"S. Woller preaches American way in Spain" from the February 2, 1965 Door County Advocate
BY MARK JONES
S. Woller preaches American way in Spain
BY MARK JONES
Sussex, England
Today in far off Valencia, Spain, Stanley Woller of Sturgeon Bay is leading a valiant fight. Facing almost insurmountable financial problems he is keeping one of the few windows open through which citizens of totalitarian Spain can see and hear about the American way of life.
Stanley is director of the Center of North American Studies in Valencia. His big, friendly smile and easy going charm as he greets visitors and students sets the atmosphere for the center. He has made the center a popular gathering place for Spanish students and intellectuals.
Underneath his tousled red hair Stan has a strong will. When the U.S. withdrew support for the center last year for economy reasons Stan refused to give up. Today the center is still operating and growing.
Over 400 Spaniards eagerly push open the doors to the center five nights a week. They come to learn the English language from dedicated young American teachers who work for $80 a month and live as the Spaniards do. Getting acquainted with these teachers gives the students a much favorable impression of Americans than they get from observing free spending tourists. Another 800 Valencians come to the center every week to read about American government, culture and technology In the non-censored, 10,000 book library.
Valencia, Spain's third largest city, and an educational, industrial, and agricultural center, is destined to play a leading role in shaping Spain's future. It was a stronghold of the republican forces during the civil war. As the Marques del Turia, former mayor and member of the Spanish nobility emphasized when questioned about the Center, "The loss of the center would be 'traglco' because It is of 'grande importancia' in furthering Spanish-American understanding."
The 100 young Valencia citizens who were sponsored by and processed through the center for study in the U.S. under the Fulbright and American Field Service programs are its most ardent boosters. Valencia's once communist dominated labor unions use its faculties for meetings and more and more Valencians are attending regular lectures at the center about facets of American life.
The center was started by the United States Information Service in 1957 and depended on U.S. support to keep its facilities within the means of most Valencians. It offered a 12-week course of English language instruction for $7.00 and library memberships for $2.00.
STANLEY WOLLER, a graduate of Sturgeon Bay high school, is director of the Center of North American Studies In Valencia, Spain. He has kept the center going despite a U.S. budget cut that withdrew government support.
Stanley Woller came to the center as a teacher in 1961. He grew up in Milwaukee, Sheboygan, and Sturgeon Bay, graduating from high school here in 1950. He graduated with honors from University of Wisconsin in 1954 with a degree in international relations. While at the university he was president of the Spanish-Portuguese Club and social chairman for the International House. His parents, Marvin and Olive Woller, live in Sturgeon Bay where Marvin has worked for the Telephone company for 35 years.
After leaving the university Stanley got a fellowship from the Brazilian government to study and teach in Sao Paulo.
From Sao Paulo Stan came to Valencia and after teaching in the center for a year moved up to become the assistant director. When the center's director resigned in 1983 he asked Stan to take over temporarily. Soon after he left Stan received word that U.S. support was being withdrawn and no new director would be sent.
Evaluating the situation Stan found that expenses were running much higher than the unaugmented income. A new language term was about to begin. He had to act quickly, before the small reserve fund was exhausted.
Stan asked the center's board of governors, made up of nine Spaniards and three Americans, to meet and discuss ways of keeping the center open. None appeared to be practical. But Stan would not give up. He searched day and night for a lower rent location and finally found a large house in the old, aristocratic section, near the 15th century La Lonja. He could get it for a fourth the amount the center paid for its downtown location. Then he persuaded his staff and teachers to accept a cut of a third in their already low salaries. With these economies he formulated a budget which would be balanced if he could maintain the income from language courses and library memberships.
With new classes starting the first week in January and expenses rapidly eating up the little money remaining in the till he had to move the center immediately, without taking time to renovate the old house. With the help of the students and his staff he used his car and an old truck to haul the furniture, fixtures, and library across town to the new location over a weekend. Then on Monday as if God-sent, four U.S. destroyers pulled into Valencia. When Stan told the ship's company of the center's plight, they volunteered to buy paint and renovate the old house.
Classes started on schedule in early January in freshly painted rooms. The historical environment of the center in its new location enhanced its cultural atmosphere.
It is still too early to tell if the center can survive and continue to fullfill its important role but Stan and his loyal staff are determined to find a way. With their resolution and willingness to work, the odds are that they will succeed, and this vital center for fostering Spanish-American understanding will continue to grow.
Courtesy of the Door County Library Newspaper Archive
[Obituary for Stanley Woller: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/greenbaypressgazette/name/stanley-woller-obituary?id=24599069 ]
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