. Westerman’s commitment to quality education brought EMU national recognition for outstanding academic programs and a national reputation as one of the largest producers of quality educators in the U.S. In this interview, primarily about bussing in public schools, Westerman discusses the effect of bussing on the integration of public schools, and the rise in academic performance amongst disadvantaged students when placed with high-achieving students.