THE BACK STORY
Christopher Callahan , president of University of the Pacific in Stockton , found long-lost campus archives about the history of Pacific when he discovered a steel vault hidden from view in the basement of Burns Tower . PHOTO BY FRED GREAVES
Hidden Treasures
University of the Pacific finds a missing link in its rich history : its birth papers
BY Ed Goldman
Opening a vaunted vault at University of the Pacific — a cherished safe thought to contain untold historic riches about the origins of the 170-year-old Stockton-based institution — new president Christopher Callahan , who started in July 2020 , wondered what he ’ d find .
“ I ’ d already discovered there ’ s history everywhere I look on this campus ,” he says about his daily and nightly walks ( the latter with his wife , Jean Callahan , and their golden retriever puppy , Cali ) around the leafy , 175-acre expanse of Pacific ’ s Stockton campus . “ But even the author of a definitive book on the place admitted he couldn ’ t lay his hands on materials about its founding ,” he says . ( That book is “ Pacific on the Rise : The Story of California ’ s First University ” by Philip N . Gilbertson .)
The 5-foot-tall steel safe was in a remote area of the basement of the Burns Tower , the iconic face of Pacific , and rediscovered in early 2021 during a renovation , says Mike Wurtz , an associate professor at Pacific and head of the university ’ s Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives .
The Gothic tower was completed in 1963 . “ Robert Burns , then president of the university , had his office in the building ,” Wurtz says . “ This was his safe , and he kept what appear to be important papers and historic items he happened to be looking at which would normally have been in the archives . Burns died somewhat unexpectedly in 1971 .”
Apparently , Wurtz says , “ The safe was forgotten , or no one knew the combo , or whatever , after his death . I surmise that it may not have been open since 1971 since there are no papers — so far — that postdate 1971 .” Current President Callahan found the safe and had it opened on March 26 , 2021 , almost 50 years to the day after Burns died .
The Holt-Atherton Special Collections and Archives :
• Curates ( collects , preserves and makes available for research ) about 5,000 linear feet of material
• Assists about 1,000 researchers a year who walk in , call or email
• Is responsible for a digital collection of items that receive about 75,000 downloads each year
• Helps about 20-30 courses a year with archival instruction
• Talks to community groups that usually equal about 350 people a year
SOURCE : MIKE WURTZ , ASSOCIATE PROFESSOR AT UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC AND HEAD OF HOLT-ATHERTON SPECIAL COLLECTIONS AND ARCHIVES
96 comstocksmag . com | November 2021