Regional Oral History Office University of California The Bancroft Library Berkeley, California Denny Shaffer SIERRA CLUB OFFICER AND LEADER, 1970 TO 1997: FOCUS ON MEMBERSHIP, FINANCES, AND MANAGEMENT With an Introduction by Lawrence Downing An Interview Conducted by Ann Lage in 1993-1997 Copyright © 2006 by The Regents of the University of California Since 1954 the Regional Oral History Office has been interviewing leading participants in or well-placed witnesses to major events in the development of northern California, the West, and the nation. Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through tape-recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. The tape recording is transcribed, lightly edited for continuity and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewee. The corrected manuscript is indexed, bound with photographs and illustrative materials, and placed in The Bancroft Library at the University of California, Berkeley, and in other research collections for scholarly use. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account, offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is reflective, partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ************************************ All uses of this manuscript are covered by a legal agreements between The Regents of the University of California and Denny Shaffer, dated August 9, 2003. The manuscript is thereby made available for research purposes. All literary rights in the manuscript, including the right to publish, are reserved to The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. No part of the manuscript may be quoted for publication without the written permission of the Director of The Bancroft Library of the University of California, Berkeley. Requests for permission to quote for publication should be addressed to the Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, Mail Code 6000, University of California, Berkeley 94720-6000, and should include identification of the specific passages to be quoted, anticipated use of the passages, and identification of the user. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Denny Shaffer, “Sierra Club Officer And Leader, 1970 To 1997: Focus On Membership, Finances, And Management,” an oral history conducted in 1993-1997 by Ann Lage, Regional Oral History Office, The Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley, 2006. Copy no. ______ Denny Shaffer v TABLE OF CONTENTS--Denny Shaffer PREFACE ix SIERRA CLUB ORAL HISTORY SERIES xiii INTRODUCTION xxi INTERVIEW HISTORY xxv I PERSONAL BACKGROUND: FAMILY, YOUTH, EDUCATION, BUSINESS, AND CIVIL RIGHTS 1 Family’s Grocery Business, Early Love of the Outdoors, and Father’s Influence 1 A Nurturing Mother, Religion, and Caring for Others 4 Family Interest in Politics, Father's Conservatism, and Other Interests 5 Wanting to Be a Boss, and Parental Emphasis on Education 6 In College: Active in Politics; Organizing and Managing Religious Program 7 The Korean War: the Air Force, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park 8 Marriage to Betty, and Dry Cleaning Partnership with Uncle in North Carolina 11 Discontent with the Great American Dream 12 Role Models: Learning from Other's Failures and Recognizing Good Ideas 13 Interest in Civil Rights, and Community Reaction 14 Elected to the City Council, 1967, and More on Civil Rights 17 Wife's Illness 19 II THE SIERRA CLUB IN NORTH CAROLINA AND INTRODUCTION TO THE NATIONAL CLUB 21 Outraged Over Logging in a Northwestern National Forest, and Joining the Sierra Club 21 LeConte (Carolina) Chapter, Forming a Group in Fayetteville, Becoming a Council Delegate, 1970 22 Family Backpacking After Wife's Death, and Leading Club Outings 23 Chapter Leaders: Ed Easton, Ann Taylor, Ted Snyder 24 Opposing an Oil Refinery in Wilmington, 1979-1980 25 Lobbying for the Eastern Wilderness Bill 27 First Impressions of the National Sierra Club: Problems with Membership Development, Management, and Fund-raising 30 A Driven Person: Finding Time for Business and the Club 33 III WORK ON MEMBERSHIP DEVELOPMENT 37 Finding a Focus: State of the Club's Membership Development in the Mid-Seventies 37 Testing a New Approach 38 The Board's Reaction: Fear of Being Commercial, and Resistance to New Ideas 40 Chair of the National Membership Committee 42 Some Thoughts on the Membership Effort Today 44 Forming the Membership Committee, Camaraderie, and the Sense of Working Together 44 Membership Ads in Sierra Club Publications and Other Promotional Ideas 46 Concerns Among the Directors, and a Basic Contradiction 49 Direct Mail: Roger Craver and Dick Hammond 52 vi Growth of the Direct Mail Program, and the Role of Interior Secretary Watt 57 Promotion of Life Memberships and Building Endowment 60 Lessons from Direct Mail 62 IV FUND-RAISING AND RELATIONS WITH SIERRA CLUB FOUNDATION 65 Relationship Between Membership Development and Fund-raising 65 State of Club Fund-raising under Denny Wilcher: Tension Between the Club and the