In 1964, they named Tolman Hall in his honor. In 1949, in the midst of the McCarthy era, UC administrators proposed, and the Board of Regents quickly adopted, an anti-communist oath for all University of California employees to sign. The loyalty oath provoked an extended battle that rocked the institution. The professors who had been dismissed sued and won reinstatement by the California Supreme Court. The retrospective is organized by the University History Project and the Center for Studies in Higher Education, with a number of co-sponsors.
All events are free and open to the public.
The centerpiece of the loyalty oath retrospective will be a free two-day symposium to explore the history of the oath and its meaning today. Panelist discussing politics and higher education will include UC President Emeritus Jack Peltason, Berkeley Academic Senate Chirman Robert Spear, and Professor David Littlejohn, chairman of the Academic Senate Committee on Academic Freedom. 20 Townsend Center for the Humanities 220 Stephens Hall, lobby Margaret Peterson refused to sign the oath and separated from the Berkeley Art Department. A noted painter, she specialized in imagery of the Pacific Northwest. An exhibit of documents, artifacts and photographs related to the oath.