Guide to the Walter E. Schmidt, S.J. & the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Collection MSS.1989.03.08
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
© 2015 Santa Clara University. All rights reserved.
Santa Clara University Library
500 El Camino Real
Santa Clara, California 95053-0500
Email: specialcollections@scu.edu
Language of Material:
English
Contributing Institution:
Archives & Special Collections, Santa Clara University Library
Title: Walter E. Schmidt, S.J. & the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Collection
creator:
Santa Clara University (Calif.)
Identifier/Call Number: MSS.1989.03.08
Physical Description:
15 linear feet
(25 boxes, 5 items)
Date (inclusive): 1944-2009 (bulk 1944-1974)
Abstract: The Walter E. Schmidt, S.J. & the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Collection, 1944-2009 (bulk 1944-1974), documents the activities
of Father Schmidt and the participants of the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village. Started by a handful of youth in 1944, the
Santa Clara Valley Youth Village was created as a response to what city officials deemed a rise in juvenile delinquency during
wartime. After two brief stints by others in leadership roles, Father Schmidt was appointed director in December 1944, a position
he held until the organization was dismantled forty-one years later. The records consist of founding documents, meeting minutes,
membership lists and correspondence; fundraising and publicity materials; scrapbooks with photographs and ephemera from Youth
Village events and celebrity visits; and writings about Youth Village, Father Schmidt and juvenile delinquency. Documentation
of various athletic programs affiliated with Youth Village is also included, with more extensive coverage of the world renowned
track and field and gymnastics clubs. There are also materials documenting Father Schmidt’s life and the honors bestowed upon
him. This collection is arranged into three series: Series I: Youth Village, 1944-1988, & undated; Series II: Walter Schmidt,
S.J. Life & Honors, 1947-2009, & undated; and Series III: Audiovisual Materials, 1953-1974, & undated.
Physical Location: This collection is located in Santa Clara University Library's Archives & Special Collections.
Language of Material: English
Access
Collection is open for research.
Access Restrictions
Audiovisual materials are not available for playback at this time. Access to fragile materials may be subject to review by
the University Archivist.
Publication Rights
Materials in Archives & Special Collections may be subject to copyright. All requests for permission to publish from manuscripts
must be submitted in writing to the University Archivist. Permission for publication is given on behalf of Archives & Special
Collections as the owner of the physical materials, and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder,
which must also be obtained. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials.
Preferred Citation
Walter E. Schmidt, S.J. & the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Collection, 1944-2009 (bulk 1944-1974), MSS.1989.03.08, Santa
Clara University Library, Archives & Special Collections.
Processing Information
Collection processed and encoded by Shannon Hartman in 2015. Reviewed by Erin Louthen. Additional descriptive information
added by Mia Hope in 2018.
Biographical History
Born in San Francisco in 1911, Walter Schmidt, S.J. was the only child of Swiss immigrant parents. After graduating from St.
Ignatius High School, he worked at the Bank of Italy and attended the University of San Francisco at night. Schmidt joined
the Society of Jesus in 1929 and was ordained in 1941. He earned his A.B. and M.A. in psychology from Gonzaga University and
spent two years at St. Ignatius High School, where he taught Latin and algebra, organized the band and glee club and coached
baseball and swimming.
Upon receiving his S.T.L. from Santa Clara University in 1942, Father Schmidt joined the faculty and taught theology. He assumed
a succession of key administrative posts at Santa Clara University including Dean of Men, Director of Community Relations,
Vice President for University Relations, Assistant to the President and Senior Vice President. As a member of the university’s
Board of Trustees for 15 years, he was active in the founding and development of the Board of Regents and the Board of Fellows.
He was the co-founder and coordinator of the Golden Circle Theatre Party, an annual fundraising event which brought numerous
Hollywood actors to Santa Clara.
Father Schmidt is best known for his work with the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village, or the Wutzit Club as it was originally
named. Started by a handful of youth in 1944, the Wutzit Club was a response to what city officials deemed a rise in juvenile
delinquency during wartime. Father Schmidt spoke often on this topic, an epidemic he believed was due to shifting family dynamics
during the war that led women to the workplace and left many homes without a patriarch as head of household.
When he took charge of the Wutzit Club in 1944, Father Schmidt established an assortment of youth recreational programs. Youth
Village programming included a glee club, weekly radio broadcasts, a dramatic society, a sports program and a club newspaper.
The club offered classes in art, dance, photography, sculpture, woodwork and radio repair. It also sponsored three dances
a week and a variety of civic projects. By 1947, the club had 1,000 members. By 1956, when the new Santa Clara Valley Youth
Village facilities opened, membership had climbed to 4,000. As a result, Father Schmidt won acclaim for sharply reducing juvenile
delinquency in Santa Clara. The Youth Village was well known for producing world class athletes. From track and field to boxing,
swimming to gymnastics, the programs set many world and U.S. records. Between 1956 and 1968, 16 Youth Village athletes made
U.S. Olympic teams, garnering five medals. Father Schmidt himself served as chaplain for the U.S. team twice.
