September 2018 - Out of the Box

September 28, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Public Good

Mr. Frankish’s letters are fascinating pieces
of correspondence and most times read like
telegrams. They reveal as much about the
subject matter as they do about the author and the recipient. Today I was
reading a letter he wrote to Mr. MacNeil with regard to an issue involving pipe
lines. He wrote,

“Jeff Eads still refuses to allow us to put
in pipe line on his land…..If it is only a question of paying this
fool’s expense to L.A. & back why we can pay it but where am I to find him to do so. As a matter of
fact I don’t think he has any title on it. Cannot we
go
ahead in spite of him? Let me know by return mail what you think had best be
done in the matter.”

This
made me think of eminent domain. I didn’t understand much about the legalities
of eminent domain so I decided to dig further. On the Owner’s
Counsel Website, I learned that the
government’s power of eminent domain extends to government agencies but also some
private companies or individuals may also be granted the power to condemn
private property to complete certain projects intended to benefit the public
(these include oil and gas companies, railroads or other privately-owned
utility companies). Eminent domain allows a government to take property without
the consent of the owner but the government has to provide just compensation for
eminent-domain takings. I guess the question is whether money can account for
the emotional and cultural costs of eminent domain. I can see why the issue is
controversial.

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September 28, 2018September 14, 2021 by justynam

Rejection and courage…

This week I worked on the processing plan template for Dr.
Seymour papers trying to find the best way to organize the materials. There are
lots of letters on different subjects. I am thinking if they should they be organized by
dates, subject, name, or importance? These letters are like our present emails.
However writing letters on papers, in my opinion, has so much more value. First
it requires to write it by hand, then mail it out, (take to the post office, buy
stamps), then wait for the reply, and lastly (the most exciting part I think)
receive the reply by mail. Today we receive emails in seconds but it was not
the case. It took days, weeks, even months. After all this effort how
disappointing it must be when the reply was not as expected or rejecting. Dr.
Seymour received some replies from publishers who rejected to publish his plays
for various reasons. Still, it didn’t slow him down to write another play or
opera. He is a good example how not to get discourage. Last week I posted a picture from his childhood, here is Dr. Seymour as the professor at Southern Utah State College in Cedar City.

Seymour_at college.JPG

September 26, 2018November 12, 2021 by clarkn

Irving Wallace Meets James Baldwin

In 1973, fresh off the publication of The Word, Irving Wallace gave a lengthy interview to the Journal of Popular Culture in which he discussed his approach to research and writing, his popular success, and his frustrated relationship with literary critics. The interview offers a clear picture of Wallace’s sharp intellect and wide-ranging curiosity; one minute he’s discussing a recent academic study on the social effects of pornography, and the next he’s meditating on the lingering influence of America’s puritanical culture. The interview confirms my growing sense that Irving Wallace was more thoughtful, funny, humane, and self-aware than the label “popular novelist” would indicate.

By far my favorite part of the interview, however, is Wallace’s recollection of an all-night, cocktail-fueled conversation he once had with the writer James Baldwin, in Cannes. In the interview, Wallace remembers telling Baldwin that he had just finished writing The Man, in which an African American man is elected President of the United States:

[Baldwin] looked at me with disbelief. “The hell you have. What credentials do you have to do that? How can you write about a black man?” I said, “The same way you were able to write about a white man in your last novel.” He said, “Fair enough.”

According to Wallace, he went on to stress how, as a white writer with a massive audience, he could impact white attitudes about race more readily than Baldwin could hope to — and, moreover, that he had a moral obligation to try.

Baldwin’s reply? “I hope it works.”

For me, this exchange offers a new glimpse into the politics of Wallace’s work, and offers yet another potential avenue which scholars might use to approach him, his work, and his audience.

September 26, 2018September 14, 2021 by anitrab

1942 Visitors to the Canal

Included in every All-American Canal Project History is a list of visitors to the Canal during the construction process. Below is the second half of the 1942 list of visitors. The closer to completion the Canal became, the shorter the list of visitors became. Early lists of visitors were several pages long, whereas the 1942 list is only two pages long. Note the wide range of titles and places of business that these visitors represent. The first half of the list also includes a United States Senator from Arizona, an Assistant Forest Chief from the Forest Service, and an Irrigation Engineer from UCLA.

Series: All-American Canal Project Histories, 1948-1954. Record Group 48: Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1826-2009. National Archives Identifier: 2292770

September 25, 2018September 14, 2021 by sophiar

Claremont: A place textured with memories

This past weekend, my friend and I went on a hike. On our
drive to the trail-head, we passed the San Antonio dam. I couldn’t help but think
about Harold S. Stewart, who sat on the board of the San Antonio Water Company
around the 1940s. His oral history recounted the building of the dam. Water still
flows to that dam and is used by the Inland Empire today. After our hike, my
friend and I went to a coffee shop that is inside an old citrus packing house.
At this point, I was reminded of Robert Nesbit who worked with the Pomona Fruit
Growers Exchange in the 1940s and 1950s. The Packing House is right next to the
railroad that was once used to export citrus from this area to the greater Los
Angeles area. These particular places all throughout the area have very
specific histories. It is important to know how these places come into being
and what particular historical situations created them. Each time I go on a
hike or go to get a cup of coffee, my understanding of space will be textured
with oral histories. These stories are important as our community continues to
grow and change because they can help us to imagine our future. I can’t help
but try to imagine what Claremont will look like in 60 years and which stories
will be remembered!

