Please refer to the Lesley University Archives Oral History Collection Finding Aid to learn more about the collection.
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Itty Chan '61, Part 2
Alyssa Pacy
Itty Chan answered the last few questions in this segment of the interview. She offered insight regarding the struggles of women in China vs. America, experiences on a minority on a mostly white campus, and her career choices as a woman at the time.
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Itty Chan '61, Part 3
Alyssa Pacy
Itty Chan continued to discuss her undergraduate career at Lesley, following up the previous interview by comparing her experiences in America with Thailand and China. She mentioned the teaching techniques and philosophies she learned of, internships, and general student life. Chan also shared about her post Lesley journey, including research at other colleges, a twenty-seven year Kindergarten teaching career in BPS, the Headstart program, and a study group trip to China.
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Jeanne Norton Palmer '53
Alyssa Pacy
Jeanne Norton Palmer discussed her Undergraduate career at Lesley University. After briefly mentioning her graduation from Dedham High School in 1949, she elaborated on her transfer from Curry College in 1950.Palmer majored in Education, "the only thing you could major in at the time." Palmer described her shift in major, her interactions with then President Trentwell Mason White, and the classes she remembered taking. She also mentioned her teaching experience and time as a stewardess.
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Judith Diggs Potter
Alyssa Pacy
Judith Diggs Potter discussed her undergraduate career at Lesley University, from 1961 to 1964. She elaborated on her transfer from Jackson College at Tufts University, her experience as a black student on campus, and her Early Childhood Major. Potter also mentioned her classroom stories and Sorority bonding among other stories.
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Julia Mentzer Fifield
Alyssa Pacy
Julia Mentzer Fifield discusses her early life, being an only child growing up in the early 1900's. She details her first interactions with Edith Lesley, describing her as "a breath of fresh air!"Julia shared that her dorm room that was right above Edith Lesley's residence. She discusses some her memories on early dorm life, and school life.
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June Fox
Alyssa Pacy
June Fox discussed her teaching tenure at Lesley University, starting in 1975. She elaborated on her background and how she wound up teaching at Lesley. Fox also described the early days of Lesley's graduate education program, including her direction under Bill Perry and the administrative shift from President Don Orton to President Margaret McKenna.
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Loyal Lesley Daughters: An Oral History of Massachusetts' Women Teachers, 1925 - 1965
Patricia Kramer, Alyssa Pacy, Meryl Perlson, and Jim Ospenson
This video was part of the Loyal Lesley Daughters: An Oral History of Massachusetts Women Teachers, 1925-1965 exhibit that took place at the Marran Art Gallery from May 26-July 1, 2010. The video was commissioned for the exhibit and drew from materials from the Loyal Lesley Daughters oral history project created by Alyssa Pacy. The video combines audio excerpts from the oral histories with archival images and a new recording of the Loyal Lesley Daughters song.
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Mark Montgomery '08
Alyssa Pacy
Mark Montgomery discussed his undergraduate career at Lesley University. Coming from Bunker Hill as a History major, he described his experiences regarding classes, extracurricular activities and leadership opportunities.
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Martha Barry Mckenna
Alyssa Pacy
Martha Mckeena and Barbra Vacarr discuss their experience establishing the adult learning division.
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Nancy Langstaff, Part 1
Alyssa Pacy
Nancy Langstaff discussed starting the Arts in Education graduate school program at Lesley.
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Nancy Langstaff, Part 2
Alyssa Pacy
An addendum to the previous interview, Nancy Langstaff addressed her experience teaching at the White House.
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Natalie Saltmarsh Pogson '45
Alyssa Pacy
Pogson discussed her undergraduate career at Lesley University, from 1942 to 1945. She elaborated on her Early Childhood Education Major, her teaching experiences and serving on the Board of Trustees among other stories.
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Norma Canner, Part 1
Alyssa Pacy
Norma Canner discusses her early career as an actress turned dancer, as she worked with various productions on Broadway. Her work with children and later arrival at Lesley University as a dance therapist is also mentioned.
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Norma Canner, Part 2
Alyssa Pacy
Norma Canner follows up the first interview by describing her psychological techniques she used for psychotherapy, the effect of Freudian thinking on her work, and advice on helping students deal with their work. She describes the work that she did with students at the time, remarking on the classroom environment and other experiences in her classes at Lesley.
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Paolo Knill
Alyssa Pacy
Paolo Knill discussed his tenure at Lesley University. He elaborated on his youth during the war in Neuhausen am Rheinfall, a Switzerland town near Germany's border. Knill detailed how those experiences in early life influenced his expressive arts teaching career.
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Paul Crowley, Part 1
Alyssa Pacy
Paul Crowley discusses his background in eduction. He describes his experience as a founding faculty member of Lesley's Counseling Sociology department graduate program. Paul talks about what classes were offered in the early days of the program, as well as the many different internship placements. He also mentions the different location that the department has occupied from Winter Hill to 7 Melon St.
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Paul Crowley, Part 2
Alyssa Pacy
Continuing on from the previous interview, Paul start out by discussing the open and caring atmosphere at Lesley, Likening it to the strong female presence on the campus, he preferred it to other universities he taught at. Other topics mentioned were his various positions, the classroom environment, what the students were like and his retirement.
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Paul Crowley, Part 3
Alyssa Pacy
In the final interview Paul Crowley talks about the process of becoming a professor, goes into more detail about his retirement, and wraps up by answering some random questions.
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Phyllis Horvitz Friedman '49
Alyssa Pacy
Phyllis describes about her childhood growing up during the depression in Fall River, Mass. Phyllis also discusses her reasoning for choosing teaching as career path and her impression of Lesley during her time attending.
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Rhoda Mann '58
Alyssa Pacy
Rhoda Freed Mann discussed her experience within the Graduate School. As one of the earlier graduates of the Masters of Education program, she offered insight regarding her choosing of Lesley, the interview and acceptance process.
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Roberta Pelley di Gonzzaldi '48
Alyssa Pacy
In the interview Roberta Pelley di Gonzzaldi answers some background questions, talks about her time at Lesley, and academics. The academics portion of the interview covers what classes she took, her professors, favorite and least favorite classes. Roberta also speaks about dorm life, student activities, her social life, Lesley traditions and her life and career after Lesley
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Roberta Sibor Bradley '49
Alyssa Pacy and Jenny Gilbert
Roberta Sibor Bradley discusses some early experiences during her undergrad time at Lesley. She also discusses her teaching life after Lesley and how the fundamentals of teaching that she acquired at Lesley helped her teach special education and the developmentally disabled.
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Selma Chervin Bel '48
Alyssa Pacy and Jenny Gilbert
Selma Chervin Bell is interviewed at her home in Gloucester, MA. During the interview Selma discusses her undergraduate time at Lesley, as well as her life after Lesley. Teaching early childhood education, and later becoming a teaching principle. Selma also shares a bit about what she has been up to since retiring from being a principle.
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Shirley Sargent Forsman '41
Alyssa Pacy
Shirley Sargent Forsman talks her background and childhood in Quincy, MA. Shirley describes the earlier campus layout and campus life at Lesley. She also shares that Lesley students of the time spent a lot time at the Harvard Museum for their science classes.Stating that "she probably knew every inch of the museum." Shirley then discusses some info about her life after Lesley.
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Sondra Langer, Part 1
Alyssa Pacy
Sondra discusses her background, education, and arrival at Lesley. She also goes into detail about her various positions held at Lesley, the classroom environment, what the students were like and what classes she taught.
