ANNUAL REPORT
TO THE STATE BOARD OF EDUCATION
ON THE PROGRESS OF THE
CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC SCHOOL
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CALIFORNIA
JANUARY, 1946

_____ _ _ _ _ _ _--"\"!'-_ _ _ _ _

I ND EX

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Page

Foreword

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War-Time Activities

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Naval Flight Preparatory Program.
Naval Academic Refresher Unit Program •
Food Production War Training • • •
War Production Training
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Regular Instruction Under War Conditions

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Post-War Activities

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Enrollment • • • • •
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Courses of Study • • •
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Project Method • • • •
Student tabor •
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General Fann Operation • • •
Scholarships and Loan Funds
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Gifts •
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Testing and Orientation • • •
Voorhis Unit,. San Dimas Branch
Summer- Quarter •. • • •
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29

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Speoial Programs
Agricultural Teacher Training •
Service and Extension
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Drug and Oil Plant Pro j eot • •

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Outstanding Events of 1945

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Conclusion

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FOREWORD
·An annual report confined to the activities of the California Polytechnic School during the period of the la·st six months of World War TT

and the first six months of reconversion to peace-time instruction would

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hardly give a. true pi oture of the scope of this college.

For that

reason, and for the in.formation of new members of the State Board of
Edu ca ti on and others who read this report, who likewise are not entirely
familiar with the history or this state college, the current• report
covers a greater period than the calendar year, January 1, ·1945, to
December 31, 1945.

During the calendar year ·or 1945 the California Polytechnic School
was occupied with the two-fold task of continuing a naval aviation tra.ining program which had begun in January, 1943, and with the task of pro-

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viding the kinds of training needed in the fields of agriculture and
industry by a rapidly increasing number of veteran . students.

The oon-

tinu~tion of t he naval aviation training program for six months beyond
the mid-year ending of the war meant that e.gain, for the third year, a
major portion of the college's aoti vitie s revolved around a war-time
military training program.

It wasn't until February of 1946 that the

naval aviation training program was concluded with a presentation of a
eerti fi ca te of merit from the Navy department signed by Secretal"y of

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the Navy Jame s Forrestal.
Th e a c tivites of the college during the first three months of 1946,
without the presence of a navy program, ar e o. much better measure of the
college's normal scope of service to the st at e than any of the activities
in the previo·us thr ee year period.

For that reason we have ta.ken the

liberty to include in this report some material which would normally

appear in next year's report.

ANNUAL REPORT TO THE STArrE BOARD OF EDUCATION
ON TI-iE
Ff{0CH E.SS OF TH:<: CALIFORNIA POLYTECHNIC
SCHOOL

•

WAR-TIME

ACT! VI TI ES

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NAVAL FU :·HT P•.t SP/1.~ATOH P~WG'RAM
.,.,_.
In .J a~uary, 1943, California Polytechnic was chosen by the Navy
as one of 17 schools in the United States equipped ,.v1.th the necessary
f a ,. dli ties and staff to begin immediate training of naval aviation

cadets.

On Janua ry 6, 1943, the first battalion of 200 cadets arrived

and ins t rue ti on f or them began

0n

January 11.

With the arrival of the Twelfth Battalion on Nov ember 29, 1943,

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California Polytechnic was designated as a "fleet school" with all
cadets in t hat and future battalions taken from the "fleet" and
, arine Corps enli s t ed personnel.

The battalion size was increased at

that ti me to !ipproximately 280 men, bri.nging the total cadets "on

board" at one ti me to E.lbout 840.
Th e coll e ge's instructi ona 1 steff was enlarged to 46 during the
ravn 1 Flight Preparatory program.

Fifteen of the college's regular

t eaching sta ff we r e given te aching assignments in the naval aviation
training program, enabling the college to keep these instructors on

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the staff during a ti.mo when civilian enrollment had dropped to less
th~n 50 stud ents at one time.
In addition to the school's instructional staff• the Nnval Flight
Preparator"r School had a staff of u pproximately 25 commissioned officers
who handl e d tra:i.ning in physical education, military drill, ship and
aircraft recognition, and disciplinary and administrative details of

the progrum.
- 1 -

During the 42 months operation of this p r ogr am the school pr ovided
instruction , clossroom, housing and dining ha l l facilities, for which
it wu s reimbursed by the Navy .

A tota 1 of more than 3600 cadets were

graducted from the California Polytechnic Naval F'light Preparator y

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School during the period of its operation , January, 1943, to Novembe r,
1944 .

This pha se of naval e,viution training at Californiu Polytechnic

ended in Novemb cir, 1944, when the prog r am vrns discontinued throughout
the country .

NAVAL ACADEMI:: REFRESHE R UNIT P~WGRAM

Prior to the closing of the Naval Flight Preparatory Program, Cali fornia Polytechnic was selected by the navy as one of eight schools to
continue a new phase of naval aviation training, the Naval Aca d emi c

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Refreshe r Unit Program.

This new program bega n in July, 1944, and unt:i 1

Novemter of thut y0ar, both progr ams ran concurrently .
This program differed from the Naval Flight Preparatory program in
that th e trainees mD.intained their regulfar enlisted ratings while in the
program a nd were permitted by th e navy to en ter in to oll normal college
activities the same as civili an students.

Eo.ch incoming group was

broken down into battalions on th e basis of entrance examinations which
placed the trainees in eight, sixteen or twenty-four week refresher
courses.

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The average complement of trainees non board" at one time . under
this program wus about 300, although at one time the school became the
1 argo st of the eight ND va 1 Ace.demi c Ref re sher schoo 1 s when a total of
500 train ees were enrolled.
Train ee s in this program received instruction in English, physics,
mathema tics, history, and physical education .

~11 instruction was pro -

vided by the school, as was all messing and housingt for which the school

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wa.s reimbursed by the navy.

This program was continued through Febru-

ary, 1946, with a total of 1100 trainees having received training here.
At the time this program was discontinued the navy requested that
the school continue with another navy training program, but the urgent

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need by returning servicemen for housing accommodations in connection
with thei:r instruction in agriculture and industry made 1t necessary
for the college to decline the invitation to continue navy training
here .

