Ernest Clark Steele diaries mssSteele
Finding aid prepared by Gina C Giang.
The Huntington Library
© August 2018
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, California 91108
Business Number: (626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
Note
Last updated by Brooke M. Black in February 2024.
Contributing Institution:
The Huntington Library
Title: Ernest Clark Steele diaries
Creator:
Steele, Ernest Clark
Identifier/Call Number: mssSteele
Physical Description:
5.34 Linear Feet
(12 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1915-1967
Abstract: The Ernest Clark Steele diaries span
the years 1915 through 1967 and relate to his life and career as a teacher in Los Angeles,
California.
Language of Material: The records are in
English.
Access
Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at
the Huntington Library for more information.
Publication Rights
The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from
or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The
responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining
necessary permissions rests with the researcher.
Preferred Citation
Ernest Clark Steele diaries, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Ernest Clark Steele, August 1963.
Biography
Ernest Clark Steele was a secondary school teacher. He was born in Miracle Run, West
Virginia, on October 21, 1900. He was the son of Joseph Ira and Margaret Jane (Tennant)
Steele. He earned his B.A. from West Virginia University in 1926 and M.A. from University of
California, Berkeley in 1931. Steele married Edna Myrtle Mayhew on December 19, 1930. The
couple had one son: Richard Ernest Hampden Steele born in Pasadena, California, on September
5, 1939.
Scope and Content
Ernest Clark Steele begins his diaries as a student at Daybrook High School in Monogalia
County, West Virginia. The entries from 1915 through 1918 are primarily short remarks about
his location (whether he's at home or school) and the weather. His entries become lengthier
with a bit more details about his daily activities after he enters West Virginia University.
In addition to entries about his early years as a principal at Oceana and teacher at
Pineville, he writes about his summertime gig in the Equipment Department of the Swarthmore
Chautauqua Association from 1921 through 1927. In August 1927, he enters the University of
California, Berkeley. During this period, he writes about his studies, extracurricular
activities, and going to church. Steele's nearly 30 years career as a teacher in the Los
Angeles City Schools begins at Dana Junior High School in September 1928. After 3 1/2 years,
he transfers to Belvedere Junior High School in East Los Angeles, where he teaches English
and social studies for almost 15 years. By 1943, his discouragement with the school is
evident. On October 14th, 1943, he writes, "We are pretty well agreed that the general
attitude expressed by pupils is on the decline and that it is likely to get worse before it
gets better..." He continues with a radical idea to create another school called the
Belvedere Annex, where it would be a "dumping ground...for low mentality and problem
children, and for any others who could not profit form the established program which the
regular school would have to offer." He ends the entry, "I can already hear squawks of
disapproval." Other passages include remarks about faculty meetings, workshops, and lack of
interest from his students. In addition to entries about work, Steele comments on economics,
politics, church, and social activities. Regarding politics, he appears to be a liberal.
During one conversation on July 3, 1936, he proposes abandoning "both the Republicans and
Democrats - and join some group working in the interests of the common people." He
frequently reads The New Republic, The Atlantic, Reporter, Reader's Digest, and listens to
the educational radio program Invitation to Learning. Steele also spends a great deal of
time on landscaping and gardening at his picturesque home in Pasadena, California. In the
early 1950s, he worked as a vocational counselor for the United States Veterans
Administration. He does not provide details about the veterans, but merely touches upon
their cases: "I had a veteran this morning who wants pilot training...The first I have had
for a long time, and they are tough to be approved..." (August 15, 1952). After Steele's
retirement from the Los Angeles City Schools, he remained active in the program of the
Pasadena Area Liberal Arts Center and obtained a Reader's card at the Huntington Library
where he read and kept notes on his diaries. The diaries from 1915 through 1937 are
handwritten and the diaries from 1937 through 1967 are typewritten.
Arrangement
Arranged chronologically.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Counselors
Depressions
Education
Education, Secondary
Students
Teachers.
Vocational guidance
World War, 1939-1945 -- Public opinion
Fairmont (W. Va.)
Los Angeles (Calif.)
Los Angeles County (Calif.)
Monongalia County (W. Va.)
Morgantown (W. Va.)
Pasadena (Calif.)
Oceana (W. Va.)
Wana (W. Va.)
Diaries
Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery
Los Angeles City School District
Swarthmore Chautauqua Association
West Virginia University
United States. Veterans Administration
University of California, Berkeley
Box 1, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1915)
Box 1, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1916)
Box 1, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1917)
Scope and Contents
Included: Photograph of Ernest Clark Steele inside front cover
Box 1, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1918)
Scope and Contents
Included: Photograph of Ernest Clark Steele inside front cover
Box 1, Folder 5
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1919)
Box 1, Folder 6
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1920)
Box 1, Folder 7
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1921)
Box 1, Folder 8
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1922)
Scope and Contents
Included: Loose ephemera inside back pocket
Box 1, Folder 9
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1923)
Scope and Contents
Included: Loose ephemera inside back pocket
Box 2, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1924)
Box 2, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1925)
Scope and Contents
Included: Loose ephemera inside back envelope
Box 2, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1926)
Box 2, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1927)
Box 3, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1928)
Scope and Contents
Included: Photograph of Ernest Clark Steele inside front cover
Box 3, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1929)
Box 3, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1930)
Box 3, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1931)
Box 4, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1932)
Box 4, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1933)
Scope and Contents
Included: Photograph of Ernest Clark Steele inside front cover
Box 4, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1934)
Box 4, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1935)
Box 5, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1936)
Box 5, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1937)
Box 5, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1938)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 5, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1939)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 5, Folder 5
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1940)
Scope and Contents
Three volumes
Box 6, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1941)
Scope and Contents
Three volumes
Box 6, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1942)
Box 6, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1943)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 6, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1944)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 6, Folder 5
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1945)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 7, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1946)
Scope and Contents
Three volumes
Box 7, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1947)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 7, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1948)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 7, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1949)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 8, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1950)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 8, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1951)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 8, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1952)
Scope and Contents
Two volumes
Box 8, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1953)
Box 8, Folder 5
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1954)
Box 9, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1955)
Box 9, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1956)
Box 9, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1957)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 9, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1958)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 10, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1959)
Box 10, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1960)
Box 10, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1961)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 11, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1962)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 11, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1963)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 11, Folder 3
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1964)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 11, Folder 4
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1965)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 12, Folder 1
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1966)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
Box 12, Folder 2
Steele, Ernest Clark -- Diary, (1967)
Scope and Contents
Two parts
