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Karl F. Drlica Papers, 1909-2018

By Karl McCreary

Collection Overview

Title: Karl F. Drlica Papers, 1909-2018

Predominant Dates: 1946-1980

ID: MSS Drlica

Primary Creator: Drlica, Karl F.

Extent: 7.0 cubic feet. More info below.

Arrangement: This collection is arranged into 14 series: 1. Correspondence, 1923-2002; 2. Writings, 1933-2001; 3. Instruction, 1951-1986; 4. Publications, 1929-1980; 5. Race Records, 1970-1980; 6. Newspaper Clippings, 1918-2003; 7. Oregon State Rowing Club, 1930-1985; 8. Beaver Crew Association, 1962-1992; 9. National Women's Rowing Association, 1963-1987; 10. Scrapbook, 1928-1980; 11. Photographs, 1909-2004; 12. Post World War II Japan Education Work, 1944-2006; 13. Artifacts, 1963-1980; and 14. Digital Files, 2018.

Date Acquired: 00/00/2018

Languages of Materials: English [eng], Japanese [jpn]

Abstract

The Karl F. Drlica Papers are comprised of materials generated and collected by Oregon State College alumnus, physical education professor, and crew coach Karl F. Drlica. This collection documents Drlica's management of the Oregon State University crew teams, instruction of courses, involvement in organizations, and work as an educator for the United States Military in post World War II Japan. Among the materials included in this collection are correspondence, game programs, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, photographs, a scrapbook, artifacts, and a thesis. Drlica graduated from Oregon State College with bachelor's and master's degrees in education in 1940 and 1952, respectively. From 1950 to 1983, Drlica coached and coordinated crew activity at OSU.

Reference access to the digital materials described in Series 14 that reflect research and writings by Karl A. Drlica about the history of OSU crew and his father's experience in shaping it is available upon request.

Scope and Content Notes

The Karl F. Drlica Papers are comprised of materials generated and collected by Oregon State College alumnus, physical education professor, and crew coach Karl F. Drlica. This collection documents Drlica's management of crew activity at Oregon State University, instruction of coursework, involvement in organizations, and work as an educator for the United States Military in post World War II Japan.

The primary focus of this collection is Drlica's career in coaching and teaching crew at OSU, which is mostly illustrated through correspondence, newspaper clippings, photographs, publications, a scrapbook, artifacts, and short essays written by Drlica as recollections of his experiences as coach. This collection also contains documentation of the origins and development of rowing activity at OSU that is detailed in historical timelines and a scrapbook assembled by Drlica, which chronologically tracks the evolution of the crew program. Further perspectives on crew history and Drlica's role as part of it are explored by son Karl A. Drlica in chapters for an unpublished book which are described in this collection as digital files.

Class outlines, handouts, sylabi, and other course materials reflect Drlica's teaching of physical education classes, which include crew instructional guides produced by Drlica to serve as the text for the courses.

Drlica's involvement in crew related organizations is documented through records generated by the National Women's Rowing Association, the Oregon State Rowing Club, and the Beaver Crew Association. These materials are comprised of a combination of bylaws, constitutions, correspondence, meeting minutes, newsletters, and reports. There is also correspondence reflecting Drlica's interaction with other members of the Western Intercollegiate Crew Coaches Association and the Rowing Coaches Organization of America.

Drlica's experience working for the occupational government in post War World II Japan is reflected in Series 12, which contains correspondence, memoranda, photographs, publications, and a copy of Drlica master's thesis. This series also includes a copy of Drlica's self published memoir about his time in Japan and a several drafts of the manuscript.

Reference access to the digital materials described in Series 14 that reflect research and writings by Karl A. Drlica about the history of OSU crew and his father's experience in shaping it is available upon request.

Biographical / Historical Notes

Karl Francis Drlica was born in Juneau, Alaska in 1918 and was raised in Portland, Oregon. After graduating from Benson High School in 1936, Drlica entered Oregon State College where he first became involved in collegiate crew as a student when he enrolled in a physical education class in rowing. Drlica took to the sport immediately and went on to join the OSC crew team and eventually assisted Coach Edward Stevens in managing the freshman team during his senior year. Upon graduation from OSC with a degree in education in 1940, Drlica went on to work as a teacher at Corvallis Junior High School and later at Franklin High School in Portland.