FOOD PRODUCTION WAR TRAINING
California Polytechnic School served as the state headquarters and
offices for the Food Production Vilar Training program.

The FPWT program

was a training program financed by federal funds to give farmers and
members of farm families training in methods of food production train-

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ing of farm workers in preservation e.nd conservation of food and related
mechanical skills.

The president of California Polytechnic was state

director of this program.

WAR PRODUCTION TRAINING
National Defense Training classes at California Polytechnic started
September 3, 1940, at the- very inception of this program in the United:_
States.

Instruction was given in machine shop , welding, and aircraft

sheet metal work.

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Some classes were run 24 hours a day, seven days

per week •
In October, 1940, the fir st unit of a National Youth Administra.ti on
resident project was dedicated and almost immediately 230 young men
began training in welding, machine shop , and aircraft sheet meta 1.

In

May, 1941, courses for radio technicians were added to the War Production
training program.
In March, 1942, classes were begun in radio repair. aircraft sheet
.. 3 ..

metal, aircraft maintenanoe, aircraft engine, and aircraft electrical
work, for training civilians under Civil Service requirements for air
.depots.
In July, 1942, radio training class-es for the U.S. Signal Corps were

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begun and were continued until January, 1943,

Nearly 3,500 men and women

were trained for war production work during the period from September,
1940, until January, 1943.
By February 19, 1943, all War Production Training classes at California Polytechnic were discontinued due to lack of housing facilities
brought on with the arrival of cadets under the Naval Flight Preparatory pro gram.

REGULAR . INSTRUCTION. UNDER WAR CONDITIONS

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All regular activities of the college were maintained with no
cessation of educational eervice during the war period.

The faculty

we.s retained with little change, with most faoul ty members instructing
both civilian and naval students.

While civilian classes were small

during this period, all regular me.j ors were continued.

The flocks and

herds used for instructional purposes at the college, including some of
the finest breeding in the state in dairy and beef cattle, sheep, swine,
poultry, and light horses, were maintained.

During the war, the orange,

lemon and avocado groves at the Voorhis unit were operated commercially

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by the college.

At San Luis Obispo the deciduous fruit variety orchards,

the vineyard, the greenhouse and nursery received continuous care,
P O S T--W A R A C T I V I T I E S
ENROLLMENT

Total number of regular, full-time students enrolled during the
1945-46 school year to date (from June 11, 1945 to March 21, 1946) is
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809, a figure nearly as great as the December 30, 1940, peak enrollment
figure of 866 students.

This 1945-46 enrollment figure, although it

does not represent the full year. is the largest number of regular, fulltime students in history on the San Luis Obispo campus alone.

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Previous

enrollment figures after 1938 contained the total of regular students
also enrolled at the southern branch, a figure which varied from 120 to
150 students.

Vv'ben the Voorhis Branch is reopened f'or the Fall quarter,

1946, the total Enrollment of the college will surpass any previous en-

rollment figure by a considerable amount.
A study of the Spring quarter enrollment, at the time this report
was prepared, shows that of 655 students, 391 are in the division of
agriculture and 264 are in the industrial division.

About 80 per cent

of the total number of students e.re veterans of World War II reoeiTing. or

•

eligible to receive,educational benefits under Public Law 346 _{G. I •
Bill) or Public Law 16 (Vocational Rehabilitation).
A breakdown of enrollment figures for the four quarters of the
calendar year of 1945 and for the first two quarters of 1946 follows:
Enrollment By Quarters

1945
Winter Quarter

Spring Quarter

(as of Feb. 2, 1945)
Freshmen • • • • 50
Sophomores
8
•
J .miors • • • • 6

(as of'April 27, 1945)
Freshmen •• • • 64
Sophomores • • . 11
Juniors
• • 6
Seniors •
• • 2
Total enrollment-83
Agri cul ture-65
Industry----18

. .

. ..

1

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Total enrollment-64
Agricul ture-47
Industry•---17

83

64
Summer Quarter
(as of July 20, 1945)
Freshmen • •
• 29
Sophomores •
2
II
Juniors
• 2

..
...

Fall Quarte~
(as of Nov. l, 1945)
Freshmen • • • , 143
Sophomores • • • 35
JUJ1iors
• • 10
5
Seniors • •
•
'
Total enrol l ment-193
Agri cul ture•l34
Industry•-• - 59

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,

Total enrollrnant-33
Agri cul ture-31
Industry-- -- 2

33

.

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193

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61'8

Enrollment By Quarters
(First Two Quarters of 1946)

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Winter Quarter
(as of Jan. 25, 1946)
Freshmen • • • • .196
Sophomores • • •
61
Juniors • • ••
36
31
Seniors • • • •

Spring Quarter
{as of March 21, 1946)
Freshmen • , • • 487
74
Sophomores • • •
54
Juniors •• • •
40
Seniors •. • •

Total en~ollment--323
Agrioul ture•211
Industry----112
323

Total enrollment--655
Agricul ture-391
Industry---~
655

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DI STRI BJTION OF ENR0L-LMENT FN COUNTIES

In checking the enrollment table for full-time students which
follows, ·it wi. 11 be noted that students are attending California Polytechnic college from at least 43 of California's 58 counties, making
the services .o f this college truly statewide in scope.

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The fact that

California Polytechnic has such a wide-spread enrollment throughout
the State is in contrast to the trend noted in statistics of other
colleges whioh show the majority of students are drawn from within a
comparatively small radius of the institutions.
The consistency of the state-wide spread of enrollment at California Polytechnic can be noted in the following summary table of distribution which lists 1940, 1941 and 1946 figures for comparison.

