The History of the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse Housing Operation, with Special Emphasis on the Hall Director Position

Abstract

The purpose of this research was to provide a historical account of the housing operation at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Furthermore it was the writer's intent to document and highlight those individuals who have served in the housemother/head resident/hall director capacity at the University through the years. Compilation of such data was deemed necessary primarily because it had not been done to date. Although the paper does cover the early years of the housing operation at the University, the emphasis was placed on the years following the evolution of on campus housing in 1952. Thanks to the efforts of Dean Edith Cartwright and many dedicated others, campus living facilities flourished in the late 1950's and the 1960's. With the construction of dormitories came the need for individuals to manage them. Thus the housemother, typically a middle-aged woman, became an integral part of the housing operation. As the years passed younger, better educated individuals began to replace the housemothers as they retired. The title was then changed to head resident and eventually to hall director. The research largely consisted of interviews with housing professionals, past and present. Much of the information was also obtained in the Archives in Murphy Library.