In 1946, Drlica took his teaching career a little further afield and pursued employment as an educator in post World War II Japan. From 1946 to 1950, Drlica worked in two positions that were coordinated by the United States Military through the occupational government tasked with rebuilding war-torn Japan. These positions were part of a larger campaign to restructure and modernize Japan's educational system. Drlica's first position in Japan was as an instructor of mechanical drawing at a trade school associated with Keio University, near the city of Yokohama. In his second job, as Assistant Information and Education Officer for Miyagi Prefecture, Drlica took on a much more administrative role which included the training of local teachers to operate in democratically structured teacher unions. One of the stated goals of this position was also to keep tabs on communist influence in these unions. Three years in this position inspired Drlica to research and write about his experience as a part of a master's thesis in education at OSC. This thesis, "The Teacher's Union in a Typical Prefecture in Occupied Japan" was completed in 1952 and is available here. Drlica later described his experience in Japan in a self-published 2005 memoir "Reforming the Rising Sun".

Drlica returned to OSC in 1950 to assume the management of the crew program upon Stevens' retirement. His post in the physical education department as instructor involved a combination of teaching classes in rowing and coaching crew activity with an eye to expanding the program. At the time, crew functioned as an intramural program managed within the physical education department. OSU Intercollegiate Athletics would not have a role in crew activity until 1968, when the heavyweight men's crew team was given varsity sport status. Intercollegiate competition between OSC and other university rowing teams were coordinated by Drlica in conjunction with Oregon State Rowing Club.

Among Drlica's first and most important legacies to OSU crew was his development of a women's intramural crew program in 1952. Drlica went on to manage both women's and men's rowing activity until 1964 when Astrid Frolich Hancock was appointed as the first coach and head advisor for women's crew at OSU. Drlica continued to serve as an major advocate for women's crew through his involvement with the National Women's Rowing Association (NWRA). When the NWRA was established in 1966, OSU was one of the four charter members and the only one associated with collegiate crew.

Administratively, Drlica operated in an environment of perpetual budget uncertainty and constraints. As intramural programs, funds for traveling to intercollegiate meets were not made available to the rowing teams, so constant fundraising was an essential reality for the crew program. By 1968, the budget scenario had improved considerably for crew with the women's team and the men's lightweight team becoming part of the newly formed OSU Recreational Sports Program and thus, eligible for funding. In 1967, the men's heavyweight crew team was accepted into the OSU Intercollegiate Athletics Department and achieved status as a varsity sport. Ten years later, the women's and men's lightweight crew teams would follow.

The OSU crew teams won an impressive number of national competitions during this era. At meets of the Intercollegiate Rowing Association in 1975 and 1977, the men's four-oared team placed first both years. The women's team won first place in a number of categories in the 1980 U.S. Rowing National Championships. Crew members Robert Zagunis and Tom Woodman went on to serve on the U.S. Olympic Teams in 1976 and 1980.

Despite the crew teams' successes, Drlica faced a number of setbacks and challenges during this period. Among these struggles was a fractious relationship between Drlica and the Dean of the College of Health and Human Performance James Long. Asserting that intercollegiate crew activity had no place being supported by the Physical Education department, an academic unit, Long pursued any opportunity to reduce funding for the crew program from his college's budget. The situation came to a head with Long's decision in 1975 to eliminate the gym suit service for the crew facilities, which greatly complicated the rowing team's ability to practice. After a very public battle, the decision was overturned. A year later, citing concerns that the crew shower facilities didn't comply with Title IX requirements, Long shut those down. Again, this decision was later reversed amidst considerable publicity, debate, and rancor. Another issue faced by Drlica was the inability to attain the rank of professor within his department. Despite numerous requests for a promotion in rank and completion of a doctorate from the University of Mississippi in 1974, Drlica was never promoted to full professor.

In 1980, a growing sense of discontent among crew team members over what was perceived as Drlica's "outdated" methods in coaching resulted in a series of conversations among rowers and the Intercollegiate Athletics Department about replacing Drlica. After being presented by crew team members with a set of questionnaires essentially declaring a vote of no confidence in his role as coach, Drlica resigned from his coaching duties. He continued in his teaching post and managed the administration of the crew facilities until ultimately retiring from OSU in 1983. He was later inducted into the OSU Sports Hall of Fame in 1991.

Drlica married Gail Hufford in 1940 and together they raised four children: Karl A., Alex, Dianne, and Paul. Karl A. went on to attend OSU and rowed on the crew team from 1960 to 1965.