Al-

though there has been much fluctuation as to ttle percentages of students

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coming from the various counties, no particular significance can be
attached to the losses or gains by counties over the last few years •

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COMPARATIVE

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January 4, 1940

Januari 1, 1941

Alameda
Amador

23

Butte

6
0
3
15
24

25
1
9
1
5

Calaveras
Colusa
Contra Costa

Fresno

2

17

Glenn

6

23
7

Humooldt
Imperial

7
4

12

2
6

take

3

Los Angeles

Madera
Marin
Mariposa.
Mendocino

13
2
18
13

17

Kings

Lassen

0
1

0
185
6
3
0
5

197
5
1
1
8

March 21, 1946
19
0
1
0
2
7
20
1
6
3
0
8
6
0
2
163
1

2
0
1

Merced

15

16

2

Modoc

4
6
0
1
25
1
24
9
0

4
8

0
8
7
1
12
1
11
5
1

Monterey
Napa

Nevada.
Orange
Placer
Ri versicle

Sa ora.mento
San Benito
San Bernardino
San Diego
Se.n Francisco
San Joaquin
San Luis Obispo
San Mateo

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REGISTRATION

0 F

County

Inyo
Kern

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SUMMARY

Santa &trbara.
Santo. Clara
Santa Cruz

Shasta
Sierra
Siskiyou
Solano
Sonoma
Stanislaus
Sutter
Tehama

Trinity

l
0
39
5
24
7
3
34
20

34
24
14
19
84

17

25

16
81
7
'31

15

18

9

9
0
0
7
5
9
19
4
7

2

0
0
4
2
10
24
1
2
1

1
- 7 -

13
15
19
14
134

6
19
15
10
3
l

0
0
8
7
0
2
0

January 4, 1940

County

•

Tuolumne
Tulare
Ventura
Yolo
Yuba
Other States & Foreign
Countries

Maroh 21, 1946

January 1, 1941

0

3

2

15
11
4
6

21

18

9
3

8
3

5

1

29
737

67

67

655•

866

*Only 655 of the 809 students enrolled during the period from June 11,
1945 to March 21, 1946, were included in this study. Were the balance
covered, some additional co~nties would undoubtedly be represented.
Distribution of Enrollment by Curricula
(As of March 21, 1946)
Enrollment in the agricultural and industrial divisions of the
college is divided as fol lows t

Agricultural

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Indu.strie.1

.

Freshmen • • •
269
Sophomores • • • 53
Juniors • • • • 39
Seniors • • • • 30
Total
391

Freshmen • • • • 218
Sophomores • • • 21
Juniors • •
• 15
Seniors
• • • 10
Total
264

.

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.

Within the Agricultural division the enrollment is divided among
the eight major subjects of'fered a~ fol lows:

Technical
12

Vocational
3

43

3

4

3

10

28

4

l.

33

30

1

5

36

9

2

4

1~

120

16

23

169

Poultry Production

19

4

3

26

Ornamental Horticulture

19

3

2

24

.,............

256

_....,_
48

--

De§ree

Agri cul tur-al Inspection

28

Agricultural Mechanics

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Crops Production
Dairy Production

&

Manuf.

Fruit Produotion
Meat Animal ~usbendry

Agricultural Special

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• 8 -

44

Total

35
391

Within the Industrial di vision the enrollment 1s divided among
the five major subjects offered as follows:

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Technical

Aeronautical Industries

65

4

1

70

Air Conditioning

63

14

12

99

Electrical Industries

50

5

7

62

9

2

0

11

20

1

0

21

Radio & Electronics
Mechanical Industries

Vooe.tional

Total

Degree

1

Industrial Special

26

207

20

264

COURSES OF STUDY

As is shown by the division of enrollment by curricula on the preceeding page, the m.aj ori ty of the students in both the agricultural and .

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industrial divisions are registered in the four~year degree curricula
leading to e. Bachelor of Science degree.

In addition to the four-year
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curricula, California Polyteehnio offers two-year vocationsl and threeyear teohnical curricula in both the agrioultural and industrial divisions.

The much smaller enrollment in the less-than-degree curricula is significant in as far as it shows a definite trend on the part of the stu4ent
to seek the longer training which will qualify him for the more profe~sionnl or more renumerative position~

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be due in part

tQ

However, this present trend may

the fact that the majority of the students are

eligible for four""years of training under the G~ I. Bill of Rights
and are taking advant$~e or the opportunity of getting the higher edu•
cation at the government's expense.

In aqdition to the two-year, three-

year and four-year curricula, special and refresher courses of less than

two years in length are also available and the fi~res show on ~e proceeding page that 35 agrioul tural students are taking '' special'' ooul'\ses

and one industrial student is taking a "special."
VOCATIONAL EMPHASIS

Emphasis throughout all three levels of curricula is placed on

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the vocational or ''_job-gettingtt phase of the training.

A student is

adequately counseled at the outset of his training at California Polytechnic e.s to the educational requirements necessary to qualify him for
the occupation he has chosen.

If the occupational objective of the

student is one which requires only a two-year course, he is advised of
that fact and registered in the proper curricula•

Likewise if his

objective requires a three-year or four-year course, he is so advised.
EDUCATIONAL PU.~

The California Polytechnic educational plan is unique among insti-

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tutions on a. college level in that it uses a practical system which
groups as many job-getting and technical courses in the first two years
as possible.

Under this plan the student finds that at whatever point

he leaves school. he has a maximum lmowledge of skills which will enable
him to earn a living.

This educational pattern definitely improves the

immediate earning oa.paci ty of -those students who, for various reasons
complete their .formal educe. tion after one or two years of college.

This

is of particular va.luf-3 to the veteran receiving benefits under Publ-ic
Law 346 and guaranteee· one year of college training with additional

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periods 0£ training dependent upon the length of his service and the
satisfactory completion of previous training.

Naturally, if the student

is able to complete the four•year course, his opportunities for success
in the more highly remunerative positions will be greatly increased.
In the third e.nd fourth year the student takes. in addition to
courses in his major, rnost of those subjects sometimes considered as
"background'' and "broadening."

The net result of this "upside•down"
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system is tm t the student who completes the four-year curricula leading to a Bachelor of Science degree wi 11 have covered substantially
the samecourse content as would be covered in e. similar major

i?J.

e.

typical agricultural-mechanics arts type oollege--but in an inverted

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order •
It should be noted that under the "upside-down'' plan the emphasis
during the fir st and second years of training is placed upon the courses
in the occupational field of the student•s choice.

