2 CSUF 50th Anniversary www.fullerton.edu/50 The Daily Titan 3 Daily Titan Editors’ Note 50th Anniversary Special Section CO-EXECUTIVE EDITORS Jackie Kimmel and Raquel Stratton COPY CHIEF Johnathan Kroncke COPY EDITOR Joe Simmons JACKIE KIMMEL RAQUEL STRATTON PHOTO EDITOR Dear Readers: Cameron Pemstein It is our pleasure to bring to you the Daily Titan-produced Cal State Fullerton 50th PRODUCTION DESIGNERS Anniversary issue. Jackie Kimmel and Raquel Stratton We have spent over six months buried in the Pollak Library Archives and Oral History offices digging up as much information as we could find to produce this publication. EDITORIAL ADVISER Within these 48 pages you will get a review of some of the events that put CSUF on the map, like the elephant races, and be exposed to numerous stories that have been cleverly Tom Clanin hidden in the walls of the university. This year marks a celebration of achievement. Five decades of construction, innovation DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING and perseverance have made this campus unique and truly unforgettable. Stephanie Birditt Our school’s history is filled with both good times and tragedies. We tried to bring a sensible balance of both in this edition. ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ADVERTISING To start this issue off we would like to give you a little background and trivia to help guide you through the pages to come. Sarah Oak In the last 50 years CSUF has had three name changes and one punctuation alteration. In 1957 Orange County State College was established, despite the fact that classes didn’t AD PRODUCTION/COVER DESIGN begin until 1959. The name changed first in 1962 to Orange State College, and in 1964 the Keith Hansen name changed yet again to California State College at Fullerton. CSUF finally became, and still remains, California State University, Fullerton, in 1972 when the “at” was replaced AD PRODUCTION DESIGNER with a comma. As you read this publication, for consistency purposes we reference the university Steve Kendall always as Cal State Fullerton or CSUF. The biggest fallacy we encoutered in our research is that many of the students of CSUF ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES believe the school colors are blue and orange. The first class of students decided on blue Emily Alford, Stephanie Birditt, and white as the official school colors. We are not sure how orange was added into the Ailin Buigues, Brenton Haerr, mix. Elizabeth Hernandez and Sarah Oak A fun piece of trivia we picked up was that the land for CSUF and the 57 Freeway were purchased at the same time, and according to an article we found in the Fullerton News Tribune in the early 1960s, the 57 Freeway was built to help the assumed traffic CSUF ADVERTISING ADVISER would bring to Fullerton. It seems to be coincidence that the freeway shares the same year Robert Sage (57) our university was founded. In our half-a-year historical journey we encountered some truly remarkable people, PUBLISHER without whom this publication would not exist. Anthony Fellow For starters we would like to thank Lawrence de Graaf, one of the first five faculty members at CSUF, who still volunteers his time in the Oral and Public History office for being our main source of information. We attribute nearly all the information on the DEANS OF THE COLLEGE former CSUF presidents to his interviews with them. OF COMMUNICATIONS We would also like to thank Lorene Broersma and Sharon Pellegrino, also in the Oral Rick Pullen and Public History office, for their research assistance and delightful conversations during Fred Zandpour our numerous visits. Peggy Bockman Another person of great importance to this issue’s success was Sharon Perry who works in the Library’s Archives and Special Collections office. While in that office our stresses Editorial 714.278.4415 [email protected] were relieved, and we always left mentally rejuvenated. Editorial Fax 714.278.4473 We would like to thank the dozen or so writers and freelance staff members we had who Advertising 714.278.3373 [email protected] literally worked for cookies. Advertising Fax 714.278.2702 We also appreciate the help of Sam Josima and Jason Spencer for their last minute The 50th Anniversary Special Section, a student publication, is a supplemental insert for the Cal State help. Fullerton Daily Titan. It was funded as a special section for the CSUF 50th Anniversary celebration. The Daily Titan operates independently of Associated Students Inc., the College of Communications, CSUF Special thanks go out to our faculty advisors Tom Clanin, Robert Sage, Jeffrey Brody, administration and the CSU system. The Daily Titan has functioned as a public forum since inception. Carolyn Johnson and Andi Stein for checking in on us and editing endless pages. Unless implied by the advertising party or otherwise stated, advertising in the Daily Titan is inserted by