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- Dr. Bill Blank
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Bill Blank
LB: In my research of the early years, he was first in the Dean’s Office as an assistant dean with Dean Battle. There was a National Education Classroom Teacher’s Conference held here on campus and it was coordinated by Bill Dannenburg. Dean Battle mentioned in my interview with him how much he relied on him in terms of his ability to work with people.
BB: Really, I wasn’t aware that he was in the Dean’s Office at one time.
LB: Oh yes, before he came back to the department he was…in the early years.
BB: Yes, I guess that was before…
LB: 1964 and 1965 and so forth.
BB: And Rex Toothman is another one that comes to mind. He was such a pro when dealing with people. He was most gracious, and yet competent. He could get things done without being overly aggressive and assertive. He’s just a real professional and a real gentleman. He helped convince me that you can be both. You know, you don’t have to be one or the other. I saw Rex a couple of years ago, and he looked great and was doing well.
LB: I saw him several weeks ago, in a training program for executive leadership that I participated in with Marilyn Katzenmeyer and Rex who are working with the county school systems. He’s still doing human relations and leadership training and doing it well.
BB: I’m glad to hear that, because the department lost Rex as well when the Dean’s Office recruited him. He worked with Bill Katzenmyer in the Dean’s Office for several years on a number of projects, and he was just as valuable over there to the College as I’m sure he was to us at the department.
LB: Well, are there some questions that I haven’t asked you that you may want to get on the record and share in terms of the department programs, former students, whatever?
BB: One thing that comes to mind is I’m probably one of the few faculty members that may have worked under every Dean we’ve had with the exception of Dean Battle. I think he had been gone about a year maybe by then. Actually Dean Wilk was technically the Dean when I signed my form. Then I worked many years under Bill Katzenmeyer, and then Steve Permuth, Jane Applegate, and the now the current dean, Colleen Kennedy. I think we’ve been fortunate as a College to have succession of very confident, capable, committed deans. Of course Bill Katzenmeyer has a special place in my heart and I have fond memories of him because he was such a long-serving dean, which is quite unusual. He did such a great job taking us to the next level, I thought.
LB: Yes, we certainly had some continuity there for a number of years in terms of the longevity of deans, which I think was a plus as far as not having to re-adjust to a new dean every three years. BB: That is the norm now.
LB: Well, I’ve finished my questions that I have on my list at least, and it’s been more than a pleasure having you here this morning and sharing with us your thoughts about your years here at USF. As we pull this together, I hope to share with you particularly what we’ve gathered about your department. I hope that you’ll be able to help write that history as we complete our 50 year history of the College of Education. Our College is approaching 50,000 graduates in its first 50 years.
BB: Wow.
LB: It’s quite an achievement in numbers, but I think also in real quality that we grew fast. We always had sight on the quality and the importance of sending teachers out there who were prepared. I knew that was true within your area as well.
BB: Well, thanks for the opportunity. It was a pleasure reminiscing a bit and having fun.
LB: Thank you.
End of Interview