The related physical

and biological sciences and related social science oourses, which help
one to know the "why"• represent a relatively small portion of the total
course content during the early years of the program, and become increas•
ingly important n s one nears the completion of his training period.
13eca.use of the "upside-down" educational system, shorter courses

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run closely parallel with the fir st two years of the degree ourrioula •

A student guaranteed only one year of oollege training but with a possibility of getting a maximum of four years, wi 11 find that this arrangement has several advantages.

He is assured of acquiring sufficient skills

in his first year u, enable him to earn a living with the occupational
field of his choice.

And, if he later finds that he may take a second.

third, or fourth year, he knows that he may do so with very 1i ttle shiftf ng of his oourse and with little or no loss of time.

•

DEGREES AND CERTIFICATES

Successful completion of the four-year curricul a in e.grioul ture or
industry is recognized by the granting of a Baehelor of Science degree.
The Technical certificate is awarded for the completion of the three•
year curricula and the Vocational certificate signi.fies completion
t he two-year curricula.

of

The college does not offer any c ertifioate for

a one-year period, although it r e cognizes the tangible value of suoh

- 11-

short periods of enrollment .

A certificate of recommendation supple-

menting the graduation diploma is made for achievement and proficiency
in sub-fields of the major .

This prov.ides the prospective employer

with definite information regarding the branches of the occupation or

•

kinds of work for which the graduate is best qualified •
P:OOJECT METHOD

To further carry out the objective of providing specific ins~ruction
for specific oecupations, the college operates an unique project method
of instruction which combines the educational philosophies of "learning
by doing" and "earni'ng while learning."

Students have a $90,000 revol v-

ing fund from which they may bor-row to conduct projects in fattening
livestock, raising foundation beef, sheep, swine or dairy cattle; conducting individual dairy projects or operating the project herd as a

•

group; operating the poultry unit as a project; growing ornamentals or
field and truck crops.
In the industrial departments the projects are usually group projects rather than individual projects.

In aeronautics, for example, the

department, which is the 84th government-approved repair station in the
United States and operates under strict C.A.A. regulatio~s, accepts
air craft or aircraft engines damagod beyond feasible commercial repair
to be overhauled for their owners or purchased out-right and rebuilt by

•

the students •
It is not neoes sary for a student to have a co-signer in order to
borrow from the project fund, ~nd the fund is so operated as to guarantee
age.inst individual student finanoial loss.
This practical system not only enables the student to earn money
while doing work directly related to his major occupation a~d academic
interest~ but al.so gives him the "feel" of ownership or managership, a
-t

12 .,.

proven incentive for learning.

Observing the young man as a producer

under commercial conditions furnishes an excellent indicator of' his

probable future success on the job.

•

STUDENT tAOOR
In addition to the opportunities for students to earn money through
managerial projects descri b~c\- above, the California Polytechnic School
has established a policy of using a maximum number of students to oper-

ate the entire campus and farm of' 2083 acres at San Luis Obispo and
150 acres in the Voorhis unit at San Dimas.

The average earning by

students is several tines as great as the typical college where adults
are employed full-time to do a large part of the kind of work done here
by students.

•

The school -was foroed to hire some full-time farm, janitor,.

gardener and dining hall help during the war-years when our civilian
enrollment was very small and the presence of the naval a~iation training programs ma.de the maintenance problem even greater than usual.

How-

ever, student help in these classifications is again being hired a~
rapidly as possible.

Naturally, the fact t~t from 60 to 80 per cent

of the students are receiving adequate financial a ssietance through Public
Law 16 and Public Law 346 makes for less competition among students for
the available jobs.

•

In addition to this on-campus labor, the school has

an employment of'fice where off-campus job opportunities are handled under
the direction of' an instruotor. assigned part-time to that duty.
A reoa.pitulation of a typical month of on-campus student work under
State, Project Fund, and Cafeteria-Dormitory f~d follows,

- 13 -

December, 1945

(from payrolls)

Number of Employees

Payroll

Totals

Administration--San Luis Obispo

2

19.06

19.06

Instruction•-San Luis Obispo
Agrioul ture
Industry

5
2

Cle. ssitication

-

Ste. te

•

Rela tad

Library
Printing & Mimeographing

11
2

15.00
188.10

Maintenance & Operation--San tuis Obispo
Buildings
4
Grounds
2
Automobiles
2
Heat-Light & Power repairs
2

•

Farm--San Luis Obispo
General
Meat Animals
Dairy
Poultry
Orchard
Agricultural Mechanics

41.50
6.00
33.60

39.00

2

157.50
257. 30
45.94

3

115.46

16

232. 78

3

24.00

6
6

Total

73.25
28.80
71.05

68

120.10

832.98
1,160.24

Project Fund--San Luis Obispo
2
1
1

Beef

Hogs

Sheep
Dairy
Poultry

16
11

Crops
Feed

3
6

Horses

2

Total

•

~

10.00
30.00
12.00
531. 78
131.65

7.65
51.00
110.50

944.58

Cafe-Dormitory-San Luis Obispo
Oafe
Dotme

Grand ~otal Students' Payroll
Average month. Dee. 1945

26

300.20

10

123.51

-146

423. 71

$2,528.53

Note: Because the Voorhis Unit was not open during the war, there was no
student labor to report for the branch school.

It also should be noted

that under the heading 1 Project Fund, expenditures for student labor in
• 14 ..

the dairy, poultry, meat animals and other departments do not include
additional labor income from self-owned projects.

GENERAL FARM OPERATION

•

The California Polytechnic f'arm reaped the greatest harvest in 1945
the.t has ever been produced in the history of the school,

More than

690 tons of oats and vetch hay were produced on dry farming land, and
124 tons of alfalfa hay were produced on irrigated lands.