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September 21, 2018September 14, 2021 by cgu-gitiz

Antipathy to half and half men

Turning down opportunities (sometimes
even good ones) helps me stick to my word. I guess I,
too, have a “great antipathy to half and half men.” This is true in the
business world as well as in personal matters. Today, I was reading a letter,
Mr. Frankish wrote to Mr. Stamm with regard to a banker. The following is an excerpt
of the letter.

“I do not
know how you felt about Dr. Olmsted but I was much disappointed in him. A man
who will blow hot and cold as he did within 48 hours is not, in my opinion, the
man of stability that we require in a banker.
I felt
that you must think me a fool speaking to you as I did about him being all
ready to go into the business and then to find him so cool and indifferent
about it. But I only repeated his own words as given me here on Friday and he
then told me that he could put in at once $25,000 or $30,000. While today he was
intimated that he had very little of course you may know more of him through
his friends and he may be all right, but I must say that my present impressions
are that we shall be better without him. I have a great antipathy to half and
half men.”

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September 21, 2018September 14, 2021 by justynam

Memories from childhood.

I am really impressed with Mr. Seymour’s papers. He wrote so much during his lifetime; not only
operas and plays but also so many letters, diaries, lectures, and educational
materials. While thinking about all his achievements I just picture him as an
adult, a serious person. I forget that once, as everyone else, he was a child.
This picture of Mr. Seymour as a child with his violin really surprised me and
made me think about his childhood. Except for this picture, there are not many
materials from his childhood in the collection, but the violin truly fits him and I have no doubt
that the practiced a lot!

young with violin1.jpg

September 19, 2018November 11, 2021 by clarkn

Archival Oddities, Vol. 1

There is great deal of satisfaction that comes with entering the world of an archival collection, creating order out of disorder, and preparing materials for use by future researchers. Yet the joy of archiving also stems from encounters with strange and unexpected materials, like this tiny artifact from the Irving Wallace collection:

Central to Wallace’s novel The Word is the discovery of a lost gospel–the Gospel According to James. As a gift to people who assisted him throughout the writing and publishing process, Wallace had one hundred of these mementos printed and distributed. Wallace’s gospel is thirteen pages long and light as a feather. As for its content, the tiny book makes a big claim: the resurrection never happened, Wallace’s James insists, because Jesus survived the crucifixion as a mortal.

September 19, 2018September 14, 2021 by anitrab

Celebrating the Opening of the Canal with King Neptune

In 1940, a grand celebration was held to commemorate the opening
of the All-American Canal. This celebration was not to celebrate the completion
of the canal, but rather to celebrate the first use of the completed parts of the canal. A completed, and filled, section of the canal is where the celebration took
place. This particular section is called the East Highland Canal. Water in this photo was
initially “ponded” at the East Highland Turnout so that way the initial delivery
of water could be made the day of the celebration. Water in the photos would
eventually flow out to the Imperial Valley after traveling through the canal.
Celebration photos below show King Neptune and his court of lovely women
floating to the celebration on a decorated raft, as well as the Commissioner of
Reclamation (John C. Page) giving an opening address which kicked off the
celebration. It would be two more years before the canal would be completed. Reports
on the Canal continue past its completion in 1942 and through to 1954. Later reports
look closer at the functionality and economic benefits of the Canal.

Series: All-American Canal Project Histories, 1948-1954. Record Group 48: Records of the Office of the Secretary of the Interior, 1826-2009. National Archives Identifier: 2292770

September 18, 2018September 14, 2021 by sophiar

Zanjero: Ditch Rider and Water Keeper

A Zanjero is a “ditch rider” or someone who controls the
flow of water to various irrigation sites by traveling along the irrigation
routes. This week, I was enthralled in the life of Thomas Chappell, who was the
only Zanjero in Upland in 1977, when the interview took place. His days began
early, around 4:00AM and were often cut short by sleep, as he went to bed
around 7:30PM. He worked on delivering water to farmers across the area, by way
of opening and closing valves. His entire life revolved around supplying water
for his community, so much so that he missed out on important family holidays
and milestones in his children’s lives. Chappell’s commitment to his job has
led me to reflect on the absolute necessity and value of water. Water is so
important that someone committed their entire life to delivering it. We have to
keep that in mind as we live our lives; water is life.

blogposphotot9.18.jpg

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