Oral History Program Mary‐Louise Bean Interviewed by Lisa Jensen 18 March 1998 i Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Mary-Louise Bean Interviewed by Lisa Jensen 18 March 1998 Copyright © 2012 by Weber State University, Stewart Library ii Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. Archival copies are placed in University Archives. The Stewart Library also houses the original recording so researchers can gain a sense of the interviewee's voice and intonations. Project Description The Weber State College/University Student Projects have been created by students working with several different professors on the Weber State campus. The topics are varied and based on the student's interest or task for a specific assignment. These oral history assignments were created to help Weber State students learn the value and importance of recording public history and to benefit the expansion of the Weber State oral history collections. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to the Stewart Library of Weber State University. No part of the manuscript may be published without the written permission of the University Librarian. Requests for permission to publish should be addressed to the Administration Office, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, Utah, 84408. The request should include identification of the specific item and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Bean, Mary-Louise, an oral history by Lisa Jensen, 18 March 1998, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Mary-Louise Bean. The interview was conducted on March 18, 1998, by Lisa M. Jensen, in Bean’s home in Bountiful, Utah. Bean briefly discusses parts of her childhood. Background Research Spoke with subject's husband and children over the phone to obtain any personal information which may or may not be a detriment to the interview (i.e. medical conditions, topics to stay away from, etc.). Also obtained from her daughter a family history "tree," which listed the subject's relatives back to her grandparents, their birth and death dates where applicable, as well as their causes of death and any other special information. Questions At a lack of both interview inspiration and skill, most of the questions were obtained from a classroom handout which listed interview question suggestions. What is your full name and why were you named it? Were you named after somebody else? Did you have a nickname as you were growing up? Why were you called that? Do you have other nicknames as an adult? What do family members call you now? Where were you born? 1 Who was the oldest person you can remember in your family as a child? What do you remember about them? What is the most memorable event of your childhood? How many years of formal education have you completed? What was your favorite subject and why? What was your least favorite subject and why? Did you get good grades? Do you feel you've used your education to your full advantage? Do you enjoy your present job? Has there ever been anyone in your life that you would consider to be your kindred spirit or soul mate? Who were they and why did you feel a special bond to them? Summary of Interview I chose to interview this subject because she is a longtime friend of mine who has led a very interesting life. She is enthusiastic about everything and is able to find joy in the smallest things. In short, she is my complete opposite, and I find her intriguing as well as knowledgeable and wise. Description of Interview I set the interview up at her house, where she would feel the most comfortable. Her living room is a comfortable eclectic collection of antiques, both valuable and not. The walls are covered with a smattering of framed watercolors, 2 most of which were painted by her children or her friends. In one corner of the room is a giant armoire; in another is a giant sprawling plant of unknown origin. She sat on the pink velvet couch which once belonged to her aunt, and I sat on a red, embroidered chair. She had made tea just prior to my arrival, and I had made her some lemon-poppy seed muffins; we had quite a feast while chatting. I felt the interview dynamics worked very well, probably because I have known the interviewee for about six years, and feel comfortable in speaking with her. The interviewee often tended to stray from the subject, but her digressions were vivid and interesting. The only obstacle to this interview was that the interviewee declined both to be tape-recorded and to sign the release form. When questioned as to why, she replied that even though her personal history may be valuable to her and her family, she didn't want people "dwelling in the past," as she put it. She claimed it was "unhealthy." As to the tape recorder issue, she wouldn't give a straight answer, only claiming that "it may fall into the wrong hands." If further transcription is desired, I will be happy to interpret the notes I took during the interview. 3 Partial transcript LJ: What is your full name and why were you named it? MLB: My parents named me Mary-Louise. LJ: Were you named after somebody else? MLB: Yes, after my mother's two sisters. She was afraid she wasn't going to have another girl, so if she named me after only one sister and then didn't have another namesake, the other sister would feel badly. LJ: Did you have a nickname as you were growing up? MLB: No, even though I tried to start several while I was in grade school, but they never stuck. Every time somebody called me Mary-Louise I'd cringe. LJ: Have you had any other nicknames as an adult? MLB: Yes. A lot of my friends, colleagues, and acquaintances call me M.L., which I don't mind, but my very close friends call me Lou. (Here is a digression about how it's safer to have more than one name so that you can have one printed on your checks and then sign them with the other one, so that no one can forge a check from you.) LJ: Where were you born? MLB: I was born here in Salt Lake City. LJ: Who was your favorite relative growing up? MLB: My favorite relative was and still is my mother. She is a strong woman, physically, emotionally, mentally. 4 (Here is a digression about recent surgery the interviewee's mother had due to a nasty spill and a broken bone.) LJ: What was the most memorable event for you as a child? MLB: One summer, I got to stay with my aunt in Massachusetts, and one of her neighbors invited us to tea. I had never been to tea before, and had to go to the library to check out a book on manners, since I didn't have any. But now look, (subject raises her teacup) I even drink it with my pinky up! 5 Thank You Letter sent to the interviewee 6. March.98 Dear Mrs. Bean, Thanks for the time you spent with me last Saturday. I always enjoy hanging out with you. Sincerely, Lisa M. Jensen 6