Guide to the Spencer C. Olin papers MS.F.024
Machine-readable finding aid created by Audrey Pearson, 2007. Updated by Gabrielle Wood, 2023.
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
(cc) 2023
The UCI Libraries
P.O. Box 19557
University of California, Irvine
Irvine 92623-9557
spcoll@uci.edu
Contributing Institution:
Special Collections and Archives, University of California, Irvine Libraries
Title: Spencer C. Olin papers
Creator:
Olin, Spencer C.
Identifier/Call Number: MS.F.024
Physical Description:
3.8 Linear Feet
(5 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1944-2006
Date (bulk): 1966-2006
Abstract: This collection comprises the extant professional papers of Spencer C. Olin, founding faculty member, administrator, and professor
emeritus of history at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). His papers contain research files related to his book
Major Problems in California History, teaching materials for two undergraduate courses titled "California in Modern America" and "Utopian Experiments in American
History," research files documenting Orange County, and research files documenting the history of UCI. The papers include
photographs, clippings, journal articles, correspondence, and notes. The addition to this collection includes materials such
as course syllabuse, lecture notes, and reference articles relating to research on the history of California and the American
West, Orange County Great Park, "The Nature of Historical Inquiry", and "Postsuburban Analysis of Metropolitan Regions".
Language of Material:
English
.
Access
The collection is open for research. One file of restricted personnel information has been separated and will be open for
research in 2073. Acession 2023-003 is minimally processed, but is open for research.
Publication Rights
Property rights reside with the University of California. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and
their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or to publish, please contact the Head of Special Collections and Archives.
Preferred Citation
Spencer C. Olin papers. MS-F024. Special Collections and Archives, The UC Irvine Libraries, Irvine, California. Date accessed.
For the benefit of current and future researchers, please cite any additional information about sources consulted in this
collection, including permanent URLs, item or folder descriptions, and box/folder locations.
Acquisition Information
Gift of Spencer C. Olin, 2006. Gift of Spencer C. Olin, 2022.
Processing History
Processed by Audrey Pearson, 2007. Updated by Gabrielle Wood, 2023.
Biography
Spencer Olin is a founding faculty member of the University of California, Irvine (UCI), Department of History and has been
a prominent professor and administrator throughout UCI's history. A native Californian, Olin received a B.A. from Pomona College
(1958) and an M.A. and Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University (1961, 1965). His focus has been on modern American history,
particularly California and the West. Over the years, Olin also served UCI in many administrative capacities, including acting
vice chancellor for Student Affairs (1965-1966), chair of the Department of History (1977-1982), chair of the Academic Senate
(1986-1988), director of the Humanities Core Course (1989-1991), dean of the School of Humanities (1992-1996), and acting
Executive Vice Chancellor (1994). In recognition of his dedication and academic excellence, Olin has been the recipient of
numerous awards, including the Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished Service Award (1991), the Historical Society of Southern
California's Martin Ridge Retrospective Award (2001), the UCI Alumni Association Extraordinarius Award (2006), and the UCI
Medal (1998), the highest campus honor.
Olin is the author or co-author of six books relating to American history and has published numerous articles, essays, and
book reviews in publications such as
The Journal of American History,
Western Historical Quarterly,
Pacific Historical Review,
California History, and
Radical History. He was a co-curator of the 2006 UCI Library exhibit
Under Construction Indefinitely: Forty Years of Designing UCI, during the campus's fortieth anniversary celebration. As of 2007, Olin is retired and lives in Irvine with his wife, Rita
Olin, who retired from UCI as a financial analyst.
