Sometimes people ask me if I could go back in time which Rice person I would most want to talk with. They’re often surprised that it isn’t President Lovett but instead a student, Warren Skaaren ’69. After leaving Rice Skaaren became a successful movie screenwriter. He died very young, of bone cancer, in 1990. But as a student he was at the very center of the Masterson Affair, the turmoil over the board’s appointment of William Masterson as president that played out over five days in February of that year and ended with Masterson’s resignation. If you pay close attention in the files you quickly see that Skaaren, possessed of both an unusual emotional intelligence and a sharp tactical mind, was one of the most crucial actors in the entire episode. I remain grateful to Professor Harold Hyman of the history department for his grasp of the institutional importance of this crisis and his push to have oral histories taken from several dozen active participants. The archivists also carefully collected newspaper clippings, flyers, photographs and other miscellany so that the Woodson has a rich collection about the events of those days. We have records from faculty, students, and even trustees. And the ktru tapes that were recorded at the time have now been digitized. This episode took place nearly 50 years ago, though, so about the last thing I expected was for new materials to turn up. But they did.
First came this photograph of voting in the student referendum on the appointment of Masterson:
Then we received a folder from the Warren Skaaren Charitable Trust in Austin that was full of his correspondence and scratched out notes from the five days of the crisis. It took my breath away. Here’s a sample, where we can watch him turning words over and around to get at the truth he means to convey:
And finally this arrived:
I believe it was taken after the students had met in the Physics Amphitheater to discuss the appointment of Masterson. (Note the poncho–it had been raining all day. This actually becomes important to the story.) When they were finished they walked over as a group to the front steps of the Chem Lecture Hall, where they waited for the faculty, who were meeting inside, to emerge. That might be Skaaren in the paisley shirt.
Note: The link to the Scientia talk I gave several years ago about the Masterson Crisis is currently broken. Working on getting it fixed.
Also, it’s Spring Break! I’ll be posting as usual but I won’t be back on campus until next Monday. If you need anything in the meantime, call or email the Woodson. Seriously. Do not wait for me to get back!
Bonus:
Wearing the paisley shirt is Bob Parks (Baker ’73). Bob was a district judge in West Texas and an ARA-recommended member of the Rice Board of Trustees (1999-2003). Sadly, he died in 2005 (http://www.sunsetodessa.com/memorialpage.asp?page=odetail&id=60674&locid=37).
Other Bakerites in that photo include: Mike Berman (in dark jacket near upper-left corner) and across the front row (left-to-right): Marvin Hecker (wearing poncho), Toxell Ballou (holding books) and Gary Grether (light shirt and black glasses). Behind Troxell is Jane Hamblen (Jones).
It’s also interesting to me that the speaker is holding a lit cigarette.
(Typo: Bob Parks died in 2015, as stated in the obituary.)
Thanks, Mike. That’s extremely helpful.
I’m less sure about these, but half-visible at the left margin could be Charles Maynard (lower) and Terry Mueller (upper), both also of Baker.
Troxell
Very interesting and new to me even though I went to Rice. http://ricehistoricalsociety.org/images/cornerstones/RiceCornerstoneSpring2003.pdf has a fine writeup about the whole brouhaha.
Can we assume that the library has copies of Alison Macor’s
“Rewrite Man: The Life and Career of Screenwriter Warren Skaaren?”
At least one! It’s a fun read.
This was such a tumultuous episode! A freshman, I was in on the march, but didn’t really understand the issues. I was upset at all the turmoil and briefly considered transferring to some other university. I do remember the very handsome, very eloquent Warren Skaaren speaking … but I think the fellow in the paisley shirt might be Bob Parks (Baker ‘71) who went on to be Student Senate President his senior year.
Thx for this, I thought that was Bob! (I didn’t see your comment before I posted mine). You’re also right about Charles Maynard and Jane Hamblen.
What a fascinating fellow this Warren Skaaren! Read what I could find about him, but still wanted more.
You probably also would want to drop in on Zevi Salsburg on your time-travel jaunt.
You know me very well.
This post reminds me that I have some slides my husband (then a freshman) took of the major march. I have been meaning to ask if you want them. A couple of them are really good and show angles that I don’t remember seeing in pictures that you’ve posted. Let me know if I should send them to you.
Yes, absolutely! What a treasure! You can send them to:
Melissa Kean
Woodson Research Center
Fondren Library MS 44
Rice University
P.O. Box 1892
Houston, TX 77251-1892
Many thanks!
Will do! I will try to get them in the mail in the next few days.
I’m pretty sure the person speaking, who is holding the cigarette, is Bari/Barry Kaplan, the female side of that erstwhile couple.
I was thinking the same thing. I’ll have to ask Barry to take a look at the photo.