...and their memories

Laurel Ann Bogen
I was an adjunct person at the DT, worked more for the El Rodeo (was Poet Laurelate), but of the things I remember, the biggest stories/activities on campus took place in May of 1970 when the students were massacred at Kent State University. The whole school was up in arms and many of us (myself included) occupied the student activities center and subsequently shut down the school for what was called "days of concern". USC was very concerned that we were going to be another Berkeley or UCSB and preempted any anti-establishment activity by shutting the school. One of the real heroes of those times was a gentleman named Denny Thompson, I'm not sure what ever happened to him, also a guy named Sam/Ed Hurst (I'm not sure if it was Sam or Ed). The Center for New Corporate Priorities, a lobbying group that is still in effect, was founded then by a man named James Lowery and several others -- It was all a long time ago and I must admit, I've lost touch with all these people. The DT was in the Student Union Bldg. the El Rod was 1 floor either up or down. I used to see OJ Simpson in the elevator all the time. There were very funky typewriters that were being used and lotsa pizza, donuts & etc. Although we were no Berkeley, USC students DID exhibit a conscience where Viet Nam was concerned, we had sit-ins and demonstrations, we were active in the Moratorium of 1969 and although we were still the school with a fairly conservative student body (and a promenent Greek presence at the time), we also did out best to be right minded. LAB Add your own memory

Michael Mitchell
What a great service you and your associates are providing! I can't thank you enough. Working on the DT in the early '70s was a great experience. I was on the staff just before the Watergate scandal broke (the break-in occurred in June, 1972, literally days after I started to work at the Associated Press as a summer intern). The biggest single event during my tenure occurred in my freshman year, 1969-70, during that spring. Then-President Nixon ordered bombing of Cambodia as part of the Vietnam War, which ignited protests on college campuses across the nation. USC, while then considered a relatively conservative place, was whipped into a frenzy. Classes were canceled and the DT, in protest, printed a blank newspaper one day (no editorial copy; only the ads that had been purchased and a brief explanation from the editor). During my tenure, newspaper production was in transition from hot metal to cold type. During my freshman year we still produced the paper in hot metal at a print shop in Glendale. Soon thereafter, we switched to cold type, also using a Glendale print shop. All type was messengered to the printer, set in type, and the editors then drove to Glendale to put the paper to bed. It made for some late nights, which was part of the fun of newspapering. The Vietnam War a huge ongoing issue. USC grappled with its place in the community as a bastion of conservative privilege and its emerging social conscience. There really was a palpable tension between the Frat Row conservatives and the liberal and radical forces on campus. The DT had representation from both groups, though the liberals/radicals held the advantage. Such were the times that it was distinctly un-cool to not be, at least outwardly, a bit radical. Football, then as now, was still big, despite the overarching concern for politics and the Vietnam War. Then, unlike now, USC was a powerhouse. My senior year, USC won the national championship and went undefeated with a team that included Lynn Swann and several others who went on to the NFL. Football was a bridge between the Frat conservatives and the "independent" liberals. It was very exciting. I had the bad luck to be sports editor of the DT my junior year when USC lost the Pac-8 championship to Stanford, which won the Rose Bowl that year behind quarterback Jim Plunkett, who won the Heisman and had a terrific career with the Oakland Raiders after a tough start at New England. Without question, my years on the DT were the most important and formative of my early life. Thanks for letting me share some that it and for building this important database. Add your own memory

Donnie Shearer
I started at USC August of 69 and I think started working at the DT that year. I think my last year was 71. The most memorable people were Roger Smith, Nancy Randolph Myers, Angela Curcuru and Jim Bolinger. I, unfortunantly found out that Angela died last January. The saddest part of what I learned from the web site was that Angela was at Palomar College when I was there in the 80's studying Engineering and she wrote for the Oceanside paper which I read weekly. It would have been nice to see her again and regain our friendship, we had a wonderful time at USC and I will never forget her. She was a beautiful Italian girl and looked great in my Maserati. I was also a member of the USC Sports Car Club and helped set up many a car display on campus. My favorite part of working for the DT was shooting the football games. Action photography was my specialty and after shooting combat pictures in Vietnam, football was a snap. I remember a photographer told me one time while shooting the Rose Bowl Game, that 'Shooting from the sidelines was really dangerous,' I told him " Heck it was nothing compared to my last job" What a trip! The second best was going to Tommy's for a burger after processing and printing the pictures of the games for the paper. I still can't drive by a Tommy's without stopping and getting a burger. Add your own memory

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