The Finding Aid of the B. Lamar Johnson Papers
0023
Finding aid prepared by Jessica Geiser and Jamie Henricks
The processing of this collection and the creation of this finding aid was funded by the generous support of the National
Historical Publications and Records Commission.
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA, 90263-4786
(310) 506-4434
specialcollections@pepperdine.edu
January 2012
Title: B. Lamar Johnson papers
Identifier/Call Number: 0023
Contributing Institution:
Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
24255 Pacific Coast Highway
Malibu, CA, 90263-4786
(310) 506-4434
specialcollections@pepperdine.edu
Physical Description:
48.75 linear feet
(39 boxes)
Date (inclusive): 1930-1989
Date (bulk): 1952-1983
Abstract: B. Lamar Johnson was a highly distinguished educator known as
the father of the community college due to his extensive contributions to the study and development of community college education. The collection contains correspondence,
reports, speeches, administrative papers and publications from Johnson's tenure at Stephens College, UCLA, and Pepperdine
University, as well as other educational organizations and activities with which Johnson was involved.
Location note: Pepperdine University. Special Collections and University Archives.
Language of Materials: Materials are in English.
Creator:
Johnson, B. Lamar (Byron Lamar), 1904-
Conditions Governing Access
Advance notice required for access.
Conditions Governing Use
Permission to publish, quote, or reproduce must be secured from the repository and the copyright holder.
Preferred Citation
[Box/folder# or item name], B. Lamar Johnson papers, Collection no. 0023, Special Collections and University Archives, University
Libraries, Pepperdine University.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
The bulk of the materials were donated by B. Lamar Johnson around 1986. Other materials, including books, were likely donated
by one of Johnson's sons, possibly between 1989 and 1996.
Biographical note
Byron Lamar Johnson was born in Peterson, Iowa, on June 28, 1904. He received his B.S. in 1925, M.A. in 1927, and Ph.D. in
1930 from the University of Minnesota in Education and English. Johnson held a number of positions in education early in his
career, serving as an English instructor at Minnesota College from 1925 to 1927, as principal of a high school in Buffalo,
Minnesota from 1927 to 1928, as assistant-principal of the University of Minnesota High School from 1928 to 1930 and as an
assistant professor at New Jersey State Teachers College at Montclair from 1930 to 1931.
From 1931 to 1952, Johnson served as Dean of Instruction and Librarian at Stephens College, a two-year women's college in
Missouri. While at Stephens, Johnson successfully combined library instruction with teaching practices to form a single unified
instruction program. This work, along with publications authored by Johnson, brought him national recognition as an expert
on college programming and curriculum. During his time at Stephens College, Johnson also taught as a visiting professor at
Northwestern University, the University of Chicago, and the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).
From 1952 to 1972, Johnson served as Professor of Higher Education at UCLA, where he specialized in the study of community
and junior college education. During his tenure at UCLA, Johnson was a regular consultant to the California Master Plan for
Higher Education Survey Team in helping develop and implement the state's community colleges. Johnson also founded and served
as the Executive Director of the League for Innovation in the Community College from 1968 to 1972, as well as the Director
of the UCLA Junior College Leadership Program from 1960 to 1972. Johnson was also a W.K. Kellogg Foundation grantee from 1960
to 1972, as well as a Danforth grantee from 1967 to 1972.
During his career, Johnson also studied and developed international education programs. In 1959, he traveled as an American
Specialist for the United States Department of State to assignments in New Zealand, the Philippines, the Federation of Rhodesia
and Nyasaland, and South America. After leaving UCLA, Johnson worked as a consultant from 1973 to 1974 for the United States
Agency for International Development (USAID), traveling to Vietnam, Colombia and throughout South America. Finally, in 1976,
Johnson worked in Iran on a joint program between UCLA and the University for Teacher Education in Tehran.
In 1977, Johnson was appointed Distinguished Professor of Education at Pepperdine University, where he taught until his retirement
in 1983. He married in 1928, and had three children. B. Lamar Johnson died on October 25, 1995.
Scope and Content
The B. Lamar Johnson papers include materials from 1930 to 1989 documenting Johnson's career and his research on community
colleges. The bulk of the collection focuses on Johnson's work at UCLA and Pepperdine University from 1952 to 1983, and includes
correspondence, notes, reports, articles, programs, and memorandums. Also included in the collection are copies of speeches,
articles, and publications authored by Johnson spanning his entire career. There are also a number of bound copies of student
dissertations.
