Oral History Interview, Anatole Beck (1057)

Abstract

In his two September 2009 interviews with Bob Lange, Anatole Beck talks about his work and activism from the 1950s to the late 2000s. Beck chronicled his family background and education which influenced the development of his independent personality. He detailed elements of his work in mathematics that had challenged the field, and provided some anecdotes about his students and colleagues. He further explained his motivation for becoming an activist during the late 1960s and his efforts to maintain faculty governance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He provided insights on unionization, the “knowledge business,” national employment policy, the Vietnam era protests, and the UW-WSU Merger. This interview was conducted for inclusion into the UW-Madison Oral History Program.