Oral History Interview with Denis O'Neill
Title
Oral History Interview with Denis O'Neill
Narrator (written)
Denis O'Neill
Narrator First Name
Denis
Narrator Last Name
O'Neill
Interviewer
David Mannes
Abstract
Denis R. O’Neill, Dartmouth College Class of 1970. He played baseball, soccer, and hockey varsity sports at Dartmouth, until senior year during which he only played varsity Hockey. O’Neill discusses political climate at time in Westport, Connecticut and his father’s political engagement and anti-war activism with friends such as Theodore Geisel [“Dr. Seuss”]. He pledged Chi Phi Heorot [now Chi Heorot], was a member of Casque and Gauntlet senior society. He discusses how being in a fraternity shaped his views of the war, something which Billy Smoyer’s (Class of 1967) death did as well: as a catalyst for more war protests. O’Neill talks about the accuracy of reporting by journalists versus the government and various perceptions on campus. He describes the Parkhurst Protest of the war, led by the SDS [Students for a Democratic Society]. O’Neill discusses the campus climate during the lottery and his exemption. After graduating, he served as a seaman aboard the S.S. Mobil Fuel, then became a folk singer. Then, O’Neill attended Boston University’s School of Journalism and wrote a memoire titled WHIPLASH: When the Vietnam War Rolled a Hand Grenade into the Animal House.
Date of Interview
August 20, 2015
Subject
Dartmouth Alumni
Dartmouth History
Protest/Antiwar Activism
Political Participation
Language
English
Rauner ID
DOH-470
Rights
CC-BY-NC-ND-4.0
Interview Audio Source (MP3)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/o'neill_denis/o'neill_denis.mp3
Interview Transcript Source (PDF)
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/o'neill_denis/o'neill_denis_transcript_final.pdf
HTML
//rcweb.dartmouth.edu/DDHI/histories/o'neill_denis/o'neill_denis_transcript_final.html