Guide to Benjamin F. Gilbert Research Papers
SJSU Library Special Collections and Archives
© 2009
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0028
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Benjamin F. Gilbert Research Papers
Collection number: MSS-2009-02-07
SJSU Special Collections & Archives
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library
San José State University
One Washington Square
San José, CA 95192-0087
Phone: (408) 808-2062
Fax: (408) 808-2063
Email: special.collections@sjsu.edu
URL: http://library.sjsu.edu/sjsu-special-collections/sjsu-special-collections-and-archives
Finding aid funded by the generous support of the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
- Processed by:
- Processed by Thomas Stamps
- Date Completed:
- 2009
- Encoded by:
- Lynn Sheehy
© 2009 Trustees of the California State University. All rights reserved.
Title: Benjamin F. Gilbert Research Papers
Dates: 1953-1979
Bulk Dates: 1957-1970
Collection number: MSS-2009-02-07
Creator:
Gilbert, Dr. Benjamin Franklin
Collection Size:
2 boxes
(1.42 linear feet)
Repository:
San José State University. Library.
San José, California 95192-0028
Abstract: The Benjamin F. Gilbert Research Papers (1953-1979 [bulk 1957-1970]) consist of the manuscripts and research notes of Dr.
Gilbert, author of
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College 1857-1957, and co-author of
Washington Square 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. The papers also contain correspondence from SJSU interim President Hobert W. Burns and faculty members regarding suggestions
or revisions to Gilbert's various manuscript drafts. The collection is arranged into two series: Series I.
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957: Research Papers; and Series II.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University: Research Notes.
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
The collection is open for research.
Copyright has been assigned to the San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives. All requests for permission
to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Head of Special Collections. Permission for publication
is given on behalf of the Special Collections and Archives as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include
or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the reader. Copyright restrictions also apply
to digital reproductions of the original materials. Use of digital files is restricted to research and educational purposes.
The Benjamin F. Gilbert Research Papers, MSS-2009-02-07, San José State University Library Special Collections and Archives.
Collection processed by Thomas Stamps. Finding aid EAD encoded by Lynn Sheehy. Reviewed by Danelle Moon and Erin Louthen.
This finding aid was created as part of the Survey and Cataloging Project, a two-year San José State University Library grant
project funded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission. The project began in 2008. The Project Director
is Danelle Moon. The Project Archivist is Erin Louthen.
In 1857 the San Francisco Board of Education established Minns' Evening Normal School for current and prospective teachers
in the city. Named after its principal, George W. Minns, the institution was formally established as the first California
State Normal School by the State Legislature in 1862. A decade later, the Legislature voted to move the Normal School to San
José, and the school relocated to its new home on Washington Square prior to the fall term of 1872. After a fire destroyed
the Normal School building in 1880, the Legislature authorized $200,000 to construct a new building on the same site. Completed
in 1881, the building was commonly referred to as the Second State Normal School. After several names and curriculum changes,
Minns' Normal school is now San José State University, offering more than 134 bachelor's and master's degrees with 110 concentrations,
and is recognized as one of the top public universities granting such degrees in the West.
Dr. Benjamin F. Gilbert (1918-1992), Associate Professor of History at San José State College, was a native Californian and
an authority on California state history, particularly the Civil War era. Born in San Francisco, he attended the University
of California where he obtained his B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. degrees. Gilbert began his teaching career in San Francisco and
Oakland, and was a teaching assistant at the University of California before joining the faculty of San José State College
in 1950. He also served in the United States Navy from 1942 to 1945. As a member of the Historic Landmarks Commission of the
City of San José, Gilbert authored the book
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957, the first definitive history of the college to be published since 1928. This book would be updated in 1980 in
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University by Gilbert and his colleague Charles Burdick.
Gilbert, Benjamin F.
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957. San José, California: San José State College, 1957.
Gilbert, Benjamin F., and Burdick, Charles.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. San José, California: San José State University, 1980.
San José State University. About SJSU.
http://www.sjsu.edu/about_sjsu/
Walsh, James P.
San José State University: An Interpretive History, 1950-2000. San José, California: San José State University, 2003.
Scope and Content of Collection
The Benjamin F. Gilbert Research Papers (1953-1979 [bulk 1957-1970]) consist of manuscript drafts, handwritten notes and research
materials for two of Gilbert's books,
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957 and
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. Arranged primarily by chapter and book section, the papers provide a window into Gilbert's creative process and research
methodologies while writing the university histories. In addition, the papers contain correspondence from SJSU interim President
Hobert W. Burns and faculty members, who offer personal accounts of SJSU history as well as suggestions or revisions to Gilbert's
various manuscript drafts.
The collection is arranged into two series: Series I.
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957: Research Papers; and Series II.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University: Research Notes.
The collection is arranged into two series: Series I.
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957: Research Papers; and Series II.
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University: Research Notes.
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
Gilbert, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin)
Gilbert, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin). Pioneers for one hundred years: San José State College 1857-1957
Gilbert, Benjamin F. (Benjamin Franklin). Washington Square 1857-1979: the history of San José State University
San José State Normal School -- History
San José State Teachers College -- History
San José State College -- History
California State University, San José -- History
San José State University -- History
Education, Higher -- California -- San José
Pioneers for One Hundred Years, 1957. Pamphlets and collateral material, San José State University's Centennial celebration.
SJSU University Archives Collection.
Series I: Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957: Research Papers. 1953-1957
Physical Description: 1 Box
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series documents the work of San José College professor of history, Benjamin F. Gilbert, author of
Pioneers for One Hundred Years: San José State College, 1857-1957. The series contains Gilbert's notes about SJSU presidents, subject disciplines, and other historical details about the university.
Significant materials in this series include Gilbert's notes about Superintendent of Public Instruction biennial reports from
the late 1800s to the 1930s; information documenting the San José State Normal School fire of 1880; and the rebuilding of
the Normal School in 1881.
This series is arranged by subject.
Box 1
Manuscripts/Research Files/Correspondence 1953-1957
Series II: Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University: Research Notes. 1953-1979
Physical Description: 1 Box
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series includes chapter manuscript drafts of Gilbert's
Washington Square, 1857-1979: The History of San José State University. The series also contains a research folder of newspaper clippings documenting campus life during the Vietnam War, including
topics such as the UC Berkeley riots and the effects of civil unrest on the SJSU student population during this time period.
This series is arranged by subject.
Box 2
Manuscripts/Research Files/Correspondence 1953-1979