Description
This interview was conducted by Prof. Donald Raichle in preparation for his book From a Normal Beginning: the Origins of Kean College of New Jersey, printed in 1980. It’s a transcript between Guy V. Bruce and Raichle.
Guy Bruce was a chairman of the Science Department at New Jersey State Normal School/Teachers College (a two-year teaching program, that became Newark State College, and then eventually Kean) from 1932-1951. He greatly improved the science education at the school, and one of the many ways he was recognized for this was a building named after him: "Bruce Hall".
In this 1975 letter and accompanying autobiography excerpts, Bruce reflects on his life as a science educator and his efforts to elevate science education within teacher training programs. Bruce clarifies that the two-year normal school program did not only offer “nature study” but a broader course in Nature Study and Elementary Science, though he critiques its inadequacy for preparing teachers in a scientific and technological age. He recounts his career challenges, including resistance from a humanities-focused faculty, dismantled laboratories, and minimal student science backgrounds, as he worked to restore and expand science departments at Newark State Normal School and elsewhere. Through persistence, innovative curricula, and advocacy for hands-on science teaching, Bruce overcame institutional apathy and limited resources, earning honors such as professorship, national recognition, and having Kean College’s science building named Bruce Hall.
In this book, Raichle conducted three additional interviews with Bruce.
Creation Date
6-9-1975
Document Type
Article
Recommended Citation
Raichle, Donald, and Guy V. Bruce. Interview with Guy V. Bruce. Article. From Special Collections Research Library and Archive, Kean University, Interviews. https://digitalcommons.kean.edu/ua_interviews/9
Publishing Repository
Special Collections Research Library and Archive, Kean University
