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- October 23, 1981 (Creation)
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https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:7459#/kaltura_audio
Biographical Information: L. (Lucy) Ruth Cadwell was born on December 4, 1897 in Boone, Iowa. Her ancestors were of Irish descent, and her father's family lived in Massachusetts for several generations. After receiving some teacher education at her high school, Cadwell decided to pursue teaching as a career. She attended Iowa State Teacher's College in Cedar Falls, Iowa, earning a bachelor's degree in 1923. She taught for a few months in Oxford, Ohio, before finding a position teaching geography and supervising students at St. Cloud State in 1924. She supervised at the Campus Laboratory School until her retirement in 1966. After retirement she taught Adult Basic Education courses, while also helping assemble "The Centennial History," a 9-volume collection detailing the history of St. Cloud State University. Cadwell received several civic awards for her work in the community, especially her work teaching adults how to read and write.
Transcript Summary: Cadwell chronicled her family background, including a brief history of how her family came from Ireland and Massachusetts to Iowa. She then discussed her schooling, from a one-room school house in Iowa to Boone High School, and then on to a college career where she trained to become a teacher.
Cadwell discussed her time at St. Cloud State, which began in 1924. She addressed what some of the faculty were like, including Albertina Anderson, and also mentioned many changes the university and the city of St. Cloud endured during her 42 years working there. Cadwell discussed World War I and II, the Dust Bowl, and the Depression, stating that her salary was cut during that time. She also mentioned her work with the Army Air Corp during World War II. In addition, she also explained her impression of students she worked with throughout her long career, including her attempts to create more social activities for them, along with her ideas about how the community of St. Cloud interacted with the college.