The Student Conservation Association, Youth Service
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
STEWARDS OF TOMORROW: THE STUDENT CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, YOUTH SERVICE, AND POSTWAR AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM, 1953-1975 by Megan Anne Jones A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the University of Delaware in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History Fall 2011 Copyright 2011 Megan Anne Jones All Rights Reserved UMI Number: 3640271 All rights reserved INFORMATION TO ALL USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. UMI 3640271 Published by ProQuest LLC (2014). Copyright in the Dissertation held by the Author. Microform Edition © ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This work is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, MI 48106 - 1346 STEWARDS OF TOMORROW: THE STUDENT CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, YOUTH SERVICE, AND POSTWAR AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM, 1953-1975 by Megan Anne Jones Approved: __________________________________________________________ John J. Hurt, Ph.D. Chair of the Department of History Approved: __________________________________________________________ George H. Watson, Ph.D. Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences Approved: __________________________________________________________ Charles G. Riordan, Ph.D. Vice Provost for Graduate and Professional Education I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Anne M. Boylan, Ph.D. Professor in charge of dissertation I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Susan Strasser, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Barry Alan Joyce, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee I certify that I have read this dissertation and that in my opinion it meets the academic and professional standard required by the University as a dissertation for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Signed: __________________________________________________________ Andrew G. Kirk, Ph.D. Member of dissertation committee ACKNOWLEDGMENTS This has been a long journey, made much more pleasant by the support and friendship of fellow graduate students at the University of Delaware, particularly Heather Boyd, Andy Bozanic, Michael Dondzila, Hannah Kim, Anna O. Marley, Hillary Mohaupt, Jen Moses, and Hillary Murtha. Fellow environmental historians Kevin Armitage, Scout Blum, Kate Christen, and Neil Maher have made ASEH conferences all the more enjoyable and educational. I learned much from University of Delaware faculty members Peter Kolchin, Jonathan Russ, and Christine Heyrman; Ritchie Garrison assigned the book that convinced me to study environmental history. I especially thank committee members Susie Strasser, Barry Joyce, and Andy Kirk for their time and valuable comments on this dissertation. Anne Boylan deserves most of the credit for this manuscript, spending untold hours reading drafts and providing clear, lucid commentary. This would be a dramatically impoverished dissertation without her advice and support. This dissertation is in many ways the story of one woman’s career, and I am grateful to Elizabeth Cushman Titus Putnam for her willingness to speak with me about her experiences as well as share her personal archives. I hope that my work appropriately honors hers, which lasted far more than the two years she originally thought she’d devote to her program. Valerie Bailey, Dale Penny, and Scott Weaver also deserve thanks for sharing their own histories with the Student Conservation Association and allowing me to dig around the SCA New Hampshire headquarters. iv The University of Delaware Women’s Studies Program provided one year of fellowship, much appreciated financial support that allowed for an extended time of uninterrupted research and writing. The Denver Public Library, repository for all Student Conservation Association Records, granted me their Joy Hilliard Fellowship in Environmental History, enabling me to spend weeks in Denver researching at their fantastic library. Archivists at the Denver Public Library, particularly Claudia Jensen, were an enormous help as I waded through the SCA records, unsorted and essentially uncatalogued during my first few years of research. Archivists at the Rockefeller Archive Center in Tarrytown, New York, and the National Archives and Records Administration in College Park, Maryland deserve recognition for their excellent service. Friends Anna, Allison, and Mike allowed me to crash at their respective places as I spent weeks researching in Denver and in Washington, D.C.; I owe them all for their willingness to provide lodging and camaraderie after hours in the archives. I especially thank Chris for supporting me through this work, tolerating late nights and weeks away. v TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES ...................................................................................................... viii LIST OF FIGURES ....................................................................................................... ix ABSTRACT ................................................................................................................... x Chapter 1 YOUTH CONSERVATION SERVICE IN THE NATIONAL PARKS AND EXPANDING THE HISTORY OF AMERICAN ENVIRONMENTALISM .................................................................................. 1 2 "A PRICELESS HERITAGE BEGINNING TO GO TO HELL": POSTWAR NATIONAL PARKS AND THE STUDENT CONSERVATION PROGRAM SOLUTION ................................................. 14 Let's Close the National Parks ....................................................................... 17 Old and New Uses for Youth ........................................................................ 30 Planning the Trial Project, 1954-1957 .......................................................... 41 First Summer in Olympic and Grand Teton National Park, 1957 ................. 59 3 "THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND": COMMON GROUND BETWEEN THE GARDEN CLUB OF AMERICA AND THE SCA ................................ 71 Garden Club Voluntarism and Youth Service ............................................... 75 Connective Roots ........................................................................................... 80 Growth Sprouts .............................................................................................. 89 Women Scientists .......................................................................................... 93 Seeds of Change .......................................................................................... 101 Bearing Fruit ................................................................................................ 117 4 THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATION LEADERS: POSTWAR CONSERVATION EDUCATION AND "QUALITY" SCA STUDENTS .................................................................................................... 121 Defining "Quality" Students ........................................................................ 124 Conservation Education and Cultural Anxieties ......................................... 129 Divergent Visions ........................................................................................ 142 vi Laurance Rockefeller and Outdoor Recreation ........................................... 147 Select Students for the National Park Service ............................................. 154 5 NATIONAL SERVICE FOR THE "MOTORCYCLE CROWD" AND THE "CONSERVATION CROWD": THE PURPOSES AND PARTICIPANTS OF THE SCA AND YCC ................................................. 166 Voluntary Service in the SCA ..................................................................... 172 National Service .......................................................................................... 178 Comparisons ................................................................................................ 182 Problematic Adolescents and the YCC ....................................................... 186 The SCA as Blueprint .................................................................................. 195 The Motorcycle Crowd and the Conservation Crowd ................................. 204 6 FROM "IT'S A DUDE RANCH FOR KIDS" TO "IT MADE ME WANT TO SAVE THE WORLD!": SCA STUDENTS INTERPRET THEIR SUMMER EXPERIENCE ................................................................. 215 The Significance of Service ......................................................................... 218 Education and the Environment .................................................................. 229 Work Experience and Future Careers .......................................................... 242 Epilogue .....................................................................................................................