David C. H. Johnston oral history interview

David C. H. Johnston, Dartmouth Class of 1966. Oral history interview documenting his experiences and activism during the Vietnam War. Johnston describes his childhood in Illinois, his family’s political and community involvement, and his interest in the Civil Rights Movement as a young person. He discusses his undergraduate years at Dartmouth, including his participation in intramural sports and rugby and his membership in Pi Lambda Phi, as well as his academic interests and the social climate on campus prior to co-education. Johnston describes his involvement with the Tucker Foundation, including the Negro College Exchange Fund, and discusses civil rights more broadly during his time at Dartmouth, recalling campus visits by both Malcolm X and George S. Wallace. He describes his growing awareness of the Vietnam War while at Dartmouth and the development of his anti-war sentiments. He discusses his graduate studies in urban planning at the University of Wisconsin at Madison and provides a detailed account of his anti-war activism during that time, which included participation in Students for a Democratic Society and the Dow Chemical riot. Johnston describes receiving a permanent draft deferral, meeting his wife, and observing the end and aftermath of the Vietnam War. He recounts his career path, including later work for the Annie E. Casey Foundation, the creation of the nonprofit Center for Higher Education Retention Excellence, and his current teaching work at Eastern Connecticut State University.