Arrangement
For the most part, the collection's contents have been kept within their original groupings. Series and sub-series titles
were assigned based on the original folder titles. A folder list is available by request. The collection is arranged in seventeen
series:
- Series 1: Accreditation
- Series 2: Advisory Council - UCLA Junior College Leadership Program
- Series 3: Articles
- Series 4: Community Colleges
- Series 5: Consultant Work
- Series 6: Foundations
- Series 7: Miscellaneous
- Series 8: Pepperdine University
- Series 9: Personal Materials
- Series 10: Publications and Printed Materials
- Series 11: Speeches
- Series 12: Student Dissertations
- Series 13: Subject and Correspondence Files
- Series 14: Training and Instruction
- Series 15: Travel
- Series 16: Utilization of Faculty Services
- Series 17: Workshops, Seminars, and Conferences
Processing Information
This collection was processed and described by Jessica Geiser and Jamie Henricks in December, 2011.
Subjects and Indexing Terms
Johnson, B. Lamar (Byron Lamar), 1904-
Pepperdine University.
Stephens College. -- History
University of California, Los Angeles.
Accreditation (Education)
Articles
Community colleges--United States--History--20th century
Correspondence
Curriculum planning--Research
Education, Higher--Aims and objectives
International education--Study and teaching
Los Angeles (Calif.)--History
Memorandums
Programs
Publications
Reports
Speeches, addresses, etc., American--20th century
Box 6, 7
Series 1:
Accreditation
1952-1961
Box 17, 18
Series 2:
Advisory Council - UCLA Junior College Leadership Program
1960-1972
(bulk 1970-1972)
Box 26, 27, 30-32
Series 3:
Articles
1930-1983
Box 17, 25, 26, 28, 29
Series 4:
Community Colleges
Box 25, 26
Sub-series 4.1:
Individual School Files
1960-1963
Box 28, 29
Sub-series 4.2:
Visits to Colleges and Professors
1977-1979
Box 17
Sub-series 4.3:
League for Innovation
1975-1989
Box 29
Sub-series 4.4:
Task Force: Community College Mission
1979
Box 23
Series 5:
Consultant Work
1950-1963
Box 8, 18
Sub-series 6.1:
Danforth Foundation
1960-1974
Box 18
Sub-series 6.2:
Esso Foundation
1966-1981
Box 8, 23
Sub-series 6.3:
Kellogg Foundation
1960-1975
Box 18
Sub-series 6.4:
Other Foundations
1968
Box 29
Sub-series 7.1:
Alaska Needs Assessment Report
1979-1980
Box 35
Sub-series 7.2:
Episcopal Ministry Program Group
1981-1984
Box 29
Sub-series 7.3:
Women
1980-1982
Box 22, 28, 29, 35
Series 8:
Pepperdine University
Box 28
Sub-series 8.1:
Correspondence
1977-1983
Box 22, 35
Sub-series 8.2:
Subject Files
1977-1983
Box 29
Sub-series 8.3:
Appointment and Retirement
1977-1984
Box 3, 4, 29, 33, 36, 38, 39
Series 9:
Personal Materials
Box 33
Sub-series 9.1:
Personal Data
1952-1989
Box 36
Sub-series 9.2:
Graduate Work
Box 36
An Investigation of Permanent Record Cards for Secondary Schools - Masters Thesis
1927
Box 36
An Investigation of Reading Interests and Habits at Various Age, Educational, and Occupational Levels - Doctoral Thesis
1930
Box 3, 4, 29
Sub-series 9.3:
Honors and Activities
1953-1982
Box 22, 24, 27, 35, 36, 37
Series 10:
Publications and Printed Materials
Box 3, 5, 20, 29, 30
Series 11:
Speeches
1930-1983
Box 4, 5, 36, 37
Series 12:
Student Dissertations
Box 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 34, 35
Series 13:
Subject and Correspondence Files
1955-1982
Box 19-24
Series 14:
Training and Instruction
Box 19, 21
Sub-series 14.1:
Basic Course
1980-1982
Box 20, 23, 24
Sub-series 14.2:
General Community College Files
Box 22
Sub-series 14.3:
In-Basket Method
1963-1964
Box 1, 2, 3, 9, 10
Series 15:
Travel
1959-1983
Box 25
Series 16:
Utilization of Faculty Services
1960-1964
Box 25
Sub-series 16.1:
Islands of Innovation
Box 6, 9, 18, 19, 29
Series 17:
Workshops, Seminars, and Conferences
Box 19
Sub-series 17.1:
New Deans Workshop
1969
Box 6
Sub-series 17.2:
Presidents' Workshops
1967-1969
Box 9
Sub-series 17.3:
National Conference - Junior College Leadership Program
1969-1972
Box 29
Sub-series 17.4:
Oklahoma Workshop
1978-1979
Box 18
Sub-series 17.5:
Iran Conferences
1975-1976
