Wilmette Public Library Local History Digital Collection

Benjamin Kartman (1901-1991) oral history

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Track 7, Transcript p. 24-26: Track 7, Transcript p. 24-26
Transcription: TRACK 7 (Laughter) I said, "Ed, no." I said, "that's an exaggeration." I said, "the only thing I take credit for is recognizing talent when I see it and giving it a helping hand." Well, as a result of that Pulitizer Prize, he did an article for Harper's magazine and then went on and did a book called The Waste of Americans published by Harper and Row of which I have a copy, with a beautiful inscription in which he tells me I started him on the road to writing that book and this is where, I think, my rewards are. RA: My granddaughter is on The Daily at Northwestern. She'd love to have a course from you. BK: Oh. (Laughter) RA: She's a music school major, but she's in her junior year thinking she wants to go into the publishing business. Ben Kartman, cont. 25 BK: Oh, really? REt: Yes. BK: But I think you can learn -- the purpose of a good instructor is to give them a headstart and get them to learn the basics and what's right and what's wrong, but you can't do that by lecturing. RA: No, and you obviously -- it's one thing to know it, but it's another thing to teach it. BK: That's right. RA: And not every good person is a good teacher.... BK: Well.... RA: . ...in their field. BK: Well, uh, well, I have always thought of it in one way at every level.. I do the same thing with the kids at Central School. I give them a writing assignment every week and they sit around a table in the library and I go through each paper, pointing out the things I like, the things I think could be better expressed and so forth, correcting the misspelled words (Laughter) and the bad punctuation and so forth, but this is how they learn. RA: Of course. BK: I had one student at Northwestern who I was teaching on the Evanston Campus and this was sophomores and Ben Kartman Cont. p.26 Juniors. It was supposed to be Basic Composition. They came to me after class one day and they said to me, "Now I can see all the things I've been doing wrong.' RA: Um hum. BK: He said, "My last instructor would just give me for spelling, "gr" for grammar and this sort of thing." But that didn't teach him. RA: Um Hum. BK: You have to show them how. RA: That's right. Now let's get to your volunteer work and your volunteer work in the village because I know you've done many more things. BK: Well, through the volunteer pool (indistinct) Land Public Relations Chairman for three years at that time --
Creators: Kartman, Benjamin, 1901-1991, Interviewee; Adler, Rhea Saul
, Interviewer
Media Type: Audio; Image; Text
Item Type: Audiocassettes
Description: Interview with Ben Kartman by Rhea Saul Adler on March 4, 1982 at 208 Golf Terrace, Wilmette, Illinois.

ABSTRACT:
Early years in Wilmette — three residences
Two sons — University of Iowa — University of Illinois
Years at University of Illinois — Editor of Illinois Daily
— preceded by (“Scotty”) James Reston He was followed by Jack Mabley who later joined him on staff of
Chicago Daily News
Volunteered for Chicago Metropolitan YMCA many years; on Board seven years; Board of Directors of Association for Family Living
Transferred his allegiance to Wilmette Volunteer Pool — 16 years
Volunteered in various schools — basic composition,
reading
Editorial consultant to Hollister Press for 6 years — Joanne Prime Shade
United Fund; Volunteer Pool; swim teacher to retarded
Experience with blind — taught swimming — Tommy Sullivan
Discussion of “volunteering”
Types needed as volunteers in today’s community
Place of Publication: Wilmette, Illinois
Date of Original: 4 March 1982
Subject(s): Oral histories
Wilmette (Ill.) -- Residents
Personal Name(s): Kartman, Benjamin
Local identifier: R977.31 KA
Language of Item: English
Copyright Statement: Protected by copyright: Uses other than research or private study require the permission of the rightsholder(s). Responsibility for obtaining permissions and for any use rests exclusively with the user.
Copyright Holder: Wilmette Public Library
Copyright Holder Contact Information: 1242 Wilmette Ave.
Wilmette, Il 60091
U.S.A.
Recommended Citation: Kartman, Benjamin, and Rhea Saul Adler. Benjamin Kartman. Wilmette, Ill: Wilmette Public Library District, 1982.
Contact: Wilmette Public Library
Email:refdesk@wilmettelibrary.info
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https://www.wilmettelibrary.info/

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