Description
William E. Mahan was a high school history teacher, college professor, social activist, and professional historian. This collection
consists of published materials, research notes and correspondence that the creator generated on specific people, trends,
and topics in the history of Sacramento, highlighted by politician Marshall Beard, Sacramento's Progressive and Reform movements
of late-nineteenth and early twentieth-century Sacramento, the City Beautiful Movement in Sacramento, and his strong advocacy
for the works of Depression-era artist Ralph Stackpole. There are groupings of 35mm slides, one covering a trip to Europe
and a notable excursion to the home of John A. Sutter, Sr., in Kandern, Switzerland; one covering Sacramento churches; the
other, covering Stackpole and his works.
Background
William "Bill" Edward Mahan was born in Illinois in 1931, grew up in Illinois and Wisconsin, and eventually earned an undergraduate
degree in History from San Jose State University and a graduate degree in History from Stanford University. He went on to
teach history at Sacramento's Kennedy High School for four years (where he was a teacher and mentor to political philosopher
Cornel West and his brother Clifton West) and Sacramento High School for 10 years. He transitioned to a professorship at Sacramento
City College where he taught Local and American History for over 20 years. He retired in 1994 at the age of 63, but continued
his work as a professional historian, developing walking tours, publishing scholarly articles, and producing videos on public
art and local history that appeared on local television. Over his career, Mahan developed into one of the most respected and
beloved historians of the Sacramento region and was a committed proponent of civic involvement. He passed away in August 2016.