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FitzPatrick, Merry Kone

Merry Kone FitzPatrick

Biography

Professor Merry Kone FitzPatrick (1921–1996) was born in Edna, Texas, but moved to San Marcos when she was three years old. After attending San Marcos High School, she graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College with her BA in art in 1942 and her MA in history in 1947. FitzPatrick taught in the university's history department for decades. She offered courses in  English, European, American, and ancient history. In addition, she supervised generations of student teachers, reflecting her own experiences teaching in Texas schools and her passion for education. FitzPatrick also fully immersed herself within the San Marcos community by serving on a number of local organizational boards and as the first female elder in the city's First Presbyterian Church.

FitzPatrick was recognized as one of the university's finest teachers, receiving Honors Professor of the Year in both 1985 and 1993. She advised the freshman honorary society Alpha Lambda Delta and was involved in a number of professional associations, including the American Association of University Professors and the Texas Association of College Teachers.

Texas 150 Oral History

In her first interview, Professor Merry Kone FitzPatrick talks about her childhood and how her family came to settle in San Marcos. She recalls her elementary, junior high, and high school experiences, including tidbits about the Blanco and San Rivers, Sewell Park, the Presbyterian Church, and attending the campus school. FitzPatrick shares information about her brothers and their careers. She describes downtown San Marcos and its local landmarks and businesses, covering her childhood through the 1930s.

In her second interview, FitzPatrick talks about graduating from high school and attending college at Southwest Texas State Teachers College. Along with describing her college and graduate courses and certain professors like Prof. Green, Retta Murphy, James Taylor, Betty Jane Kissler, and Emmie Craddock, she discusses what the school, her first job during World War II, and her work supervising student teachers were like. FitzPatrick describes the then-social science division and its faculty, as well as campus buildings like Old Main and certain local characters.This interview covers the 1930s through the 1960s.

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PDF Transcript: Oct 16, 1985
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PDF Transcript: Oct 25, 1985
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HTML Transcript: Oct 16, 1985
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HTML Transcript: Oct 25, 1985

Full audio is available for both interviews.  Request via Ask an Archivist.


History Department Oral Histories

Professor Merry FitzPatrick begins her interview by talking about the history course requirements and the professors she had while she was a student at SWT (1942 BA, 1947 MA), including Prof Green, Retta Murphy, and Jimmy Taylor.  She describes the working relationship among faculty, and how the department banded together to ensure the administration hired Dr. Kissler as chair of the department.  She talks about the department's view on hiring women, the focus on quality of teaching, the six-day school week favored by Dr. Flowers, and how students baseline knowledge has changed over the years.

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PDF Transcript (Not yet available online)
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HTML Transcript, Dec 5, 1991

Full audio is available for this interview.  Request via Ask an Archivist.