RSS Feed for MSU Oral Histories https://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories © 2026. Montana State University Library This interview was conducted by Sarah Vowell with Waded Cruzado (then president of Montana State University) on June 27, 2025, in the last days of Cruzado's presidency. They spoke over Zoom, Vowell from her home in Bozeman, Montana, and Cruzado from her home in Arlington, Virginia. They discuss Cruzado's background and journey to becoming president of Montana State University, including her upbringing in Puerto Rico, education, her background as a first-generation college student, and early career in academia. Next, they talk about Cruzado's focus on the land-grant mission of MSU and her focus on expanding access and opportunity for students from diverse backgrounds through initiatives like the Hilleman Scholars program. They also discuss Cruzado's efforts to strengthen MSU's connections and engagement with the broader state of Montana. She instituted an annual bus tour when MSU administrators and others traversed Montana, visiting all 56 counties over the first ten years of her administration. Cruzado describes difficulties that she faced during her tenure, particularly navigating the politicized environment and the COVID-19 pandemic. During her tenure, Cruzado placed great emphasis on building and transforming the physical campus, including major projects like the renovation of Romney Hall. She describes the scope and importance of those projects. She reflects on the role and responsibilities of university presidents, and her commitment to serving the students and community of Montana. Last, she tells the inspiring story of Lazaro Vinola, a Cuban student who overcame obstacles to earn his degree from MSU, as an example of the university's impact. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/8 2025-06-27 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/8 This interview with Patricia Anderson was conducted by her daughter in law, Janet Piehl, late in Anderson's life. Anderson graduated from Montana State College (now MSU) in 1950 in home economics. Her first job at MSC was coordinating religious activities including Religious Emphasis Week. Later she joined Student Affairs and Services working as Assistant Dean of Women under Dean Marje Paisley. Anderson was a stalwart adviser to student groups and events such as Panhellenic Council and MSU sororities, Spurs, Alpha Lambda Delta, Day of Student Recognition, and many others. Anderson retired from MSU in 1988 as assistant dean of students emeritus after over 40 years of being part of the fabric of MSU.In the interview, Anderson recounts her experiences of gender discrimination and fighting for equal pay and opportunities during her time working at Montana State University in the 1960s-1980s. She describes the challenges she faced, including being paid less than her male counterparts, being denied opportunities for advancement and professional development, and dealing with a hostile administration that tried to undermine her. She describes both the joys and struggles of working with students, including a sexual assault case in the 1960s and other difficult issues. Some of the people she mentions are Barbara Scottie Giebinic, Max Worthington, Ed Hanson, Lyle Gohn, her husband Norm Anderson, James M. Pickett, Zaida Giraldo, President Leon Johnson, President Carl McIntosh, and President William Tietz. Despite the difficulties, Anderson persisted and ultimately prevailed in a human rights case against the university with her attorney, Doug Harris. She reflects on the broader cultural and historical context, noting how her experiences mirror the struggles of the women's rights movement and the challenges women faced in speaking up against injustice. She expresses hope that her granddaughters' generation will face fewer such barriers, while also acknowledging the progress. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/9 2018-10-19/2018-10-22 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/9 This interview with Ruth Osborne was done as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics faculty was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs, and this interview was conducted by Debra Snyder. She developed an early interest in fabrics, design, and clothing as a child, and pursued this passion through 4-H and her education at Kent State University and Columbia University. Osborne joined the faculty at Montana State College (now MSU) in the 1940s and taught a variety of courses, including textiles, clothing construction, fashion merchandising, and the history of costume, for 35 years until her retirement in 1980.Osborne, a professor of textiles and clothing at MSU, shares her background and experiences teaching in the Home Economics Department for 35 years. She discusses how the curriculum and teaching methods evolved over time, with increased emphasis on business and functional apparel, as well as the changes in sewing machine technology. Osborne also speaks about the department's collection of historical costumes and how they were used in her classes. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/6 1994-08-29 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/6 This interview with Margaret Post was done as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics faculty was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs, and the interview with Post was conducted by Denise Denelias. Post recounts her background and experiences as a home economics student at Montana State College (now MSU) in the 1920s. After graduating, she married Arthur Post, who was the head of the Plant and Soil Science Department at Montana State College for many years, and focused on supporting his career and raising their two sons. Post remained active in the local weaving guild and continued to pursue her crafting hobbies, often teaching adults and sharing her work with family and friends. Post also founded the Bozeman Weavers Guild.In the interview, Post discusses the courses she took, including sewing, weaving, and jewelry making, as well as her time living in the home management house, including some details about the requirements and routine there. She reflects on how her home economics education provided a valuable foundation for her life and shows Denelias some of her textile works. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/2 1990-02-07 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/2 This interview with Bertha Clow was done as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics faculty was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs, and the interview with Clow was conducted by Denise Denelias. Clow came to Montana State College (now MSU) to teach courses in food and nutrition after completing her training at the Mayo Clinic.Clow discusses her career as Home Economics professor at Montana State College, where she taught a variety of courses related to foods, nutrition, and food preservation from 1929 to 1970. She describes how the curriculum and department evolved over her 41-year tenure, including changes in approaches to diabetic diets and the emergence of the ketogenic diet. She reflects on Herrick Hall, which was new when she began, and the facilities it had, like the formal dining room. Clow shares anecdotes about memorable incidents in her classes, including one pressure cooker explosion, and the high enrollment of home economics students during World War II. She talks about developing a course on world nutrition problems based on her travels to over 100 countries. Clow also shares how the home economics department grew in size and became accredited during her tenure. Clow was involved in training Peace Corps volunteers and attending a World Nutrition Conference in Rome, and she highlights how her extensive travels and research on world nutrition issues influenced her teaching. