Colegio César Chávez Collection, 1965-1982

Predominant Dates: 1976-1982

The Colegio César Chávez was established in 1973 as a four year Chicano serving institution in Mount Angel, Oregon. The Colegio César Chávez Collection consists of correspondence, publications, and photographs from the Arthur and Karen Olivo and Andrew Parodi Family and depicts their time living on the college campus grounds.

The majority of the items from this collection have been digitized and are available upon request.

Additionally, there is a July 2012 oral history interview with Andrew Parodi and Karen Olivo regarding their experiences living at the Colegio.

Creators

ID: MSS Colegio

Extent: 0.25 cubic feet

More Extent Information

Scope and Content Notes

Biographical / Historical Notes

Colegio César Chávez, located in Mt. Angel, Oregon formed from the existing Mount Angel College in 1973. Mt. Angel College was established by the Catholic Order of Benedictine Sisters in 1888. The school was originally chartered as a women's academy. In 1897 it was re-chartered as normal school. In 1947 Mt. Angel Normal School became Mt. Angel Women's College and in 1957 Mt. Angel Women's College became coeducational due to mounting financial problems. As such, the college was subsequently renamed Mt. Angel College.

In 1973, Mt. Angel College lost its accreditation from Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges because of its lack of financial stability. Two faculty members, Sonny Montes, Director of Ethnic Affairs, and Ernesto Lopez, Dean of Admissions, proposed that the institution redirect the focus of the college to be a Chicano serving institution.

On December 12, 1973 Mt. Angel College officially became Colegio César Chávez. College founders and students considered a number of names but chose the farm labor activist César Chávez as their namesake.

As the first and only independent Chicano-oriented and managed four-year college to emerge in the nation, Colegio César Chávez occupies an unparalleled place in Chicano history. According to the Chicano scholar Carlos Maldonado, "Colegio César Chávez was a product of converging social and educational forces of the Chicano movement and innovation in higher education". The mission of the Colegio was to provide educational opportunities for people who were denied access to higher education, to create a "college without walls" that emphasized collaboration between students, staff, administrators, their families, and the greater community. The Colegio also sought to provide an educational setting that was completely bilingual and bicultural. Students were required to take 15 credits in each of the four core areas: social science; the humanities; natural sciences/mathematics; and oral/written bilingual communications. In addition, life experience was also recognized as learning and students received credits for this as well.

Colegio César Chávez also served as a source of Chicano culture and activism in Oregon; this was accomplished through performances, lectures and guest speakers at the college. Among the significant Chicano leaders that visited and supported the Colegio were César Chávez, Rodolfo "Corky" Gonzales, José Ángel Gutiérrez, and Chicano poets Alurista and Abelardo "Lalo" Delgado.

Constantly plagued by financial difficulties, administrative instability, and lack of support from the external community, Colegio César Chávez lost its accreditation in 1981. The last classes were held in 1982 and the Colegio officially closed their doors in June 1983. The campus was abandoned and their main creditor, HUD, foreclosed on the property. HUD was set to auction off the campus when an anonymous donor interceded. The ownership of the land and the buildings occupied by the college reverted back to the Benedictine Sisters of Mt. Angel in 1985.

For more information about the history of the Colegio, read the book Colegio Cesar Chavez, 1973-1983 : a Chicano struggle for educational self-determination by Carlos S. Maldonado published in 2000, as well as the 2011 book Sonny Montes and Mexican American Activism in Oregon, by Glenn Anthony May, was published by the Oregon State University Press.

Author: Erika Castaño, Elizabeth Nielsen, and Natalia Fernández

Statement on Access: Collection is open for research.

Arrangement

Preferred Citation: Colegio César Chávez Collection (MSS Colegio), Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Acquisition Note: The initial date the collection was acquired was 2006; the bulk of the collection was received in 2006 and then in 2009 from Andrew Parodi. In December 2016, additional materials, including posters and a 1979 calendar, were donated and incorporated as part of the collection; the donor was Herbert L Everett. The negatives from the 1972 La Raza event were donated by the photographer Milt Johnson in 2021. A variety of materials were donated in 2023 by Nancy Bray who was active in the 1970s with Eugene Friends of the Farmworkers.

Acquired: 2006.

Languages of Materials

English
Spanish;Castilian

Other

Container List

Series 1: Colegio César Chávez Materials, 1965-1982 Add to Shelf

This series contains materials related to the Colegio César Chávez as well as materials related to the life and career of Arthur Olivo and his connection to the Colegio as a student and the campus groundskeeper. Arthur and Karen Olivo, along with Karen's young son Andrew Parodi, lived on the grounds of the college campus.