Drlica died in 2006.

The origins of crew activity at OSU are rooted in the donation of two eight-oared racing shells to Oregon Agricultural College in 1926 by the University of California at Berkeley. This gift inspired the formation of the Oregon State Rowing Club (OSRC) in 1929 and the beginnings of crew facilities on the Willamette River. In 1931, OAC hired Edward A. Stevens to develop and manage a new program for collegiate crew. Appointed as a half-time assistant professor in physical education, Stevens brought an extensive background in collegiate crew to the position that included experience on the Cornell University crew team as a student and as coach of Harvard University crew. Competition between OSRC and other colleges and regional rowing clubs began in the mid 1930s with teams from the University of Washington, the Portland Rowing Club, and the University of California.



Author: Karl McCreary

Administrative Information

More Extent Information: 4911 photographs; 7 boxes, including 1 oversize. 1.12 Gbytes and 683 files.

Statement on Access: This collection is open for research.

Acquisition Note: These materials were donated to the OSU Special Collections and Archives in 2018 by Karl A. Drlica, the son of Karl F. Drlica.

Related Materials:

Other collections that contain documentation about Karl F. Drlica include: the News and Communication Services Records (RG 203); the College of Health and Human Performance Records (RG 031); the Bill Reasons Photograph Collection (P 151); the News and Communications Services Photograph Collection (P 057).

Information about the crew program can also be found in these collections: Sports Media Guides (PUB 54); the Intercollegiate Athletics Records (RG 007); the Rowing (Crew) Photograph Collection (P 015); and the Oregon State University Memorabilia Collection (MSS MC). There is also a collection relating to former crew coach Edward A. Stevens (MSS Stevens)Oregon Digital has a number of images of OSU crew available for download.

Preferred Citation: Karl F. Drlica Papers (MSS Drlica) Oregon State University Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Corvallis, Oregon.

Creators

Drlica, Karl F.

People, Places, and Topics

College sports for women--Oregon--Corvallis.
Drlica, Karl F.
National Women's Rowing Association
Oregon State College--Alumni and alumnae.
Oregon State College--Rowing.
Oregon State Rowing Club
Pacific Coast Intercollegiate Athletic Conference
Postwar reconstruction--Japan.
Rowing--Oregon--Corvallis.
United States. Education Amendments of 1972. Title IX
University History

Forms of Material

Artifacts (object genre)
Born digital.
Photographic prints.
Scrapbooks.


