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Interview of Carl D. Riggs
by Professor Horace Bliss
February 1, 1981
Page 11

Horace Bliss: When did you finish your term as Director of the Station?

Carl D. Riggs: Well, Horace, I became Graduate Dean in 1965 and that first summer I attempted to direct the Station and to be Dean simultaneously, and it didn't work very well and so I set about to recruit at least an assistant director. I found, after one year, Loren Hill, the incumbent Director who came in first as assistant director and then in either '66 or '67 became Director of the Station and has served in that capacity until today.

Horace Bliss: Was it easy to give up this?

Carl D. Riggs: No, it really wasn't. After you put so much of your life into something like the Station and see it develop from scratch to one of the very best in the United States it was not easy to give it up, but I want to say that I have been absolutely delighted in the way that Loren Hill has taken over and continued development of the Station and made a number of changes clearly for the betterment of the Station that I probably wouldn't have thought to make. I think it is a very valuable entity to the University and to the science of biology and I think it will continue to be that for many, many years. I am very proud to have had a part in the development of that portion of the history and the function of the University of Oklahoma. the Station is an excellent example of how a University, really without the facilities to do what we were able to do, did something through the help and cooperation of so very many people. The Station never could have happened without the original gift from Norman Brillhart, it couldn't have happened without the hard work of Jim Mayfield and Boyd Gunning, and without the excellent administrative support of President Cross and Roscoe Cate and Pete McCarter who were the Chief Academic officers in the early history of the Station. The excellent people who have served on the faculty have contributed regularly to its development in so many, many ways other than just the academic progress of the institution, and I've also acknowledged what the Physical Plant personnel have done to keep it going in times when we often didn't think we were going to be able to keep it going. No one person who can take a deep, big bow for the success of the Station--it's a great example of University team-work all of those who have been involved with it can be proud of this.

Horace Bliss: But it takes a captain like you to do the job of bringing all these things together.

END OF SIDE 1 OF TAPE 1

NOTHING ON SIDE 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Updated December 8, 2014 by Donna Cobb, dcobb@ou.edu
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