John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project
Abstract/Contents
- Abstract
- The John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project, which began in early 2017, is sponsored by the Haas Center for Public Service, the Stanford Historical Society Oral History Program, the John W. Gardner Center for Youth & Their Communities, the Gardner Family Trust, and the Stanford University Libraries Special Collections & University Archives. With the transfer of 100+ linear feet of John W. Gardner’s papers from the Gardner home to Stanford University Libraries Special Collections in late 2016, the project sponsors launched an oral history initiative to capture recollections of Gardner and reflections on his life from people who knew him well. The project includes interviews with people who knew Gardner in various capacities, including as colleagues, students, mentees, friends, and family members.
Description
| Type of resource | text |
|---|---|
| Form | |
| Place | California |
| Publication date | 2017 - 2018 |
| Issuance | monographic |
| Language | English |
Bibliographic information
| Note | Special Collections and University Archives materials are stored offsite and must be paged 48 hours in advance. For more information on paging collections, see the department's website: http://library.stanford.edu/spc. |
|---|---|
| Biographical/Historical | John W. Gardner (1912-2002) earned his BA and MA degrees in psychology from Stanford and a PhD in psychology from University of California, Berkeley. He remained connected to his alma mater throughout his illustrious career, serving on Stanford University’s Board of Trustees from 1965 to 1982. As the president of the Carnegie Corporation of New York from 1955 to 1967, he became known as “one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes figures in education.” Gardner served as Lyndon B. Johnson’s Secretary of Health, Education, and Welfare from 1965 to 1968, playing an important role in enforcing the 1964 Civil Rights Act as well as launching Great Society programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. While at HEW, he also oversaw the passage of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965 and the creation of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. He founded two influential public advocacy groups, Common Cause (1970) and Independent Sector (1980). He was also a prolific author, with books on topics such as leadership, excellence, and self-renewal. Gardner spent the last thirteen years of his life at Stanford. He was a founding member of the national advisory board of the Public Service Center (later the Haas Center for Public Service) and the first Miriam and Peter Haas Centennial Professor in Public Service. The John Gardner Public Service Fellowship and the John W. Gardner Center for Youth and Their Communities are just two examples of Gardner’s lasting legacy at Stanford and beyond. |
| Note | The interviews are a companion collection (SC1355) to the John W. Gardner Papers, 1912-2004 (SC0908) and the John W. Gardner Papers, 1961-1992 (M0659), which are housed at Stanford University Libraries Special Collections & University Archives, as well as the John William Gardner Miscellaneous Papers (84008) at the Hoover Institution. |
| Location | https://purl.stanford.edu/vs163nq7417 |
| Location | Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives Stanford University Libraries Stanford, CA 94305 |
Access conditions
- Use and reproduction
- The materials are open for research use and may be used freely for non-commercial purposes with an attribution. For commercial permission requests, please contact the Stanford University Archives (universityarchives@stanford.edu).
- Copyright
- Copyright © The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University. All rights reserved.
Preferred citation
- Preferred citation
- John W. Gardner Legacy Oral History Project (SC1355). Dept. of Special Collections and University Archives, Stanford University Libraries, Stanford, Calif.