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Ahlquist, Irving (audio interview #2 of 5)
INTERVIEW DESCRIPTION - This is the second of five interviews conducted in Ahlquist's office in the CSULB History Department. The audio quality of the interview is good. 12/13/1977
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- 2021-08-30
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- SUBJECT BIO - Irving Ahlquist was among the first professors at South Los Angeles Orange County State College when it opened in 1949 on its apartment house campus. Even after he retired from teaching, he continued supervising student teachers. In these five interviews, Ahlquist discusses his observations of and participation in struggles to organize the curriculum and faculty on the campus and to include both administrators and faculty in campus governance. He was among those who developed and implemented the history curriculum and the training of secondary school teachers. He also had a reputation for teaching excellent and was in demand as a speaker in the local community. These interviews were conducted as part of a project to document the history of California State University, Long Beach. TOPICS - teaching; governance politics; P; Victor Peterson; the apartment house campus; curriculum development; relationships with students; and Hugh Brown;social activities; teaching; governance politics; Liz Jacobs; Bob Ross; Liz Nielson; Ross Hardy; P; Victor Peterson; relationships with students; campus buildings; and Sam Wiley;
- File: uhiahlquist3.mp3 Audio Segments and Topics: (0:00-6:43)... Ahlquist taught at Iowa State University for 2 years, and students there rated him the History Department's best teacher. He also received high ratings from the department chair and the Dean. Ahlquist was enthusiastic about moving to California and liked the area when he was stationed there during by the military. Peterson told Ahlquist that the student body at the new college would be small and most of them would be commuters. He told Ahlquist that he did not want the faculty spending any energy on scholarly research because it led teacher to neglect their students. When he arrived in Long Beach Ahlquist was assigned to teach 4 classes, most of which were not related to his fields of graduate study. (6:43-14:12)... When Ahlquist accepted a teaching position at the new college in Long Beach, he hoped to take part in planning the curriculum and shaping the academic development of the campus. He also hoped to facilitate a climate that allowed students and faculty to work together as equals. Ahlquist took a step in this direction when he helped students open a bookstore adjacent to the campus, which competed with the university bookstore. Overall, Ahlquist's goals never materialized and whenever he tried to move toward those goals, the campus administration told him to stop. He was naive in believing that Peterson's concept of the university coincided with his own. (14:12-19:28)... Ahlquist first visited California during WWII when he escorted 36,000 prisoners of war to Italy through Long Beach harbor. When he and his wife drove to California, they stopped in San Jose and had dinner with Peterson and his wife. Peterson did not put on airs or act like a stereotypical college president. When Ahlquist arrived in Long Beach he was shocked by the condition of the campus and asked himself why he ever decided to leave Iowa. The only things on the campus were stacks of lumber; there were no buildings whatsoever. He and his wife rented an apartment at Park Estates for $58.50 a month. His salary was $4,200 a year and he took home approximately $289 a month. (19:28-27:02)... Although the campus facilities were disappointing, he was enthusiastic to begin teaching. He visited other academic departments in the apartment complex and met most of the other faculty members, which amounted to about 14 people. He was the only history professor. Peterson designed the curriculum and Ahlquist had no choice about which courses he was going to teach. He taught courses in both history and sociology. His workload was heavy and required many hours of preparation. The first semester classes were offered, they began in the morning and ended at Noon. The school had 169 students. (27:02-30:21)... His classes were relatively large, with 30 to 45 students. Many of the new college's students were studying to become teachers and were required to take United States history. Many of those students were older women returning to college after earlier dropping out and there also were a veterans among the students. (30:21-33:12)... Peterson adopted a paternalistic attitude towards Ahlquist, and it seemed even more paternalistic than his attitude to other faculty members who were closer to Peterson's age. He did not exactly speak down to Ahlquist, but never ask for his opinion. Peterson was fond of making remarks such as, "these younger people are still wet behind the ears," and referred to Ahlquist as "young fellow." When Peterson decided to hire a second history professor, he didn't consult with Ahlquist. No faculty member was invited to look at the papers of prospective candidates. As a result, when the History Department grew to 4, they did not represent a broad range of historical study; 2 professors were United States historians and 2 were English historians. (33:12-40:51)... There was no communication between the administration and the faculty about campus governance or academic development. This situation made Ahlquist feel that his role at the university was insignificant. There were many discussions among faculty members about their lack of participation in campus governance. Hugh Brown, an early faculty member, raised questions about the situation, and he was terminated within a couple of years. In 1952, additional faculty members were fired. In the campus' first 3 years, Ahlquist believed most of Peterson's energies were focused on developing the campus. Ahlquist believed that the lack of communication between the administration and the faculty was due to the fact that people were busy preparing for their courses and getting the university organized. (40:51-42:48)... Peterson opposed organizing the campus into academic departments and set up a structure of divisions He was an advocate of general education, not specialization, and believed that departments promoted a specialization. His often told Ahlquist that he wanted to create graduates who could both "pump his gas and tell him a little bit about India and China," which is why he developed courses like the "World and its People." End of tape File: uhiahlquist4.mp3 (0:00-3:21)... When the college was new and small, the faculty and students were close. When Ahlquist's wife thought their 3 year old son was missing, the faculty and the students went out to search for him. This was an example of the caring and supportive atmosphere on the campus. Within a few years, however, this atmosphere crumbled and the entire campus community split over faculty dismissals. (3:21-11:55)... In 1952, the tensions between the administration and the faculty were beginning to surface. Many faculty members were unhappy that they were never consulted about campus developments, and there was a strong feeling that faculty were treated like employees rather than colleagues. When it came time to review faculty performance and make decisions about faculty retention and promotion, the administration decided to terminate Bob Ross and Liz Jacobs for "sexual improprieties," although those charges were never substantiated. (11:55-20:59)... The battle lines were drawn over the first wave of faculty dismissals. When Ahlquist was considered for retention, Peterson told him to "keep his nose clean" and not to associate with faculty that were "trouble." When Ahlquist opposed the dismissals of Ross and Jacobs, Peterson came to his home and told Ahlquist that if he ever wanted to become an administrator or get tenure, he had better change his stance on the matter. Ahlquist also believes that students were used as informants for the administration. He began looking for a new job. He believed that if he testified at upcoming hearings into campus affairs, he would be dismissed. (20:59-27:15)... There were faculty and students who opposed Peterson's methods of running the college and there were members of both groups who supported them. It was rumored that the administration made promises to certain students in exchange for their testimony at the hearings and Ahlquist objected to the idea of using students. Divisions over these issues led to personal animosities and a generally negative feeling on campus. The conflict also compromised relationships among faculty wives. (27:15-30:58)... As the conflict between the administration and faculty continued, the college grew and its classes moved from the apartment house to temporary buildings on the lower campus. In the summer of 1951, Ahlquist visited his parents in Illinois and considered not returning to Long Beach as a result of campus tensions. He decided to stay, however, because he did not want to regret his decision in the future. (30:58-33:27)... Most of Ahlquist's colleagues opposed Peterson's methods of administration. There was a general consensus that faulty was supposed to have a large role in campus governance and that the administration was not supposed to make policy decisions without consulting faculty. End of tape
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