Ed Klingelhofer

Psychology, Testing, Arts and Sciences

Began in 1953
Retired in 1977

I retired from CSUS in September, 1977. 0ne might well ask, well, what about those last 34+ years? There is life past retirement. That’s another story.

Enlisted in the army, 1942, three years at University of Buffalo behind me. Ordered to inactive duty as Captain, AUS, in January 1946. Served as liaison officer with the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation program in France and on the G-5 staff of Supreme Headquarters of the Expeditionary Force in Europe. Returned to Buffalo, married the girl I met while in Officer Candidate School, completed the BA, was immediately employed by the University to serve as Advisor-Counselor for veterans of WWII.

Saw that Higher Education valued the Ph.D. so I entered University of Iowa, majored in Psychology, was awarded the degree in ’53. Recruited by Guy West, but not seen by the ailing prexy who was felled by a bad respiratory infection. My CV served.

Split assignment. Ran the College’s testing program, taught in the Psych department, acted as a student counselor. Don Bailey was Dean of Students and my nominal boss. '53 was the year the college occupied the new campus and soon after my arrival I was invited to participate in a hunting party aimed at ridding the largely vacant site of vegetation-attacking rabbits. I declined.

Had access to a great deal of student data so wrote and published some small studies. Had some fun during the next seven years or so collaborating with Charlie Hume (Speech/Drama) and Harvey Reddick (Music) in writing and offering a trio of Faculty Shows the faculty put on every third Autumn. Plugged along, taught one summer at the University of Wyoming. Applied for a Sabbatical in 1964, was given it, and somehow wangled an appointment to the faculty of the University of East Africa in Dar es Salaam in the newly-named Tanzania, formerly Tanganyika. The leave was extended for one year. Returned in ’67 and was immediately invited by Dean Harvey Reddick to be his Associate Dean in the newly-established School of Arts and Sciences.

There wasn’t much of a job there but a couple of years in Africa had sensitized me to racial issues and with Harvey’s encouragement, grudging approval from the then President, Robert Johns, and the help of a marvelous group of students and a volunteer cadre of faculty – Bill Dorman, Don Sturtevant, Gregg Campbell, Hans Hohlwein, Ellen Rosser Smith, and others (aplogies!), the Educational Opportunity Program got going. Stayed with that a couple years and then was given a two-year leave of absence to work in the Center for Research and Development in Higher Education at U.C. Berkeley. Worked there with Lyman Glenny, an early CSUS faculty member in Government who had gone on to head the Illinois Higher Education Commission before retreating to Berkeley. Came back to Sacramento, applied for and was granted a Fulbright award that took me to Malawi in Central Africa. Stayed there a year, returned to Sacramento taught in a number of experimental programs that were interesting but expensive, and failed to revolutionize higher education. Or even to interest it. Yet another instance of a failed attempt to follow the Deweyan model.

Retired from CSUS in 1977, in plenty of time to miss a couple of the Golden Handshakes that came along to encourage retirement. One post retirement activity bears mention here. My most successful writing activity after retiring was the publication of “Fly-Fishing California's North Yuba River.” The book was self-published and proceeds went to the Psychology Award established in memory of my dear friend Doug Michell. The volume’s lovely illustrative sketches were contributed by Doug’s and my cherished friend Bob Else, after whom the small gallery on campus is named.

Sacramento State was hugely important for me and my family, enabling us to experience and to enjoy a wide range of experiences in a variety of venues. We are hugely indebted to it.

Email Ed