Biographical/Historical note
Chronology
1937 February 13 |
Born in Los Angeles, California |
1958 |
Received B.A. from Pomona College |
1961 |
Received M.A. from Claremont Graduate University |
1965 |
Received Ph.D. from Claremont Graduate University |
1964-1965 |
Instructor in history, Pomona College |
1965 |
Joined UCI's faculty as assistant professor of history |
1965 September - June 1966 |
Acting vice chancellor for Student Affairs |
1968 |
California's Prodigal Sons: Hiram Johnson and the Progressives |
1969-1978 |
Associate professor of history, UCI |
1971-1972 |
Visiting lecturer in history, University of Stirling, Scotland |
1972 |
Racism in California: A Reader in the History of Oppression |
1977 - 1982 |
Chair of the Department of History |
1979 |
Why War? Ideology, Theory, and History |
1981 |
California Politics, 1846-1920: The Emerging Corporate State |
1982-1997 |
Professor of history, UCI |
1983-1989 |
Member and vice president of the board of directors for the Irvine Campus Housing Authority |
1986 - 1988 |
Chair of the Irvine Division of the Academic Senate |
1989 - 1992 |
Director of the Humanities Core Course, UCI |
1989 - 1991 |
With Sandra Campbell, co-chair of the UCI Campus Campaign |
1991 |
Postsuburban California: The Transformation of Orange County Since World War II |
1991 |
Received First Annual Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. Distinguished Service Award |
1992 |
Acting dean of the School of Humanities |
1992 - 1996 |
Dean of the School of Humanities |
1994 |
Acting Executive Vice Chancellor |
1997 |
Major Problems in California History: Documents and Essays |
1997 |
Professor emeritus of history, UC Irvine |
1998 |
Awarded the UCI Medal |
2001 - 2002 |
Acting director of the Center for Global Peace and Conflict Studies |
2001 |
California's Prodigal Sons |
2004-2006 |
Appointed Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor, in honor of the longest-serving regent in University of California history,
to work with the University Archivist on UCI's Fortieth Anniversary Historical Records Project
|
2006 |
Received UCI Alumni Association Extraordinarius Award |
Collection Scope and Content Summary
This collection comprises the extant professional papers of Spencer C. Olin, founding faculty member, administrator, and professor
emeritus of history at the University of California, Irvine (UCI). His papers contain research files related to his book
Major Problems in California History, teaching materials for two undergraduate courses titled "California in Modern America" and "Utopian Experiments in American
History," research files documenting Orange County, and research files documenting the history of UCI. The papers include
photographs, clippings, journal articles, correspondence, and notes. The addition to this collection includes materials such
as course syllabuse, lecture notes, and reference articles relating to research on the history of California and the American
West, Orange County Great Park, "The Nature of Historical Inquiry", and "Postsuburban Analysis of Metropolitan Regions".
Collection Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 4 series:
- Series 1. University of California, Irvine files, 1979-2006. 0.5 linear feet
- Series 2. Research files, 1950-2004. 2.5 linear feet
- Series 3. Teaching materials, 1970-1985. 0.2 linear feet
- Series 4. Writings, 1966-1997. 0.2 linear feet
Acession 2023-003, a minimally processed addition to the collection is listed at the end.
Separation Note
Publications authored by Olin were removed and catalogued separately in Special Collections. Several widely available journals
were removed and discarded.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Clippings -- 20th century.
Utopias -- United States
Letters -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
Photographic prints -- California -- Orange County -- 20th century.
California -- History -- Sources
Lecture notes -- 20th century.
Offprints -- 20th century.
Historians.
College teachers.
University of California, Irvine -- Faculty -- Archives
University of California, Irvine -- Archives
Olin, Spencer C. -- Archives
University of California, Irvine files Series 1.
1979-2006
Physical Description: 0.5 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises materials generated by Olin as a faculty member and administrator at UCI. Contents include materials
related to the UCI Historical Records Project, the groundbreaking ceremony of the Humanities Instructional Building, the UCI
Fortieth Anniversary celebration, a search for a dean of Humanities in 1992, and campus honors that Olin received. The series
contains correspondence, articles, clippings, transcripts of speeches, and ephemera.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by topic
Restrictions
A restricted personnel file has been separated and will be open for research in 2073.
box 1, folder 1-3
Chan, Sucheng: articles, correspondence and other materials
1981-1998
Biographical/Historical note
Chan was a founder of Asian American and ethnic studies as a scholarly discipline in the United States, especially at the
University of California. Chan is professor emeritus, University of California, Santa Barbara and former provost at University
of California, Santa Cruz. Chan also co-edited
Major Problems in California History with Olin. Olin tried to recruit Chan to come to UCI.
box 1, folder 4
Clippings featuring Olin
1994-1998
box 1, folder 5
Contributions to UCI Strategic Plan: correspondence and articles
1997-2004
Dean of Humanities search
box 1, folder 6
Correspondence, interview transcript, and other materials
1992-1997
file-cabinet 568-H-2
Correspondence and search committee remarks
1992-1997
Conditions Governing Access note
Access restricted until 2073.
