Today’s Project 100 memory comes from Keith Holtoway.  He was born and raised in Union, New Jersey.  He attended public schools and graduated from Union High School in 1965.  His mother had a clothing design business, and his father was an English teacher (and eventually head of the English Department) at Roselle Park High School.  He has a younger sister.  He enrolled in Glassboro State in the Fall of 1965.  He graduated in August of 1969 with a degree in Liberal Arts, focusing on history, English, and art.  In September 1969, he got a job teaching in a Camden middle school. He had never had an education course in his life, and he had sought a job just as a substitute teacher.  He had 240 students and a poor principal, so he only lasted one year.  After this, he moved to Provincetown, Massachusetts.  He lived there for seven years, making pots and working in restaurants.  In order to avoid the winter, he and his friends moved to Santa Cruz, California.  His friends returned to Provincetown, but he stayed in Santa Cruz.  He and one of his friends started a small pizza restaurant called Pizza My Heart, which he grew and later sold in 1997. The next year, he became a consultant who advises small businesses.  He continues in this role today.

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I don’t really remember why I ended up going to Glassboro State.  I was in the middle of my class in high school.  I think that Glassboro State ended up being my choice due to the fact that I was able to run cross country there.  I ended up becoming a captain of the team.  Coach Richard Wackar’s training was to drive us out ten miles from campus, drop us off, and say “good luck.”

While I enjoyed running a lot, I had a hard time focusing on academics both in high school and later at Glassboro State. This was the height of the Vietnam War.  You had to take a test to keep your college deferment every year.  You had to take 18 credits every semester to maintain your deferment.  My draft number was 21.  The distractions form the world outside of the classroom were intense.  The emotions of the time were intense.  I was living in Pitman when Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot and killed.  Sadly, many people in Pitman thought this was good.  This gives you some sense of how hard it was to focus on academics at this time.

I began at Glassboro State as a biology major.  I wanted to become a marine biologist.  I loved going to the ocean at the Jersey Shore or up in Cape Cod.  I took a botany class my first semester with Dr. Seyd Hussein.  He was incredibly difficult.  Getting a C out of that class was a major accomplishment.  I took some more science classes, and I ended up realizing that biology was not the right major for me.  I switched over to history.  I had to take three classes in the summer of 1969 to graduate, one of which was Western Civilization.

I had one really amazing professor.  He taught Russian history, and he inspired me.  He invited us over to his house at the end of the semester, which was something that had never happened to me before.  I loved the way that he made history into an evolving story. 

For one of my English literature classes, I had a really great professor who acted things out in class.  His name was David Lloyd, and he kept you engaged and was really smart.  I remember him even laying down on a table one time and teaching class.  I think he was pretending to be Marlon Brando.  It was hard to reach students at this time due to all the factors I mentioned earlier.  The fact that he could overcome all of that noise and connect with us was to his great credit.

My time at Glassboro State was a great transition for me.  It is for most students of course.  I was able to challenge myself and grow.  There were many interesting people at Glassboro State at the time.  It was a good place to be during this challenging time.  Thinking back, I realize that I had a number of professors who really cared.  I wish I had been able to be a better student.   

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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.  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.