David Dawley oral history interview

David Dawley discusses the long history of patriotism and military service on his father’s side of the family, which dates back to 1635 in New England. Dawley grew up in Gardner, Massachusetts and discusses the town’s diversity. He talks about applying to Dartmouth, Choate dorms, Freshmen beanies, Coxswain crew, rowing club, and all-male campus culture. Dawley coached freshman crew as a student, served in the Undergraduate Judiciary Committee ROTC freshman year and was a member of Casque and Gauntlet. He did not know what to do after college so he joined the Peace Corps and traveled to Honduras where he set up a clinic and also went to the Caribbean to set up a track and field event for kids. Organized student protests while at the University of Michigan. Participated in the Belzoni, Mississippi Freedom Now movement and Black Power movement, and was active in Greenwood, Mississippi and appeared in the PBS Eyes on the Prize series who wanted to know about the transition to Black Power and Dawley was the only white witness they could find. Dawley worked for Warren Wiggins in Chicago. He wrote a book about the Vice Lords and received a grant from the Rockefeller Foundation to improve the life of the organization. He returned to Massachusetts and began working for the state governor and also worked in the Dartmouth Development Office. Finally, Dawley discusses the guilt of not going to Vietnam.