Archives Acquires Bill Thomas Papers
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Archive Articles Archives Acquires Bill Thomas Papers..................... 1-2 Bill Thomas Papers Serrano's Response ...................... 3 The William M. Thomas Special History of the BC Library ........... 3-4 Remembering Schlesinger ........... 4 Collection by Greg Goodwin BC Archives Awarded ................... 5 BC Grads in Public Office............. 5 The distinguished tradition of BC Robert C. "Bob"Young ............... 6-8 continues with the addition of the William Archives Acquisitions ................ 8-9 M. Thomas papers to the Grace Van Dyke ~BCC Radio .............................. 9-1 0 ~ack's Corner ............................... 11 Bird Library. To our knowledge, no other people We Will Miss..................... 12 community college in the nation has been so honored. Many universities would have liked the collection and must be envious of Bakersfield College. For its part, The Bakersfield College Bakersfield College has the responsibility Archives Association to house and manage the papers in a [email protected] professional manner. To this end the Phone: (661) 395-4949 college will create a new Special Collections Room in the library and an Jerry Ludeke, Acting Director archival specialist will be called in to Dr. Greg Goodwin, Archives Chair process donated materials. Bill Thomas with grandsons Sebastien and William. Anna Agenjo, Library Director It will be several months before the Christian Torres, Archives Assistant papers are accessible, and for ten years the permission of Bill Thomas is required to research the collection. But Bill has already told us that he wants the materials to be widely available and he would seldom deny permission, if at all. Why did Bill decide to donate his papers to a community college? In addition to Dr. Robert Allison the fact that he taught political science at the college from 1965 to 1974, Bill started his Dr. John Collins higher education in a community college - Santa Ana. Bill states: Charlotte Cox Robert Covey "Too many successful people hide the fact that they started in ajunior college and Carol Cunningham only mention the university they transferred to. I have always been proud of the role Dr. Jack Hernandez community colleges have played in helping thousands of people, like me, who would not Dan O'Connor have been able to go to college at all without atuition-free local college. Of course, there are Robert Parsons tuitions charged now, but they are afraction of the costs of four-year schools. " Gayle Richardson "Bakersfield College in particular has been important to the development of Ba Don Stansbury kersfield and Kern County, going back to its origin in 1913. My papers contain a lot of Bob Tuttle information about issues affecting this area, and it is only fitting that they be available Becki Whitson at an institution committed to open access in higher education. " (See BILL THOMAS PAPERS, page 2) BILL THOMAS PAPERS, cont. Nearly 130 banker boxes of paper materials have arrived at Bakersfield College, as well as over twenty crates containing bulkier items like plaques and framed photographs. Staff members in both Washington and Bakersfield spent nearly four months assembling and transferring the materials. None of the boxes or crates will be opened until an archival consultant is brought in to insure proper processing. Here is a sampling of the materials: • Eighteen boxes of Health and Medicare papers from 1995 on, including committee and subcommittee reports, legislation, and various administration proposals. Bill was the key player in Medicare reform. • Five boxes from the House Administration Committee that Bill chaired, including House reforms, handbooks on rules and new member orientations, and campaign finance reform. • Eighteen boxes from the Ways and Means Committee that Bill Thomas chaired, covering awide range of issues including pension reform, tax relief, trade, health and energy policy. • Twelve boxes of Congressional publications, including Deschler's precedents , constitutional analysis, Congressional Biographies (1774-2005), Pictorial Directories from the 98th to the 103rd Congress, and House Journals. • Ei"ghteen boxes of press materials, including reports on foreign trips, articles from national, state and local magazines and newspapers, and numerous photographs and press releases. • Thirty-four boxes of legislative issue files, including bills sponsored or co-sponsored by Bill Thomas and his official voting records. The legislation covers avast array of issues including defense, water, energy, and agricultural topics. • Fifteen boxes of plaques and awards, including "Watchdog of the Treasury" for various years, "Legislator of the Year, 1999-2000," and even a 1st Place award in California's Chili Cook-off! • Twenty-two boxes of about 600 videos and audiotapes, including a 16mm film of Bill's first swearing in ceremony from 1979, and his appearances on the floor of Congress and the Ways and Means Committee are included, as well as national, state, and local TV programs in