box 1, folder 7, 49
Edward A. Dickson Emeritus Professor / UCI Historical Records Project: correspondence, clippings, and other materials
2002-2005
box 1, folder 8
Essays and lectures by Olin concerning UCI administration
1989-2002
box 1, folder 9
Historical Society of Southern California -- Martin Ridge Retrospective Award: program and correspondence
2001
box 1, folder 10
Humanities Instructional Building groundbreaking: invitation, Olin's remarks, and other materials
1996
box 1, folder 11
Remarks on retirements, awards, and eulogies: transcripts, photographs, and programs
1993-2005
Scope and Contents note
Includes two 7 x 5 inch color photographs of Olin wearing the UCI Medal.
box 1, folder 12
Third Annual Seminar on Social History and Theory: photograph
1980
Scope and Contents note
Includes one 7 x 5 inch black-and-white photograph of Olin with UCI Chancellor Daniel G. Aldrich, Jr. at the 3rd Annual Seminar
on Social History and Theory.
box 1, folder 13
UCI Alumni Association Extraordinarius Award: programs, speech transcript, and other materials
2006
box 1, folder 14-15
UCI architecture research: articles, correspondence, and other materials
1979-2005
box 1, folder 16-17
UCI Fortieth Anniversary planning materials: correspondence, notes, and other materials
2005
box 1, folder 18
UCI Fortieth Anniversary Symposium: correspondence, clippings, and other materials
2005
box 1, folder 19
UCI University Club anniversary pamphlets
1987-1997
Research files Series 2.
1950-2004, bulk 1972-1997
Physical Description: 2.5 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises subject files that Olin created related to his research. Subjects include Orange County regional history
and profiles of Orange County cities, the Oneida Colony and the Townerites of Santa Ana, and Olin's book
Major Problems in California History.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by topic
box 1, folder 20
Anaheim: report, newsletter, and other materials
1950-1957, 1972-1985
box 1, folder 21
Brea: clippings
1957, 1988-1989
box 1, folder 22
Chinese-Americans: clippings, programs, and other materials
1984-1985
box 1, folder 23
City councils composition: reports and notes
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes information about the city councils of Anaheim, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Fullerton, Garden Grove, and Santa
Ana, California.
box 1, folder 24
Costa Mesa Historical Society Quarterly newsletters
1977-1984
box 1, folder 25
Costa Mesa Oral History: transcripts, pamphlet, and other materials
1978-1984
box 1, folder 26
Costa Mesa: reports, pamphlet, and other materials
1983-1987
box 1, folder 28
Dana Point: clipping
1989
box 1, folder 29
Fountain Valley: notes
undated
box 1, folder 30
Fullerton: clippings and notes
1957
box 1, folder 31
Garden Grove: pamphlet, clipping, and other materials
1987, undated
box 1, folder 32
Globalization of Orange County economy: articles, report, and other materials
1972-1973, 1984-1989
box 1, folder 33
Hispanics: clippings, essay, and other materials
1984-1988
box 1, folder 34
Huntington Beach: clippings and report
1982-1990
box 1, folder 35
Industrial League of Orange County: newsletters and notes
1985-1989
box 1, folder 36
"Intra-Class Conflict and the Politics of Regional Fragmentation" coded data
1986
box 1, folder 37
Irvine: clippings and notes
1976-1991
box 1, folder 38
Japanese-Americans: clippings
1975-1984
box 1, folder 39
Laguna Niguel: clipping
1985
box 1, folder 41
La Palma: notes
1981-1986
box 1, folder 42
Los Alamitos: clippings
1984-1986
Major Problems in California History
Chapter 2. The First Californians:
box 1, folder 43
Newsletters, article, and other materials
1968-1978, 1992-1993
box 1, folder 44
Photographs, articles, and other materials
1855, 1958, 1984-1997
Scope and Contents note
Materials older than 1958 are reproductions from other sources.Includes two 8 1/2 x 11 inch black-and-white photographs. One
photograph is of Native American artifacts, the other is of a Native American man.
