Today’s Project 100 memory comes from Jack Gillespie and Mary Gillespie.  They met at Glassboro State and have now been married for over fifty-five years.  Interviewed them at the same time.

Jack was born and raised in Woodbury, New Jersey.  He was mostly raised by his grandparents, as his father died young.  His mother was a cook.  He had three sisters and one brother.  He attended public schools and graduated from Woodbury High School in 1946.  He didn’t go to college when he graduated, as he could not afford it.  He worked at several jobs and in an oil refinery for about eight years.

Mary was born and raised in Hammonton, New Jersey.  Her father was a union carpenter and dock builder.  He helped to build the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  Mary’s mother was a housewife, and she had one sister.  She went to public schools and graduated from Hammonton High School in 1959.  

After Jack graduated from Glassboro State in 1963, he became an English teacher at Bridgeton High School.  In 1966, he became department chairman, taught journalism, and advised the weekly high school newspaper.  In 1969, he became Assistant Director of Community Relations at Glassboro State College.  The next year, the managing editor of the Gloucester County Times lured him away, and he became the assistant managing editor.  After a few years, he returned to Glassboro State to the Communications Department.  He taught journalism and public relations writing.  He was president of the Faculty Senate and retired from Glassboro State in 1992.  He left GSC to run a business (communication briefings) that his GSC colleagues had started on the side.  He and his colleagues sold that business, but he ended up working for the new company and retiring from that position in 2001 and one other in 2007.  In fact, he is still helping to edit the Rowan Magazine to this day at age 94.

After Mary graduated in 1963, she joined the social studies faculty at Edgewood High School.  She worked there for twenty-nine years, the last fifteen years in the Gifted program, which she helped develop.  After retiring, she increased her volunteering, something that she first came to value during Operation Uganda.  She was very involved with the Hammonton Lions Club and the Hammonton Education Foundation.  She is most proud of the work that she did with a former student in starting the Hammonton Cancer Foundation.  They have raised so much money to help those who have trouble paying their bills while seeking cancer treatment.  She and Jack both also served on the Board of the South Jersey Cancer Fund.

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Jack:  Deciding to leave the oil refinery was the greatest decision of my life for two reasons.  First, I got a degree and some skills.  Second, I met my wife.  We have now been married for over fifty-five years.  I chose Glassboro State because it was near to my home, and I thought I had a good chance of being accepted.  Furthermore, I always wanted to be a teacher. I began in the social studies education program and minored in English.

Mary:  I always wanted to be a teacher.  I could not afford any other place, as I had to be somewhere that I could commute.  Like Jack, I was a social studies education major, but I was also a minor in English and psychology. 

Jack:  Marius Livingston was a spark plug. He was very student-oriented.  He organized a great number of field trips and was an all-around great guy.   Harold Wilson was always challenging me.  He seemed to pick on me as I was older, but I knew he wanted me to reach my full potential.  He never settled for anything less than your best, and he pushed me to become a better student.  I think he also liked the fact that I challenged him from time to time.

Mary:  I agree with Jack.  Marius Livingston influenced me more than anyone else.  He was a fantastic teacher who made history come alive.  Another important professor was Jesse Kennedy.  His courses were fascinating, and he had a great personality.

Jack:  Operation Uganda was Marius Livingston’s idea. It was challenging.  We collected all kinds of books and equipment.  I remember packing lots and lots of books.  It was a ton of work.  There was some disappointment at the end that not everything we collected ended up making it to Uganda, but I understand now that such things happen.

Mary: I was in Marius Livingston’s class.  It was an exciting project.  I remember going with Betty Bowe to see her as she boarded a plane at Andrews Air Force base to go to Uganda for their Independence Day.  Later, we took her to the airport when she went to teach in Uganda for two years.  At the end of her time there, I joined Betty and Betty’s mother in Europe for a great vacation and tour.  After I graduated, when I was a first-year teacher at Edgewood High School, in 1963, a group of us involved in the Project were invited to the United Nations for a reception honoring the newly independent country.  One very sour moment happened after this reception when someone charged numerous phone calls to my account. This added to my overall disappointment that so many of the things we collected did not make it to the school in Uganda.

Mary:  I took care of Betty’s daughter, Kathy, during the Summit between Lyndon Johnson and Alexei Kosygin. I did, however, get to be there in the crowd to see the President.

Jack:  Glassboro State changed my whole life.  It started me off on a new career.  I will always be grateful for that.

Mary:  I got a very good education at Glassboro State.  I was exposed to new ideas, and it set me up well for my career in teaching, which I loved. 

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This is part of the Department of History’s “Project 100,” the collection and sharing of one hundred memories by Glassboro State College and Rowan University alumni and staff.  One memory will be released per day in the 100 days leading up to October 20, 2023, the date of a reunion celebrating the 100^th anniversary of the founding of Glassboro Normal School, later Glassboro State College, and now Rowan University.  The reunion will take place at 7pm at the Summit City Farm and Winery in Glassboro, New Jersey.  Registration for the reunion will be open from July 11^th and will remain open until the venue reaches its 100-person capacity (or October 13^th if capacity never reached).  We do anticipate that the reunion will sell out, so please register as soon as possible by visiting the Alumni Office’s registration page here:  alumni.rowan.edu/historyreunion2023. 

You can also find the up-to-date set of Project 100 memories on the Department of History’s webpage or by clicking this link: https://chss.rowan.edu/departments/history/alumni_highlights/projiect_100/

William Carrigan arranged, interviewed, transcribed and/or edited these memories.  Laurie Lahey proofread and helped edit the final versions.  If you wish to share your own memories, please email Dr. Carrigan at carrigan@rowan.edu.  Alumni with Facebook accounts are encouraged to join the RU/GSC History Alumni group here:  https://www.facebook.com/groups/251485937221524.