Lastly, we would like to thank the CSUF public affairs office, and specifically Paula commercial activities or ventures identified in the advertisements themselves and not by the university. Selleck, for lending their resources and being open to our requests for information. Such printing is not to be construed as written or implied sponsorship, endorsement or investigation of Cheers to the next 50 years! such commercial enterprises. Copyright ©2007 Daily Titan 4 CSUF 50th Anniversary The First Intercollegiate Elephant Race in Human History BY TRAVIS TAYLOR CSUF 50th Anniversary Staff Writer In the middle of the afternoon on May 11, 1962, Cal State Fullerton hosted around 10,000 people from across the country as they lined either side of an open cornfield that was dubbed “Dumbo Downs.” A roar rumbled through the crowd as 15 elephants, along with riders, careened along Dumbo Downs to the finish line. The ground shook beneath their massive feet, and the air was filled with their majestic call. It was the birth of an international event and a crowning achievement for a young school. It was the First Intercollegiate Elephant Race in human history, and it was the birth of what would become CSUF. CSUF began as Orange County State College in September 1959. William B. Langsdorf was the appointed founding president. In February 1962, the Dean of Students office issued a model constitution for potential clubs on campus to sculpt themselves after. The fake club used in the constitution was called the “Elephant Racing Club.” But several students seized the opportunity to start a club with a model constitution already in place and began the real Elephant Racing Club. An April 6, 1962, PHOTO COURTSEY OF ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ORAL HISTOry OFFICES newsletter for the Associated Pictured above is Orange County State College’s (Cal State Fullerton) elephant, No. 9, waiting to race at the first intercollegiate elephant races. All the elephants wore Student Body announced the decorative school signs and/or body paint. official start of the Elephant Racing Club, stating that and potential members were president, or Bapu Mahout, letter, he wrote that many Invitations for the elephant the club was formed for the asked to bring blankets or of the club, said in the colleges were considering race were sent out to 48 purpose of the protection pillows, since the ancient newsletter that there was a dropping football for colleges and universities, and advancement of elephant rites of the elephant forbade great need for elephant racing elephant racing because of although no responses were racing. The official dress for any use of chairs. to fill the educational gap in the rising costs for running a expected. Instead, schools from the club was to be a turban, Everett Moore, the that area of CSUF. In another football program. See Races, Page 5 www.fullerton.edu/50 The Daily Titan 5 Remesh Mehra of Orange there is more to the fine art Coast College won the Junior of Pachyderm racing than Varsity race. The University meets the eye. It is, perhaps, of Washington took first in a sign of the times.” the freshman division, and What started out as a Long Beach State College joke had become a national won the first of the three phenomenon. The event Varsity races. Chapman itself still brings awe today. College and the University “I think Fullerton could of Nevada won the second generate some tremendous and third Varsity races. school spirit if they really CSUF, host of the event, publicized the history of did not place. the Elephant Race today,” The occasion ranked among said Cari Rule, 30, a CSUF the top 10 stories of 1962 for alumna. “I would ride one of the Associated Press. Everett those elephants.” Moore received a Western A representative for the Los Union Telegram from former Angeles Zoo said that securing Vice President Richard Nixon. animals for the other three race “The best of luck to you in would be difficult. PHOTO COURTSEY OF ARCHIVES AND SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ORAL HISTOry OFFICES your forthcoming elephant “It may have been Eight adults and two children enjoy a ride on a varsity sized elephant at Cal State Fullerton’s first Intercollegiate Elephant race,” Nixon wrote. “Having something they did in the past, Races on May 11, 1962. been involved in a few such but we don’t rent the animals,” races myself, I know that said the spokesman. (from Page 4) The first race gave across the country confirmed CSUF national recognition their intentions to race. and respect, as well as its Schools such as Harvard, beloved mascot. the Coast Guard Academy, In a fitting tribute, Carl Oxford, Princeton, Yale, McIntosh, then president of USC and UCLA made Long Beach State College, plans to attend. There was rewrote the famous passage even an invitation sent from Shakespeare’s “Henry to the University of the V”: “And gentlemen in Seven Seas.