It's been more than a year since I last posted on The History Garage blog. I was trying to multitask at the time and it proved to be too much. Writing about history is good for me, and this summer I have a bit more time (not too much though).
Sunday, July 10, 2011
Sunday, April 18, 2010
The History Garage - April 18, 2010
As stated in the first entry, I have hundreds of stories to tell about history. I actually started last night's post after dinner and this one is being created over breakfast. By the way, these are good stories for history teachers to use!
I'm still trying to figure out how to use historic pictures without getting me or Blogger.com into trouble, so you may or may not see pictures on the blog. I know something about the Fair Use Doctrine. There are pictures avalible that are in the public domain and I will be using those or pictures I take myself. You want to make alot of money on my snapshot? Good Luck.
Cesar Chavez and Me
One thing I have learned about people living in Southern California is they have run in to some famous actor or politician at certain times in their lives. When I was a kid I ran into comedian, singer, and TV personality Jimmy Durante. I also met the superstar of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens. What a privilege it was to meet the guy who ruined Hitler's day at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin!
In 1978 I participated in a “get out the vote” rally at Cal State Los Angeles. There were a number of speakers there that fall afternoon but the featured guest was labor and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. He spoke and advocated for people to vote for better representation; there nothing earth shattering about his speech and it was not fiery. It was calm, assured, and persistent. Later that day the local news found a 5 second sound-bite and that was the amount of publicity the rally got.
After the rally I was invited into a classroom to meet Cesar Chavez with a small group of organizers. Mr. Chavez was preceded by three large and muscular body guards. Looking at those guys I thought first how I should move only very carefully because any of those guys could break me in half. But as Cesar walked in behind these men it struck me how small he was. He was a soft-spoken man – he thanked us for helping him hat day and encouraged us to keep fighting for the rights guaranteed us by the constitution. Why would anyone want to hurt this man? All he was doing was encouraging citizens to vote and to become more involved in their communities. I suppose that is too threatening for some people in this country. Cesar Chavez followed the examples of nonviolence set by Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As the founder of the legendary United Farm Workers union (UFW) Chavez fought to gain a decent standard of living for poor agricultural workers everywhere. In 1969 he protested illegal immigration because farms were bringing in illegal aliens to break his strike. He supported immigration reforms.
Like Gandhi Chavez used fasting to further his cause. In 1968 he fasted for 25 days, in 1972 for 24 days, and in 1988 he fasted for 38 days. He fasted to remind people of the power of nonviolence, placing his body on the line to remind others of the moral strength of his position. But the toll on his body was tremendous, and in 1993 he passed away. His legacy continues. In 2003 Chavez was honored with a postage stamp and now California celebrates a Cesar Chavez day on March 31st, his birthday. He is considered by some to be the greatest civil rights leader in our nation after Martin Luther King, Jr.
I'm still trying to figure out how to use historic pictures without getting me or Blogger.com into trouble, so you may or may not see pictures on the blog. I know something about the Fair Use Doctrine. There are pictures avalible that are in the public domain and I will be using those or pictures I take myself. You want to make alot of money on my snapshot? Good Luck.
Cesar Chavez and Me
One thing I have learned about people living in Southern California is they have run in to some famous actor or politician at certain times in their lives. When I was a kid I ran into comedian, singer, and TV personality Jimmy Durante. I also met the superstar of the 1936 Berlin Olympics, Jesse Owens. What a privilege it was to meet the guy who ruined Hitler's day at the Olympic Stadium in Berlin!
In 1978 I participated in a “get out the vote” rally at Cal State Los Angeles. There were a number of speakers there that fall afternoon but the featured guest was labor and civil rights leader Cesar Chavez. He spoke and advocated for people to vote for better representation; there nothing earth shattering about his speech and it was not fiery. It was calm, assured, and persistent. Later that day the local news found a 5 second sound-bite and that was the amount of publicity the rally got.
After the rally I was invited into a classroom to meet Cesar Chavez with a small group of organizers. Mr. Chavez was preceded by three large and muscular body guards. Looking at those guys I thought first how I should move only very carefully because any of those guys could break me in half. But as Cesar walked in behind these men it struck me how small he was. He was a soft-spoken man – he thanked us for helping him hat day and encouraged us to keep fighting for the rights guaranteed us by the constitution. Why would anyone want to hurt this man? All he was doing was encouraging citizens to vote and to become more involved in their communities. I suppose that is too threatening for some people in this country. Cesar Chavez followed the examples of nonviolence set by Mohandas Gandhi and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
As the founder of the legendary United Farm Workers union (UFW) Chavez fought to gain a decent standard of living for poor agricultural workers everywhere. In 1969 he protested illegal immigration because farms were bringing in illegal aliens to break his strike. He supported immigration reforms.
