Scope and Contents
The collection contains the research files Ken Metzler used to write his book, Confrontation: The Destruction of a College President, about University of Oregon Acting President Charles Ellicot Johnson. Johnson served as Acting President from 1968 until his fatal car accident on June 17, 1969. Although this collection spans from 1934 to 1973, the bulk of the material dates from 1968 to 1971. The collection contains correspondence, clippings, publications, notes, and manuscripts.
The collection is arranged into five series using Metzler’s original organization: I: Files about Charles E. Johnson, II: Files by Charles E. Johnson, III: University of Oregon files, IV: Higher Education Files, and V: Miscellaneous Research Files. Metzler’s original notations for his filing system are written on the top of most of the files. For example “1-B” is filed under Series I, letter B.
Series I contains interviews, correspondence, and clippings about Charles E. Johnson organized alphabetically by correspondent or subject.
Series II contains correspondence, clippings, and publications by Johnson filed alphabetically by correspondent or subject. Series II contains the oldest material in the collection from 1934.
Series III contains files from Johnson’s tenure as Acting President at the University of Oregon. It is divided into two subseries: Alphabetical files and the President’s Fact Notebook. Material in the alphabetical files reflect the many controversies that Johnson confronted as Acting President, including a grape boycott, athletes who refused to cut their hair, harassment of the Navy recruiters, an obscenity scandal regarding the Oregon Daily Emerald, and a poverty village erected on the University of Oregon grounds. The President’s Fact Notebook contains mostly budget, salary, and statistical information.
Series IV contains materials on higher education organized alphabetically by correspondent or subject.
Series V consists of Metzler’s working files which contain his notes, correspondence directly related to the book, magazine and newspaper clippings, and a draft manuscript. The clippings are organized chronologically and cover such subjects as student unrest, job stress, suicide, and higher education finances.
Dates
- 1934-1973
- Majority of material found within 1968-1971
Creator
- Metzler, Ken (Person)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open to the public. Collection must be used in Special Collections and University Archives Reading Room. Collection or parts of collection may be stored offsite. Please contact Special Collections and University Archives in advance of your visit to allow for transportation time.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with Special Collections and University Archives, University of Oregon Libraries. Copyright resides with the creators of the documents or their heirs. All requests for permission to publish collection materials must be submitted to Special Collections and University Archives. The reader must also obtain permission of the copyright holder.
Biographical / Historical
Ken Metzler received his B.S. in journalism from the University of Oregon in 1956. He worked as a reporter as earned his M.S.J. at Northwestern University. In 1961, Metzler returned to the University of Oregon as Director of Student Publications and taught in the School of Journalism. Metzler is the author of five books.
In 1973, Metzler published Confrontation: The Destruction of a College President, his biography of University of Oregon acting President Charles E. Johnson. Charles Ellicott Johnson (1920-1969), accountant and university administrator, came to the University of Oregon in 1952 as an Associate Professor in Business Administration and became a full Professor in 1957. In 1959, he was appointed as Head of the Department of Accounting and Business Statistics, and then became Dean of the College of Liberal Arts in 1963. Johnson was appointed as Acting President of the University of Oregon in 1968.
Johnson’s presidency was defined by several controversies, including the grape boycott in the dormitories to protest farming and labor conditions, the athletes who were disciplined for refusing to cut their hair, and the obscenities printed in the Oregon Daily Emerald. During his tenure, student activists harassed Navy recruiters, set up a shanty town on the campus lawn, and protested the Vietnam War. Charles E. Johnson was killed in an automobile accident on June 17, 1969. As Metzler’s book explains, there was speculation as to whether the stress of his job as Acting President contributed to Johnson’s accident.
Extent
3 linear feet (6 containers)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
Ken Metzler was a Professor of Journalism at the University of Oregon and published a book about UO acting President Charles E. Johnson, titled Confrontation: The Destruction of a College President in 1973. The collection contains Metzler’s working and research files for that book including correspondence by and about Charles E. Johnson, clippings, publications, notes, and manuscripts.
Arrangement
Collection is organized into the following series:
Series I: Files about Charles E. Johnson
Series II: Files by Charles E. Johnson
Series III: University of Oregon Files
Subseries I: Alphabetical Files
Subseries II: President’s Fact Notebook
Series IV: Higher Education Files
Series V: Miscellaneous Research Files
Physical Description
6 manuscript boxes
Processing Information
Collection processed by Rachel Edford, 2007.
This finding aid may be updated periodically to account for new acquisitions to the collection and/or revisions in arrangement and description.
- Clippings Subject Source: TGM II, Genre and physical characteristic terms
- College presidents -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Correspondence Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Interviews Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Johnson, Charles E., 1920-1969
- Manuscripts for publication Subject Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus
- Metzler, Ken
- Student movements -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- Universities and colleges -- Oregon -- Eugene Subject Source: Library of Congress Subject Headings
- University of Oregon
- University of Oregon
- Title
- Guide to the Ken Metzler Papers
- Status
- Revise Description
- Author
- Rachel Edford and Tanya Parlet.
- Date
- 2012
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
- Language of description note
- Finding aid is written in English
- Sponsor
- Funding for production of this finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical Publications and Records Commission (NHPRC).
Repository Details
Part of the University of Oregon Libraries, Special Collections and University Archives Repository
