Gabriella Chikhani
Staff Writer
Steve Sayles, professor emeritus of history, delivered his last lecture Tuesday in the President’s Dining Room, after teaching at the University for 32 years.
Sayles began his lecture by discussing his family’s move to Sacramento in the 1950s and how his parents influenced his life choices much more than he realized growing up.
Sayles received his education at California State University, Chico and was drafted for the Vietnam War.
The professor talked about his upcoming book publication, his relationship with his wife and how she and his colleagues supported him after his stroke.
“I will never forget your help and support,” Sayles said.
A room full of colleagues, family and students listened, cried and laughed as Sayles shared his life stories.
“I cringe over my long hair, grungy clothes, and dramatic attitude during the ‘60s,” Sayles said.
“Our generation might have been wrong on drugs and sex, but right on civil rights and war.”
Sayles had finished his education at Chico State when he left for Vietnam, and he said he hated the war and the draft.
“Being older amongst my comrades in Vietnam made it difficult for me to hate the Vietnamese because of my life experience,” Sayles said.
Sayles returned to school in the 1970s and started teaching at the University in 1982.
“I helped the department transition to a newer faculty during the ‘90s,” he said.
Sayles’ classes were taken over by various professors in the department during the 2014-2015 academic school year while he attended six months of rehabilitation.
“Sayles always told me that history tells the story and it’s up to the interpretation and research to tell the real story,” said senior history major Brian Martinez.
Martinez took several courses like Development of Democracy and American West with Sayles, who was his counselor and at the end of the lecture, asked what his belief was on the California Mystique.
“I think it’s a cultural motif and that people believe that if they fail they can always come to California, as history shows,” Sayles said.
Martinez said he enjoyed when Sayles would encourage the class to decide for themselves what was important in history.
“He used the California Mystique in our lectures to describe a sort of mystical presence and place that was California and how it embodied the westward expansion,” Martinez said.
Sayles is currently working on the publication of his book, “Queen of the Revolution: Patricia Hearst,” which is yet to receive a publication date.
“I think it will be a controversial book,” Sayles said.
His book will utilize FBI reports and interviews, recorded phone conversations, bank robberies, kidnappings and murder.
Now that Sayles has retired, he plans on traveling at home and abroad.
“I hope to visit every state in the union and even take an excursion to Antarctica,” he said.
Sayles participates in group support after suffering from memory and speech problems following his stroke.
“He made it very personal but easy to connect with,” said senior educational studies major, Aubri Huang.
“As someone who wants to be a teacher, I definitely enjoyed it and thought it could be a lecture given in a classroom.”
“You should know who you are and where you came from, but you should not allow that to ruin your time in the present,” Sayles said.
Assistant Professor of Biology, Todd Lorenz will present the next faculty lecture at noon Monday in the President’s Dining Room.
Gabriella Chikhani can be reached at gabriella.chikhani@laverne.edu.
