Clyde Lawrence Life in West Texas in 1967 was just fine, but Clyde Lawrence wanted to go home to California. So, when the call from Dwight Bentel came with a job possibility at San Jose State College, he jumped into his 1964-1/2 Mustang ("blue to match my eyes") and headed west.
Although born and raised in Oakland, Lawrence had never been to San Jose and got lost twice, making him very late for his interview. Once he found the college, he took the first parking place he came upon—parking was just as bad then as it is now.
Dr. Bentel was very welcoming and told Lawrence not to worry about being late or where he had parked. They had a good visit and found they had much in common. At the end of an hour, Lawrence felt he could have the job, if he wanted it.
"I thought it was time to talk about salary," Lawrence remembers. "I said, 'What's the salary range?' and Dr. Bentel leaped from his chair—he never just stands up, he ejects—and said 'Where did you park? You can't park there. You'd better move it right away!' "
Lawrence did move his car and, eventually, did have a long talk about salary. He joined the faculty as an assistant professor in Fall, 1967, teaching advertising layout and production and advising the advertising and business operations of the Spartan Daily.
"You know, I intended to stay only a year, until I found something in public relations which is the career I had left," he says. "Well, I've added 39 more years to that. I guess I didn't know how much fun I was going to have."
Within those 39 years he was able to move the Daily from its original hot-type letterpress format to an offset newspaper produced from digitally originated copy. He is very proud of his role in arranging the financing and planning that brought the newspaper into the digital age.
"Our first newsroom computer system used a central processing unit that was larger than a refrigerator and required constant maintenance," Lawrence said. "When we brought in our Apple desktop configuration, I thought we had reached past the future. And in a way we had."
Lawrence also remembers, with some pride, his part in keeping the Daily operating during student unrest in the late 1960s and early 1970s. During the campus closure ordered by then governor, Ronald Reagan, Lawrence arranged to move the newspaper operations to temporary quarters in the student union ballroom.
"I had telephones installed, furniture and equipment moved in and kept the money coming in and going out," he remembers. "I was an untenured faculty member in those days and should have been fired for not following the closed campus procedure. I guess I wasn't very bright but I felt there were First Amendment issues."
Lawrence's best memories, however, are of the classroom where he finds the most enjoyment. He says that's why he chose to teach two classes a year after his retirement.
"I find that there is never a dull moment with my students," he says. "They are clever and bright and give me so much. It's always a pleasure for me to be in front of a classroom."
Lawrence also enjoys spending time with his three children and his five grandchildren. He lives in Rio Del Mar near Santa Cruz where he shares the family home with his daughter and two of his grandchildren.
He still drives a Mustang ("red to match my lack of hair").
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