Dr. Kenneth Edson

Title

Dr. Kenneth Edson

Abstract

An oral history with Dr. Kenneth Edson, a Chico State alumnus who attended Chico State from 1955 to 1957 for a credential in counseling. After receiving his Masters and eventual doctoral degree in psychology, Dr. Kenneth Edson then went on to work for Chico State for nearly 30 years, starting out working as a student employed by the college test office and finalizing his career as the Associate Dean of Students. Under his last position, Dr. Kenneth Edson consistently communicated with other schools and had a direct impact on student affairs, including protests, the Anti-Vietnam protests in particular. The purpose of this interview was to collect information on Dr. Edson’s role in regulating student Anti-Vietnam protests, providing an insider view of what student free speech looked like from a faculty member’s perspective. In addition, his oral report will be archived for an ongoing project on the history of student free speech at Chico State. Although activism was not consistently exercised during Kenneth Edson’s enrollment from 1955 to 1957, his role as Associate Dean of Students during times of political unrest (1976–1978) put him straight in the middle of Anti-Vietnam protests conducted on campus. He recalled a protest during 1967 that sparked his role as a regulator of student protests. A radio station in Paradise, a largely Republican community at the time, reported that there were communists at Chico State in response to Chico State students protesting the Vietnam War in 1967. This sparked outrage for the Paradise community, and a small group of older protestors began to assemble on Chico State campus, forming a counter-protest to the Anti-Vietnam student protests. As Associate Dean of Students, Dr. Kenneth Edson was sent out to regulate the protests. Prior to this event, there were no formally written guidelines on campus free speech, and it was up to Dr. Kenneth Edson to form the time, place, and manner regulations on how future protests were to be conducted. During Dr. Kenneth Edson’s time as a student and as an eventual faculty member, he saw a cultural shift in student life. A population influx from urban areas such as San Francisco switched the otherwise conservative culture of protest to a resilient student body of protestors on Chico State campus. Dr. Edson sees the monument as a great opportunity to highlight influential people in these protests and emphasizes that “more than just school is happening here,” students are trying to make a difference by practicing their right to free speech.

Interviewee

Dr. Kenneth Edson

Interviewer

Larisa Robinson

Date Created

November 19, 2025

Format

m4a

Length

49 minutes, 41 seconds

Library of Congress Subject Heading

Cultural centers (Institutions)—California
United States local history—California
Student activities
Social activism
Vietnam War, 1961–1975—Protest movements, College students—Political activity—United States, Oral histories.

Copyright

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Collection number

Chico State Free Speech History

Collection Project

Chico State Free Speech History