Box and Folder Listing

Series 1: Correspondence, 1923-2002
Series 1 is made up of correspondence and memoranda that reflects Drlica's interaction with OSU administrators, crew coaches at other universities, OSU crew team alumni, and other staff in the crew program. In addition to letters and memoranda, this series also includes curriculum vitae, newspaper clippings, photographs, and publications. Subjects addressed in the correspondence include: requests for promotion to the rank of professor, crew equipment and facility maintenance, budget management, instructional development, the women's OSU crew program, and Drlica's involvement in crew coach organizations. This series contains 6 photographs.
Box-Folder 1.1: Adler, Steve, 1973-1980
Box-Folder 1.2: Athletic Department Funding for Crew Program, 1977-1980
Mostly related to travel costs.
Box-Folder 1.3: Awards and Recognitions, 1969-2000
Box-Folder 1.4: Carruthers, Eben, 1963-1991
Correspondence and clippings about crew team member Jim Carruthers.
Box-Folder 1.5: Crew Coaches at Other Universities, 1968-1980
Box-Folder 1.6 - 1.9: Crew Facilities and Equipment, 1948-1982
4 folders. Includes purchase requests submitted by Drlica. Contains 1 photographic print.
Box-Folder 1.10: Dean, School of Health and Physical Education, 1974-1978
Interaction between Dean James Long, Drlica, and other OSU administrators. Primarily relates to the controversy over Long's decision to remove the gym suit service and showers at the crew facility. Decision was reversed after a public outcry. Issues over Title IX regulations were among the points addressed in the ensuing debate.
Box-Folder 1.11: Ebright (Ky), Carroll, 1951-1959
University of California crew coach.
Box-Folder 1.12 - 1.13: General, 1952-2002
2 folders. Contains 3 photographs.
Box-Folder 1.14: Instruction, 1950-1969
Box-Folder 1.15: Letters of Support for the Crew Program, 1975-1983
Most of the letters are responses to plans presented by OSU administration in 1975 to eliminate the crew program.
Box-Folder 1.16: Mathison, Ralph, 1971-1980
Contains 1 print.
Box-Folder 1.17: Moore, Kelly, 1979
Box-Folder 1.18: Newell, Fred, 1923-1969
The Portland Rowing Club.
Box-Folder 1.19: Oregon Centennial Regatta Project, 1958-1959
Box-Folder 1.20: PAC-8 (Pacific Athletic Conference) Sponsored Crew Championship, 1976-1978
Box-Folder 1.21: Press Releases and Write-ups to Local Media, 1959-1972
Box-Folder 1.22 - 1.24: Promotion and Salary, 1955-1980
3 folders. Primarily relates to Drlica's requests for a promotion to the rank of full professor in the Physical Education Department. Includes letters of recommendation sent on Drlica's behalf, curriculum vitae, certificates, and employment records.
Box-Folder 1.25: Recreational Sports Committee, 1963-1966
Box-Folder 1.26: Research, 1935-1977
Includes copies of student papers.
Box-Folder 2.1: Response to Black Student Union (BSU) Walkout, 1969
Regards Drlica's draft of a "standard operating procedure" contract for male crew members concerning their facial hair. Includes drawings of different male hair types and profiles. Newspaper clippings about the BSU walkout can also be found in this file.
Box-Folder 2.2: River Management and Incidents, 1950-1998
Box-Folder 2.3: Rowing Coaches of Organization America, 1969-1971
Box-Folder 2.4: Stevens, Edward A., 1952
Oregon State College crew coach from 1931 to 1950.
Box-Folder 2.5: Student Petition for a New Coach, 1979-1980
A campaign among crew team members to remove Drlica as men's coach. Includes questionnaires circulated and completed by team members to gauge opinion on the state of crew program and future directions. Drlica had labeled these files under the heading "revolt."
Box-Folder 2.6 - 2.7: Western Intercollegiate Crew Coaches Association, 1971-1978
2 folders.
Box-Folder 2.8 - 2.9 : Women's Crew, 1957-2002
2 folders. Includes reports, event programs, budget information, and essays by Drlica on Women's crew history at OSU. 1 photo.
Box-Folder 2.10: Woodman, Tom, 1979-1981
Box-Folder 2.11: Zahorski Memorial Fund, 1956-1958
Mike Zahorski Memorial Fund.
Series 2: Writings, 1933-2001
Series 2 consists of writings by Drlica that are comprised of articles, essays, historical timelines, letters to the editor, presentations, and student papers. About half of the writings relate to the history of the OSU crew program and some of these essays appear to have prepared as chapters for a larger book project. The presentations are written remarks delivered by Drlica before the Corvallis City Council.
Box-Folder 2.12: Articles, 1953-1988
Box-Folder 2.13 - 2.15: Crew History at OSU, 1933-1999
3 folders. 2 prints.
Box-Folder 2.16: Letters to the Editor, 1974-2001
Letters to the editor written by Drlica on various topics, mostly published in the Corvallis Gazette-Times newspaper.
