Tim Paholak

This oral history interview took place with Tim Paholak in the Solaris building in Hudson, New York on July 3, 2015. Tim was born in Detroit in 1947 and begins by talking about his family and growing up in a city, his school life, living in a Jewish community and his Polish and Irish roots. Tim goes on to talk about school and college life at Michigan State, changing his major several times, and graduating in Criminal Justice. He discusses the Detroit riots in 1967, playing rugby for Detroit and then eventually getting into teaching. He began finding out about Waldorf School when he was 28, and through that came to work with Camphill. Tim has been working in different roles in various Camphill communities for several decades. He talks about intellectual disability, working in Camphill Austria, having a family in Camphill, and moving to Triform where he became Triform president. He talks about the richness of cultural life in Camphill, his children being educated through the Waldorf school, beginning to paint, and his long experience of meditative practice. He also talks about how it has changed over his time at Camphill, and the importance of challenging relationships.

This interview may be of interest to people who want to hear about growing up in Detroit in the 1950s and 1960s, Waldorf schools, Steiner philosophy, Camphill, Triform Camphill Community, Camphill Austria, Camphill Germany, teaching, family, relationships, meditation, reincarnation, and spirituality.