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• BICENTENNIAl: I :- I ---- Editor's Note: Professor Sam McCall is one of the most popular and respected faculty members on the BC campus. He comes by PROFESSOR SAM McCALL his love for history and political subjects he teaches, by his political heritage. His grandfather, Sanuel W. McCall, was a congressman from Massachusetts from 1898 to 1912 and served two terms as governor, 1914- 18. His brother, Tom McCall, served as governor of Oregon from 1966-1974. BY SAM McCALL goal. Jefferson himself was It is a fortunate coincidence that BC Professor Political Science probably more intrigued with BC's anniversary celebration revolutionary theory than with the coincides with that of our nation's. John Adams, "The Atlas of factual and rather inaccurate list of A much larger dimension may, in Independence," wrote to his wife alleged contractual violations by our own local community, be Abigail on July 3rd, 1776. He said the King and Parliament. added to both celebrations by in part" . .. yesterday the greatest Probably to him, and certainly applying Jefferson's universals to question was decided which ever to us, the chief significance and the the achivement of our own was debated in America, perhaps timeless truth of the Declaration particular goals. Can we define such never was nor will be decided lies in Jefferson's statement: "We goals? Indeed we can, for there are among men." He referred of course, hold these truths to be self evident. few, if any institutions which to the colonies' decision to sever all All men are created equal, that they recognize that we are created equal, ties with Great Britain. He went on are endowed by their creator with all of us, do have the right to to state "That this most memorable certain unalienable rights, that "pursue our happiness'·' more than epoch in the history of among these are life, liberty, and do the community colleges, most America ... will be celebrated by pursuit of happiness." (One particularly those of California, and succeeding generations as the great wonders, if Jefferson included even more particularly, our own anniversary festival." slaves as men?) Be that as it may, Bakersfield College. Through the years, we have today's application of the Who can do a better job than we indeed, celebrated that anniversary. Declaration might mean all people, can in offering the old and the Now that we have reached our not just the 18th century definition young, the black and the brown, 200th "celebration" it might be of freemen. the gifted and the less gifted, the appropriate to examine in 1976 our Great Britain is not a factor in athlete and the handicapped, the understanding of the Declaration in our constitution, but certainly thinker and the do-er, a path to contrast, perhaps, to that meaning Jefferson's original meaning of greater self fulfillment, which the signers attached to it in liberty and equality have been achievement, and happiness? Here, 1776. refined and defined by many of the we are doing a pretty good job. We Undoubtedly, the foremost most important constitutional can still do a better one. consideration then was to state, amendments, among which should The historian Samuel Eliot justify and establish the actual be numbered the 13th, 14th, 15th, Morrison commented on the physical fact of independence from 19th, 24th, 26th (and perhaps a Declaration that the preamble in its the British Crown. This fact became future 27th for the ladies). "beauty and cogency ... reaching an historical truth when the peace Fewer people in America today back to remotest antiquity and was signed in Paris in 1783. That would deny that we are all created forward to an indefinite future, truth is, to most of us today, still a equal than might have in 1876, the have lifted the hearts of millions of glorious truth. The relevance, Centennial anniversary, and fewer people and will continue to do so." however, to us shifts away from the still, would deny others the Let us all work together to assure finite and completed goal to the unalienable rights which Jefferson our country men that the truth of ideas which sought to justify that enumerates. his prophecy will not be proven false. Two divergent viewpoints EDITOR'S NOTE: This view of America1s Bicentennial is by Seema Wabid, a native of Pakistan, wife of Bakersfield dentist Dr. A. Wahid. She graduated from one of the Irish chain of convents and Kinnaird College in Lahore and is enjoying her first semester at BC, SEEMA WAHID preparatory to studying journalism. One of the most used-and unfortunately, usually the only .nportant thing would be to abused-words we'll hear and read in ·ones that matter. remember which is which. 1976 is Bicentennial. Perhaps it This is done, I think, from fear would be proper to form an that truth might turn out to be If we at anytime try to instill in understanding of this key word. dull. Well, it's often embarrassing the form of knowledge anything According to the Oxford and but never dull. which would be discredited by a Webster dictionaries, the literal By sentimentalizing our history perceptive 12 year old as false and meaning of the word is, "the 200th we do an enormous disservice to nonsensical, this would inevitably anniversary," or "an anniversary youth, because we tend to imply lead to a healthy suspicion that occurring every 200 years." that the United States was created what is being taught as American by saints, all of whom were history is a great bore. For, if and Just as the worth of a jewel is warm-hearted, simple, courageous, when the truth is known, it would judged by its antiquity, in most and abused. It would do absolutely most certainly shatter the idealism cases the worth of a nation is no harm to young Americans to of the young. judged by how old its culture is and know the truth. Rather it ought to So I suggest that instead of by the history of its particular fortify their ideals to learn that making a spectacle of ourselves this civilization. many a shipload of emigrants, from Bicentennial Year by proclaiming In recounting our history in the 1848 even to our own times, to the world that we are unique and United States there has been a contained a lot of people with a lot holier than anybody, we learn, tendency, especially in the movies, to hide-men jumping military instead, from the mistakes of the television, and even in some service and delinquents, both adult past and from present experiences schoolbooks, to treat it as a and juvenile. and having done so build a better continual clash between the good To me, instead of being future. guys and the bad guys-the British demeaning, this glorifies the legions and the Americans, the white man who struggle for a decent and tidy We are very much in the perilous and the Indian-between us and life. To know the truth would situation of the 13 colonies, them. We tend to sentimentalize enable them to learn and carry on without much time, if any, to think about our history. the simple lesson that courage and of ourselves as a separate nation cowardice know no national or having a separate faith. We must all Because of this, many people racial frontiers, and, most of all, hang together as nations or distrust history, and refer to it as that the "lovers of liberty carry no assuredly we will all hang "bunk," like Henry Ford, who was national passports." When we say a separately. a practical man. For history on man or woman is a discredit to his To put it all in a nutshell, I occasions is made to interpret or her race, we should mean no would like to quote John Adams events so as to serve a nation's own more, no less, than the human race. for my Bicentennial message to all purpose, to such an extent that it Now I think it is good and of you: "Posterity! You will never could turn into an orgy of proper that in 1976 we should know how much it cost the present self-righteousness in the eyes of the celebrate what is "best" in the generat ion to preserve your coming generation. Truth and American past. For we should freedom. I hope you will make realism are eliminated from historic remember that our history, like good use of it. If you do not I shall facts to such an extent that the that of all nations, is sometimes repent in heaven I ever took a hand missing elements are, fine and sometimes unpleasant. The in the pains to preserve it." 3 They Serve the BC Alumni Association Editor's Note: The six alumni profiled in this feature were selected by the Bakersfield College BY GAREY .ttAMEY ·Alumni Association Board of Directors for their students wore pork-pie hats with contributions to the association and the community. Raconteur Staff Writer lots of college names on them. The hot spots were the drive-in If you regularly attend Renegade hamburger havens, such as BY JOHNNY McKEEVER football games, you will recall an Michener's, Bloomfield's Drive-in, Raconteur Staff Writer unusual figure standing on the and the Drink-o-link, on 18th sidelines, intently watching the Street where the Mexicali is today. J. Kelly Steele, presiding judge game . Why should this In the spring of '36, when of the Superior Court, has fond cigar-chomping man in a red beret Clerou graduated from BC memories of his two years on the have the best spot in the house? academic standards were much old BC campus and some firm Because, if any of the participants more relaxed.

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