Like Gandhi Chavez used fasting to further his cause. In 1968 he fasted for 25 days, in 1972 for 24 days, and in 1988 he fasted for 38 days. He fasted to remind people of the power of nonviolence, placing his body on the line to remind others of the moral strength of his position. But the toll on his body was tremendous, and in 1993 he passed away. His legacy continues. In 2003 Chavez was honored with a postage stamp and now California celebrates a Cesar Chavez day on March 31st, his birthday. He is considered by some to be the greatest civil rights leader in our nation after Martin Luther King, Jr.
Saturday, April 17, 2010
The History Garage – April 17th, 2010
Greetings from the History Garage! The History Garage is a blog about history from me, Oliver Beckwith, a history educator.
Something about myself. I am a teacher at Arcadia High School and I have been blogging for a few years now on our district website. That blog has been great for my styudents and I intentionally blocked out the public because of a concern for student privacy. But when people talk to me and I tell them the stories from my blog there is a lot of interest. At my age, 51, I have seen and experienced some history and I have shared hubdreds of stories with my students. Perhaps it's time to share some of those things with anyone who is willing to log on to or accidentally find this blog. I'm still keeping the school district blog private - those communications should stay that way.
Friday night I met with extended family members at the home of my cousin Judy in Claremont, California. Also there was my oldest sister Marguerite who flew in from Hawaii. She lives in Kailua, Hawaii, not far from where President Obama stays when he goes there. Her daughter Suzy, son-in law Garry, and their two kids (in their mid-to late twenties) were there too. Garry is a Geology professor at Modesto Community College and he was proudly showing us a copy of USA Today because he was featured in the paper as part of Earth Day week.
Earth Day
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and as mentioned above my nephew was featured in USA Today article last Friday. Garry has always been passionate about geology and rocks, so if you go anywhere with him he will explain everything about the local geology. I remember once driving through the Sierra Nevada Mountains with him, and as we drove though a cut in the road he pointed to a sliver of white quarts rock on the side of the road. He told me that it was the “mother lode” and miners in the gold rush days would follow those veins to search for gold. That was really cool; he made the rocks come alive for me.
Garry’s article is about ten great places to visit geologic wonders. Click here to read it in USA Today.
The Hippie Who Changed the World
href="http://blogg.passagen.se/akeutana/resource/nixon_mao.jpg" />
President Richard Nixon seized this opportunity and secretly sent his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger to China in the fall of 1971 and early in 1972 he became the first American President to visit China. The door of friendship between the great superpower of the West and the world’s most populated country had been opened. The resulting friendship put a crack in the Cold War and eventually the Soviet Union would fall. But China and the US are still here and, as we know, are great trading partners.
Glenn Cowan passed away in 2004 at the relatively young age of 51 (“Hey, that’s my age!”). But Zhuang Zedong is alive and well. A couple of years ago he visited USC and spoke about his experience meeting Glenn Cowan. Click here for a link to a video about that encounter.
Something about myself. I am a teacher at Arcadia High School and I have been blogging for a few years now on our district website. That blog has been great for my styudents and I intentionally blocked out the public because of a concern for student privacy. But when people talk to me and I tell them the stories from my blog there is a lot of interest. At my age, 51, I have seen and experienced some history and I have shared hubdreds of stories with my students. Perhaps it's time to share some of those things with anyone who is willing to log on to or accidentally find this blog. I'm still keeping the school district blog private - those communications should stay that way.
Friday night I met with extended family members at the home of my cousin Judy in Claremont, California. Also there was my oldest sister Marguerite who flew in from Hawaii. She lives in Kailua, Hawaii, not far from where President Obama stays when he goes there. Her daughter Suzy, son-in law Garry, and their two kids (in their mid-to late twenties) were there too. Garry is a Geology professor at Modesto Community College and he was proudly showing us a copy of USA Today because he was featured in the paper as part of Earth Day week.
Earth Day
This year marks the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, and as mentioned above my nephew was featured in USA Today article last Friday. Garry has always been passionate about geology and rocks, so if you go anywhere with him he will explain everything about the local geology. I remember once driving through the Sierra Nevada Mountains with him, and as we drove though a cut in the road he pointed to a sliver of white quarts rock on the side of the road. He told me that it was the “mother lode” and miners in the gold rush days would follow those veins to search for gold. That was really cool; he made the rocks come alive for me.
Garry’s article is about ten great places to visit geologic wonders. Click here to read it in USA Today.
The Hippie Who Changed the World
href="http://blogg.passagen.se/akeutana/resource/nixon_mao.jpg" />

President Richard Nixon seized this opportunity and secretly sent his National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger to China in the fall of 1971 and early in 1972 he became the first American President to visit China. The door of friendship between the great superpower of the West and the world’s most populated country had been opened. The resulting friendship put a crack in the Cold War and eventually the Soviet Union would fall. But China and the US are still here and, as we know, are great trading partners.
Glenn Cowan passed away in 2004 at the relatively young age of 51 (“Hey, that’s my age!”). But Zhuang Zedong is alive and well. A couple of years ago he visited USC and spoke about his experience meeting Glenn Cowan. Click here for a link to a video about that encounter.
Labels:
Earth Day,
Garry Hayes,
geology,
Glenn Cowan,
history,
Obama
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