Bridges Digital Archive: Audio and Video Recordings

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Document Type

Oral History

Publication Date

4-12-2016

Abstract

Lea Michelle Cash interviews Roger Schmidt, a man with ties in writing, research, and teaching in San Bernardino. Cash briefly mentions that Schmidt wrote Blue and Grey: San Bernardino Valley College Sports, a book that goes over the college’s sports history from 1926 to 2011. Afterward, Schmidt discusses his background. As a young man living in Lincoln, Nebraska, Schmidt was kicked out of high school due to behavioral issues. When his father left for the West, Schmidt was able to graduate from San Bernardino High School. Though he wanted to go to San Bernardino Valley College, it intimidated him, and joined the military and then enrolled in the college after returning. After continuing his studies and leaving the idea of becoming a religious minister, Schmidt taught high school, at The University of Redlands for thirty years, and then at The University of the West. After his teaching career, Schmidt talks about his work in writing. First writing books for colleges regarding religion, Schmidt then wrote the previously mentioned book Blue and Grey: San Bernardino Valley College Sports. After realizing how much sports history the college has, Schmidt created the book with Harry Fry. Among many sports, such as baseball, swimming, football, wrestling, and so on, Schmidt was able to collect a large history surrounding Black athletes. He mentions that for football, over half of the athletes were Black. This also connects to his goal of preserving the history of San Bernardino Valley College’s Black athletes. He then speaks about an inspirational athlete who he admired and wanted to be like, which was Reese “Goose” Tatum of The Harlem Globetrotters. There was also a local athlete, Perry Jeter, who ended up playing for the Chicago Bears. Cash then asks Schmidt about the most inspiring accomplishment from the book, which he says was for athletes to read about themselves and to meet them. The interview ends with Schmidt giving some aspiring words for those who are addicted to writing and want to follow in his footsteps.

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