Present Joys
“We thank the Lord of heaven and earth
who hath preserved us from our birth
for present joys, for blessings past,
and for the hope of heaven at last.”

Thesis, part 6: interviews and release forms and transcripts

“There’s something about this place that’s addictive as hell.”

Those are the words of Danny Hinty, who’s managed CCAD’s Art Supply Store since 1974. A few weeks ago, I sat down with him to conduct an oral history interview—to try and glean some information about our school’s collective story over the past few decades.

I started looking through old CCAD Archives photography largely with a view to using it as part of an advertising campaign, but I’ve found it so compelling I want to do something more permanent with it. That’s what’s brought me to do these oral history interviews—I want verbal memories to accompany the photographs. Lord willing, I’m going to put all this stuff into a big, unwieldy “CCAD family scrapbook”. This fits in with my thesis project’s theme: a nostalgic celebration of the CCAD family.

Besides Mr. Hinty, I’ve also interviewed:

  • Lowell Tolstedt, dean of fine arts 1967–2005
  • Gail Storer, school librarian since 1980
  • Nanette Hayakawa, administrator since 1979
  • Frank Laskowski, alumnus and faculty 1967–2012
  • Helen Hoffelt, CCAD kid, alumna, and faculty since 1955
  • Stewart McKissick, alumnus and faculty since 1975
  • Jeff Fisher, Financial VP since 1982

I have plans to do several additional interviews in the next week or so. It’s been a blast. It’s a little like panning for gold, I imagine. A ton of effort goes into coordinating a meeting, not to mention conducting the interview itself. But every conversation turns up at least one real gem. With every conversation, I’m getting a little better at asking the right questions that elicit meaningful, interesting responses. After each interview, I have my contributors fill out a release form that will allow me to use their words and stories as part of my overall campaign.

What’s next?

I’m still working on those sweaters. Remember those? I’ll fill you in on all the details soon. In the meantime, I’ve been working hard to finish transcribing all the interviews I’ve recorded. I’ve also been laying out the “scrapbook” and investigating methods of printing.

Tagged