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Start Over Creator Baker, Louise Fontaine, 1907-2011

Louise Fontaine Baker interviewed by Lisa Riley, 2005

Records the reminiscences of Louise Fontaine Baker, who attended Harrisonburg State Teachers College for two years in the early 1930s. Recalls her childhood and family life as the daughter of a US naval officer. Discusses her family history, which includes direct lines to Shenandoah Valley explorer Jost Hite and pioneering oceanographer Matthew Fontaine Maury, for whom JMU's Maury hall was named in 1917. Speaks briefly of student life at the college, including such topics as roommates, dating rules, freshman hazing, and unplanned pregnancies. Mrs. Baker completed her undergraduate studies at the College of William and Mary and pursued her Masters degree at Columbia University. Recalls visiting Europe and attending the 1936 Olympic Games in Berlin, as well as her impressions of German Chancellor Adolph Hitler and the policies of his government on German education. Closes with brief comments on her teaching career and advice to current students.

  1. James Madison University
  2. JMU Centennial Voices No. 2 oral histories, 2004/2005

Louise Fontaine Baker Letter, 2004 0.06 cubic feet 1 letter folder

Baker, Louise Fontaine, 1907-2011
The Louise Fontaine Baker Letter, 2004, is comprised of a five-page facsimiled account of Baker's life including her time as a student during the 1920s at the State Teachers College at Harrisonburg.
  1. James Madison University

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