Almost all materials in this series, except for the 1965 Yearbook, have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 1.1: Colegio César Chávez Activism, 1975-1980 Add to Shelf: Included are 1975 materials - a newspaper clipping, demonstration flyers and requests for support, and a fact sheet - documenting the "Support Colegio César Chávez" efforts. Also included is a bilingual mailer / recruitment flyer / donation form for the Colegio César Chávez; it documents the 1980-1981 academic calendar and information about the program for the year. Also included is a full copy of the September 11, 1980, Silverton-Appeal Tribune--Mt. Angel News; the issue showcases Oktoberfest and features a full page ad for the Colegio on page 20, the last page of the paper.
Box-Folder 3.1: Colegio César Chávez Activism, 1975-1977 Add to Shelf: Demonstration flyers and newspapers, including a clipping from The Oregonian and an issue of Hillsboro's The Rural Tribune, as well as an issue of a publication by Woodburn's Chicano Centro Cultural, documenting the "Support Colegio César Chávez" efforts.
Box-Folder 1.2: Colegio César Chávez Catalog, 1978-1979 Add to Shelf: The Colegio César Chávez Catalog,1978-1979 has been digitized and is available online; the front cover is also available online.
Box-Folder 1.3: Colegio César Chávez Dollar and Diploma Template, 1976 Add to Shelf
Box-Folder 3.2: Colegio César Chávez Posters and Calendar, 1977-1979 Add to Shelf: Three large posters, one by the artist Desiga, and two, a recruitment poster and a "you can be a leader" poster, by the artist Carlos Manriquez, dated 1977-1979. Manriquez is also the artist of a 1979 Colegio calendar. The calendar, consisting of four sheets plus a cover sheet, includes a timeline of significant events in Chicano history along with full color imagery depicting “jalapeño power.”
Box-Folder 1.4: Correspondence - Colegio César Chávez and Arthur Olivo, 1980-1982 Add to Shelf: Correspondence between the Colegio César Chávez and Arthur Olivo documents Olivo's admission to the Colegio, a description of the 1980 Support Group Class, an agreement and position description for Olivo to hold a position as a custodian and groundskeeper for the Colegio, Olivo's permanent record for fall term 1980, a letter dismissing Olivo from his position, and a letter in response to that dismissal.
Box-Folder 1.5: Olivo, Arthur - Biographical Materials, 1980-1982 Add to Shelf: The biographical materials include a handwritten 1980 autobiography by Arthur Olivo, an evaluation for the Fall Term 1980 Colegio course Introductory Seminar, a 1980 letter and accompanying executive order from Governor Victor Atiyeh regarding Olivo's appointment to the Oregon Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, Volume 1 No.4 Training Report, a publication by the Oregon Human Development Corporation Center for Employment Training, and Arthur Olivo's resume as of his position gained in 1982.
Box-Folder 2.1: Olivo, Arthur - Biographical Materials, 1980 Add to Shelf: A certificate to Arthur Olivo from Governor Victor Atiyeh regarding Olivo's appointment to the Oregon Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, 1980-1982.
Box-Folder 1.6: Yearbook - tiefen, Mt. Angel College Volume III, 1965 Add to Shelf

Series 2: Photographic Materials, 1972-1982 Add to Shelf

This series contains photos of the events and grounds of the Colegio César Chávez as well as photos of the Olivo family while living there.

All materials in this series have been digitized and are available upon request.

Box-Folder 1.7: Alurista at Huelga Hall, circa 1981 Add to Shelf: The poet Alurista's book reading and book signing at Huelga Hall. In addition to the images is a note from the collection donor, Andrew Parodi, describing the event.; Extent: 4 photographs
Box-Folder 1.8: César Chávez at Huelga Hall, 1977 Add to Shelf: César Chávez spoke at Huelga Hall on the Colegio grounds regarding local housing and urban development issues.; Extent: 1 photograph
Box-Folder 1.9: Colegio Artwork - Murals in Huelga Hall, 1982 Add to Shelf: Images of Andrew Parodi's June 1982 First Communion reception held at Huelga Hall; of note is the Colegio artwork on the interior walls of the building. In addition to the images is a note from the collection donor, Andrew Parodi, describing the event; Extent: 8 photographs
Box-Folder 1.10: Colegio Artwork - Posters, 1982 Add to Shelf: Posters from the Colegio César Chávez used to decorate a Colegio student's apartment in downtown Mt. Angel (not on Colegio grounds). In addition to the images is a note from the collection donor, Andrew Parodi, describing the photographs.; Extent: 2 photographs
Box-Folder 1.11: Colegio Grounds, Undated Add to Shelf: Exterior images of buildings and the surrounding foliage; also included is an image of a Mt. Angel College seal on the ground.; Extent: 24 negatives; 6 negative film strips
Box-Folder 1.12: Colegio Life - Arthur and Karen Olivo and Andrew Parodi Family, 1979-1982 Add to Shelf: Images of the life of the family while they lived on the Colegio grounds. Further descriptions of each photograph were given by Andrew Parodi in 2012, and those can be found in this folder as well.; Extent: 15 photographs
Box-Folder 1.13: "La Raza" Event, 1972 Add to Shelf: November 10-11, 1972 event photographs taken by Milt Johnson, who was associated with the school during the late 1960s and early 1970s when it was Mt. Angel College. The images include event speakers, participants, and activities.; Extent: 108 negatives; 25 negative film strips
Box-Folder 1.14: Oregon Occupational Information Coordinating Committee, circa 1980 Add to Shelf: Arthur Olivo served on Governor Victor Atiyeh's Oregon Occupational Information Coordinating Committee; this image is of the Committee.; Extent: 1 photograph
Box-Folder 1.15: "Support Colegio César Chávez" Demonstrations, circa 1975 Add to Shelf: Three black and white photographs of Colegio supporters engaging in demonstrations, including one photograph featuring Sonny Montes.

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