Creator: Camarillo, Albert M.

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Al Camarillo, the Leon Sloss Jr. Memorial Professor Emeritus of History, discusses his involvement in the Urban Studies Program beginning in the mid- 1970s. Camarillo describes several courses he has taught in the program, including Stanford's first American urban history introductory course, a service-learning colloquium entitled Poverty and Homelessness, and a course delving into the history of Compton, California. He also recounts his role in shaping the program through the faculty advisory committee as well as the research projects he undertook as an Urban Studies Faculty Fellow. Woven throughout the oral history are reflections on the development of urban studies as a field, including comments on its interdisciplinary nature and on the shifting nature of cities themselves. Camarillo concludes the oral history with a call for the program and the university to continue building opportunities for students to engage with communities off- campus through service-learning courses.

Creator: Carson, Clayborne, 1944-

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Clayborne Carson, the Martin Luther King, Jr., Centennial Professor of History, Emeritus, details his involvement in Stanford's Urban Studies Program during its early years. He recalls finding community among the faculty committee and discusses his teaching efforts for the program, including creating a course on the physical development of the city; hosting overnight field trips to San Francisco to introduce students to the twenty- four hour nature of urban life; and incorporating an investigation of Palo Alto into his one of his courses. Carson also shares memories of St. Clair Drake and offers insights into the program's connections to his own research, situating Martin Luther King, Jr. within the history of Black American migration to urban regions. Finally, he reflects on Stanford's shift in focus toward computer science and recounts his own professional trajectory from computer programming to history.

Creator: Childs, Roy

Creator: Meurice, Nova

Abstract: In this oral history, Roy Childs (AM 1971, PhD 1973) recounts his role in launching the Urban Studies program as a graduate student in sociology at Stanford. Childs discusses early meetings with administrators; the influence of the Study of Education at Stanford on the program's legitimacy; and the process of recruiting faculty and adjunct lecturers to begin offering courses. He shares memories of the community fostered among the student-driven programs housed in the Old Union basement, including SWOPSI (Stanford Workshops on Political and Social Issues), his duties as de facto director of the program, and influential contacts with Ray Bacchetti, Philip Dawson, and St. Clair Drake. Childs also recalls his own career path, including his transition from a corporate position at AT&T to graduate study and an eventual faculty position at University of the Pacific where he established the urban studies program and co-founded the Harold S. Jacoby Center for Public Service and Civic Leadership. Throughout the interview, Childs weaves in reflections on the cultural and political shifts that have shaped the trajectory of the field of urban studies, his experiences as a teacher, and the opportunities for community engaged learning that urban studies courses offer to students.

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Creator: Meurice, Nova

Abstract: In this oral history, Michael Kahan, the co-director of Stanford's Urban Studies Program, details his involvement in Urban Studies and changes in the program since his arrival in 2003. Kahan shares insight into the administrative decisions made during this period, discussing the transition period after Len Ortolano's departure as faculty director; a critical review of the program by the Committee on Review of Undergraduate Majors (C-RUM); and subsequent efforts to reorganize the program during Doug McAdam's directorship, including the additions of the capstone research project and the internship requirement, which later broadened into various community-engaged learning experiences. He also recounts the implementation of concentrations in urban society and social change and urban sustainability and the program's response to a reduction in funding from the UPS Endowment Fund for Transportation, Logistics, and Urban Issues. Kahan goes on to discuss several of the courses he has taught with the program, highlighting the Senior Seminar; Introduction to Urban Studies; Gentrification; and From Gold Rush to Google Bus: History of San Francisco. He also details organizing his first community-engaged learning course in collaboration with East Palo Alto-based filmmaker Michael Levin. Finally, Kahan reflects on shifts in student interests and demographics in Urban Studies and concludes with his visions for the future of the program.

Creator: Kirst, Michael W.

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Michael Kirst, Professor Emeritus of Education (and Business Administration by courtesy), recounts his role in the early years of Stanford's Urban Studies Program, including his time as the chair of the Faculty Steering Committee from 1973 to 1974. Kirst discusses the committee's work to transition the program from its student- organized roots to an interdisciplinary program with institutional support; the challenge of building an interdisciplinary program in an era with few models for doing so; student advocacy; and the search for committed faculty members. He also talks about his own work on urban issues in the United States Office of Education (now the United States Department of Education) during President Lyndon B. Johnson's administration, and reflects on urban studies' shifting relationship with racial equity throughout his career.

