Guide to the San José State University Oral History Project Collection MSS-2006-04-01
Diane Malmstrom and Alexandra Lynch
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
October 26, 2016
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: San José State University Oral History Project Collection
source:
Noble, Lela
Identifier/Call Number: MSS-2006-04-01
Physical Description:
2 boxes
(1.4 linear feet)
Date (inclusive): 2005-2006
Abstract: This collection contains audio tapes and transcripts documenting the experiences of key administrators and faculty from San
José State University. The oral histories described reflect the changes in campus governance, curriculum, and student life
from 1952 to the present.
Scope and Contents
This Oral History Project documents the history of San José State University (SJSU) from 1952 to the present. The interviews
cover a wide spectrum of subjects from student life, faculty and university governance, policymaking, capital campaigns, and
changes in higher education in California. Collectively these interviews document the sweeping social, political and economic
changes that shaped American society and which thereby transformed academic life and culture at SJSU. The post-war years offered
great prosperity and new opportunities for college students in California. The impact of the civil rights movement and the
Vietnam war, forever changed academics and influenced the development of new programs and disciplines, including the formation
of New College (1968-1980), an experimental interdisciplinary school, and new majors in African American Studies, Chicano
Studies, Asian American Studies, and Women Studies. Changes in curriculum and the diversity of the student body and faculty
led to a watershed that moved the institution forward from a small college to a major metropolitan university. The interviews
and in particular, the account of Reverend Benton White, professor of religious studies, present some of the challenges the
university faced in addressing civil rights on campus and in society. Many of the themes from these interviews shed light
on student and faculty strikes during the Vietnam war, the Tommie Smith and John Carlos 1968 Olympics controversy, the development
of an ombudsman position to address racial discrimination, and other social justice issues on campus. The tumult of the civil
rights movement and anti-war demonstrations on campus mirrored other college and university experiences across the United
States, yet laid the foundation for a more democratic and diverse institution.
This Collection consists of sixteen audio interviews, interview transcriptions, and project correspondence from San José State
University Oral History Project, conducted in 2005 and 2006. The interviews were conducted by Dr. Margo McBane, Bonnie Montgomery
and Suzanne Guerra. Each interviewee was asked to reflect on their early experiences working at SJSU, to describe key historical
events, to discuss changes in policy, and to comment on the how these policies impacted the students, faculty, and administration.
Biographical / Historical
San José State University (SJSU) has the distinction of being the oldest public institution of higher education on the West
Coast. The early history of SJSU began in 1857 in San Francisco with the formation of the Minns' Evening Normal School. The
Minns' Evening Normal School provided the foundation for the formation of the first California State Normal School in 1862
and firmly established the college and university system in the state. In 1870 the campus moved from San Francisco to San
José.
San José State University's name has evolved along with the institution. In 1921 San José State Normal School became San José
State Teachers College, later renamed San José State College in 1935, later renamed California State University, San José
in 1972 when it achieved university status, and finally, San José State University in 1974. From its beginnings as a normal
school to train teachers for the developing frontier, SJSU has matured into a metropolitan university offering more than 134
bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations. The California State University system is the direct descendant of
the San José Normal School.
The SJSU Special Collections & Archives received a generous donation from Hobert W. Burns, former Academic Vice President,
Emeritus Professor of Philosophy, to sponsor the San José State University (SJSU) Oral History Project. This donation provided
the funding needed to interview key administrators, faculty and staff. These interviews document the history of the university
from 1952 to the present, and provide a rich array of personal accounts of student and campus life, faculty and university
governance and policymaking.
Arrangement
The San José State University Oral History Project Collection is arranged into three series: Series I. Recordings; Series
II. Transcripts; and Series III. Project Records.
Preferred Citation
San José State University Oral History Project Collection, MSS-2006-04-01, San José State University Library Special Collections
& Archives.
Conditions Governing Use
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 San José State University Library 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.
Conditions Governing Access
Transcripts and recollections are available for research use. Due to their fragile nature access to the audio tapes is restricted.
Processing Information
Processed by Alexandra Lynch, Spring 2017.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
San José State University -- History
Education -- California -- San Jose (Calif.)
Oral histories
Blockhus, Wanda, 1931-
Douglas, John R.
Yaffe, Ruth
Lange, Lester H.
Male, Mary
Melendy, H. Brett (Howard Brett)
Milioto, Samuel
Moore, George
Noah, James
Noble, Lela
Norton, Theodore
Pinson, Jay
Sivertsen, Wiggsy
Walsh, James P., 1937-
White, J. Benton, 1931-
Whitlatch, Jo Bell
Guerra, Suzanne
McBane, Margo
Montgomery, Bonnie
Series I. Recordings
Scope and Contents
This series contains the audio tapes of the oral history interviews.
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by last name of interviewee.
Box 1, Folder 14
White, J. Benton White
2005
Box 2, Folder 13
SJSU Library Forum Tape 1
2007
Series II. Transcripts
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by last name of interviewee.
Scope and Contents
This series contains the transcripts of the oral history interviews.
Series III. Project Records
Arrangement
This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.
Scope and Contents
This series contains records such as correspondence, resumes, and agreements that are related to the oral history project.
Box 2, Folder 8
Interviewee Correspondence
2006
Box 2, Folder 12
Staff Correspondence
2005-2006
