Kit Ellenbogen, '52 (BardCorps)

Interviewee

Kit Ellenbogen

Files

Interviewee Role

Alumni/ae/x

Significant Quote

"I left the college a very different person than when I came."

Class Year

1952

Other Program

Psychology Major

Interviewer

Helene Tieger, '85

Description

Kit Ellenbogen remembers immigrating to America in 1941 and choosing a new name, Kit; seeking out a small college at a suitable distance from her home in New York City; a sense of comfort when visiting Bard that was absent from her visit to Vassar; being part of the first decade of women accepted to Bard; living in Potter for two years before transferring to South Hall; foregoing her study abroad experience in Europe at the start of the Korean War; finding academic passion and influence outside of the psychology department; finding her own voice in the classroom with the support of Irma Brandeis while studying Anna Karenina; learning to value her own opinions over critical sources; studying music composition with Clair Leonard. She recalls crafting a new Constitution for Bard while studying community government and recognizing that project as the acorn of her decision to go to law school at age 54. She reflects on what it means to be a Bardian sixty years on.

Keywords

Clair Leonard, Irma Brandeis, South Hall, Potter, Mt. Holyoke, Sarah Lawrence College, Vassar College, Stefan Hirsch, Ruth Gillard

Location

BardCorps trailer, main campus.

Interview Date

5-21-2011

Interview Duration

18:59

Recommended Citation

Ellenbogen, Kit, "Kit Ellenbogen, '52 (BardCorps)" (2011). BardCorps -- All Oral Histories. 9.
https://digitalcommons.bard.edu/oral_hist/9

Rights Management

The use of any image or audio from the Bard College Archives without permission is prohibited.