Oral Histories

Interview of Gustave O. Arlt (1978)

UCLA professor of German literature and language, founder of the UCLA Department of Theater Arts, and dean of the UCLA Graduate Division.
Subtitle:
Dean of Graduate Deans: Champion of Arts and Humanities
Series:
Z: Orphan Interviews pre 1999
Topic:
UCLA and University of California History
UCLA Administration
UCLA Faculty
Biographical Note:
UCLA professor of German literature and language, founder of the UCLA Department of Theater Arts, and dean of the UCLA Graduate Division.
Interviewer:
Galm, Bernard
Interviewee:
Arlt, Gustave O.
Supporting Documents:
Records relating to the interview are located in the office of the UCLA Library's Center for Oral History Research.
Language:
English
Copyright:
Regents of the University of California, UCLA Library.
Abstract:
Family history; role of father in education; trip to Europe at age twelve; study of classics at University of Chicago; early teaching experience; World War I military service in ambulance corps, engineers, and army intelligence; return to teaching; Ph.D. from University of Chicago; appointment to UCLA faculty, 1935; development of Department of Germanic Languages; building library's collections; UCLA during World War II; experiences with German émigré community: Franz Werfel, Thomas Mann, Bertolt Brecht, and Lion Feuchtwanger; work with UCLA Committee on Fine Arts Productions; translating Werfel into English; experiences with Jacobowsky and the Colonel; dean of Graduate Division; association with Historical Society of Southern California; directorship of California Centennials Commission; relations with UCLA community; appointment to and presidency of Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C., 1962; membership in National Commission on the Humanities; role in creating National Endowment for the Humanities; opinions on future of graduate education.