Description
The Routt Collection contains local histories by Tokay High School (Lodi, Calif.)
students together with audio tapes of interviews with source persons which formed part of
the basis for the student papers (1989-1995). Subject matter ranges from general topics
like "juvenile delinquency" to very specific ones such as "The Lodi Muslim Mosque." The
bulk of the essays and interview tapes focus on San Joaquin County where Tokay High
School is located.
Background
Steve Routt (b. 1943) has taught English at Tokay High School (Lodi, California) since
1982. Routt, a fourth generation Californian with a considerable interest in the history
of his native state, holds a Master of Arts in Education from California State
University, Chico. In about 1987 someone gave Mr. Routt a copy of Eliot Wigginton's
Sometimes a Shining Moment: The Foxfire Experience (1972). This book, which chronicles
Georgia English teacher Wigginton's efforts to involve his students in writing by
interviewing locals and chronicling the life and history of their region, inspired Steve
Routt to create an Oral History Project at Tokay High School.