An Interview with Dr. Charles W. Phallen

Todd M. Heinzman

A Paper Presented in Partial Fulfillment of TED 531

History and Philosophy of Technology Education

State University of New York at Oswego

Fall 2005 – Dr. William Waite, Professor

The Early Years

Dr. Charles W. Phallen was born in Galion, Ohio on February 3, 1917. He stated (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “I was a WWI baby.” He attended high school in Ohio and graduated in 1935. While in high school, Phallen enjoyed technical drawing and science classes. The effects of the Great Depression were very evident at this time. One of Dr. Phallen’s first jobs was as a shipping clerk in a needle factory that produced overcoats. He worked 60 hours a week making $15.00 a week, which is $.25 an hour. According to Dr. Phallen (personal communication, October 25, 2005), “People didn’t have two nickels to rub together. Rabbit was the only protein that some families had to eat.” He went on to explain that college cost $100.00 per semester. It cost $30.00 for tuition, $30.00 for books, $30.00 for room, and $10.00 for food (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005). Education is very important to Dr. Phallen.

World War II

Dr. Phallen served our country during World War II. It remains difficult for him to talk about even to this day. He explained (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “It is hard to talk about the war. If you talk about the war some people think that you are bragging.” Dr. Phallen continued, “The heroes are the dead. We were lucky to come back alive!” It was expected that one out of every two soldiers would die. Out of 700 men in his battalion, 250 died (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005). War continues to play a significant role in Dr. Phallen’s life. In recent years, Dr. Phallen has traveled to some of the battlefields where his battalion fought in order to show respect to the fallen soldiers. There is no doubt that this experience was life-altering.

College Education and Teaching Experiences

Originally, Dr. Phallen wanted to attend medical school. By the time he came back from the war he was considered “too old” for medical school. Dr. Phallen received a Bachelors Degree in Physical Science from Otterbein University in Ohio. He completed his Master’s in Industrial Arts in 1952 from Ohio State University. Between his Master’s and Doctorate, Phallen taught high school in Richwood, Ohio. Here he taught natural science and developed a technical drawing class. Ohio State University was also where Dr. Phallen finished his Doctorate in 1958 under the supervision of his advisor, Dr. William Warner (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005). Obtaining your doctorate from Ohio State University was a difficult challenge, Dr. Phallen noted (personal communication, October 25, 2005). “Only 40 students out of 100 would actually receive their PHD.” He continued (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “You had to satisfy five full professors.” Finding information for his thesis was very time consuming. “Some days I would work in the library all day and not find any information.” Phallen went on to explain (personal communication, October 25, 2005), “Other days would be better.”

Influences

Dr. Phallen considered the great depression to have a tremendous influence on his life. In speaking with Dr. Phallen, it became obvious that from this experience he learned the value of a dollar and hard work.

Another major influence was clearly World War II. Here he learned how quickly one’s life can be taken away and how fortunate he was to survive.

One of the most influential people in Dr. Phallen’s life was definitely Dr. Warner. He explained (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “Dr. Warner was a genius whose ideas were well ahead of their time.”

Professor at the State University of New York at Oswego

In 1958, Dr. Warner suggested to Dr. Phallen that he take a position at the State University of New York at Oswego. Dr. Warner said that Oswego was a well-respected school and would be a great place to start a career. Initially, Dr. Phallen thought that this move would be a great stepping stone. Dr. Phallen declared (personal communication, October 25, 2005), “I did not intend to stay at Oswego. However, I made professor my second year. The rapid promotion encouraged me to stay.”

For the first fifteen years at Oswego, Dr. Phallen worked solely with graduate students. He organized a course in research techniques. “When I first got to Oswego there were 50 graduate students that needed to finish their five part thesis in order to receive their Masters degree” he explained (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005). One of Dr. Phallen’s most memorable achievements was helping those 50 students finish their graduate work. He stated (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “You have to teach writing by having the students write.”

When asked about the most rewarding parts about being a professor, Dr. Phallen gave two responses. First, he said (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “I loved the classroom situation. The graduate students were enjoyable because they were highly motivated.” Next, he disclosed that he had a private hobby. “Each year I would recommend an outstanding student to go to Ohio State University. I recommended one student per year for many years.” explained Phallen. He went on to divulge (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “Waite was one of those outstanding students.”

While at Oswego, Dr. Phallen witnessed change. He started an elective course called Laboratory Planning. When I explained that this was now a core course, he was genuinely surprised. “Well, I’ll be damned!” he exclaimed (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005). Dr. Phallen also started a History of Technology course. He appeared to be disappointed when the college dropped the thesis requirement for a Masters degree. Phallen stated (personal communication, October 25, 2005), “Every graduate student should complete a thesis and research. The experience is invaluable.”

Dr. Phallen retired from Oswego in 1983 after twenty-five years of service.

Philosophy

Dr. Phallen believes that each level of education opens new doors of opportunity. He stated (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “A bachelor’s opens doors, a master’s opens doors, and a doctorate opens even more doors of opportunity.” He continued, “Each degree gets you further ahead in your field of study.”

Dr. Phallen was quick to point out that in technology education the work area in a classroom needs to be referred to as a “laboratory” not a “shop”. He explained (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “Theory has to be a portion of the class work not just work in the laboratory.” Professionalism is a high priority for Dr. Phallen.

Retirement

Since retiring, Dr. Phallen has had the opportunity to travel and reunite with soldiers he fought with during World War II. On October 13, 2005, Dr. Phallen, a veteran of the 506th was pictured in Fort Campbell, Kentucky relating his experiences to a current 4th Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division Soldier. His famous regiment was reactivated for the event (Ondik, 2005). In 2002, Dr. Phallen attended a reunion for one of the most successful tank destroyer battalions in WWII. The reunion was in Traverse City, Michigan. He was quoted in the Traverse City Record Eagle Northern Michigan’s Newspaper. “You couldn’t even stick your head out of a foxhole without getting shot,” said Charles Phallen (Carr, 2002).

Dr. Phallen loves to travel. Excitedly, he stated (C.W. Phallen, personal communication, October 25, 2005), “I have been half way around the world. I have been to New Zealand, to China twice to see the Great Wall, and I have also traveled to Italy.” He added, “I follow the sun.” With this in mind, he is currently in Arizona and spends his winters in Florida.

Conclusion

In summary, it was a privilege and honor to have talked to a man that has achieved so much and is such a significant part of the history of the Oswego Technology Department. I found Dr. Phallen to be a kind man and I was most impressed with his modesty. After talking with Dr. Phallen, I am convinced that he was a great professor and I am sure I would have enjoyed participating in one of his classes. Please note that Dr. Phallen is presently visiting Arizona. My interview was conducted by phone. I look forward to a planned meeting with Dr. Phallen in the middle of December, when he returns to Oswego.

References

Carr, T. (2002, September 21). WWII tank destroyer battalion gathers in TC. Record Eagle.

Retrieved September 28, 2005, from

http://www.record-eagle.com/2002/sep/21wwii.htm

Ondik, D. (2005, October 18). Famous regiment reactivated on eve of deployment. ARNEWS.

Retrieved October 26, 2005, from

http://www4.army.mil/ocpa/read.php?story_id_key=8073

Appendix

(Ondik, 2005)

(W. Waite, personal communication, November 8, 2005)

(H. Botting, personal communication, November 12, 2005)