Chapter 3. The Spanish Mission System, 1769-1821
box 1, folder 45
Articles, clippings, and other materials
1978-1997
box 2, folder 1
Articles, draft, and other materials
1970-1983, 1989-1993
box 2, folder 2
Chapter 4. Mexican California and the Transition to American Rule, 1821-1848: notes and articles
1849, 1888, 1939, 1964-1971, 1983-1992
Scope and Contents note
Articles prior to 1964 are photocopies of original materials from other sources.
box 2, folder 3
Chapter 5. Conflicts over Land in a New State, 1850-1870: articles and notes
1971, 1985-1986
box 2, folder 4
Chapter 5. The Gold Rush and American Conquest: notes, articles, and other materials
1990-1994, undated
box 2, folder 5
Chapter 6. Problems of Land and Water: articles and book reviews
1987-1995
box 2, folder 6
Chapter 7. The Railroads and Corporate Power, 1860-1900: notes, articles, and other materials
1981-1993, undated
box 2, folder 7
Chapter 8. Labor and Social Conflict, 1850-1915: articles and book reviews
1981-1996
box 2, folder 8-9
Chapter 8. The Progressive Era: notes and articles
1911, 1969, 1987-1997
Scope and Contents note
Items older than 1969 are photocopies of original materials from other sources.
box 2, folder 10
Chapter 17. Conservativism Revived; Liberalism Transformed: Political Culture, 1960-1980: notes, clippings, and other materials
1975-1984, 1991
box 2, folder 11
Minority rights in the 1950s and 1960s research: notes, articles, and other materials
1972, 1988-1994
box 2, folder 12
Naturism, extermination, and anti-orientalism research: notes, articles, and other materials
1877, 1920, 1967-1974, 1984-1990
Scope and Contents note
Items older than 1967 are photocopies of original materials from other sources.
box 2, folder 13
Newport Beach: clipping
1986
box 2, folder 16
Diary of R. Victor Hawley: transcripts
1876-1877
Scope and Contents note
Folder contains typed transcripts created in 1978 of Hawley's diaries.
box 2, folder 17
General materials: prospectus, bibliography, and other materials
1977, undated
box 2, folder 18
Notes from manuscript collections and newspapers
1978, undated
box 2, folder 19
Notes from Oneida Community Historical Collection in Kenwood, New York
1977
box 2, folder 20
Oneida Circular / The American Socialist: notes
1975
box 2, folder 21
"The Oneida Community and the Instability of Charismatic Authority:" correspondence, notes, and other materials
1974-1977
box 2, folder 22-24
Photographs and copy negatives from various sources
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes 32 copy negatives and 9 black-and-white photographs of members and buildings of the Oneida Community in New York
and Townerite Group in Santa Ana, California.
box 2, folder 25-27
Photograph album
circa 1875-1915
Processing Information note
The album was dissembled and housed in archival photograph sleeves. The original pages were photocopied to show the original
format of the album; the photocopies are in Box : Folder 2 : 28.
Scope and Contents note
Includes 34 black-and-white photographs of members and buildings of the Oneida Community in New York and the Townerites in
Santa Ana, California. The photographs are undated reproductions of originals. Olin presumably created the album.
box 2, folder 28
Preservation photocopies of photograph album
box 2, folder 29
Towner, James W., frontier law, and utopian socialism: notes, articles, and other materials
1877, 1911-1913, 1931, 1972
Scope and Contents note
Materials older than 1972 are photocopies of originals from other sources.
