Oral Del Valle

An Oral History Of Columbia College Chicago T ony Del Valle Fourth of March, 1998. All right, also music; I was interested in while I was going to Columbia and and what I want to do is start off music. And the Music Center, at studying writing. So it was really a with by asking about how you the time, was on Sheffield, and that rich experience all the way around. came to Columbia... All right, so was an interesting building too. tell me about the circumstances And, so that was my minor, and I Now did you, what other courses that brought you here. studied—Bill Russo was, at the did you take? I came here out of a Chicago public time, the chairman of the Music OK, I took, let’s see, I took all the high school, a good one, Lane Tech. Department. And so I studied art. usual courses. I took history courses And about—the journey began What I really was pursuing at the and I took a psychology course. with, I think, from Puerto Rico— time was to be a graphic artist but And I met extraordinary teachers two years into high school and I Columbia had not gotten to the here. Steve was one of the ones, was accepted at the high school— point where it would’ve called the who is now a counselor here, an and then from there... One of the program, it didn’t have a graphic Academic Advisor. And I met Louis biggest influences was an art art program, graphic design Silverstein; outstanding teachers. I teacher who, I was interested in art, program. So I studied at, then I still keep their books and I still use and so he suggested that I consider discovered that one of my strengths them to teach. And so, let’s see, Columbia of some of the places that I, my old strengths if you can what other courses? I remember the where I can continue to study art: say that about me at the time—I psychology, history courses—those Columbia, the Art Institute, and mean I was just beginning are the courses that stand out. Of other schools. And so I made my college—and that was writing. I course, and then of course there’s decision to go to Columbia. And at had been writing poetry and song the, in the, what was then the the time Columbia was fairly small, lyrics and short stories and some- Writing/English Department: Bill it was on Lake Shore Drive, it had what, had done quite well in Galiardi, Paul Pekin were tremen- one elevator, and a set of rickety middle school, junior high. And dous influences. They do what wooden stairs, and I think it was when I came to Columbia I began teachers that make a difference in like seven floors. And I remember to experience a lot of success in that peoples’ lives do. They recognize standing, when I first showed up area. So it was kind of a throwback something in a student and they for registration, standing outside of to what my strength had always encourage that; they, to use a a line which extended out to the been. And so I decided to pursue cliche, they light a fire under them street and across an alley, probably that. down the alley, and down the side- walk. That was one of my first Were you taking courses in writ- memories of coming to register at ing or... Columbia College. And I thought I Just the regular courses. I discov- had done well by coming early but ered that I was good at it and the a lot of people had beat me to it. teachers recognized that. And I And there we all were and it was in began to go into that area, less in the Fall so it was also cold, I the art. I’ve never given up art or remember... music, of course, I mean. Even a while, when I wasn’t, when I was What year was this? pursuing a BA, when I was pursu- ...but right by the lake, there by ing a degree here in writing, I was Lake Shore Drive. This was in ‘78. painting murals in the community, Let me see, was it in ‘78? ‘74... in the Puerto Rican community, yeah... ‘78. and I was teaching kids music and forming bands that performed in So what did you sign up for? the neighborhoods. And so I taught What did I sign up for? I signed the music and I was also a part of up for a bunch of art classes and that, that whole music scene. So I was doing all that at the same time 131 An Oral History Of Columbia College Chicago T ony Del Valle and get the students going in that then disappeared after their class sense—you know, the students—it direction. And those were teachers and never really got together and was different. Now the student is who did that and they influenced talked or anything like that or younger, a lot of them are affluent my thinking in my own book. cooperate that much. I got to do a suburban students and their little bit of that in my music outlook on what’s important is What was it that they recognized classes but mostly that’s, that’s the different. During the summer I in you besides that you could way it has been. Lately, we have a teach Fiction classes. So I teach a write? lot of students who are saying, you Fiction class or a class at night and In Steve’s case, for example, he, it know, let’s make certain organiza- I get the student who comes here was really his teaching provided tions in the schools, certain groups, from work; more focused, more sort of an early model for me about depending on their interests. There experienced. Their life experiences how to teach: how to teach is a Latino group, there’s an are easier for me for me to identify students, how to reach them, how African-American group, maybe them because sometimes I’m their to transcend the usual two, and so on. So that has changed age or closer. Which doesn’t mean student/teacher barriers and really and I think that that’s good, that’s that I don’t identify with my teach. He was also one of the very a good thing. When I went to younger students, but that’s a open, openly gay teachers that I school later on at Northwestern, I whole other topic about how had which was kind of interesting was an outsider who came in, sort enriching that is to teach and to me because, well it was, what? of like one of these students, and learn so much from the students all Early, the ‘70s, and I came from a then left the campus and never the time. But that’s what the main Latino community and high school, really got to talk to my fellow difference is. Also there were a lot it was just not, people were not students. And so much learning more minority students, I get the openly gay. So it was kind of an happens outside the classroom feeling in classes. And they were interesting experience—walk into a when you can get together with the, not the usual student. They all classroom and see that that was other students. So that, and besides, had either a, you know, dropped part of it. So in many ways, you you know, the social aspect of it, out of school for a while and come know, because he was a good and making you feel that you’re not back, they had been in Vietnam, or teacher, as I said, and many of the an outsider and you don’t feel alien- they had... it was not the typical, things that influenced his ideas, for ation. you know, out of their senior year example, again, I remember teach- and into college type student that ers and their books. The Death of Who were the other students you we have now. We have more of Ivan Ilych changed my life, for can tell or can remember? You those now in the daytime and then example. The Tolstoy story, The said they were from all over the at nighttime, as I was saying, it’s Crow Turk Sonata, are books that city, but suburbanites too? slightly different. give you a new, existential outlook, At that time I get the, I think it perspective on things. That’s one of was mostly students from the city. So you studied for how long here? the things I remember about his You started in ‘78. class On Death and Dying. All that Mostly from the city. I, let’s see. I started here in ‘78, I comes back to me: his discussions And the students were of a differ- started in ‘78, no, no, I graduated of those books; the books them- ent kind of a, they were older in ‘74 from high school then I went selves, how he comes up with the students, some of them were on the on ‘til ‘78. classes. GI Bill, some of them had, you know, come out of Vietnam not Until ‘78, OK. Do you remember students? What that long ago and they were in the Then I was asked to come back and were the students like, what was classrooms dealing with that.

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