Wadhams, Tom and Jeanne

https://reflections.mndigital.org/catalog/stc:7480#/kaltura_audio

Biographical Information: Tom Wadhams was born in 1922 and his family moved to St. Cloud the next year. Jeanne (Verby) Wadhams was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota. After she graduated from Johnson High School in St. Paul, she worked for a couple years before joining the military. She left the service in 1946 attended St. Cloud State to become a physical education teacher. Tom attended Riverview Elementary and then graduated from Tech High School in St. Cloud. He attended St. Cloud State from 1940-1941 before serving in World War II. In 1946, Tom returned to his classes at St. Cloud State and majored in Physical Education and Business Education. The two married when they were both sophomores and they graduated in 1949. They accepted teaching jobs in Little Fork, Minnesota after graduation. but Jeanne left after only four months to prepare for the birth of their first child. They then moved to Golden Valley, Minnesota, where Tom got a job with Honeywell which he held for 32 years before retiring. Jeanne worked as a substitute teacher when her children were older.

Transcript Summary: Tom and Jeanne each gave a brief family history. Tom discussed going to the Campus Lab School at Riverview, and named several of his teachers. Jeanne discussed putting off college until after she served in the military, thus making her an older than average student when she began at St. Cloud. They described their time at St. Cloud State. Tom was very involved with athletics, detailing St. Cloud State athletics in the late 1940s, particularly football and basketball. They also discuss some of their favorite teachers, including Marie Case, Helen Hill, and Clair Daggett.

Tom and Jeanne talked about their experience being married and living on campus in a house Jeanne's parents owned and also rented out to students. Jeanne described the "espirit de corps" among students and faculty when they first attended, but as the college grew, that familiarity faded. Jeanne was a member of the Athenaeum Literary Society, but quit because of the attitude of many of the members. They also belonged to the Married Couples Club. Tom and Jeanne talked about the relationship between the university and the city of St. Cloud, which they perceived as two separate entities that did not interact frequently.

Tom and Jeanne discussed their life after leaving St. Cloud State. They described their year teaching in Little Fork, as well as how well they believed St. Cloud prepared them for their careers. Jeanne believed that the student teaching experience did not meet her expectations, while Tom felt his training in Business and his time coaching prepared him very well for his career at Honeywell. They also discussed being veterans at St. Cloud State, and what it was like for veterans attending college.