box 2, folder 30
Women and Family in the Oneida Community, 1837-1881, photocopies of dissertation by Marlyn Hartzell Dalsimer
1975
box 2, folder 31
Orange: clipping and pamphlet
1982-1988
box 2, folder 32
Bankruptcy: clippings
1994-1995
box 2, folder 33
Board of Supervisors research: clippings, articles, and other materials
1967-1991
box 2, folder 34
City Councils composition research: notes
undated
box 2, folder 35
Immigration: clippings, essays, and other materials
1983-1984, 2002
box 2, folder 37
Land and real estate: clippings and pamphlets
1984-1991
box 2, folder 38-39
Military-industrial complex: articles
1967-1990
box 2, folder 36
Orange County and Irvine research materials: clippings, report, and other materials
1987-1998
box 3, folder 1
Political development: clippings and article
1980-1990, 2004
box 3, folder 2
Political history: notes
1983
box 3, folder 3
Political leadership: notes and appendix of occupational composition of Orange County Board of Supervisors and selected city
councils
1984, undated
box 3, folder 4-5
Slow-growth initiative: clippings
1984-1992
box 3, folder 6
Social history of Orange County: clippings, report, and other materials
1967-1989
box 3, folder 7-8
Statistical analysis of occupations of Orange County City Council members, 1940-1985: report
1987
box 3, folder 9
Transportation: clippings
1984-1989
box 3, folder 11
Postindustrial California: notes and articles
1980-1994
box 3, folder 12
Postsuburban California: reviews -- clippings and correspondence
1984-1995
box 3, folder 13-14
Racial minorities: clippings, language census report, and other materials
1982-2004
box 3, folder 15
Santa Ana: report and clippings
1984-1997
box 3, folder 16
Social and political history in the Progressive Era: articles
1962, 1986-1990
box 3, folder 17
Space and built environment research: articles and book reviews
1991-1998
box 3, folder 18
Theory and metropolitan/urban history research: articles and book reviews
1983-1996
box 3, folder 19-20
Urban history and global cities research: articles
1983-2001
box 3, folder 21-24
Urban politics and urban growth research: articles, notes and other materials
1972-1997
box 3, folder 25
Vietnamese: research studies, clippings, and other materials
1983-1984
box 3, folder 26
Westminster: notes and clipping
1985-1986
box 3, folder 27
Why War? reviews: book reviews, correspondence, and other materials
1978-1982
box 3, folder 28
Women, family, and gender relations: articles and book reviews
1982-1991
box 3, folder 29
World War II and its aftermath, 1940-1965: articles and book reviews
1984-1991
box 3, folder 30
Yorba Linda: clipping
1984
Teaching materials Series 3.
1944-1985, bulk 1974-1985
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises teaching materials Olin used for two undergraduate upper-division courses called "California in Modern
America" and "Utopian Experiments in American History." Included are lecture notes, supplementary articles, class syllabi,
and exam questions.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by course and topic
"California in Modern America"
box 4, folder 1
Eden in Jeopardy: Literary and Social Countercultures: lecture notes, articles, and other materials
1979-1991
"Utopian Experiments in American History"
box 4, folder 2
California's Utopian colonies: lecture notes, articles, and other materials
1979-1983
box 4, folder 3
European Utopian socialists: lecture notes and articles
1974-1985
box 4, folder 4
Fourierism in America: lecture notes
undated
box 4, folder 5
Free love and sexual anarchism: lecture notes and article
circa 1980-1982
box 4, folder 6
Introductory material: syllabi, course notes, and other materials
1981-1982
box 4, folder 7
The Mormons: lecture notes, articles, and other materials
1974-1985
box 4, folder 8
The Oneida Community: lecture notes and articles
1980-1981
box 4, folder 9
Photographs of Olin at Llano del Rio Cooperative Colony historic site
undated
Scope and Contents note
Includes three 3.5 x 4.5 inch color photographs of Olin at the dedication of the historic site.
box 4, folder 10
Science and utopia in the Marxist tradition: lecture notes and articles
1970-1980
box 4, folder 11
The Shakers: lecture notes, articles, and other materials
1944, 1979, undated
Writings Series 4.
1966-1997
Physical Description: 0.2 Linear Feet
General Physical Description note: no content
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series comprises offprints and photocopies of articles and book reviews written by Olin.
Arrangement
Alphabetical by title
box 4, folder 12
Book reviews by Olin: clippings and correspondence
1973-1996
box 4, folder 13
"European Immigrant and Oriental Alien: Acceptance and Rejection by the California Legislature of 1913," offprint
1966
box 4, folder 14
"Free Markets and Corporate America," offprint
1991
box 4, folder 15
"Globalization and the Politics of Locality: Orange County, California, in the Cold War Era 'The Great Adventure,'" offprint
1991
box 4, folder 16
"Los Angeles as a 'World City,'" article photocopy
1997
box 4, folder 17
"The Oneida Community and the Instability of Charismatic Authority," article photocopy
1980
box 4, folder 18
"Toward a Synthesis of the Political and Social History of the American West," offprint
1986
box 4, folder 19
"Utopianism," article photocopy
1984
box Accn2023-003 001
Unprocessed addition 2023
1949-1998
Scope and Contents Note
This addition to the Spencer C. Olin papers contains materials relating to research on the history of California and the American
West, Orange County Great Park, "The Nature of Historical Inquiry", and "Postsuburban Analysis of Metropolitan Regions". These
materials contain course syllabuses, lecture notes, and reference articles.