The first narrator is Charlotte Albright. Ms. Albright is a freelance journalist and currently writes for Dartmouth Communications. This oral history interview documents her experience growing up during the height of the Vietnam War. Albright describes her early life, growing up in Pennsylvania, the death of her parents at a young age, and her undergraduate studies at Bennington College. She discusses her involvement in guerilla theater as a form of anti-war activism at Bennington as well as the impact the draft had on many of her male friends in theater. Albright also reflected upon her participation in an anti-war protest in Washington DC and how she views the war 50 years later.  Access the transcript of the interview by clicking Transcript.  Access the audio recording of the interview by click Interview

The second narrator is Janis Nelson. Ms. Nelson, born June 15th 1950, was among the first women to attend Dartmouth College as part of the women's exchange program in 1969. She discusses her time at Dartmouth College as one of the first women and her experiences protesting the Vietnam War. She discusses how her parents supported her in her activism, which began early and lasted well into adulthood. artmouth lobbying effort called Continuing Presence in Washington. After graduation, Bidwell moved to Boston, where he worked in educational equity and community organizing. He then worked in real estate philanthropy before retiring. Access the transcript of the interview by clicking Transcript. Access the audio recording of the interview by clicking Interview. 

 

Joan Rachlin born April 5, 1949 was among the first cohort of women to be educated at Dartmouth College. Her experience was marked by the political and social unrest of the 1960s and 70s surrounding the Vietnam War, women’s rights, and civil rights. Rachlin was a child of activist parents who encouraged her from an early age to get involved and stand up for the rights of others. As a result, she was among the few women participating in anti-war protests at Boston University and Dartmouth College. Later, Rachlin obtained her J.D. and continued her activism practicing health, criminal, and civil rights law. Access the transcript of the interview by clicking Transcript. Access the audio recording of the interview by clicking Interview. 

Bidwell was born in Denver, Colorado in 1949. He grew up as a strong student, casual athlete, and lover of the Rockies. He joined the Dartmouth Class of 1971 as a prospective engineer, but had a change of heart after a study abroad in Bourges, France. His eyes were opened to European perspectives of American involvement in Vietnam, and as a result, he developed a strong interest in the anti-war movement. He abandoned his engineering major and studied the social sciences while he slowly educated himself on the policy and history of the Vietnam War. He began to engage with the anti-war movement for the rest of his time at Dartmouth, including with a Dartmouth lobbying effort called Continuing Presence in Washington. Bidwell attended demonstrations, helped organize housing and transportation for volunteer lobbyists to travel to Washington, and successfully achieved Conscientious Objector status. After graduation, he continued socially-conscious work in a variety of arenas, from educational reform, to community organizing, to real estate philanthropy. 

 

Click here to listen to Dennis P. Bidwell '71's interview by Patrick Howard '23. The transcript is accessible here, and is also linked below.