In addition

to this, 364 tons of corn and sorghum for ensilage were produced and
fed to dairy and beef cattle and other livestock.
This crop was harvested in spite of' the most acute labor shortage
the farm has had since the beginning of the war.
The tractors and farm machinery used in farming operations are

•

all very old,

With the exception of one tractor and a hay loader pur-

oh.a sed in 1939, the rest of' the equipment is between 10 and 18 years of
age, and presents a considerable maintenance pro bl em when subjected to
a heavy season of work with inexperienced operators such as was the
oase this year.
The 1946 season holds brighter prospects.

Many of the older students

have returned from the services and from these the selection of trained,
experienced, and competent operators and farm hands should ease the
labor situation considerably.

•

Some new equipment is available and the

~chool already has purchased a new side-delivery rake, a small combine
harvester, a tr a otor .. dre.wn manure spreader, and an automatic hay baler.
This ooler requires only one man to operate instead of the usual crew
of seven required for the old machine,

Besides this it will bale twioe

as many tons per day and since it picks up the h~y direetly out of the
windrow, it d-oes away with the two operations of blnehing and shocking
the hay.

• 15 ...

As new machines are available, the school hopes to be able to
replace much of its old and obsolete equipment.

Since fue greatest

part of our farm work is done by students e. s part of their pra.otical
training in various ola.sses, it is important that the school have modern

•

and up to date equipment for them to work with •
D\lring 1945 the school replaced a large part of its exisiting
irrigation lines which had become rotten and leaky.

Several spur lines

were added to make the distribution of water on our irrigated lands
more efficient.
SCHOLARSHIPS AND LOAN FUNDS

During the past year a. number of e.ddi tions and changes have been

made in the scholarships of~ered to students of California Polyteohnia.
W. P. Rucklos established a new $100 annual scholarship award to
•

a worthy aeronautical student who has completed the freshman year here.

The Rucklos Calcium Carbonate company established a new $100 annual
scholarship award to a worthy animal or dairy husbandry student who has
completed the freshman year here•
The Sears. Roebuck and Company is continuing to offer up to $2000
in freshman scholarships to worthy agricultural students wishing to
attend California Polyteohnio,
The South San Francisoo and Stockton Union Stockyards company has
increased its award from one $100 annual scholarship to two $100 annual
•

tcholarship~ to be awarded to Future Farmer on the basis of excelleijce
of performance in beef, sheep or hog project work.
The E, C. Loomis and Son Scholarship has been increased from one
$50 annual award to one $100 annual award to an outstanding graduate
of the high school vocational agric~lture department at San Luis Obispo.

Arroyo Grande, Senta Maria, or Cambria,
.,. 16 •

Philip R. Park, Incorporated• has increased their one annual tlOO
scholarship to two UOO annual awards to worthy boys who have completed
two years of outstanding work at California Polytechnic in animal hus•

bandry, dairy or poultry production

•

Other scholarships being o ontinued area

the Safeway Stores, Inc.-.

$100 annual scholarshipJ the Poultrymen's Cooperative Association of

Southern California, $100 annual scholarships the Washburn and Condon,
$100 annual scholarshipJ the Challenge Creamery $100 annual soholarshipJ
the Car.i · Raymond Gray four $100 scholarships . and the Sears, Roebuck and

company $200 sophomore scholarship•
LOAN FUNDS
The principal source of loans is the Leopold Edward Wrasse Loan
Fund.

•

This loan fund was established by a gift of '$25,000 in bonds

from an elderly Fresno County farmer in 1938 for the benefit of deserving boys desirous of an education and needing financial assiste,noe 1
bonds were sold by the school for $28,000.

The

When Mr. Wrasse died Feb•

ruary 1, 1945 1 at the age of 96 1 his will contained a provision that the
net income from approximately $400,000 of his estate would go to the
college to augment this loan fund af'ter certain other provisions of the
will we~e fulfil led.

Interesting aspect of this will was the faot that

Mr. Wrasse, youngest of 17 named relatives who were last known to have
been living in Germany, requested that any of these 17 relatives who
•

were found to be living were to reoeive the interest from the estate
until their death.
amount.

At that time the college ie to receive the entire

At present there is approximately $4,500 available ror loans

during the school year 1946-47Two other loan funds were established in the past year.

The

Veterans toan fund, a short time loan fund, was established by the
- 17 -

•

California Polytechnic Women's club for assistance of needy veteranstudents.
The California Polytechnic Memorial loan fund was established from
the contributions or numerous persons.

•

It is designed to aid needy

students where immediate financial assistance is needed •
Other loan funds available are: the Rotary Club fund, the California Polytechnic Women's Club Fund, The Student Accommodation Loan
Fund and the Wilder Memorial Loan Fund.
GIFTS

Among the gifts received by the college during the past year were
the following:
l. Seven Berkshire sows and one b:> a.r donated by the fol lowing men:

•

A. H. Simmons, Chino; Glen Livingston, Chino; Frost Brothers, Poway;
T. E. Leavey., Los Angeles; Harold Shumate, Santa Monica; Bob Burns,

of radio and movie fame, Canoga Park; Virgil Graves, Farmington;
and Alex Wilson, Pomona.
litters of pigs.

These sows have so far produced twelve

The addition of Berkshires adds materially to

the offerings in swine at California Polytechnic.

2. Thoroughbred mare, •Lampyirs, donated by Walter T. Wells, of Los
Angeles.

This mare is by Young Lover out of Fireorest by Phalaris.

She was imported by Marshall Field of Chicago and putchased by

•

Mr. Wells at Kentucky.

Donors of other thoroughbred horses given

since the Thoroughbred Breeding proj eot began are listed on page 28,

3. Poland China gilt donated by three students, Jack Nolan, Ad Santel

and Mel Eberhard, who won this gilt at a Swine Field day held at
the Wil 1 iam Crinklaw ranch in Ki.ng City.
4. A registered Jersey cow done.tad by J. H. Sawyer,. ,Galt, California • .
- 18 -

This is an excellent cow and belongs to an outstanding family
established by Mr. Sawyer at California Polytechnic.