which he appeared. • Twelve boxes of Congressional Documents, mostly from the Committee on Ways and Means, many of which may not be available online. Anumber of the people assembling the historic materials have worked with Bill Thomas from early in his career. Washington staff member Mary Sue Englund, who has worked for Bill since 1982, told us that it was a lot of fun reading memos and seeing photographs from years ago. "There are these great 1979 press releases written by Allan Krauter, then Bill's press secretary (now Legislative Analyst for the County of Kern) that capture the mood in Washington as well as Kern County. "One really interesting thing about this collection," Chancellor Ed Simonsen, Prof. Bill Thomas, Affirmative Action Officer she noted, " is the breadth of national, state, and local Victor Garcia, and Assistant to the Chancellor Jim Young. issues. It's like having two prisms, one that can be viewed from a Kern County perspective and the other from the nation's capital." There are a number of original items in the collection that have immense historical significance. One is the official vote tally sheet of the contested 2000 presidential election signed by AI Gore. And there are framed pieces of legislation that Bill authored that became law, coupled with the presidential signing pen. The legacy of Bill Thomas to Bakersfield College will not end with the donation of his Congressional Papers. Bill and his wife Sharon (also a community college graduate at the College of the Sequoias) plan to remain in Kern County and play an active role in the life of Bakersfield College . - 2 Chancellor Sandra Serrano's Response To Donation Chancellor Sandra Serrano states "It is fitting that William "Bill" Thomas, retired Congressman and former professor of history and political science at Bakersfield College, is donating to the Bakersfield College Library and Archives a collection of his documents and materials created during his service in the US House of Representatives. The dona tion ... is avaluable contribution to the study of public policy and the preservation of history.... Researchers seeking insight to public policy such as social security, Medicare, or income tax law will have access to the thoughts and actions of one of the most influential members of Congress. The Kern Community College District is honored that Congressman Thomas elected to make this gift to Bakersfield College." ~ Chancellor Sandra Serrano Brief History of the Bakersfield College Library By Claire J. Larsen (Associated with the BC Library from 1967-2000) The origins of the Bakersfield College Library, as with the College itself, are traced to Bakersfield High School (first founded in 1893 as Kern County High School). No documents were found dealing with the 1913 to 1935 period. Possibly the reserve collection for "junior college" students increased until its use justified a basement room seating less than 100 students around 1936. Goldie Ingles, Librarian from 1935-1963, would have been in charge. The "new" College Library on the hill opened in September, 1956 with facilities and space for 400 students. "The same ratio prevail[ed] in shelving space, workroom, and audio-visual accommodations." The 36,000 square foot building listed construction cost as $14.13 per square foot which may be compared to a 2007 average cost per sq. ft. for college buildings of about $400. The delighted librarians reported, "Our first inclination was to 'tell the world' about our wonderful new building, but we have purposely refrain[ed] from doing so until we had lived in it. Now, after several months of intensive use, we are content - content and very pleased because all our hopes and expectations have been fulfilled. We know that we have one of the most functional and beautiful junior college libraries in California. The location of the building in the center of the campus makes it the heart of the institution in fact as well as in theory." At that time the "Audio-visual aids department" was located on the lower level of the library with one of the librarians being the director. Included were two preview rooms, four listening booths, aworkroom, and a general office. Later, AV was moved to the Language Arts building when the LA building was built and remained there until the present library was occupied. The Learning Center is another derivative of the library. Its genesis came from a happy combination of aneed by Claire Larsen for a"professional improvement project" to fulfill a requirement of an EdD program; asympathetic administration; an under-utilized library reading room; and concepts provided by two gifted individuals, Jame$ Johnston and Jerry Ludeke. (See LIBRARY, page 4) Archives' New Assistant We welcome Christian Torres as Archival Assistant of the Bakersfield College Archives. Aresident of Delano, Christian has an AA degree from West Hills Community College and a BRE in Biblical Studies from West Coast Baptist College in Lancaster. He is currently working on a Master's degree. He has had library experience in Palmdale and served as Hospital Corpsman Petty Officer in the U.