Louise Conley, oral history transcript, 10/5/2018

Oct. 5, 2018 Location: Alumni House, Cortland, NY Length: 1 audio file, 1:07:20 The Interviewee. Louise Conley is the granddaughter of Francis J. Cheney, principal of the Cortland Normal School from 1891 to 1912. Although Louise Conley did not meet her grandfather, she provided a large amount of information and history involving his life. She grew up in Madison, New Jersey, but now resides in Princeton, New Jersey. Louise Conley shares her family history, memories, and involvement with SUNY Cortland. The Interviewers. Jill VanDeMark and Kristian Christian are current students at SUNY Cortland, majoring in Early Childhood/Childhood Education with a concentration in History. This interview is part of a project taking place in Evan Faulkenbury’s Oral History class during the fall 2018 semester. Description of the Interview. This interview took place in the sunroom of Louise Conley’s room at the Alumni House in downtown Cortland, New York. The Alumni House is full of historical charm. While interviewing in the sunroom, we overlooked the backyard, decorated beautifully with flowers. For the interview, we sat in patio furniture facing each other. We had no interruptions. Around the 39:00-minute mark, Conley started interviewing Christian and VanDeMark. Louise Conley of Princeton, New Jersey is the granddaughter of Francis J. Cheney, the second principal of Cortland Normal School from 1891 until his death in 1912. Growing up, she never knew her grandfather and did not inquire more about him until she was much older. Both her mother, Clara Cheney, and her father, Rollin McCarthy were graduates of Cortland Normal School. They later pursued their master’s degree at Cornell University. Her parents and both set of grandparents are buried in Cortland Rural Cemetery, which is located near the college. Although Louise Conley herself is not an alum, her roots at SUNY Cortland are just as strong. Louise Conley shares her family story and is a big advocate for her grandfather