Box-Folder 2.17: National Women's Rowing Association History, 1991-1996
Box-Folder 2.18: OSU Faculty Forum Papers, 1971-1973
Box-Folder 2.19: Remarks Before Corvallis City Council, 1993-1997
Written remarks delivered by Drlica before the Corvallis City Council.
Box-Folder 2.20: Student Paper: Empire Retention or Intercollegiate Athletics - 1984, 1969
Paper submitted by Drlica as part of an OSU class in Student Personnel in Higher Education (ED 555).
Box-Folder 2.21: A Survey of Rowing In Colleges and Universities, 1959
Report by Drlica.
Series 3: Instruction, 1951-1986
Series 3 documents Drlica's teaching of crew classes in the Physical Education department and consists of course materials, class evaluation information, and instructional guides. The course materials are comprised of a combination of sylabi, test blanks, class outlines, and handouts. The guides were written by Drlica.
Box-Folder 2.22: Course Evaluation Survey Information, 1977-1979
Box-Folder 2.23: Course Outlines and Sylabi, 1951-1970
Includes technical drawings of shell construction.
Box-Folder 2.24 - 2.27: Crew Instructional Guides, 1956-1986
4 folders.
Series 4: Publications, 1929-1980
Series 4 consists of publications documenting the OSU crew program and is made up of game programs, informational brochures, Beaver Yearbook sections on crew, annual crew schedules, postcards, and a media guide for OSU Women's Intercollegiate Athletics.
Box-Folder 2.28: Crew Schedules, 1960-1979
Box-Folder 2.29: Game Programs, 1929-1980
Among the athletic contests reflected in these programs include: the Corvallis Invitational Regatta, the Western Intercollegiate Rowing Championships, and the Women's National Rowing Association Regatta.
Box-Folder 3.1: Informational Brochures and Flyers, 1970-1976
Box-Folder 3.2: Media Guide: OSU Women's Intercollegiate Athletics, 1978
Box-Folder 3.3: Postcards, undated
The image on the postcards depict an aerial view of the crew facilities on the Willamette River.
Box-Folder 3.4: Yearbook Sections on Crew Teams, 1962-1979
Descriptions of the OSU crew teams published in various editions of the Beaver Yearbook.
Series 5: Race Records, 1970-1980
Series 5 is comprised of published results from crew races dating from 1970 to 1980.
Box-Folder 3.5: Race Records, 1970-1980
Series 6: Newspaper Clippings, 1918-2003
Series 6 is made up of newspaper clippings featuring stories and articles about OSU crew team races, updates on crew members in their post OSU lives, coach E.A. Stevens, the Corvallis Invitational Regatta, crew programs at other universities, and Drlica's runs for political offices.
Box-Folder 3.6: Corvallis Invitational Regatta, 1966-1997
Annual race organized by OSU featuring competition between a variety of collegiate and regional crew teams.
Box-Folder 3.7: Crew Programs at Other Universities, 1958-2003
Box-Folder 3.8: Drlica's Political Candidacies, 1970-1978
Box-Folder 3.9 - 3.10: General, 1926-2003
2 folders.
Box-Folder 3.11: Stevens, Edward A., 1918-1960
Series 7: Oregon State Rowing Club, 1930-1985
Series 7 documents the Oregon State Rowing Club and contains constitutions, correspondence, event programs, meeting minutes, newsletters, and committee reports.
Box-Folder 3.12: Constitutions, 1963-1964
Box-Folder 3.13 - 3.15: Correspondence, 1930-1984
3 folders.
Box-Folder 6.1: Financial Records, 1976-1978
Box-Folder 3.16: Meeting Minutes, 1937-1967
Box-Folder 6.2: Newsletters, 1951-1972
Box-Folder 6.3: Petition for Formal Recognition, 1935
2 copies of a petition submitted by the Oregon State Rowing Club to the Oregon State College Board of Control for recognition of rowing as a varsity sport at Oregon State College. Petition was presented and approved on May 16, 1935.
Box-Folder 3.17: Reports, 1935-1976
Box-Folder 3.18: Society of Hell Divers, 1959-1985
A group within the Oregon State Rowing Club for crew members who accidentally fell into the river. Includes a certificate, membership rosters, and constitution/bylaws.
Series 8: Beaver Crew Association, 1962-1992
Series 8 relates to the Beaver Crew Association and their coordination and publicity of fundraising activities to support the OSU crew program. In addition to lists of crew alumni and association members, this series also includes brochures, bylaws, constitutions, correspondence, flyers, forms, newspaper clippings, and photographs.
Box-Folder 3.19: Beaver Crew Association, 1962-1992
1 photo.
Box-Folder 6.4: Certificate of Incorporation, 1970
Series 9: National Women's Rowing Association, 1963-1987
Series 9 relates to the National Women's Rowing Association (NWRA) and is made up of correspondence, meeting minutes, and bylaws. Documenting the OSU crew program's involvement in the NWRA, the correspondence reflects the interaction of OSU coaches Drlica and Astrid Hancock with other association members. Among the subjects addressed in this series include association bylaw revisions, the annual NWRA regatta race, and the United States Olympic Women's Rowing Committee.
