The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson
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| Repository: | The HistoryMakers |
| 1900 S. Michigan Avenue |
| Chicago, Illinois 60616 |
| (312) 674-1900 |
| info@thehistorymakers.com |
| http://www.thehistorymakers.com |
| Interviewer: | Larry Crowe |
| Videographer: | Scott Stearns |
| Title: | Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson |
| Dates: | May 13, 2003 |
| Abstract: | (ABSTRACT) |
| Quantity: | 4 Betacam SP videocassettes, 1 half-Hollinger box containing (NUMBER) folders of accompanying materials. |
| Identification: | A2003.104 |
| Language: | The interviews and records are in English |
Chancellor of the largest community college system in the country, Wayne D. Watson was born September 1, 1945, in Chicago. His parents sacrificed financially to send him to private Catholic schools and at Mt. Carmel High School Watson was a standout on the wrestling team while an average student. After graduation in 1964, he was invited to try out for the U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team. At Joliet Junior College, Watson won the junior college wrestling championship and earned an A.A. At Northwestern University, he received three degrees: a B.A. in education in 1968, an M.A. in education and sociology in 1970, and a Ph. D in education administration in 1972.
After earning his doctorate, Watson served as associate professor of education at Shaw University from 1972 to 1975. Flight lessons and pilot training led to two years as general manager of Wheeler Airlines, the first African American company offering regularly scheduled flights. From 1977 to 1978, Watson served as headmaster of Boggs Academy. In 1978, he returned to Chicago, accepting a position at Malcolm X College. There, Watson was appointed vice president of instructional services, where he served from 1980 to 1983. Leaving Malcolm X, he was named vice president of the City Colleges of Chicago, where he remained until 1986. Watson went on to become president of both Harold Washington College and Kennedy-King College in the 1990s
As chancellor of the City Colleges of Chicago, Watson oversees seven community colleges in a system that serves 170,000 students, more than 9,500 employees and has an annual operating budget of $260 million. Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley appointed Watson to the seven member Bronzeville Committee and the Chicago Fire Department Committee for Promotion and Rank. He also serves as a member of the Fantus Health Center Advisory Board and is co-chairman of the Capital Development Board for Chicago Public Schools. Watson was recently honored as a distinguished alumnus by Northwestern University.
Biographical Note by The HistoryMakers®
This life oral history interview with Wayne D. Watson was conducted by Larry Crowe on 2003-05-13 in District Office, City Colleges of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois and is recorded on 4 30-minute Betacam SP videocassettes. Access copies exist on Betacam SP, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1. The interview contains information on (COMPLETE ONE SENTENCE DESCRIPTION OF INTERVIEW). Accompanying materials in the collection include Wayne D. Watson's correspondence with The HistoryMakers® related to the interview; a copy of the signed release form and the production report; the biographical information used by the interviewer to prepare for the interview (DETAILS); paper copies of the interview transcripts, 3 1/2" floppy disks with electronic copies of the transcripts; selected quotes for video clips; photocopies of photographs captured on video; XML files with metadata created in editing and cataloguing the interview for The HistoryMakers Digital Video Library; and paper copies of these XML files.
Restrictions on Access
Access to paper records is restricted. Other restrictions may be applied on a case-by-case basis.
Restrictions on Use
All use of materials must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers® and appropriate credit must be given. All use credits must be pre-approved by The HistoryMakers®. Copyright is held by The HistoryMakers®.
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| This record series is indexed under the following controlled access terms. |
| Contributors: |
| | Crowe, Larry |
| | Stearns, Scott |
| | Watson, Wayne D., 1945- |
| Persons: |
| | (PERSONS) |
| Corporate Bodies: |
| | (CORPORATE BODIES) |
| Family Names: |
| | Watson |
| Places: |
| | (PLACES) |
| Subjects: |
| | (SUBJECTS) |
| Document Types: |
| | Video oral history interview |
| Titles: |
| | The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson |
Accompanying materials: Accompanying materials are filed in (NUMBER) folders in a half-Hollinger box and shelved at The HistoryMakers® Archives and Collection Library by accession number, separately from the videos.
Betacam, VHS, DVD and MPEG-1 access copies are held for in-house use at The HistoryMakers®; Betacam SP, VHS and DVD playback hardware is provided for in-house viewing of the access copies; MPEG-1 copies are searchable and viewable via a digital video database.
