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- Dr. Don Orlosky
College of Education Faculty Oral Histories
Dr. Don Orlosky
LB: I remember you coming at 10 o’clock on Fridays to the department chairs’ conference meetings so cool and collected after all of that.
DO: Well, that was the only way to be. I’m a little hard to upset. My experience in Korea probably had something to with that. I used to get shot at on a daily basis over there, and there were no bullets here. Barbs, but no bullets, and they were a lot easier to dodge.
LB: In regards to passing on any sentiments to students entering the College of Education to become teachers, what would be the thoughts you feel they need to know?
DO: I would emphasize that they are entering a profession that is among the noblest we have. I don’t know any bigger contribution you can make than to help the youth of today. The next generation will become better than it otherwise would be if you can devote yourself to working with children and youth and help them become better people. You will not receive the financial rewards found in other fields of work, but giving something outside of yourself can be very satisfying and rewarding in a very special way.
LB: I just asked you a limited number of questions here in our 45 minutes, but I am sure there are some areas we didn’t touch on that you might want to record for the history of the College.
DO: There are a few more things I would like to say. When I served as a department chair and we had meetings with the chairs of other departments, I would look around at the characteristics of other departments and I always felt like the right person was chairing that department. I felt that we had quality people who were doing a difficult job very well. To come together with other chairs was a learning experience, and the relationships and friendships that grew from these meetings were satisfying and educational. The College’s environment was a healthy environment for me. I didn’t mind coming to work on Monday. Although, I appreciated going home on Friday for a break from the work that was always here for us to do.
I must comment further on the work I did with Bunnie Smith. My work with Bunnie enabled me to participate in activities of the highest professional order throughout this country and in other countries as well. For instance, I was in Washington, D.C. on LTI business with our program director, Al Schmieder, when he received a call from Stu Tinsman who was the USOE delegate to UNESCO in Paris. Stu was asking for someone to come to Paris to talk about the educational research we were doing on teacher preparation, and Al turned to me and asked if I could go. I said I could and met with representatives from over 20 countries a few months later and had a rewarding exchange of ideas with them.
On another occasion, I was approached by a Mr. Lem Evans from Wales who conducted summer workshops for Her Majesty’s Inspectorates in Cardiff, Wales. I was invited to be their keynote speaker and consultant. I accepted the invitation and continued for two more summers in the same role and made a number of friends through this experience. One of the summer sessions in Wales was attended by two educators from Germany who said they came to the conference to meet me and talk about keynoting a conference in Germany. They knew about my work as an LTI director and wanted a presentation on how we were relating educational theory to practice. We hit it off well, and I agreed. That also led to an exceptionally good professional experience in Germany that included some time in Berlin and also at the conference site in Bielfeld. None of these experiences would have taken place for me without the work I did with Bunnie that led to writings (books and manuscripts), presentations at numerous national and state conferences, and a chance to meet and work with some of the finest people in our profession.
LB: You have been very modest about all of those experiences and accomplishments here on campus. I’ve learned about some of them for the first time, even though we worked very close together over the years.
DO: Yes, we have been close for years.
LB: I am glad we’re getting it on tape, and we’re getting in the history of the College of Education for this first 50 years.
DO: Sure, sure that’s fine.
LB: I really thank you for coming in and giving us your time and your experience and your expertise.
DO: You’re more than welcome. It’s been my pleasure.
LB: Excellent. Thank you.
End of Interview