Resident Spotlight: Bruce “Bud” Z.

I was born in Chicago to a working class family in the 1930’s. After high school I worked in clerical jobs for several years before moving to Los Angeles in 1956, living for a short time with an aunt and working in a department store.

Knowing no one else in town, I began college in night classes at L.A. City College, becoming the first person of my family to attend college. Unable to go to college full -time, it took me 6 years to complete a four year course at U.C.L.A. majoring in English.

By the time I graduated, I knew I wanted to continue learning, so I applied for fellowship at only four graduate programs, little realizing I should have applied to many more.

But fortune smiled. I was granted a one year fellowship at the University of Wisconsin at Madison. When I finished that year, I was awarded a master’s degree in English.

The next year I became a teaching assistant, given two sections to lead freshman English in Madison, I then returned to U.C.L.A. and began in the doctorate program while I taught there.

I was awarded the PhD. in 1975. By that time I had returned to Wisconsin to teach full time at the University of Wisconsin Waukesha, where I continued teaching until my retirement in 1995.

My major difficulty arose when Wisconsin played U.C.L.A. several time. Who to root for?

Thank you “Bud” for sharing, we enjoy your enthusiasm!