Title: Joseph R. and Anita C. Reichard Papers, 1940-1997 (span)

ID: RG 30/266

Extent: 1.4 Linear Feet

Joseph Ruch Reichard taught German at Oberlin for 44 1/2 years. When he retired in 1983, he was the last active faculty member to have taught at the college before World War II. His influence on the development of Oberlin's German program was considerable; he was also extensively involved with developments in the field as a whole through his work with numerous professional organizations.

Professor Reichard was born in 1913 in Galesburg, Illinois. While he was growing up, his family moved from Illinois to New Jersey to Ohio, then to Pennsylvania, because his father was a German professor. He received his bachelor's degree in German from Lafayette College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and Valedictorian (1934), and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin (1936, 1941). He also attended the University of Frankfurt om Main, Germany, for two semesters (1934-1935). He taught at Oberlin College for one-half year as a temporary instructor (1938). After a year at Ursinus College in Pennsylvania, he returned to Oberlin, first as assistant, then as associate, and full professor. He was chair of the German department from 1975-1976 and 1980-1981. His summer teaching included the following: Tulane University (1947), The Ohio State University (twice in the mid 1950s), and University of Hawaii (1967). In addition to carrying a heavy teaching load, he served at various times as president of the Oberlin chapter of the American Association of University Professors, as Oberlin's Fulbright advisor, and as a member of the Honor System Committee.

During his time at Oberlin, Joseph Reichard was involved with a number of innovations and experiments designed to improve the teaching of German. These include the development of German House and of the German Studies Abroad Program, which he directed for many years. His most influential experimental work was probably his research into the possibilities of the language laboratory concept: the use of tape recorders and other devices to increase both the number of students that could be taught by one teacher and the quality of the resulting teaching. In the 1960s, his work in this area was supported by a grant from the U.S. Office of Health, Education and Welfare.

Active in the wider profession as well as the college community, Joseph Reichard served during the 1950s as secretary, vice president, and president of the Ohio chapter of the American Association of Teachers of German. He also directed the Association's teacher placement bureau (1958-1962), and served on the editorial board of its journal, The German Quarterly. He worked with the German Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board as chairman of its examining committee and as chief reader. Other organizations with which he was involved included the Modern Language Association, the Modern Language Section of the Ohio College Association, and the Modern Language Teacher Association. He co-authored two textbooks, Shorter College German (5th ed., 1981) and German Grammar Workbook (1956); he also wrote several articles for The German Quarterly. His other research interests include the works of Theodor Storm, Eduard Morike, and Paul Heyse, and the language and cultural heritage of the Pennsylvania Germans.

While at the University of Wisconsin, Joseph Reichard met Anita Cast, who was pursuing her M.A. in German. They were married in 1940. Anita Reichard (b. 1913, Madison, Wisconsin), whose father was also a German professor, had received her B.A. from Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin, and had also done graduate work at Stanford University, where she taught German and directed the German House. From 1960 to 1962, Anita Reichard served as lecturer in German at Oberlin; from 1964 to 1968, she worked in the college's administration first as assistant to the Dean of Women, then as Dean of Women.

In the spring of 1968, as Oberlin was participating in the changes and protests associated with the Vietnam War, a dispute arose over dormitory regulations. In May of that year when the dormitories were made coed, Anita Reichard resigned as Dean of Women, concluding that she could not support the new rules. She accepted a position as associate professor of German at Ashland College, in Ashland, Ohio, where she remained for eight years. Her professional memberships include the Association of Women's Deans and Counselors, Phi Beta Kappa, and Phi Sigma Iota; she has also been active in the Oberlin Shansi Memorial Association, the League of Women Voters, the Girl Scouts, First Church, and American Association of University Women. For more than seven years, she was very active as a founder and board member of the Kendal at Oberlin Retirement Community.

The Reichards had two children, Kathryn Louise (b. 1943), and Joseph Ruch, Jr. (b. 1946. Joseph Reichard Sr. died on May 29, 2008, and Anita C. Reichard died on August 1, 2010, both in Oberlin.

Author: Katherine Murphy

Forms of Material (links to similar genres)

Languages of Materials

Administrative Information

Scope and Contents:

The collection is divided into two subgroups: papers of Joseph Reichard, and papers of Anita Reichard. Subgroup I is divided into four series: 1. Files of Service to Oberlin College, 2. Files of External Professional Activities, 3. Writings, and 4. Teaching Files. The second subgroup consists of: 1. Biographical File, 2. Clippings File, and 3. Choir Tour Files.

In both sections of the collection, documentation is somewhat uneven. In Joseph Reichard's papers, coverage of professional and teaching activities are the most extensive. His work with the Oberlin language laboratory, as well as his role in popularizing this relatively new teaching method, are also well documented. Some of the materials in this subgroup consist of correspondence (both incoming and outgoing), programs and memoranda relating to conferences, and drafts of speeches given at these conferences. One of the speeches, given at a conference in Vienna in 1962, is in German, as is some of the correspondence. The writings series contains only two publications by Joseph Reichard, and five by colleagues and/or former students. The teaching files comprise course materials for German language and literature courses, two plays, and letters of recommendation for former students that are restricted.

In 1964, Anita Reichard accompanied the Oberlin College Choir, as manager and chaperone, on its tour of the Soviet Union and Romania. The two-month tour, which performed in twelve cities, was carried out under the auspices of the State Department's Cultural Presentation Program. Records relating to the tour make up most of the second subgroup. Especially noteworthy parts are the administrative papers (which include a personnel list and a copy of Oberlin's agreement with the State Department) and a collection of concert programs from the choir's performances abroad. There is also a file of photocopied newspaper articles and reviews, some of which are in Russian. Some bound volumes and other souvenirs of the trip are also included.

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Subgroup I. Papers of Joseph Reichard, 1940-1997 (span) (1.0 l.f.)

Most of this subgroup relates to Joseph Reichard's work at Oberlin and to his non-Oberlin professional activities.

Series 1. Files of Service to Oberlin College, 1952-667, 1975, 1986-88

This series consists of papers relating to three topics: the Oberlin Honor System, Reichard's work with the Oberlin Language Laboratory, and the Kreisky internship program.

Series 2. Files of External Professional Activities, 1952-66, 1979-89

Most of these materials relate to Joseph Reichard's work with the American Association of Teachers of German, and with the Advanced Placement program and its sponsoring organization, the College Entrance Examination Board. Also included is a report Reichard wrote for the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare.

Series 3. Writings, 1940, 1956, 1967, 1970, 1973, 1979

This series is made up of two subseries: 1. Writings by Joseph Reichard, and 2. Writings by Others. In the latter category, most of these are offprints with inscriptions to Reichard by the authors. (See the biographical sketch for information on other publications.)

Series 4. Teaching Files, 1956-1997 (span)

The teaching files mainly comprise course materials arranged by course title. Included are two plays and two folders of student recommendation letters that are restricted.

Subgroup II. Papers of Anita Reichard, 1963-1969, 1974, 1989 (0.4 l.f.)

Aside from a brief biographical file and some clippings, this subgroup consists of records from the Oberlin College Choir's 1964 tour.

Series 1. Biographical File, 1966

This series consists of several vitae and press releases, dating from the mid-1960s, which present basic personal and professional information.

Series 2. Clippings File, 1964-1969

The clippings in this series relate to Anita Reichard's role in the 1968 dormitory rules controversy, as well as to talks she gave to various organizations following the choir tour.

Series 3. Choir Tour Files, 1963-1964, 1974, 1989

This series relates to Anita Reichard's experiences with the Oberlin College Choir's 1964 tour.

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