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Pratt (Lowell Clark) Papers
MSS.2009.03.26  
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Collection Details
 
Table of contents What's This?
  • Access
  • Publication Rights
  • Preferred Citation
  • Processing History
  • Biography / Organizational History
  • Scope and Content
  • Arrangement
  • Related Materials

  • Language of Material: English
    Contributing Institution: SJSU Special Collections & Archives
    Title: Lowell Clark Pratt Papers
    source: Gilbertson, Allan
    creator: Pratt, Lowell Clark
    Identifier/Call Number: MSS.2009.03.26
    Physical Description: 1 Box (0.88 linear feet)
    Date (inclusive): 1957-1965
    Abstract: The Lowell Clark Pratt Papers, 1959-1963 (bulk 1960-1963) contains personal correspondence written (typed) by Lowell Clark Pratt to his daughter Lucia Gilbertson and her family, a few family photographs, news clippings, and includes excerpts from these letters complied by his grandson, Allan Gilbertson.

    Access

    The collection is open for research.

    Publication Rights

    Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Director of Special Collections. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the Special Collections & Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.

    Preferred Citation

    Lowell Clark Pratt Papers, MSS-2009-03-26, San José State University Library Special Collections & Archives.

    Processing History

    Collection processed and finding aid EAD encoded by R. Schuyler Selden. Reviewed by Danelle Moon.

    Biography / Organizational History

    Lowell C. Pratt (1894-1979) was born in Pomona, California, where he became a "cub" reporter in 1913 and later attended Pomona College. He served in World War I and in 1920 he graduated from the School of Journalism at Columbia University. Pratt began his career in Springfield, Massachusetts, but returned to Pomona, California where he accepted the position as city editor of the Pomona Progress and between 1923-1926 he worked for the Pasadena Star News. In 1926 Pratt bought the Selma Enterprise, which he and his partner sold in 1947. While living in Selma, Pratt was a active member of the community, serving as a president of the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club, and the Community Club. He and his wife, Dorothy Louise Pratt, were members in the First Methodist Church. He joined San Jose State College in 1947 where he served as a Director of Public Relations and as an Assistant Professor of Journalism. Pratt later served as the Publications Manager and as faculty advisor to the Theta Xi. In 1965, after 18 years of service, he retired at the age of 70.

    Scope and Content

    This small collection of personal letters, writen by Pratt to his daughter, covers a wide range of subjects. These typewritten letters are personal in tone, relating daily, national and international events, as well as college life and the interpersonal politics of the San Jose State College staff. Subjects of note include John F. Kennedy's election and assassination, the space race with the Soviet Union, communist speakers on campus and in the San Jose area. Pratt also described the 1960 controversy over the admittance of student St. John Dixon, an African American civil rights protester who had been expelled from Alabama State College.

    Arrangement

    This collection is arranged by format.

    Related Materials

    Additional information on the St. John Dixon case can be found in:
    San Jose State College Presidential Office Administrative Records, MSS-2009-04-01, Series I, Box 27.
    San José State University Library Records, MSS-2009-03-03, Series I, Box 21.

    Subjects and Indexing Terms

    San Jose State College -- Journalism and Advertising Department -- History
    Pratt, Lowell Clark -- Correspondence
    Gilbertson, Allan
    Pratt, Lowell Clark