Description
Waldo Phelps(1918-2004) was a professor of Rhetoric in the English Department at UCLA from 1949-1988. This collection includes
cassettes of an oral history interview and recordings of public ceremonies at UCLA. Also included is a football signed by
the 1985 UCLA football team.
Background
Waldo Phelps was born on June 15, 1918 in San Francisco, California. He grew up in Santa Barbara and began studies at the
state college there, which would later become UC Santa Barbara. Phelps received his MA in speech communication from University
of Denver in 1941 and then served in the United States Navy. After being discharged, Phelps received his PhD in rhetoric from
USC in 1949 and began teaching in the English department at UCLA in the same year. Phelps was instrumental in the founding
of the Department of Speech and served as chair from 1964-1971. Phelps’ oratory skills were successfully used to campaign
for additional funding for the UCLA campus and they led him to be named chairman of the Communication on Public Ceremonies
in 1960. Phelps retired from UCLA in 1988 and returned to Santa Barbara where he was active in the alumni association. Waldo
Phelps died in Santa Barbara on January 31, 2004 at age 85.
Extent
0.4 linear ft.
(1 document box)
Restrictions
Copyright to portions of this collection has been assigned to the UCLA Library Special Collections. The library can grant
permission to publish for materials to which it holds the copyright. All requests for permission to publish or quote must
be submitted in writing to the UCLA Library Special Collections Librarian Special Collections. Credit shall be given as follows:
©The Regents of the University of California on behalf of the UCLA Library Special Collections.
Availability
COLLECTION STORED OFF-SITE AT SRLF: Open for research. Advance notice required for access. Contact the UCLA Library Special
Collections Reference Desk for paging information.