Guide to the Lowell Clark Pratt Papers MSS.2009.03.26
R. Schuyler Selden
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
© 2010
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
special.collections@sjsu.edu
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
Box 1, Folder 1
Newspaper Clippings
1957-1965
Box 1, Folder 2
Letter Excerpts
1959-1963
