Dorman L. Commons Collection

The Dorman L. Commons California Education Collection documents the activities of the California State Board of Education from years from 1962 through 1970. As a member of the State Board of Education, acting as president of the board from January 1967 to January 1968, Commons collected materials about general education issues in California, the State Board of Education, Max Rafferty (Superintendent from 1963 to 1970), and the 1970 campaign for Wilson Riles to become Superintendent. The collection consists of 22 linear feet containing; reports, pamphlets, press releases, minutes, agendas, bulletins, letters, film and audio recordings, and newspaper clippings. The materials in the Dorman Commons Collection have been organized into 5 series: general school issues, State Board of Education issues, Max Rafferty, the Wilson Riles election campaign, and newspaper clippings. The newspaper clippings series contains two subseries: State Board of Education related, and Max Rafferty related. The general school issues series consists of seventeen boxes. The items are organized by subject, and include such topics as censorship, desegregation and other race issues, sex education, religion, textbooks, and school district unification. Materials in the series include news clippings, bulletins, pamphlets, fliers, handwritten letters, and reports. The State Board of Education series is contained in five boxes. Folders are organized by subject, and include such topics as State Board department and committee personnel, notes and minutes from meetings, board member elections, Commons’ correspondence while serving on the board, and State Board press releases. The Max Rafferty series is contained in five boxes, organized by subject. Topics include biographical information on Rafferty, his positions on the current issues at the time, and a set of copies of newspaper clippings about or by Rafferty organized chronologically by month. The Wilson Riles election campaign series consists of 8 boxes. Commons worked on the election campaign for Wilson Riles as Superintendent from 1969 through 1970. During the election campaign, Commons collected materials on campaign personnel, campaign strategy, campaign promotional materials, news clippings, finance and fundraising, as well as video and audio reels of public appearances and debates between the candidates. The newspaper clippings series consists of ten boxes. It is separated into two subseries; State Board of Education and Max Rafferty related. The State Board of Education subseries consists of five boxes. Two of the boxes are organized by key subject. The remaining three boxes are organized chronologically from 1963 through 1966. The Max Rafferty news clippings subseries consists of five boxes organized chronologically from 1963 through 1967. The Dorman Commons Collection may be helpful to researchers who are interested in the California education system during the 1960s. One can develop an understanding of the key issues affecting the California school systems during a particularly eventful decade of social and political change. Through the materials about Max Rafferty, researchers can learn about the longstanding Superintendent’s personal politics, and how they relate to the school system and issues of the time. The extensive newspaper clipping collection provides insight into the politics, issues, and activities of the California State Board of Education during the decade.