Kermit Phelps, professor of Psychology at the University of Kansas from 1955-1970, discusses growing up in Illinois in the early 1920s and describes life at KU in the 1930s for a student who was African American. He discusses the effects of the Great Depression, working with veterans of many wars in hospitals in Topeka, KS and his relationship with Dr. Karl Menninger. Phelps recalls his involvement with the desegregation movement and his experiences at KU where he was the first African American in 'just about everything' at the university. The interview concludes with a discussion of his retirement and involvement with AARP and the Life Enrichment program.