A journalism graduate of Berkeley in 1941, Harriet Nathan was the first woman to serve as managing editor of the Daily Californian. From the 1950s to 1987, she prepared public-affairs reports on state and regional policy issues at the Institute of Governmental Studies. In 1965, she reentered Berkeley for her MA in journalism. In 1966, she began working at the Regional Oral History Office (ROHO). For nearly forty years, she brought “a keen interest and depth of knowledge in the arts, government and civic service, and the history of the university” to ROHO, commented colleague Anne Lage.
She was “a superb interviewer - someone who listened very carefully, did her homework, and knew when to probe and when to remain silent,” according to Nancy Kreinberg, her colleague at Lawrence Hall of Science. She interviewed nearly 50 subjects, including philanthropists, civic leaders, Bay Area artists, and five Berkeley chancellors. Nathan holds the record for the longest oral history produced by ROHO: she interviewed the founding dean of Berkeley's business school over the course of 12 years. She also authored Critical Choices in Interviews: Conduct, Use, and Research Role (1996)and, with Kreinberg, Teachers’ Voices, Teachers’ Wisdom: Seven Adventurous Teachers Think Aloud (1991). In 2000, Harriet was awarded the Berkeley Citation, the campus's highest honor.
“Enormously funny, witty, and bright as hell, Harriet Nathan encouraged you to push your thinking further and deeper and helped to bring out the best in your writing," says Nancy Kreinberg. “She was a good friend, a good listener, and strong supporter of all her friends - and she had lots of them." She was also "very active politically," says Kreinberg, who recalls that Nathan founded the Berkeley chapter of the League of Women Voters. "She kept up with politics throughout her life and retained a keen interest in it until the end."
Read more:
Regional Oral History Office Remembers Harriet Nathan, 1920-2005
UC Berkeley News: Web Feature