In the late 1960s, the Youth Village redirected its activities. It dropped some programs, such as track and field, and added
others. It built a Little League baseball field and a gymnasium for the Santa Clara Valley Gymnastics Club. It also began
to service different age groups, including seniors. In 1985, the Santa Clara Youth Village facility was sold, and the proceeds
were used to establish a Santa Clara University scholarship in Father Schmidt’s name. Father Schmidt died April 10, 1988.
In 2005, Wutzit Club alumni succeeded in their lobbying efforts to name a newly created youth center in his honor, the Walter
E. Schmidt Youth Activity Center in Santa Clara, California.
Bibliography
Paluzzi, Suzy. “The Wutzit Club Alumni Reunion.”
The Santa Clara Weekly, November 25, 2009. Web. (Accessed Nov. 2, 2015)
Father Schmidt and the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village: 50 Years a Jesuit, circa 1989. Print.
Note: This biographical note consists of excerpts taken verbatim or paraphrased from the
Father Schmidt and the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village: 50 Years a Jesuit, pamphlet.
Organizational History
Santa Clara University was founded in 1851 by the Society of Jesus as Santa Clara College and is California’s oldest operating
institution of higher learning. It was established on the grounds of Mission Santa Clara de Asìs, the eighth of the original
21 California missions. The college originally operated as a preparatory school and did not offer courses of collegiate rank
until 1853. The institution became known as the University of Santa Clara in 1912, when the schools of engineering and law
were added. For 110 years, Santa Clara University was an all-male school. In 1961, women were accepted as undergraduates and
Santa Clara University became the first coeducational Catholic university in California. The number of students and faculty
tripled over the next decade and the university began the largest building program in school history with eight residence
halls, a student union, and an athletic stadium. In the early 1970s, the Board of Trustees voted to limit the size of the
undergraduate population, an action that was intended to preserve the character and ensure the quality of the university for
generations to come. In 1985, the university adopted Santa Clara University as its official name.
Bibliography
Santa Clara University. “About SCU – History.” www.scu.edu/about/history.cfm (Accessed Nov. 23, 2010)
McKevitt, Gerald, S.J.
The University of Santa Clara: A History, 1851-1977. Stanford, California: Stanford University Press, 1979.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged into three series: Series I: Youth Village, 1944-1988, & undated; Series II: Walter Schmidt, S.J.
Life & Honors, 1947-2009, & undated; and Series III: Audiovisual Materials, 1953-1974, & undated.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Walter E. Schmidt, S.J. & the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Collection, 1944-2009 (bulk 1944-1974), documents the activities
of Father Schmidt and participants of the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village from its inception in 1944 to its closure in 1985.
The records consist of founding documents, meeting minutes, membership lists and correspondence; fundraising and publicity
materials; scrapbooks with photographs and ephemera from Youth Village events and celebrity visits; and writings about Youth
Village, Father Schmidt and juvenile delinquency. Documentation of various athletic programs affiliated with Youth Village
is also included, with more extensive coverage of the world renowned track and field and gymnastics clubs. There are also
materials documenting Father Schmidt’s life and the honors bestowed upon him.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Youth centers -- 20th century
Youth -- Recreation -- 20th century
Santa Clara College (Calif.)
University of Santa Clara (Calif.)
Santa Clara Valley Youth Village
Schmidt, Walter E.
Series I. Youth Village,
1944-1988, & undated
Scope and Content
This series documents the history of the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village from its inception in 1944 until its closure in
1985. Included are founding documents, meeting minutes and membership lists; fundraising and publicity materials; records
of proposed projects including Youth Village Manner and the Boy’s Ranch; and writings about Youth Village, Father Schmidt
and juvenile delinquency.
There is documentation of the various athletic programs affiliated with Youth Village, including boxing, track and field,
gymnastics and a Little League baseball team. There is more extensive coverage of track and field, including correspondence
related to finding housing and employment for international athletes; fundraising; the Olympic Men’s Track & Field Committee;
track meets and schedules; and the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village’s dissolution of the track team (after 16 years) in favor
of building a gymnastics program.
Scrapbooks contain a wide variety of materials. Some consist predominately of newspaper clippings about Youth Village, but
others include organizational records and correspondence; photographs of Youth Village events, participants and visiting Hollywood
celebrities; and ephemera. Materials documenting the many theatrical productions at Youth Village can also be found in the
scrapbooks. Indicative of the era in which it took place, there are photographs and ephemera from minstrel shows with actors
appearing in blackface.
