The collection contains personal and
professional papers from Eldon Schafer's career as president of Lane Community
College, 1970-1985. The collection documents Schafer's personal and family
history, his military service, and his death.
Funding for encoding this finding
aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
Biographical Note
Eldon Guy Schafer (1922-1985) was president of Lane Community College
for fifteen years, 1970-1985.
Schafer was born in Molalla, Oregon, to Lillian M. and Guy F. Schafer
on February 27, 1922. He attended rural elementary and secondary schools in the
Canby and Molalla area, and after high school graduation in 1939, he attended
Oregon State University in 1941. In 1942 he joined the U.S. Army and entered an
engineering program at Pomona College in California. He was sent to Europe in
1943 and served with the 124th Armored Engineers and 13th Armored Division in
France, Germany, and Austria.
After the war he returned to Pomona College, where he was active in
sports, and graduated with a B.A. in 1948. He continued his education in
California, receiving an M.A. (1960) and a Ph.D. (1965) in Education
Administration from Claremont Graduate School.
He married Lucy Jane Brokaw in Los Angeles in 1947; their son,
Kenneth, joined the family in 1961.
Schafer began his teaching career at Capistrano High School in
California where he taught and coached sports, 1950-1952 and served as dean of
students, principal, and district superintendent, 1957-1966. He was associate
dean of instruction at Riverside City College, 1966-1967.
Schafer moved to Oregon in 1967 to become the founding president of
Linn-Benton Community College, 1967-1970. From there he moved to the presidency
of Lane Community College, 1970-1985.
Schafer was active in many regional and national educational
organizations and served as officers for the Oregon Community College
Association, the Northwest Association of Community and Junior Colleges, the
League for Innovation in the Community College, the Commission on Colleges of
Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, and the Oregon Community College
Presidents' Council.
He traveled to China twice, in 1982 and 1984, as a member of the
International Visiting Team of the World Bank Educational Advisory Group. The
group assisted China in restructuring its vocational education.
Dr. Schafer resigned as president of the college on April 30, 1985. He
died on August 6, 1985 following a long battle with leukemia and multiple
myeloma (cancer of the bone marrow).
Content Description
The Eldon G. Schafer Papers document Schafer’s personal life as well
as certain aspects of his professional career as president of Lane Community
College, 1970-1985. The collection contains biographical information about
Schafer’s college days, his military service, his career in education, and his
death. The collection also contains personal records of the Schafer and Brokaw
(wife Lucy’s family) families. Other records that document his personal and
professional career can be found in the series of correspondence, speeches and
writings, and subject files as well as in the photographs, slides, audio
recordings, and video recordings.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
There are no access restrictions. The collection is open for
research.
Restrictions on Use :
There are no use restrictions.
Preferred Citation :
Eldon G. Schafer Papers, 1916-1990 (M-001), Lane Community College
Archives, Eugene, Oregon
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The collection is divided into seven series.
Series A: Biographical Records/Eldon G. Schafer, 1947-1986
Series B: Biographical Records/Family History, 1916-1990
Series C: Correspondence, 1940-1985
Series D: Speeches and Writings, 1960-1985
Series E: Subject Files, 1950-1985
Series F: Photographs, Slides, Video Tapes, and Audio Tapes,
1932-1985
Series G: Ephemera, 1939-1985
Acquisition Information :
The collection was donated to the college archives by Lucy B. Schafer
on January 9, 1992, in two separate accessions.
Processing Note :
The collection was inventoried, arranged and described by Michael
Ridderbush in 1991. The finding aid was completed by Elizabeth Uhlig in 1998
and revised in 2007 merging the two original accessions.
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series A: Biographical Records/Eldon
Schafer, 1947-1986
This series contains biographical records of Eldon Schafer that
document his college days, his employment before coming to Lane Community
College, his military career, and his death.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box-Folder
1/3
Award Certificates
1973-1985
1/4-5
Awards: Clippings
1965-1985
1/2
Biographical Profiles
1970-1985
5/8-10
Career: Capistrano Union High School District
1950-1965
5/11
Career: Claremont Graduate School
1961-1966
6/1-2
Career: Linn-Benton Community College
1967-1970
6/3
Career: Lane Community College
1970
5/12
Career: Riverside City College
1966-1967
1/1
Curriculum Vitae
1950-1985
18/5-7
Death announcement and news clippings
1985-1986
video tape box 4
Death announcements and memorial service, video
recordings
1985
22 (oversize)
Diploma: B.A., Pomona College
1949
22 (oversize)
Diploma: M.A., Claremont College
1961
22 (oversize)
Diploma: Ph.D., Claremont Graduate School
1966
6/8
Illness
1979, 1985
audio tape box 1
Memorial Service, audio cassette recording
1985
18/21
Memorial Service, correspondence and programs
1985
19/17
Memorial Service, guest book
1985
18/10
Mollala Union High School
1939, 1974-1984
18/11
Pomona College
1947-1986
18/20
Post-death
1985
1/6
Presidential Evaluation
1980
22 (oversize)
Scrapbook with clippings about athletics
1939-1956
22 (oversize)
U.S. Army - 124th Armored Engineer Battalion, 13th
Armored Division: publications
1945
18/12-19
U.S. Army, records about service Europe in World War II,
publications, clippings, maps,
Series B: Biographical Records/Family
History, 1916-1990
This series contains correspondence and scrapbooks about the
Schafer family, including Eldon’s father Guy Schafer, as well as some records
from the Brokaw family, the family of Eldon’s wife Lucy.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box-Folder
16/2
Brokaw Family
undated
20/7
German postcard
1916
19/17
Memorial Service for Guy Schafer (father), guest book
1982
16/1
Schafer Family
1974-1990
16/3
Schafer Family, German relatives, correspondence
1978-1986
22 (oversize)
Scrapbook with clippings about Guy Schafer’s (father)
army service
This series contains letters and cards of condolences to the
Schafer family following the death of Eldon Schafer in 1985. The series also
contains cards marking Schafer’s retirement in 1985 as well as some birthday
and Christmas cards.