Box-Folder 3.20 - 3.22: National Women's Rowing Association, 1963-1987
3 folders.
Box-Folder 6.5: National Women's Rowing Association, 1967-1971
Series 10: Scrapbook, 1926-1980
Series 10 consists of a scrapbook assembled by Drlica that contains documentation about the OSU crew program that is made up of newspaper clippings, photographs, game programs, flyers, and newsletters. Arranged in rough chronological order, the scrapbook has been unbound with the plywood covers removed and discarded. This series contains 36 photographs.
Box-Item 7.1: Scrapbook, 1926-1980
Series 11: Photographs, 1909-2004
Series 11 consists of photographic images depicting crew teams engaged in races, crew members in portrait and group shots, the boathouse and other crew facilities, damage caused by flooding, trophies won by the teams, and Drlica's family. There are a total of 4494 photographs (2209 prints, 2279 negatives, and 6 slides) in this series.
Box-Folder 3.23: Coaching Launches, 1938-1958
Images of the motor boats used in the coaching of the crew teams. Occupants of the launches are identified as Mike Oxborrow, Jack Lystra, Ken Colley, Bob Janz, and Bob Torley.
Box-Folder 3.24: Commissioning Ceremonies for Crew Shells, 1980
Box-Folder 3.25: Corvallis Junior High Shop Facilities, ca. 1942
Box-Folder 3.26 - 3.27: Crew Facilities and Equipment, 1954-1987
2 folders. Exterior and Interior views of the buildings and docks used by the crew teams. Includes shots of crew members training on rowing machines in the crewhouse, building construction/renovation activity, crew shell repair, the naval barges, and aerial views of the entire complex of crew facilities.
Box-Folder 3.28: Crew Facilities at Other Universities, 1957-1958
University of Washington.
Box-Folder 3.29: Crew Tee Shirts, Undated
Images of official OSU crew team tee shirts and those of other universities in the Pacific Conference.
Box-Folder 3.30: Crew Team Trip to California, 1940
Box-Folder 3.31: Drlica - Portrait Shots, ca. 1942-2004
Box-Folder 7.1: Drlica - Portrait Shot, undated
Box-Folder 3.32: Family and Home Related Images, Undated
Unidentified and undated images depicting children, animals, and various people mostly in a home setting, assumed to be members of the Drlica family. Entirely made up of photographic negatives.
Box-Folder 3.33: First Crewhouse Facility, 1933
First structure used for crew program storage. Views include interior shots and the construction of an addition to the building. The building was formerly known as the Oregon Electric Railway Station.
Box-Folder 3.34: Flood Damage, 1963-1974
Images of damage to crew facilities by flooding on the Willamette River.
Box-Folder 3.35 - 4.19: General, 1928-1990
20 folders, arranged chronologically. Views of crew matches, rowing practice sessions, team group shots, and social gatherings.
Box-Folder 4.20 - 4.28: General, Undated
9 folders.
Box-Folder 4.29: Graphic of Rowing Positions for IMS Publication, Undated
The graphic depicts a stylized rower and not a person.
Box-Folder 4.30: Images for Report on Crew Facilities and Equipment, Undated
Prints taped onto a paste-up of a report with accompanying text. Images roughly date from 1950 to 1965.
Box-Folder 4.31: Oregon State College Images Taken by Drlica During Student Years, Undated
The images depict student gatherings, campus views, construction of Homecoming bonfire, and a parade of ROTC cadets. Entirely made up of photographic negatives.
Box-Folder 4.32: Oregon State Rowing Club Officers-Portrait Shots, 1938-1965
Box-Folder 4.33: Portrait Shots of Crew Members, 1961-1967
Box-Folder 4.34: Rowing Posture Studies, 1956
Crew member modeling rowing postures on practice barge.
Box-Folder 4.35: Rowing Club Awards Banquet, Undated
Banquet held at the University of British Columbia.
Box-Folder 6.6: Stevens, Edward A., 1909-1910
Group shots of Stevens with team mates at Cornell University.
Box-Folder 4.36: Stevens, Edward A., 1935
Box-Folder 4.37: Trophies, Ribbons, and Plaques, 1956-1975
Box-Folder 4.38 - 4.39: Women's Crew Team, 1965-1992
2 folders. Images of the OSU women's crew team at race meets, practice, and in group shots. A designated crew team for women, not associated with specific living groups, was formed in 1964 as a part of the OSU Women's Recreation Association. Astrid Frolich Hancock served as coach and advisor for the team from 1964 until 1977, when the team achieved varsity status.
Box-Folder 4.40: Women's Rowing Teams Related to Sororities and Living Groups, 1957-1965
