– Barbara Sedlock, DC Archivist
The 1950s is the decade when Russia’s launch of Sputnik started the space race, Senator Joseph McCarthy was the force behind Communist “witch hunts” in the U.S., and Crick and Watson discovered the structure of DNA. It was the decade when major league baseball became fully integrated, the Civil Rights movement began, and Charlie Parker and Miles Davis were leaders of jazz. Elvis was rock and roll’s king, science fiction and monster movies were popular, and the 50s saw the opening of Disneyland and the first McDonald’s.
Defiance College was in the national spotlight in the 50s due to President Kevin McCann. He took office in 1951, after DC trustees asked former General Dwight (“Ike”) Eisenhower, who was then President of Columbia University, for suggestions of candidates for DC’s presidency. McCann was one of Eisenhower’s aides at the time, read the letter, and proposed himself as one of the candidates.
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