Guide to the Oral History Interviews with Stanford People
SC0527
Daniel Hartwig
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
October 2010
Green Library
557 Escondido Mall
Stanford 94305-6064
specialcollections@stanford.edu
Note
This encoded finding aid is compliant with Stanford EAD Best Practice Guidelines,
Version 1.0.
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Department of Special Collections and University Archives
Title: Oral history interviews with Stanford people
creator:
Goodwin, George M.
creator:
Gregorian, Vartan.
Identifier/Call Number: SC0527
Physical Description:
0.25 Linear Feet
(4 audiocassettes)
Date (inclusive): 1993
Abstract: Audio cassettes, with brief typed
summaries, of interviews with Vartan Gregorian, E. Fay Jones, Emily Hanna Johnson, and John
Paul Hanna, 1993. Gregorian discusses his childhood and Armenian roots, student days at
Stanford, his teaching career, and his administrative career at Brown University. Jones
primarily discusses his career as an architect, including his work with Frank Lloyd Wright.
The interviews with Emily Hanna Johnson and John Paul Hanna concern the Hanna family and the
family home on the Stanford campus that was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
Immediate Source of Acquisition note
Gift of George M. Goodwin, 1993-1994.
Information about Access
This collection is open for research.
Ownership & Copyright
All requests to reproduce, publish, quote from, or otherwise use collection materials must
be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford
University Libraries, Stanford, California 94304-6064. Consent is given on behalf of Special
Collections as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply
permission from the copyright owner. Such permission must be obtained from the copyright
owner, heir(s) or assigns. See:
http://library.stanford.edu/depts/spc/pubserv/permissions.html.
Restrictions also apply to digital representations of the original materials. Use of
digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
Cite As
Oral History Interviews with Stanford People (SC0527). Dept. of Special Collections and
University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.
Description of the Collection
Audio cassettes, with brief typed summaries, of interviews with Vartan Gregorian, E. Fay
Jones, Emily Hanna Johnson, and John Paul Hanna, 1993. Gregorian discusses his childhood and
Armenian roots, student days at Stanford, his teaching career, and his administrative career
at Brown University. Jones primarily discusses his career as an architect, including his
work with Frank Lloyd Wright. The interviews with Emily Hanna Johnson and John Paul Hanna
concern the Hanna family and the family home on the Stanford campus that was designed by
Frank Lloyd Wright.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Audiotapes.
Oral histories.
Grogorian, Vartan.
Hanna, John Paul
Goodwin, George M.
Goodwin, George M.
Jones, Euine Fay
Gregorian, Vartan.
Wright, Frank Lloyd, 1867-1959
Johnson, Emily Hanna.
box 1, folder 1
Gregorian,
Vartan
1993 Jan 23
Oral history interview with Vartan Gregorian
Scope and Contents
Side A: Remarkable life's journey: Tabriz to Providence. "Armenian Horatio Alger."
Influences of grandmother and teachers. No master plan for life. Education is
helicopter from burning village. Friend became famous thief. Classmates from College
Armenien, Beirut. Set of accidents. Thought would teach high school. Offer from
Brazil. Armenian, French, Arabic, English, and other languages. Opposed to studying in
England. Friends in California. Applied to Stanford and Berkeley. Did miserably on
S.A.T.: day of earthquake. Admitted both schools. Chose Stanford because accepted
there first. Tuition $750. Completed B.A. two years (Class of 1958). Stayed with
Armenian family in San Francisco. Exposure to American culture through movies and
music. Lived Stanford "Village," then Stern Hall. Apartment in Menlo Park. Lived with
Ethiopian, one of few Blacks in student body. Ford Foundation grant for two years'
study in Europe and Asia. Selection of dissertation topic: history of Afghanistan. 700
pages, considered a classic, finished Ph.D. in 1964. Taught at San Francisco State,
beginning 1959, then 1962 to 1968. Instructor's salary $5,600, twice that offered by
Stanford. Loved to teach. Won Danforth prize for distinguished teaching, one of 10
prizes in nation. Recruited by University of Texas. Doubled salary and only sabbatical
of career. Full professor at 36. Stanford was small, intimate, a community. Close to
numerous professors. Degrees in humanities and history. Adviser was Wayne Vucinich.
Met wives through International Center. President Wallace Sterling. Played soccer.
Worked several part-time jobs. Everthing I am owe to Stanford. Social life and dating.
President of International Club. Invited join eating club. No unpleasant experiences.
Travels in California. Wife, Clare Russell, Class of 1959. Engaged days before her
graduation. Married 1960. Visits to Iran. Father and sister. Tolerance toward
Armenians. Helped Iranian students at Penn during hostage crisis. Am American: not
schizoid about citizenship. Unlike Harvard, Stanford does not cultivate alumni. Only
recognition was Centennial speech. No connections for New York Public Library.
Side B: Stanford graduates succeed on own. Three sons. Considered for presidency of
Stanford, but declined. Commitment to Brown. Fundamental changes made by faculty, not
president. Leadership styles. Would choose Stanford again. Am East Coast person.
Stanford's greatness due to Sterling and Terman. Excellence in teaching and research.
Recent controversies over federal grants and Western Civilization. Unity of knowledge.
