History of CUCEA

The CUCEA Historian reports periodically about the history of the organization. The most recent report provides updated historical charts and insight into organizational endeavors.

Early CUCEA Organizational Efforts

On October 27, 1987 at the Berkeley campus, Honorary Member, Moses Greenfield convened nine campus representatives to initiate the founding of the Emeriti Council. However, as indicated in an earlier Historian's report, Emerita Meridian Ball's efforts to organize emeriti was documented by Archivist, Norah Jones. These endeavors as early as a quarter of a century ago in 1975 were conducted to initiate unified multiple campus efforts in behalf of emeriti throughout the University.

Far from common knowledge is information about the persistent efforts by Emerita Ball to muster unified efforts by not only her emeriti colleagues, but with faculty and administrators at our other University campus locations. From March 19, 1975 to March 20, 1981 the archives reveal copies of nearly a dozen letters, reports, memoranda and other documentation testifying to Professor Ball's activities on behalf of her emeriti colleagues - even with University administrators Harry Wellman and Herman Speith. Archivist Jones identifies this period of activity as "Pre-History" since they are records which pre-date the founding of CUCEA having to do with relationships between two or more campuses. The Archivist Guide displays the following two eras:

1975-1981 - Documentation of efforts, spearheaded chiefly by Meridian Ball of the UCLA campus, to encourage establishment of emeriti associations on all nine campuses and to foster collegial interaction among them.
1983-1987 - Documention of the successful efforts, spearheaded chiefly by Claude Fawcett of UCLA, to establish within the framework of the University, a federation of the nine campus-based emeriti associations. In this later time span, records show an increasing tempo of activity, including reports of southern campus meetings at UCLA attended by representatives from Riverside, Santa Barbara and Irvine. Among other letters, a copy of one exists from Claude Fawcett to OP Director, Morely Walker of Universitywide Benefits requesting introduction vitae for both himself and Robert Headly. This was for introduction purposes at the November 2, 1983 UCLA meeting. Such documentation emphasizes the intensity to the will to move forward with an inter-campus organization.
Since 1994, the history of CUCEA has been faithfully recorded by Honorary Member and Historian, Ralph Nair, of the Santa Barbara campus. CUCEA is indebted to him and wishes to record deep gratitude for his service (1994 - 2005). Sadly, he passed away June 9, 2006. In 2005, Norah Jones became CUCEA's Historian and Archivist. John Craig took on the responsibilities of Historian in 2008, and Ralph Johnson the responsibilities of Archivist in July 2009.

The attached charts provide condensed information regarding the names, dates and campuses of our council members who have served their fellow emeriti since the 1987 formal organization of CUCEA.

Historian's Reports

UC Irvine