Foundation 65 Resolution of the Tension: 1980 67 Fund-raising Inefficiencies 68 Relations with Foundation Trustees: Cultural Barriers 70 Centering Fund-raising in the Club, 1980 71 V FUND-RAISING: THE CENTENNIAL CAMPAIGN 75 Thinking of Events Conceptually Rather than Chronologically 75 Major-Donor Fund-raising under Denny Wilcher 76 A Desire for Change--Genesis of the Centennial Campaign 77 Investing in Fund-raising vs. Spending on Programs 78 Centennial Campaign Committees and Staff 80 Understanding Club Culture 81 The Next Step: Involving the Grass Roots 83 Legacy of the Centennial Campaign 84 VI DEALING WITH CLUB MANAGEMENT AND MONEY 85 Initial Impressions of Club Administration 85 Appointment to the Board of Directors, 1977 87 Elected to the Board, 1978, and Thoughts on a Bizarre Election System 88 Elected as Treasurer, 1978: Dealing with a Budgetary Mess 90 A Legendary Budget Meeting of the Board, September 1978 92 Making the Staff Responsible for a Balanced Budget 94 Putting the Executive Director in Charge of his Staff 96 Bringing Clair Tappaan Lodge under Club Control 98 Disagreement over Proceeds from Sale of Flora and Azalea Lakes 99 Finding More Money: Negotiating with Random House, Buying a Washington Office, Selling Life Memberships 100 Vice-President for Planning: Scenario Planning 103 Priority-Setting and Tying Priorities to Funding 104 Treasurer: the Most Powerful Position in the Club 105 Listening to Grass-Roots Leadership and Getting Things Done 106 Getting Inspiration from David Brower and the Complexity of Brower's Personality 108 Emotions, and an Emotional Time of Life 110 VII EXECUTIVE DIRECTORS AND THE FUNCTIONING OF THE CLUB 113 Mike McCloskey: Vision and Service 113 Creating the Position of Chairman for Mike 115 Douglas Wheeler as Executive Director, 1985-1987 117 Handling the Staff Mutiny against Wheeler 118 Reservations about Michael Fischer, Executive Director 1987-1992 122 Hiring and Working with Andrea Bonnette 126 Differences with Phil Berry 128 vii Cultural Differences, Fayetteville and San Francisco 130 Carl Pope, an Insider as Executive Director 132 VIII PRESIDENT OF THE SIERRA CLUB, 1982-1984 135 Becoming President: Elections and Internal Politics 135 Defining the President's Tasks: Working with Chapters, the Media, the Club Staff 137 Asserting the President's Role as Leader of a Democractic Club 140 Communication between the President and Club Members and Directors 142 Changes in the Outings Program and Clair Tappaan Lodge 144 Facilitating Interaction on the Board 146 Getting Elected President: Opposition, Support, Healing 147 Internal Matters: Evaluation of Officers and Making People Accountable 151 Purchase of Headquarters Building on Polk Street 153 Divisiveness over the Effects of War on the Environment 155 Ballot Initiatives, and the Election of Directors 157 The International Assembly at Snowmass, 1983 160 Political Endorsements, TV Appearances 161 Involvement in Electoral Politics 166 North Carolinians in the Sierra Club 168 Summing up the Shaffer Presidency 169 IX LAST TERM ON BOARD, 1994-1997: REFLECTIONS ON CHANGES IN CLUB GOVERNANCE 171 Running the Board in 1994, Elected as Treasurer: Troubling Changes in the Volunteer’s Role in the Club 171 President Robbie Cox and Executive Director Carl Pope 174 Restructuring of the Volunteer Committee Structure, a Move Away from Democracy 176 Carl Pope’s Approach to Club Governance 177 Adam Werbach as President 179 Reimbursing the Expenses of Club Presidents and Board Members 180 Restructuring the Finance Committee, a New Role for the Treasurer 181 Resolving Budget Issues, Past and Present 184 Reducing Staff and the Books Program, Re-forming the Size and Shape of the Club 185 More on Changes in Club Management: Missing the Big Picture 187 Current Lobbying Effort in North Carolina 188 Devoting More Time to Family and Friends 189 Reflections on Accomplishments in the Sierra Club 191 A Sierra Club Romance 192 TAPE GUIDE 195 APPENDIX A—Early Sierra Club brochure, 1960s 197 APPENDIX B—Shaffer-developed full-color Sierra Club brochure, early 1970s 199 APPENDIX C—Letter from Shaffer, including minutes from 1980 Sierra Club Foundation Board of Trustees 201 viii APPENDIX D—Untold Stories of the 1982 election, from Sierra, January/February 1983 211 APPENDIX E—Memo to Sierra Club President Adam Werbach from Denny Shaffer, 1997 213 INDEX 215 ix PREFACE--Sierra Club Oral History Program to 1978 In fall 1969 and spring 1970 a self-appointed committee of Sierra Clubbers met several times to consider two vexing and related problems. The rapid membership growth of the club and its involvement in environmental issues on a national scale left neither time nor resources to document the club's internal and external history. Club records were stored in a number of locations and were inaccessible for research. Further, we were failing to take advantage of the relatively new technique of oral history by which the reminiscences of club leaders and members of long standing could be preserved.