Allen, Cathy H. 2023-02-27
This interview features Cathy H. Allen, who at the time of her retirement in December 2022 served as Director of Recruitment and Employment at the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center and held the distinction of being the highest ranking African American employee in the Texas Tech University System. In the interview, Mrs. Allen discusses her background and family, attending a newly integrated school as a child, incidents of racism she experienced while attending Stephen F. Austin University and later as an employee at Texas Tech University, changes she observed while working as a Human Resources administrator at Texas Tech, and working at the T-Stem Center in the College of Engineering. Mrs. Allen also addresses Chancellor John T. Montford’s establishment and support of diversity and inclusion programs at the university, including the founding of Mentor Tech.
General Interview Information
Interviewee Name: Cathy H. Allen
Additional Parties Recorded:
Date: February 27, 2023
Location: Lubbock, TX
Interviewer: Lynn Whitfield
Length: 01:14:53 (1 hour 14 minutes)
Abstract
Introduction and background information; College education and facing discrimination; first time in Lubbock; Getting a job at Texas Tech and people who supported her; Diversity at TTU and Mentor Tech; Working in the Chancellor’s office; her daughter’s experience being bullied; Teaching her daughter about generational poverty; volunteer work; Transferring over to the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center; Working at TTUHSC as a woman; reflecting on her time at Tech
Access Information
Original Recording Format: born digital
Recording Format Notes: patrons may listen to audio in our reading room
Transcript: transcript available on dspace <https://hdl.handle.net/10605/375171 >
Thank you for your interest in this oral history interview. Our oral history collection is available to patrons in the Southwest Collection's Reading Room, located on the campus of Texas Tech University. For reading room hours, visit our website. Please contact Reference Staff at least one week prior to your visit to ensure the oral history you are interested in will be available. Due to copyright issues, duplications of our oral histories can only be made for family members. If an oral history transcript has been made available online, the link will be provided on this page. More information on accessing our oral histories is located here. Preferred citation style can be found here.