5. A registered Jersey hei£ar donuted by J. H. Sawyer, Galt.

This is

a beautiful heifer and is a daughter of the above named cow.

•

6. Donation of $500 to the California Polytechnic Memorial Lonn fund by

Mr. J. H. Sawyer, Galt, California.
7, Don.a ti on of $50 to the California Polyteohnio Memorial Loon fund by
Mr. L. H. Kirkpatrick, P.

o.

Box 26, Los Olivos, California.

8. McKnight De-Biller donated by the McKnight Poultry Products company,
15316 Cohasset St., Van Nuys, California.

Used for student and demon-

stration wo ~k in poultry department.
9, Lyon De-Beaker donated by the Lyon Electric company, San Diego, Cali•
fornia.

•

Used for student and demonstration work in poultry department.

10. Assortment of technical books donated by Mrs. Milton Righetti, 940
Santa Rosa Street, San Luis Obispo.
TESTING AND ORIENTATION

The type of student personnel of California Polytechnic has changed

as has that of all eolleges during the past year.

About 80 per oent

of the student body is made up of veterans who, on the average, are more

mature than the former students, and whose eduoational backgrounds are
more di versified.

•

At the same time the college is al so enrolling young

students just out of high school, who are away from home for the first
time and whose le. ck of Jnaturi ty as compared with the veteran, influencee
both their attitudes and achievement.

In addition students are enrol 1 ing

at a rapid rate and at the beginning of each new quarter rather than ai
the Fall quarter only,
The administration has recognized its responsibility for meeting
these new conditions and on July. 1., 1945, established a testing and
.. 19 ..

orientation program under one of the instructors who is acting as
director of counseling and guidance.

At the beginning of each quarter all students are given a battery
of tests to determine as rapidly and objectively as possible the type
and level of' training needed by each individual.
•

•

Students are regis-

tered in their oourses on the basis of this in format ion.
Previous experience is evaluated by the registrar's and recorder's

offices so tm. t students need not duplicate courses whose content has
alroady been mastered,

A theme on the student's educational 'oo.ck-

ground is also written and filed in his folder as a source of' possible

significant information to be used in later interviews.
Entering students are enrolled in an Orientation course. taught
by the men's counselor, and are given further tests to help each man

•

determine what his abilities are in various fields.

An adjustment

test is used as a basis for discussing each individuals health, social
and emotional adjustment level.

During these individual oonferences

many of the students have demonstrated a frankness and eagerness to
discuss a wide variety of personal problems.

The Orientation course and guidance functions do not replace any
of the guide.nee funotions of teachers or department heads, put are
supplementary to those funoti ens, ser'1'ing as a clearing house for information as to where to get help on various types of problems •

•

Test results have caused the college to develop new courses in

English, mathematics and science to s.ipplement the students' provious
training or la ck of a subject-matter pat tern.

Teachers have modi .fied

instructional methods to appeal to th/3 more mature student.
To assist the returning serviceman who wishes to speed up his
education the college is accepting new students for entrance at the
beginning of each quarter rather than just at the beginning of the Fall
- 20 ..

quarter.

Students may also register late during a quarter if they

reoeive permission from the counselor,

Special tutoring sections

are held to aid late-coming veteran students to oatch up on their ~rk.
Drop-outs have been held to a minimum as evidenced by the record

•

in the Recorder's office where only one stud~nt in twenty-five listed
as reason for withdrawal that he couldn't adjust to the course work,
V0O RHI S UNIT, SAN DI MAS BRAN CH

Al though the Voorhis Branoh of the California Polytechnic college.
at San Dimas, was not open to students during the last three yea.rs,
plans are now being completed to re-open this oi tri culture and horti-

culture branoh of the college for the Fall quarter, 1946.
In 1938 this completely equipped school and farm -of 150 acres
near San Dimas, admirably situated and adaptable for technical in~
•

struotion in citriculture, deciduous fruit production, agricultural.
inspection, and landscape gardening, was deeded to the California Poly-

technic School by its 0"}mers, Charles B. Voorhis of Pasadena, and his
son, Congressman Jerry Voorhis.

The school had been built by them at

a cost of more than one million dollars for the purpose of providing
a home and training for under-privileged boys.

This magnificent gift

to practical education was immediately put to use as an integral part
of the main institution, being operated as a plant irtdustri es depart-

•

ment of the college.

puring the war, the orange, lemon, and avocado groves at the Voorhie

unit as well as the deciduous orchard, have been operated commercially
by the college so tmt they have been maintained and are ready to be

used for instructional purposes again,
The Voorhi

Branch he.s dormitory facilities for a bout 180 students

and is equipped with u dining hall. recreational hall:, non-denominational
- 21 ..

chapel, infirmary, library, and . numerous olassroom and laboratory
facilities.
StJMME R QUARTER

The California Polyteohnio established a plan, effeoti ve June,
•

1945 1 whioh enables a student to complete a normal four-year course
in le s s time by attending regular quarters
the summer.

of

instruction offered in

The Summer quarter has been added to t~e regular calendar

and puts the college on a four-quarter basis.
SPECIAL

PROGRAMS

AGRICULTU;{At TEACHER TRAINING

Since 19:31, California Polytechnic has been a functional unit
in the training of prospective vocational agricult~ral teacher~, Bnd

•

of teachers in-se rvice •

A selected group ~f from 25 to 30 men are ohosen each year from
among the agricultural o olle ge graduates of California and other ,western states.

They enter a yeai, of training, part of which consists _. of

supervised practice teaching in selected high schools kno~ as "cTt.i-1c
centers,'' and pa.rt of which consists of attending special classe.s at
California Polytechnic, in teaching methods and in actual agricultural

practi~e s.

The "cadets" or trainees thus spend five months in adding

to their agricultural techniques at this institution.

•

Their work here

is supervised by an assistant Sta ta teacher tra.in&r of the Bureau of
Agricultural Education while C~l ifornia Polytechnic faculty members

teach courses t n sl(ills.

