Disciplines
Oral History
Abstract
Mr. John O., FCRH class of 1956, was a beloved professor of Romance languages and an administrator in foreign studies at the University of Washington. With his wife Arvella, he later ran Beanstalk Travel Tour Company, leading tours across Europe and drawing on his fluency in several languages as well as his love of art history and anthropology. He was a founding member of the Seattle Academy of Arts & Sciences, where he taught English, Latin, and French.
In his interview, John credits the Fordham honors program with his exposure to international travel and language learning. He describes the demanding sophomore reading requirements and an art-history class, which unexpectedly sparked his lifelong passion for the subject. Its greatest influence came from the year abroad: placed at a Jesuit school outside Paris, he spent ten months immersed in French, an experience that shaped his forty-five-year career as a French teacher and helped him learn additional languages. Professors such as Dr. Pastore, Father Lehey, Bob Brown, and Dr. Marti guided his intellectual development and encouraged broad, curious reading.
John’s interview was conducted by Kevin McKenna, FCRH honors class of 2007.
Recommended Citation
FCRH Honors Program. "Interview with John O.," FCRH Honors Program Oral History Project, Fordham University, 2025. https://research.library.fordham.edu/honorsprogram_fcrh_oral_history/
