Having three sides to a story may seem an unlikely situation, but when one era is seen through the eyes of three different people, the unlikelihood becomes a reality. Yesterday afternoon, approximately 40 students gathered to hear a panel discussion by three History professors who experienced the events of the 1960s -- but offered different perspectives on the time period. History Professor Thomas Sugrue began the discussion -- co-sponsored by the History Undergraduate Advisory Board and History honor society Phi Alpha Theta -- by pointing out the magnitude of the 1960s revolution. "The 1960s are one of the most contested periods in American history," he said. "But the '60s are very much alive with us today." According to Sugrue, many leading conservatives, including Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Newt Gingrich, are in some way products of the tumultuous era. History Undergraduate Chairperson Bruce Kuklick, who spoke first, presented the 1960s from his perspective as a radical, protesting issues such as the Vietnam War. Although he expressed a somewhat anti-government perspective, Kuklick still found humor in the general paranoia of the government both then and now. As an example, Kuklick explained that the Federal Bureau of Investigation is now releasing records of the actions of 1960s radicals. But when Kuklick requested information about his own exploits, many parts of the documents were blacked out. "The federal government is so afraid, so enthralled in its conservatism, that they are still blacking out parts of documents for things that happened 35 years ago," he said. History Professor Walter McDougall, a Vietnam veteran, said he experienced much of the 1960s while a student at Amherst College from 1964-1968. McDougall talked of the structured and relatively sheltered life he had during his freshman year where, "the idea that we protest anything was the farthest thing from our minds." By the time he had graduated, however, expectations were much different. "We were the last beer-drinking class at Amherst College," he said. "The class after me was into drugs, girls were sleeping over in guys' rooms and all the strict requirements that Amherst was known for were all but abolished. "Life and learning could not have changed more college students between 1964 and 1968," McDougall said. History Professor Murray Murphey, who has been at the University for more than 40 years, focused on how he viewed the 1960s as a professor. He noted that the time period did not affect the University as much when compared to other campuses. "Penn in the 1950s was a very conservative, WASPy, Philadelphia institution," he recalled. "During the 1960s it was not a hot campus, but it picked up later on. "The main contribution of the student radicals was to deliver the country to the conservatives," he added. Kuklick disagreed, saying that "the rise of the conservatives was not because of the protesters, but because the liberals were doing such a bad job at the time." McDougall offered his explanation as to why the 1960s were a time of such a quick transformation. "The rapid transition during the '60s cannot be pinned on the younger generation, but rather those who came before them," he said. But Sugrue said he believes that economic factors played a large part in the changes experienced during the '60s. Students in attendance said they found the panel both informative and interesting. "My perception of the '60s [is one] of rampant liberalism, but I didn't realize how deeply conflicting ideologies ran," said College senior Ellona Wilner, a member of the History UAB. All three panel members came to a consensus on some aspects of the 1960s, but each drew from his own experiences. "Their political views are similar, but during the '60s they played different roles," College senior Dain Landon said. "It makes us appreciate the diversity that was the 1960s."
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