Interview with Pat White, November 16, 1978

Interview Summary

Pat White was an assistant professor of English in the spring of 1970. He describes the University of Kentucky at that time as a campus divided between the sorority / fraternity / football player set and a group of activist students. He explains that he was not a political activist but more of an education radical interested in new ways of teaching and learning. He describes a staged student demonstration that he held in one of his classes. He remembers hearing of the news of the events at Kent State and witnesses the protest of the Board of Trustees meeting the following day. He took part in a march that night and remembers bottles being thrown at the marchers. White states that the march was absolutely peaceful and he was outraged by the police presence there and the later invasion of the campus by National Guard. He recalls being stunned by the fire at the ROTC building and expresses his feelings that it was not a student who set the fire. White was arrested later that week when he went to a protest to find one of his students.

Interview Keyword

Anti-war demonstrations. Campus violence College environment College students--Political activity. College teachers--Political activity Protest movements. United States--National Guard. Universities and colleges--Administration. Universities and colleges--Faculty. Universities and colleges--Safety measures. Universities and colleges--Security measures

Interview LC Subject

Student movements Student protesters University of Kentucky University of Kentucky--History White, Pat, 1938-2008 White, Pat, 1938-2008--Interviews

Interview Rights

All rights to the interviews, including but not restricted to legal title, copyrights and literary property rights, have been transferred to the University of Kentucky Libraries.

Interview Usage

Interviews may be reproduced with permission from Louie B. Nunn Center for Oral History, Special Collections, University of Kentucky Libraries.