Credentials for this training are given by

the University of California working Qooperatively with California Poly-

technic, and the Bureau or Agricultural Education.
The college is also the trainin g center for the aid of in .. se:rvice
teachers

During the summer months , various cO'Urses are given in agri ..
- 22 ,..

cultural management and farming skills, and in professional improve•
ment.

In addition, the annual conference of teachers is held on the

- campus.

Full credit is given toward credentials and for local pro•

fessional standing, through Polytechnic School-Bureau of Agricultural

•

Education summer work.

Because of the navy programs, these summer

sohool sessions were not held during the war, but the agrioulture.l
teachers conference was held in 1945,
SERVI CE AND EXTENSI ONT

An integral part of the California Polytechnic educational program is the service program for the vocational agriculture system
throughout the state,

When in 1933 this school was made the responsi~

bility of the same agency which is in charge of this high school agri-

•

cultural work., namely the Bureau of Agricultural Education, it was
offioia.lly designated as the servio e institution to aid the high school
vooational agriculture program., in addition to its resident offerings.
In this function, fue school serves as the headquarters for the
bureau.

The president of the school served in the dual capaoity of the

chief of the bureau from 1933 until October, 1945., at which time he
became State Director of Vocational Education and retained the presidency of the college.

The new chief of the bureau main.t a.ins his head-

quarters here as do al so a number of fue other staff members of the

•

bure au.

From this point they direet1y supervise vocational agri-

oul ture throughout the state, end provide project materials for. boys

and teaching materials for the 300 instructors in 200 schools.

DRUG AND OIL PLANT PROJECT
In March, 1946, the Governor signed a bill appropriating $110,000.00
to continue the research and demons·t ration work in med i cinal drugs and
bils which wae begun in Apri 1. 1942, under an emergency grant from the
- 23 -

Governor's EmergeMy Fund and later supplemented by a special appropriation of $35,000 by the legislature.
This program, which is under the direction of the school,. has
offices in Los, Angeles with a projeot director and assistant~

•

These

two individuals are spending ful 1 time working with farmers and other
interested groups in encouraging the domestic production in many new
crops in California.

It is bel-ieved that this state is a potential

production area for numerous plants whose products are used extensively
in this country, yet in the pa st . have been imported, because of lack
of development in this country.
The Drug and Oil Plant Project has undertaken the .promotion and
supervision or· domestic pr_oduction in California .or. the following crops-,
sage, marjoram, summer savory, sweet basil,. oolchicum, _caraway, corri'-

•

ar:der, thyme, belladonna, datura stramonium, digitalis or fox glove,
blue poppy, aloe, and many other similar crops primarily of medical or
condiment nature.

In addition, eneouragement has been given to harvest ...

ing of native or cultivated plants in California.

This list includes

essential oils from eucalyptus, pepper, oamphor• laurel and geranium;
in a.ddi tion, farmers have been en~ouraged in assisting in the harvest
of cascara, sage. and digitalis.
0 UT S TA ND I NG

•

1.

E .VENT S

OF

1 9 4 5

Great Western Livestock Show--When Bill Marxml ller, . sophomore meat

animal husbandry student, exhibited the Grand Champion steer at the
Great Western Livestock show in Los Angeles in December~ 1944, no one
realized that at _the following Great Western held December, 1945, an-,.
o ther Cal Poly studen~•owned steer w:ould take the Grand Championship.
This last Grand Champion was owned by students Ade Harders and Jim O'Neil.
The 1944 Grand Champion Shorthorn sold for the Paoifio Coast record price

of $4.25 per pound, e.nd the 1945 Hereford sold for $2.60 per pound.
In both the 1944 and 1945 shows Oal Poly animal husbandry students took
so many championships, first, second and third places for their beef,
sheep and hogs that it would take several pages to list the winners.

•

2. California State Veterinary Medical Conferenoe--More than 150 California veterinarians attended the third annual wartime conference of the
association held on the Cal Poly campus, January 9-11, 1945.

On Janu-

ary 15-17, 1946, the California veterinarians had a repeat performance,
meeting for the fourth sucoessi ve year on the campus.
3. World's Record Holstein-Friesian Sire--In February, 1945, the dairy
'

department was notified by the Holstein-Friesian association of America
that Sir Bess Gattie of Taylaker, 2nd, senior Holstein sire of the dairy
herd, had been given the highest index rating on reoord.

•

His seven

tested daughters averaged 773 pounds of butterfat and 21,240 pounds of
milk for a year on a three-times-a-day mature basis.

One of his yearling ..

in-bred sons sold for $1050 last October at public auction.

The Poly-

technic herd of registered Guernsey, Holstein and Jerseys now averages
425 pounds butterfat per cow; the average California dairy cow produces
about 265 pounds •
4. Veterans Advisers Conference-•For two weeks starting in February 12,
1945, California Polytechnic was the focal point of attention of persons
throughout the state interested in the formulation of a state-wide

•

coordinated plan for veterans' guidance.

Outstanding educational leaders

from all parts of the state and representatives of more than 50 agertcie s
active in guidance of veterans took part in the oonferenoe .

The confer ...

ence was conducted jointly by the di vision of readjustment education,
the bureau of occupation information and guidance, and the California
Polytechni o oolle ge.
5. Cal Poll Named in Will-"California Polytechnic will receive eventually
• 25 - •

all the net income from approximately $400,000 of a $450,O00 ·e state left

by Leopold Edward Wrasse, 96, who died in Fresno, February 1, 1945.
About $40,000 was bequeathed to four friends and the remainder is to
be held in trust for the Prussian born rancher's 17 relatives, le.st

•

known to be living in Germany.
est of these relatives.

Mr. Wrasse was thought to be the young-

If these relatives can be found alive, they

will share equally the income from the estate.

At the death of the

last of the 17 named heirs, the money is to oome to Poly perpetually
under the terms of an exisi ting trust agreement made by Wrasse in 1938 ..
The 1938 agreement established a $25,000 truat loan fund for deserving
students.
6. Agri cul turd Teachers Conferenoe- .. California Agricultural teachers
concluded a two-~eek summer session at Calif.~.rni·a Polytechnic on June 29,

•

1945 •
7. Veterans Administration 01;ens Office on Campus•~On. June 18, 1945 the
Veterans Administration opened the contact offioe for the county in an
office on the oampus.