Note: Boxes labelled "Youth Village Scrapbook Pages" contain disassembled scrapbooks.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
Box 1: Youth Village Organizational Records,
1947-1984, & undated
Folder 1: Founding Documents,
1947-1959, & undated
Folder 2: Minutes,
1947-1964
Folder 3: Minutes,
1957-1978
Folder 4,
1960-1984, & undated
Folder 5: On Juvenile Delinquency,
1955-1958
Folder 6: Projects, building construction,
1955-1957, & undated
Folder 7: Projects, Boy's Ranch,
1958-1959
Folder 8: Projects, The Youth Village Manor,
1964-1965
Folder 9: Publicity,
1958-1981, & undated
Folder 10: Wutzit Club,
1948-1984, & undated
Box 2: Youth Village Membership Lists,
1958-1969
Box 3: Writings about Youth Village,
1948-1979, & undated
Folder 1: Thesis about Youth Village,
1948
Folder 2:,
1949-1966, & undated
Folder 4: Newspaper Clippings,
1955-1979
Box 4: Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Track Team,
1953-1968, & undated
Folder 1: Correspondence,
1953-1959
Folder 2: Correspondence,
1960
Folder 3: Correspondence,
1960
Folder 4: Correspondence,
1961
Folder 5: Correspondence,
1965-1968, & undated
Folder 6: Fundraising,
1958-1964
Folder 7: Correspondence,
1960-1961
Folder 8: Organizational records,
1957-1968
Folder 9: Photographs,
undated
Folder 10: Photographs from the Olympic Games (non-SCU),
1956
Box 5: Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Track Team,
1956-1968
Folder 1: Amateur Athletic Union,
1956-1968
Folder 2: Amateur Athletic Union,
1960-1963
Folder 3: Articles/publicity,
1959-1968
Box 6: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1944-1958
Box 7: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1944-1973
Box 8: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1945-1983
Box 9: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1950-1959, 1980
Box 10: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1955-1956
Box 11: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1957-1959
Box 12: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1957-1987, 1962-1966
Box 13: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
circa 1950-1975
Box 14: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1960-1963
Box 15: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1964-1988
Box 16: Youth Village Scrapbook Pages,
1967-1968
Box 17: Youth Village 25th Anniversary Scrapbook,
1969
Box 18: Golf Tournament Scrapbook,
1971-1973
Box 19: Santa Clara Valley Youth Village Gymnastics Club Scrapbook,
circa 1972-1984
Box 20: Youth Village Photographs,
undated
Box 21: Youth Village Slides,
undated
Items 1-5: Youth Village Newspaper Articles (laminated) & Rome Olympics Poster,
1950-1970
Series II. Walter Schmidt, S.J. Life & Honors,
1947-2009, & undated
Scope and Content
This series documents the honors and recognition Father Schmidt received for his years of service to the Santa Clara and Santa
Clara University communities. Included are correspondence; materials from the Father Walter Schmidt, S.J. Recognition Dinner
and his Golden Jubilee; writings about Father Schmidt; his travel photographs; and commentary on violent dissent and the American
way. Also included are materials related to the Father Schmidt Scholarship at Santa Clara University and the successful effort
of Wutzit Club alumni to name a youth activity center in his honor, the Walter E. Schmidt Youth Activity Center in Santa Clara,
California.
Arrangement
This series is arranged by format.
Box 22: Personalia,
1964-1986, & undated
Folder 1: Barry Goldwater,
1964
Folder 3: Recognition Dinner,
1969
Folder 4: 50 Years as a Jesuit,
1979
Folder 5: Photographs from a Golden Jubilee,
1980
Folder 6: Souvenirs,
1966-1980, & undated
Folder 7: Vietnam Trip Photographs,
undated
Folder 8: Father Schmidt Scrapbook,
undated
Folder 9: Father Schmidt Scrapbook,
undated
Folder 10: Father Schmidt Scrapbook,
undated
Box 23: Wutzit Club Alumni & the Father Schmidt Scholarship,
1947-2009
Folder 1: Wutzit Club Alumni,
1947-2009
Folder 2: Wutzit Club Alumni,
1947-2009
Folder 3: Wutzit Club Alumni,
1947-2009
Folder 4: Wutzit Club Alumni,
1947-2009
Folder 5: Scholarship,
1984-1988
Folder 6: Scholarship,
1984-1988
Folder 7: Dedication of Walter Schmidt Youth Activity Center (Fr. Donnely),
2006
Series III. Audiovisual Materials,
1953-1974, & undated
Scope and Content
This series includes reel-to-reel audio recordings and films documenting Father Schmidt’s personal and professional life.
Included are audio recordings of Father Schmidt’s lectures on youth and the family (1958); a radio interview (1959); and a
Golden Circle Theatre Party and films with titles such as “Sketches in Music” (1953), “Building Tomorrow Today” and “Father
Schmidt in Alaska” (1955).
Note: Audiovisual materials are not available for playback at this time.
Box 24: Audiovisual Materials,
1953-1974, & undated
Box 25: Audiovisual Materials,
1953-1974, & undated
