San Jose State College - La Torre Yearbook (San Jose, CA)

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The Firsf Cenfury of San lose Sfafe College Any sfucleni' who enfers +his Sfafe College for even a shorl' 'lime should know somefhing of fhe hisfory of fhe school. lf he remains awhile, he wan'I's fo know. lf he sees il' 'rhrough, he is proucl 'lo know . . . H. F. MINSSEN, vice-presidenf lAc+ing Presidenf from January, I925, +o Sepfember, l927l These memorable words served as a preface fo fhe second hisfory of San Jose Sfafe College, wriffen in I928 by Mrs. Esfelle Greaf- head, a graduafe of fhe school and for many years a member of fhe faculfy. l-ler Sfory of an Inspiring Pasf followed fhe very firsf wriffen hisfory, published in I889 and compiled by Charles I-I. Allen, fhen in his lasf year as Normal School principal. The nexf hisfory was nof fo be published unfil l957, fwenfy- nine years affer ifs predecessor. This cenfennial hisfory, which appeared during fhe IOO-year celebrafion fesfivifies during May, 1957, was wriffen by Dr. Benjamin Gilberf, associafe professor of hisfory and a recognized aufhorify on California hisfory. ln fhe following pages, we bring you a recollecfion of early days on campus, a recounfing of San Jose Sfafe College achieve- menfs, and a fribufe fo fhe men and women who have helped make if fhe greaf educafional insfifufion if is foday. We hope fhaf fhis special cenfennial issue will serve as a small reminder fo all sfudenfs, faculfy, and ofhers, of fhe vasf changes which have occurred during fhe pasf one hundred years. We recommend fhe works of Professor Allen, Mrs. Greafhead and Dr. Gilberf. Their books reveal fhaf San Jose Sfafe people fruly have been pioneers for one hundred years af one of fhe oldesf feacher-fraining insfifufions in fhe wesl.

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Edifor's Noie . . . If yearbooks can be classified in fhe field of greafness by fhe number of nervous wrecks fhey make ouf of fheir sfaffs fhen-BOY-fhis one is greaf. lf's nof very offen a Cenfennial year pops up, and fhough we were caughf guife prepared, we could nof anficipafe all fhe hearfaches. prob- lems, and, we rnighf add, skepficism we would run info. We make no excuses, however, because we feel fhere are none fo be made. We are proud as a roosfer af mafing fime. We sincerely believe fhaf fhis, fhe I957 Cenfennial Edifion of fhe La Torre, is fhe greafesf year- book ever. lf cerfainly is fhe greafesf in size. lf's over one-fhird larger 'rhan ever before. Size, of course, is nof fhe whole sfory, for fhe book would be of liffle value if ifs size was fhe only significanf change. There are many new innovafions which have been used by our sfaff. The color pages you will see were processed in a manner never used before af San Jose Sfafe. For fhe firsf fime since l949 we have used an embossed cover. Our layouf is sornefhing new foo. We like fo call if SPARTARAMA. As you look fhrough fhe book, nofice fhaf if was designed fo encompass fwo pages af a fime. This fwo-page fheme is followed all fhrough fhe book. We have fried fo be original, imaginafive, and af fhe same fime give you qualify. We knew fhaf fue Cenfennial year required a Cenfennial efforf. Our ulfimafe goal has been fo make fhis yearbook fhe supreme peak of yearbooks. Along wifh fhaf goal has been fhe upper mosf fhoughf in our minds fhaf we musf please you, fhe sfudenfs of San Jose Sfafe College. Oh yes, fhere are faculfy members, various disfinguished people, and our alumni who read our book. buf you are our besf and mosf cherished cusfomers. We feel we can safely say fhaf fhis is YOUR book. Your approval is our reward. We sincerely hope fhaf you will find enioymenf in fhis, fhe memoirs of San Jose Sfafe College. We wanf fhis book fo be a living memory of life af fhis college since l857. We have fried also fo presenf fo you an up-fo-fhe-minufe accounf of fhe I956-l957 school year-our CENTENNIAL YEAR. So, fellow Sparfan, sfarf flipping pages, and keep flipping fhem for years fo come, and remember . . . fhere will be ofher Cenfennial year- books coming from San Jose Sfafe, buf you have fhe mosf prized possession, Tl-lE FIRST ONE! Z 'WJ' Edifor.

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Surprisingly enough, our college's beginnings in I857 were in San Francisco. We were Then known as Minns' Evening Normal School, which required The aTTendance oT San Francisco Teachers during weekly sessions, and was an early aTTempT To Till The growing need Tor Teacher Training. As This need became more and more prnounced, a culminaTion of evenTs led The STaTe legislaTure To pass an acT on May 2, I862, esTablishing a STaTe Normal School. Andrew J. lvloulder, STaTe SuperinTendenT oT Public lnsTrucTion, and John SweTT, lvloulder's successor in Those early years, were among enlighTened early-day educaTors who Toresaw The need Tor an expanded Teacher educaTion program. ATTer monThs oT commiTTee work, The San Francisco Teachers' lnsTiTuTe seT TorTh aims and ideals Tor a Normal school: Ahira Holmes oT San Francisco was chosen principal, and The insTiTuTion opened on July l8, I862, in a room on The ground Tloor of a high school building on Powell STreeT. The TirsT sTudenT body consisTed oT one man and Tive women, and There were Tive TaculTy members. AT ThaT Time, Those wishing To aTTend. The school had To sign an oaTh lyes, They had oaThs even Thenll obligaTing Temselves To Teach school in This sTaTe permanenTly. Persons unwilling To sign The documenT were Torced To pay a 55 TuiTion Tee. ln a Tew years, The legislaTure TelT ThaT The school iusTiTied iTs exisTence and ThereTore passed anoTher acT in March, l870, naming San Jose as The permanenT home oT The TirsT Normal School in CaliTornia. AlThough many oTher areas were considered, iT is inTeresTing To noTe ThaT San Jose was chosen because oT iTs sup- posed healThTul climaTe and accessibiliTy, The suiTable size oT iTs area, and-noTe This-The boarding accommodaTions. ln The opinion oT many, These boarding accommodaTions have remained unchanged. A 5285.000 building was The TirsT oT many To be builT on whaT we now call WashingTon Square. Because The new building was noT ready, The TirsT session oT The Normal School was conducTed on June I4, I87I, in a high school on SanTa Clara STreeT now known as The l-lorace Mann Grammar School. LaTer, sessions were held in whaT is now known as Lowell School on Reed STreeT. In July oT l872, The new school aT WashingTon Square had compleTed a Tew oT iTs rooms, and classes esTablished Them- selves aT The new siTe aTTer years oT aimless wandering. For The nexT eighT years, The school grew in size and in populaTion: Then. on February IO, l880, a major calamiTy occurred when The school