Oral history interview with Joseph Kruskal, 2000

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Name: Kruskal, Joseph B., 1928-2010 (Interviewee); Michaels, Sheila, 1939-2017 (Interviewer)
Title: Oral history interview with Joseph Kruskal, 2000
Other Titles: Reminiscences of Joseph Kruskal, 2000; Oral history of Joseph Kruskal, 2000
Abstract: Kruskal begins the interview by detailing his family background and the political positions of his parents, community, and school. He explains his relationship to Judaism and the influence of his four older siblings. Additionally, Kruskal explains the personal impact of major historical events during his childhood, including the Great Depression, the Pearl Harbor attacks, and World War II. Kruskal discusses the career of his father and the divorce of his parents as well as his family's talent for mathematics. He recounts his introduction to CORE while working in Washington, D.C. and his continued devotion to the organization. Kruskal recalls his time in the suburbs of Newark, New Jersey, and the discriminatory real estate practices that contributed to segregation there. In this discussion, Kruskal acknowledges his privileged position within the unjust system. He discusses how his recognition of privilege led to his creation of the Fair Housing Council of South Orange and Maplewood, including his trials in the organization. Other topics of discussion include: Kruskal's experience with teaching, the Newark unrest of 1967, his involvement with the ACLU, his experience in local politics, and his family's religious beliefs
Collection Name: Sheila Michaels civil rights organization oral history collection
Subjects: Mathematicians; Civil rights movements--History--20th century.--United States; Discrimination in housing--New Jersey; Riots--History--20th century.--New Jersey; Newark (N.J.) Race relations 20th century; Kruskal, Joseph B., 1928-2010; Congress of Racial Equality
Format: oral histories
Genre: Interviews
Date: 2000

Physical Description: 50 pages
Note (Biographical): Joseph Kruskal was born in 1928 to a Jewish family in New York City. He received both a bachelor's degree and master's degree from the University of Chicago and a PhD from Princeton University in 1954. Kruskal became a mathematician, statistician, com puter scientist, and psychometrician. He is the namesake of Kruskal's Algorithm and the Kruskal Tree Theorem. He was a fellow of the American Statistical Association, president of the Psychometric Society, president of the Classification Society of North America, and a longtime employee of Bell Labs. Kruskal was also an active supporter of civil rights and a member of numerous activist organizations, including the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Urban League, and the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union). He initiated the Fair Housing Council of South Orange and Maplewood in 1963. Kruskal died on September 19, 2010
Note: Interviewed by Sheila Michaels on April 28, 2000
Note (Provenance): Sheila Michaels, Gift circa 2000-2005
Language: English
Library Location: Columbia Center for Oral History, Columbia University
Catalog Record: 11604174
Persistent URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.7916/d8-tqvp-7b36
Related URLs: Available digital content for this interview.