Images of women's intramural crew race meets and rowing practice at OSU. These intramural teams operated from 1955 to 1967 and were organized into groupings that represented sororities, living groups, and dormitories. The teams identified in the photos represent the Sigma Kappa Sorority, Azalea House, Winston House, the Alpha Chi Sorority, the Chi Omega Sorority, Coed Cottage, Heather Rae, and Sackett B.
Series 12: Post World War II Japan Education Work, 1944-2006
Series 12 relates to Drlica's experience working as an educator for the United States Military in post World War II Japan from 1946 to 1950. Drlica's recollections of his work in Japan are documented in his Oregon State College master's of education thesis "The Teachers' Union in a Typical Prefecture in Occupied Japan" and his 2005 self-published memoir Reforming the Rising Sun: A Personal Account of Americanizing Occupied Japan. In addition to these writings, this series also contains reference materials made up of reports, newspaper clippings, and photographs collected by Drlica that document his work and the educational landscape of Japan at that time. Some of the reference materials were reproduced in the thesis and memoir. Some of the materials is in Japanese. The images are a combination of photographs taken by the U.S. Army and by Drlica himself. There are a total of 372 photographs (195 prints and 177 negatives) in this series.
Box-Folder 5.1: Book: Reforming the Rising Sun: A Personal Account of Americanizing Occupied Japan , 2005
Box-Folder 5.2 - 5.5: Book Manuscript Drafts and Pre-production Proofs, 2002-2006
4 folders. Includes correspondence
Box-Folder 5.6 : Thesis: The Teacher's Union in a Typical Prefecture in Occupied Japan, 1951-1952
Drlica's thesis for his MS degree in the Oregon State College School of Education. Awarded 1952.
Box-Folder 5.7: Correspondence, 1947-1949
Letters received by Drlica from colleagues working with him in Japan, primarily Ed Harrington and Charles Endicott. There are also copies of letters written by Gail Drlica to her parents describing the Drlica's family life in Japan.
Box-Folder 5.8: Office Memoranda and Reports, 1948-1950
Memoranda and reports written by Drlica as part of his work for the Miyagi Military Government Civil Information and Education Section.
Box-Folder 6.7: Office Memoranda and Reports, 1949
Includes the transcript of a speech given by Drlica to the Lower Secondary School Principals Association meeting and the translation of a news story about it.
Box-Folder 5.9 - 5.11: Photographs, 1947-1949
3 folders. The images depict students and classroom scenes of schools in the Miyagi Prefecture, street views in the town of Sendai, and agricultural operations in the region. The shots of Drlica document him in attendance at official ceremonies, giving speeches to large gatherings, and on vacation with his family.
Box-Folder 5.12: Newspaper Clippings, 1946-1984
Articles about Drlica's work in Japan, two of which are in Japanese. The most recent article (1984) is a general report on the Japanese school system at that point.
Box-Folder 5.13 - 5.19: Reference Materials, 1944-2003
7 folders. These materials were collected as background information for the memoir "Reforming the Rising Sun" and consist of reports, memoranda, meeting minutes, newspaper clippings, photographs (incorporated into a report), brochures, currency, and informal recollections penned by Drlica on some of his experiences in Japan. The bulk of these documents are photocopies, some of the originals of which are found elsewhere in this series.
Box-Folder 7.2: Reference Materials, undated
A Japanese poster.
Series 13: Artifacts, 1963-1980
Series 13 is made up of three plaques presented to Drlica and three varsity letters for rowing.
Box-Folder 5.20: Varsity Letters for Crew, circa 1967
Three varisty letters representing first, second, and third years on crew team.
Box-Item 5.1: Plaque: Crew Sprints, Redwood City, California, May 18, 1963
Box-Item 5.2: Plaque: To Coach Drlica in Appreciation from the Crew at OSU, 1973
Box-Item 5.3: Plaque: Coach Drlica in Appreciation, 1980
Title plate only.
Series 14: Digital Files, 2018
Series 14 consists of born digital files made up of pdf and Word documents reflecting a book project on the history of OSU crew written by Karl A. Drlica, son of coach Karl F. Drlica. The 683 files are organized into two folders: manuscript drafts of the crew history "Bitten By the Rowing Bug" and reference materials collected in the course of research and writing the book. The bulk of the files are digitized copies of letters, newspaper clippings, game programs, and photographs. Many of the original documents from which these were scanned reside elsewhere in this collection. Totaling 1.12 Gbytes in size, reference access to the files described in this series are available upon request.

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