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/3 1990-01-18 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/3 This interview with Myrtle Cheever was done as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics faculty was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs, and this interview was conducted by Debra Snyder.Cheever recounts her experiences studying home economics at Montana State College (now MSU) in the 1920s. She initially wanted to pursue a degree in music, but chose home economics as it offered a degree program while music did not. Cheever describes the challenges she faced balancing her music commitments with her home economics coursework, including conflicts with some professors who were not accommodating of her outside activities, and also the routine requirements of the Home Management House. She also discusses her year of teaching home economics in Libby, Montana, where she had to take on additional responsibilities beyond her subject area. Despite the difficulties, Cheever found her home economics education to be very useful in her personal life, complementing her musical talents. She highlights changes she has observed in the home economics curriculum over time, noting it has become more universal rather than locally focused. Cheever also reflects on the evolving perception of home economics, which was once seen as just learning basic domestic skills, but is now a more comprehensive field of study. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/5 1990-01-11 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/5 This interview with Mildred Leigh was done by Denise Denelias as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics faculty was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs. Leigh was an instructor and student union leader at Montana State College (MSC) who joined MSC's (now MSU) faculty in 1930. At MSC, she taught institution management courses and oversaw the dormitory and food service at Hamilton Hall. When the new Student Union building (later the Strand Union Building) opened in 1940, Leigh became its director. She directed its operations and expansion over the next 28 years until her retirement in 1968.She shares her background, including growing up on a farm in Illinois, attending college at Cornell, and teaching home economics in Tennessee before moving to Montana. She relates the challenges associated with those particular courses, particularly large-scale cooking. She describes the joys and challenges of working with students and some of her colleagues, including the influential Dean of Women, Una B. Herrick, and Home Economics chair Gladys Branegan. Leigh had a deep appreciation for Montana State and the friendships she made there, and she felt that home economics provided valuable knowledge and experience, even as the field faced some lack of respect from other academic departments. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/7 1989/1990 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/7 This interview with Louise Stone Shunk was done as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics faculty was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs; Denise Denelias conducts this interview. Shunk, a Home Economics professor, graduated from Montana State College (now MSU) with a bachelor's degree with honors in home economics in 1920. She then pursued a successful professional career that spanned nearly 50 years including State Home Demonstration district director for MSU. Shunk's husband started the Department of Science as one of the first faculty of Eastern Montana College (now MSU Billings), but left her a widow at 40 with five children to support. After finishing her credential, she taught home economics at Sweetgrass County High School for three years before working on the Buffalo Rapids project near Glendive, Montana, before becoming an Extension agent and serving in that role for twenty years. As the leader of the Home Demonstration program, Shunk was able to apply her home economics expertise to a variety of community projects and educational initiatives beyond the traditional home economics curriculum. She retired in 1966.Shunk discusses the evolution of home economics education, from an early focus on practical skills like sewing and cooking to a more comprehensive curriculum that incorporated psychology, sociology, and teaching methods. Throughout the interview, Shunk emphasizes the value and versatility of a home economics education, noting that it provided her with skills and knowledge that were applicable to many aspects of her personal and professional life. She expresses a deep sense of pride and fulfillment in her chosen field and the positive impact it had on her own life and the lives of the students and communities she served over her long and distinguished career. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/4 1989-11-20 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/4 This interview with Marjorie Marje Paisley was done as part of the celebration of Montana State University's centennial. The project to interview Home Economics professors was led by Dr. Margaret Briggs, and the interview with Paisley was conducted by Denise Denelias. Paisley became a widow and single mother while still in her 20s. She enrolled at Montana State College (now MSU) in 1937 and joined the staff a year later, serving as assistant to the social director of Hamilton Hall. She received her bachelor's and master's degrees in home economics at Montana State College, and joined the home economics faculty in 1942, teaching for 20 years before serving as Dean of Women for ten years. She was instrumental in designing the expansion of the Child Development Center, Family Housing, and Wilson Hall. She was an exchange professor in Lima, Peru, and taught Spanish to Peace Corps volunteers.In the interview, Paisley discusses her education and upbringing, including how much her parents engaged with Extension programs and how she was drawn to scientific homemaking. Paisley began assisting Bertha Clow, a Home Economics professor, with laboratories while still a student. She describes her work at the Home Management House as well. She also describes her teaching experiences and administrative roles at the university, including her work in the home management house, child development courses, and involvement with the Peace Corps. As Dean of Women, she was involved in student life and helped plan campus buildings. Throughout the interview, she reflects on the changes in home economics education over time, noting the increased specialization and reduced emphasis on hands-on work. http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/1 1988-07-11 http://arc.lib.montana.edu/msu-oral-histories/item/1