Penn a great unversity but left provostship angrily. Lifetime dream be chancellor of
Berkeley. Agreement with Penn trustees. Presidents come and go. Assets of Brown. Not
having fun: job for missionaries. Tougher than New York Public Library.
box 1, folder 2
Hanna, John
Paul
1993 Oct 9
Oral history interview with John Paul Hanna
Physical Description: 1
audiocassette(s)
Scope and Contents
Parents, Paul and Jean Hanna, built home on Stanford University campus, 1936-37.
Parents' bond with Frank Lloyd Wright. Midwesterners and children of Methodist
ministers. John knew grandmothers. Parents' families lived near Fairmont, Minnesota.
Paul born Sioux City, Iowa. Uncle Russell Hanna still lives Minnesota. Parents not
religious. Maternal grandmother lived Palo Alto. Parents conservatives regarding
smoking, drinking, dress. Typical faculty family. Suspicious of FOR. Not Midwestern
but international perspective. Graduate study and teaching at Columbia University.
World travel. Dad accused of being liberal because of authorship of textbooks.
Supported UN. Economic conservative. Professor of education but not "schoolman." Broad
outlook. Led by example. High expectations. Jean died at 84; Paul (born 1902), died
85. Neither interested avant-garde. Interest music traditional. Jean played organ and
piano. Not much interest visual arts because lack place to display paintings. House
was piece sculpture. Mementos of travels. Attraction to Wright philosophical. Rented
house on Waverly Street, Palo Alto. Not aware parents' wider knowledge of Wright.
Suggest speak to sister, 18 months older, who lives Marin County. John born 1932.
Earliest recollection house: cow pastures with castle on hill. Vague memories of
construction. Visitors showed interest. Professors complained to President Wilbur.
Father's financial risk and burden. Cost rose from $15k to $40k. 99-year lease of
land. Income from book sales. Not Usonian house but gentleman's. Comparable house
today cost $3 million. House could not have been bequeathed to family but parents
could have sold rather than give to Stanford. Didn't believe inherited wealth. Gifts
to alma mater, Hamline University, and Stanford's Hoover Institution. Parents full
partners in marriage, though Paul boss. Paul dreamer and optimist. Book on house was
joint effort. Parents serious not frivolous. Not emotional or outward display of anger
or joy. Reserved and controlled. House profoundly shaped family life. Appreciation for
quality of environment. House was central focus: an anchor. Binds children even now.
Felt special. Used fireplace as symbol of home. Comfort. Parents never regretted
house. Met Wright half-dozen times: charismatic and eccentric. Never talked to
him.
box 1, folder 3
Johnson, Emily
Hanna
1993 Nov 28
Oral history interview with Emily Hanna Johnson
Physical Description: 1
audiocassette(s)
Scope and Contents
Side A: Parents Paul and Jean Hanna, built home on Stanford University campus,
1936-37. Midwestern attitude: naive, trustting, open, generous. Mother maintained
family ties. Never possibility of parents' return to Midwest. Grandfather Milton
Shuman died 1925. Grandfather George Hanna died 1935. Grandmother Lulu Shuman lived in
Palo Alto (died 1947). Dontt. know her thoughts of Hanna house. Grandmother Regula
Hanna (died 1974) very different. Never comfortable in house. Both grandfathers
Methodist ministers: Hanna circuit preacher; Shuman previously engineer, very
sophisticated. Parsons· wives: country and city. Mother wanted be religious. Father
rejected utterly. Mother's family warm and loving. Father, unlike mother believed
anything possible through education. He never discussed ideas with children. Extremely
busy man. Reserved his opinions for intellectually advanced. Coincidence that F.L.
Wright was child of minister. Other commonalities: British ancestry and utopian
dreamers. Both parents drawn to Mr. and Mrs. W through philosophy. Mrs. W represented
artistic expression: his alter ego. What a team were Wts, as were parents. Mother
linguist, musician, and actress. Gave up career for marriage. More extraverted, but
father also had surprising sense humor. Father trained with John Dewey (1859-1952) at
Columbia University. Interest in internationalism derived from disillusionment with
capitalism. Believed world law. Shifted from Roosevelt to Nixon supporter. Never
discussed politics. Against student protest. Supported firing of Prof. Bruce Franklin
at Stanford. Believed law and order. Dogmatic. Knowledge and intelligence made for
difficult adversary. Parents lived in awe W. W could turn on charm. W recognized
parents' intellect and open-mindedness. Also determination. Always believed W would
take commission. Followed progressive architects, such as Mies. Parents wanted get
away from box. Not interested in Neutra. W selected while parents still living in New
York. Visits by foreign architects (not named). Children not participate in dinner
parties. 1948, Emily left for college: Stanford then Scripps. Degree from Stanford.
Married immediately after college. Parents saw much W's work. Close friends other
owners, including Japanese clients. Visited granddaughter, Anne Baxter. Knew
California owners. Welcomed prospective clients. Almost always gracious. Very close
friendship with W's until Mrs. W's death. Visited, called, wrote. Close to Wes Peters
and Bruce Pfeiffer. Always "Mr. W." First name with Mrs. W. W intellectual mentor to
father. Parents idolized W. W changed furniture, which mother changed again. W
probably never spoke at Stanforq. Parents gave slide lecture about house. Hosted
Taliesin visitors in guest house. Don't know if parents asked to provide funds for
Taliesin. Father methodical about saving documentation. Knew he had built great house.
Gave papers to Stanford University and Hoover Institution at Stanford.
box 1, folder 4
Jones, Euine Fay,
1921-2004.
1993 Oct 17
Oral history interview with E. Fay Jones
Physical Description: 1
audiocassette(s)