Q: Your father was a circuit court judge in
Appleton, but give me a little bit more of the Van Susteren family
history. It sounds like a good Dutch/Fox Valley name…
A: My father was one of 13 children. He grew up in
Little Chute, Wisconsin. His father was Dutch but I know very little
about him (he died in the 1940's). His Mother was French and German. Of
course, the Little Chute area is very Dutch. In fact, growing up in
Appleton, just 3 miles from
Little Chute, it seemed like everyone in my class
had a last name that began with "Van." I must add that my
Mother, who grew up in New York, was 100% Irish.
Q: What years did you attend Appleton Xavier and
the UW, and how did your education (either the private Catholic
education or the UW) impact your life?
A: I was at Xavier from fall of 1968 until 1972. I
made my best friends in high school -- well, maybe even earlier in
elementary school since most went on to high school with me. To give you
an idea of how close I am to my old friends, I went to a grade
school/high school party last
summer in Wisconsin. We invited "the
boys," to our party. To our great surprise, 49-year-old men showed
up for the party! How time flies! In 1972 I went to Madison for college.
There I met people from all over the world, and all walks of life.
Q: What were your UW days like? Were you involved
in or influenced by the campus activism? What places did you frequent in
Madison?
A: By the time I ended up in Madison, much of the
anti-war activity had subsided. One year earlier there was the bombing
which left a researcher dead but much had quieted in that year. I loved
the Terrace at Memorial Union and the Plaza Bar on Henry Street. Yes, I
also spent time in the library.
Q: What are some things you miss
about WI and how often do you get back? Do you still consider Appleton
home?
A: Appleton is my home. Whenever anyone asks me
“where are you from?“ I don't answer Washington, D.C., although I
have been here almost 30 years. I respond, "Appleton,
Wisconsin." I try and make one trip a year to see my old friends.
Until my Mother died in 2001, I made many trips a year there (she lived
with my husband and me in Washington, D.C., but I took her back often to
see her friends.) Here is what I miss about Appleton: cruising the
"Av," Cleo's, Amy Wallace's house, my childhood home and the
ravine behind it.
Q: Now that you have lived away, what
distinguishes the Midwest from other places?
A: The Midwest has a certain sense of decency that
I just don't feel in other places. Maybe I live in a fantasy world, but
it seems to me that Midwesterners are a cut above everyone else.
Q: Is the East/West Coast media,
and to a greater extent the east/west establishments, out of touch with
the Midwest?
A: I think often the media "skips" over
the Midwest. In fact, I think, and again maybe I am in a fantasy world,
I try and remind the rest of the country about the Midwest. I try to ask
questions I think are relevant to the Midwest.
Q: There’s a new sit-com called A Minute With
Stan Hooper about a New York City couple living in Wisconsin, where
the locals are portrayed as “cheese-obsessed eccentrics.” Does a
show like that help or hurt Wisconsin’s image?
A: I have not seen the new sitcom. As for me, I am
proud to be a cheesehead. I tell people I am a cheesehead.
Q: Do you still follow the Pack,
and what are your favorite Packer memories?
A: Not only do I still follow the Packers, but I
own one share. My favorite memory is getting my picture taken at Conkey’s
bookstore with Paul Hornung.
Q: In your book you discuss the
pride of being a Packer stockholder and bemoan the big business of pro
sports today, pointing out that Lambeau Field is one of the few
remaining stadiums without a corporate name, yet there is a chance that
the city could sell the naming rights. Where do you stand on that?
A: If Green Bay "sells" the naming
rights, I will be very mad. It would cheapen the Packers and its rich
history.
Q: Growing up, when and how did you first realize
what a controversial figure Joe McCarthy was?
A: Joe McCarthy died when I was 2 years, 10
months. As a child, I was consumed with children's activities. I
probably did not know about the controversy until college. I knew that
my father had known him very well - he was the best man in my parents'
wedding - but only knew that he was "Joe" and had been in the
US Senate.
Q: It must have made for interesting dinner
conversations…
A: Dinner conversations in my household were NEVER
dull. We argued, we debated, we switched sides, we insulted but we
always loved each other and always felt loved.
Q: Have you had to work at reconciling what you
know about McCarthy with your father’s friendship with him?
A: No, my Father's friendship with Joe McCarthy
was not a problem for me. I loved my father and I believe Joe McCarthy
to have been wrong.
Q I realize you have little
recollection, but are there any insights on McCarthy you can offer that
maybe the public doesn’t know about?
A: I know very little about Joe McCarthy other
than family stories and the family stories are not hugely historically
significant.
Q: Anything else you want to add for the people
back home?
A: I miss Wisconsin.
Greta Van Susteren was having a busy month.
Besides hosting Fox News’ On the Record, the highest rated
cable news program in the 10 p.m. (EST) time slot, Van Susteren spent a
week in Atlantic City judging the Miss America contest before hitting
the West Coast to hobnob on national television talk shows, attend a
California gubernatorial debate, and drop-in on the Scott Peterson
trial. After a week back home in Washington, D.C., she returned to the
West Coast to cover the California election results.