The HistoryMakers® Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson, May 13, 2003. The HistoryMakers® African American Video Oral History Collection, 1900 S. Michigan Avenue Chicago, Illinois.
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Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson, Tape 1, May 13, 2003, TRT: 00:30:02:04.
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| Wayne D. Watson starts by telling us of his family history, mainly history that deals with his grandfather. He tells the story of how his grandfather was run out of Anderson, South Carolina by white men and relocated to Chicago, Illinois. He also gives insight into his father's life and speaks in detail about his father's popularity and athleticism. Watson knows less about his mother but does recall a story of a discriminatory situation she encountered on the job. He recalls his youth and thriving outdoors while playing with his friends. Watson also tells of being transferred from one Catholic school to another because of his race. He then reveals his stuttering problem and how teachers and students often made his life difficult. He speaks of why the speech disorder occurs and how he faced and beat it, yet still has to deal with it from time to time in adult life. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson, Tape 2, May 13, 2003, TRT: 00:29:19:18.
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| Wayne D. Watson starts by mentioning his childhood mentors. He speaks of the positive influence his parents and other select people in school had on him. He then tells the story of how he decided to go to Mount Carmel High School in Chicago, Illinois simply because he heard a schoolmate, who was smart and athletic, say he was going to attend there. Watson tells of his experience at Mount Carmel as being consumed with wrestling, a sport in which he was very successful. He tells an interesting account on how he started dating a high school sweetheart. He then explains how wrestling opened various doors in his life and eventually led him to Northwestern University. After wrestling competitively for a large portion of his life he decided to focus on academics. Watson obtained his Master's and Ph.D. degrees from Northwestern. During these years, he began his studies of oral history, which led him to meet author Alex Haley, whom he worked with for four years. He then speaks on African Americans'sd struggle through history and the lack of appreciation he feels they have received. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson, Tape 3, May 13, 2003, TRT: 00:28:07:18.
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| After receiving his Ph.D. from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, Wayne D. Watson took a job teaching at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina. He believes that he didn't really get a feel for what the South was, initially, because he focused all of his attention on the university and stayed close to campus. While in Raleigh, Watson began taking flying lessons and eventually left Shaw University to be General Manager of Wheeler Airlines, the only black airline at the time. He stayed with Wheeler for only two years and blamed President Ronald Reagan's deregulation of the airline industry for his departure. From there he took a position as Head Master at Boggs Academy, a private high school in Keysville, Georgia. His experience there was short-lived and he tells a story of the scandal that made him leave the school. After he left Boggs Academy, Watson decided to move back home, to Chicago, Illinois, and was told by a colleague to look for a job with the City Colleges of Chicago. He accepted a position with Malcolm X College and speaks of how he worked his way up through the ranks at the City Colleges. Watson goes in depth on the importance of the City Colleges in the community. He talks of the Colleges's rich history and hopes for the future and tells that the biggest problem presently with the Colleges is the lack of money, even though enrollment has increased. He then speaks of Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley's involvement with the location of the new Kennedy-King College that is to be built. He tells of the respect he has for the Mayor and how the college's new location will be the anchor in the Englewood neighborhood. |
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Video Oral History Interview with Wayne D. Watson, Tape 4, May 13, 2003, TRT: 00:26:34:27.
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| Wayne D. Watson tells how the new Kennedy-King College will be an anchor in the Englewood neighborhood. He speaks about education playing a key role in the community. He then talks about the recent increase in enrollment for the City Colleges of Chicago and tells of how the students can attend without taking out a loan but instead using a Pell Grant. Watson then tells of his vision for the City Colleges of Chicago. He is proud of that fact that students can attend reasonably-priced classes and obtain college credits that will transfer to other schools or help them gain workforce experience. He sees the role of the community college to be all-accepting and to improve one's quality of life. However, he does not feel that America is at the place it needs to be in the treatment and acceptance of African Americans in order to make this dream a reality. Watson's hopes for the future of the black community are to not have to struggle. He describes the neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago, Illinois where he lives and speaks of wanting to decrease the high poverty level. As his legacy, Wayne D. Watson wants to be remembered as a man who loved his children and helped them survive. He would like to be remembered as someone who cared for his family and loved ones and one who was an educator with the hopes of making life better for others. Following are a selction of photographs from Wayne D. Watson's life. |