Creator: Mollenkopf, John H., 1946-

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, John Mollenkopf, Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Sociology at the City University of New York Graduate Center, discusses his time teaching in and serving as faculty director of Stanford's Urban Studies Program in the 1970s. Mollenkopf recounts how, while an assistant professor in the Public Management Program at the Graduate School of Business, he shaped and co-taught the Urban Studies introductory course with Fred Stout; organized a lecture series entitled "How Great was the Great Society?" that engaged academics across the political spectrum; and completed his dissertation and additional research in the records of the Bay Area Council that became the basis for his book The Contested City. Mollenkopf also offers insights into Stanford's student protest culture and the culture of academia, particularly during the Nixon administration; San Francisco politics in the mid-1970s; and his personal political and intellectual development, including his collaboration on the journal Kapitalistate. He also reflects on the differences between Stanford and the CUNY system, which he joined in 1981.

Interview recordings embargoed until 2096.

Creator: Ortolano, Leonard

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Leonard Ortolano, the UPS Foundation Professor of Civil Engineering in Urban and Regional Planning, Emeritus, discusses his directorship of the Urban Studies Program from 1980 to 2003. Ortolano details his responsibilities and some of the decisions he made as director, including the recruitment of adjunct lecturers; the institution of a student-organized career seminar to supplement the program's advising; and the stewardship of the UPS Foundation grant. He explains the interaction between the School of Engineering and Urban Studies, the impact of changes in the architecture program on Urban Studies, and the circumstances that led to the program's attainment of degree-granting status in 1985. He reflects on leading the program through various budget crises and administrative challenges and his dedication to shaping the program to support student interests. He also recounts other key aspects of his career, including growing up in Brooklyn, his early work in the Public Health Service, his tenure with the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, and his position and influence as director of the Haas Center for Public Service.

Creator: Stout, Frederic, 1943-

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Fred Stout, the executive director of Stanford's Urban Studies Program from 1973 to 1977 and longtime lecturer in the program, recounts his involvement with Urban Studies from its earliest days through the present. Tasked with developing the student initiated experiment into a true major, Stout explains his approach to this responsibility, recalling his collaboration with faculty committee members; the creation of the program's introductory course and junior seminar; and the year-long review process that placed the program on firm financial footing. He recalls how the Stanford initiative compared to urban studies programs at other institutions, which bolstered his commitment to a curriculum that emphasized "intellectual fundamentals" rather than pre-professional training. Stout describes organizing community engagement opportunities, such as a summer program in which students supported efforts to prevent the development of South Park in San Francisco's South of Market neighborhood. He also details his own volunteer and advocacy work, including his position as a national staff coordinator for Vietnam Summer in 1967; community organizing around housing affordability in San Francisco; and his role as the executive director of the nonprofit Media Alliance. Additionally, Stout recounts creating his seminal anthology The City Reader; the impact of Lewis Mumford, Paul Goodman, and others on his thinking; and how the field has changed over the years. Finally, Stout reflects on his shifting personal politics, his approach to teaching, and the application of urban studies to students' own communities and senses of citizenship.

Creator: Turner, Paul Venable

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Paul Turner, the Wattis Professor of Art, Emeritus, recounts his longtime involvement in the Urban Studies Program. Turner discusses shaping and co- teaching the program's junior seminar, eventually titled Utopia and Reality in Modern Urban Planning; early communications between Urban Studies and the Art Department regarding support for interdepartmental programs; his role as the university's sole architectural historian and the only trained architect on the faculty; and the impact of the discontinuation of Stanford's architectural program on Urban Studies. Turner also reflects on the relationship between his teaching and his research, including the influence of Urban Studies on his pivotal work Campus: An American Planning Tradition.

Creator: Van der Voort, Henry, III

Creator: Kahan, Michael B.

Abstract: In this oral history, Henry Van der Voort III, Class of 1970, recounts his time as the Urban Studies Program's first student director, during which he and graduate student Roy Childs were tasked with building up the program with little faculty leadership. Van der Voort details the steps they took to grow Urban Studies, including visiting San Francisco State University and corresponding with universities across the nation to learn from their programs in urban studies; convincing faculty members and adjunct lecturers to give courses for the program; fundraising within Stanford; and establishing a board of both students and faculty. He also recalls the process of coordinating local internships; interactions with the Office of the Dean of Undergraduate Studies, and the search for his replacement as director, which allowed for greater formalization of the program. Van der Voort also shares memories of the contemporary student culture within the program and at Stanford at large.

Creator: Waters, Louise Bay

Creator: Meurice, Nova

Abstract: In this oral history, Louise Bay Waters (BA 1972, MA 1976) discusses her early participation in Urban Studies at Stanford, including her co-directorship of the program during the 1971-1972 school year. Waters describes a key project she undertook through Urban Studies in which she organized and facilitated a curriculum for white students in the local Sequoia Union High School District to reflect on the process of desegregation occurring in their schools. She also recounts leading a course entitled What is White for Stanford students and Stanford's efforts to recruit more Black students during her time on campus. Other topics include designing her own major; memories of her advisor St. Clair Drake; and the influence of Urban Studies on her career path in education.