Schafer's speeches and writings include writings from his student
days such as term papers, M.A. thesis, and Ph.D. dissertation; speeches given
at in-service (annual staff orientation); and other speeches and writings from
his career at the college. Some of the speeches are preserved on video tape and
sound tape in Series F.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box-Folder
3/6
Commencement address - "A Lexicon for the Good Life,"
delivered by Lucy Schafer
1985
2/4-6
In-Service Speeches
1972-1984
1/10
MA Thesis: "A Study of Growth Factors Relating to Growth
Problems of Capistrano High School
1960-1961
2/1
Ph.D. dissertation: "Unification: A Change of Power
Structure Reflected in Board Composition
This series contains some records from Schafer’s tenure as college
president. The records also document Schafer's involvement in international
education. He participated in a World Education Seminar month-long tour of
educational institutions in Europe and Asia in 1970. He traveled twice to
China, in 1982 and 1984, as a member of the World Bank Educational Advisory
Group which advised China on restructuring its vocational education. The
collection contains correspondence and clippings that document Schafer's
participation in the China advisory group; related ephemera are in Series
G.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box-Folder
6/4
CASE District VIII Conference
1970
6/5
Commendation: LCC ranked among top five community
college in nation
1985
6/7
Evaluation - Presidential
1979-1980
5/3
Ginkgo Tree Dedication
1985
7/13
Guest Books
1981-1985
6/6
Hult, Nils B., Humanitarian Award
1985
6/9
LCC Budget
1970-1977
5/7
LCC Contracts
1970-1984
6/10
LCC President, Richard Turner
1985-1986
6/11
LCC Presidential Search
1984
6/12
Los Angeles Times article
1966
7/1-3
Marie Y. Martin Professional Educators Award, letters,
clippings
1981
6/15
Miscellaneous
1975-1985
5/6
News Clippings
1966-1985
5/5
Programs
1980-1986
6/13-14
Retirement: correspondence, clippings, program
1984-1985
5/4
Schafer Drive Dedication
1986
6/16-18
Tribute to a Friend: President Eldon Schafer: Ten Years
of Dedication, 1970-1980” (scrapbook
1980
4/3-19
World Bank Educational Advisory Group (correspondence,
writings, clippings, ephemera about
1982-1985
5/1-2
World Bank Educational Advisory Group (photograph
albums, photographs, and slides about
Series F: Photographs, Slides, Video Tapes,
and Audio Tapes, 1932-1985
This series contains a great number of photographs including many
portraits of Schafer; photographs taken at college activities and special
events; photographs and slides from his trips to China; photographs from his
college and army days; and photographs of the Schafer and Brokaw (family of his
wife, Lucy) families. The audio recordings are mainly of college events and
speeches; the video recordings are from his China trips and some college
events, including his retirement party.
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box-Folder
22 (oversize)
Photographs: Army basic training unit
1944-1945
23 (oversize)
Photographs: Army Special Training Unit 3921, Company B
1944
20/6
Photographs: Bandon
1985-1987
19/15
Photographs: Brokaw, Lucy Jane, portraits
1934-1978
19/16
Photographs: Brokaw, Arthur and Beatrice
circa 1929,
1949-1950
20/1
Photographs: Brokaw, Lucy and Carolyn
1932, 1962, 1985
20/2
Photographs: Brokaw, Lucy and Beatrice
1964, 1978, 1984
8/3
Photographs: Capistrano Union High School District
(California)
This collection is indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Personal Names :
Schafer,
Eldon G.
Schafer,
Lucy B.
Corporate Names :
Lane
Community College (Eugene, Or.)
Lane
Community College (Eugene, Or.). President's Office