Oont~ct . representative is B. J. Hill, former Cal

Poly student who s~r.ved in the army.

a.

Future Farmer Convention--The 17th state Future Farmers of America

convention for California .we. s held on the campus on October 26-27 .- . 1945 •
Anout 200 persons were in attendance., includi.ng 153 delegate_s repr~- .

senting the same number of chapters and i~struotors of vocational .agri.-

•

cul ture •
9. Campus Airstrip-•Army Engineers of the Timberwolf Di visi.qn sav.e d the .
state of California about $40,000 in return for a littl.e
the ea1irornia Polytechnic colh,ge.

0echooling1' · at ·

The "schooling" was_given by instruc•·.,

tors of the college ·in subjects such as engineering,. surveying, contour
mapping,. soil compaction, etc.

In return the 329th ~ginaer Ba·t t!llion

of the 104th Infantry Divi~ion used the college's airstrip site as
- 26 -

~

filly, casquillo out of Georgia M byCunoho.

There are at present

three yearlings to be sold at the next sale and there are five 1946
foals.

These Thoroughbred horses are bred and raised on the campus at

the breeding unit operated cooperatively with the California Breeders
Association for the purpose of providing training in handling or light
•

•

hors e s to animal husbandry students.

A total of 16 yearlings have

been sold since the proJect began in November, 1940, and a number of
them have run on Californi a tracks.

Ten thoroughbre~ mares he:tre been

given to the sohool by prominent breeders and at present there are
soven mares in the project..

•Zuncho, a Thoroughbred sire imported from

South Am.erioa, was loaned to the school by Walter T. Wells.

The follow-

ing members of the California Breeders' Association donated ~res . to
the Thoroughbred project: the la. te Charles E. Perkins, Alisal Ranch,

•

Solvang; the le.te H, P. Russell, Carmel; Charles E. Cooper, Ranoho San
Luis Rey, Bonsall; Bing Crosby, Crosby Ranch, Rancho Santa Fe; Walter H.
Hoffman, Jr., Rancho Casitas, Ventura; Walter T. Wells, El Rancho Oro
Primero~ San Fernando; nnd A. W. De Veeu.

A... T. Jurgens of Long Bee.ah,

looned the college a.n outstanding stallion to stand at the breeding unit.
Services of other stall ions have been donated through the oo urte sy of
the following breeders s

Carleton B..trke 9 James Rolph III, Mrs. Vtl.nderbil t

Phelps, F. A. Carrea.ud, Charles E-. Perkins; Charles Howe.rd, D,

s.

Jepps on,

Walter H. Hoffman, Jr . ; Otarles E. Cooper, and the Oak Me£id Farm.

•

13. Married Veteruns Vil l aGe~-In No~embe r, 1945, the college began negotia•
1

ti ons wi. th the Na ti onal Housing Agency whi oh has now brought onto the
campus a "veterans village'' of 125 living units for married veterans and
their families,

The college contracted with Close and Lewis, general

cbntractors, to move and install the 75 movable houses and 50

for the price of $43,195,

Of

trailers

the 15 movable houses, 38 are three-room

units with two bedrooms, kitchenette, bath, and living room grouping;
- 28 ..

37 are two-room units with bedroom, living room combined with kitchenette,
and bath.

The trailers are designed along conventional lines.

14, Colleg~ of Fairs-~First "College of Fairs" in history was hel~ on
the campus, February 11-14 f'or the purpose of assuring a supply of

•

highly trained persons to manage such expositions.

Sponsors were the

Western Fairs As sooiation, the University of California at De.vis. Divi-

sion of Fairs and Expositions, and California Polytechnic.

More than

200 professional fair and exposition managers attended.
15. W~r Assets Corporation--The War Assets Corporation of the Recon-

struction Finance Corporation used the California Polytechnic school as
headquarters for the surplus property division inspector working this

area.
CONCLUSION

•

California Polytechnic is entering perhaps its greatest period in
history with the immediate prospects of e. continued increase in enroll-

ment to reach a possible doubling of the present enrollment by the Fall
quarter. 1946.

The post-war expansion plans which were carefully formu-

lated during the war-years will be gradually put into operation with
expansion into new majors such as Business Education, Hotel and Restaur-

ant Management, Building Trades, etc.
The ca.pi tal improvement needs of the coll age are practically the
same as those listed extensively· in the 1943 annual report to the State
•

Board of Education.

Money has been set aside for the following projects i

- 29 -

*l • Library and Classroom Building • •

,.

.•

• • • .$400,000

*2. Water Tanlc and Distribution System • • • • • • •
3. Central Feed Storage Unit

•

4. Utility Building a.nd
Distribution System

• • • • • • • • • • •

66,S67

.•

•

• •

• •

100,000

• • • • • • • • • •

26,667

• • • • • • • • •

5. Poul try Instruction Plant

• • •

6. Replace Corral Fences

•

• •

14,000

..•

~

• 224,933

7. Athletic Field and Addition
to Gymnasitnn
• • • • • • • • • • • • • 133,000

~.

Aeronautics and Industrial Shop

9. Agrl cultural Mechanics Building

10. Corpora. tion Yard and Garage

11. Science Unit No. 1

•

• • • •

.•

•

. 352,000

• • • • • • • • 202,000

. . • . • . . . 124,000
. . . . . . . • • • 15-3, 000
• •

Provided from Horse Racing Funds
already appropriated

$1,796,267

*Previously approved by State Board of Control.

Pla..lls for the $400,000 library building have been oompleted by the

Division of Architecture and construction will begin when the material
o.nd labor situation makes it possible.
It is the continued hope and desire of the administration and

faoulty of Cnlifornia Polytechnic school that this state college can
serve the p~ople of the state in the manner which wil 1 bring the

•

greatest good to the people of the State •

- 30 •