The Morris J. Starsky Papers contain correspondence, lecture notes, research, personal memorabilia, and other materials documenting Starsky's social activism and termination from Arizona State University (1970).
Identification:
MSS-187
Language:
Material in English
Repository:
Arizona State University Library. University Archives P.O. Box 871006 Tempe, AZ 85287-1006 Phone: (480) 965-4932 E-Mail: archives@asu.edu Questions? Ask An Archivist!
Biographical Note
Morris Joseph Starsky was born to David and Rhea Starsky in Rochester, New York on February 1, 1933. He began his long career as an activist in high school, when he demonstrated against the anti-union provisions of the Taft-Hartley Act (1947). Starsky went on to earn his B.A. from the University of Rochester (1955) and his M.A. (1958) and Ph.D. in Philosophy (1967) from the University of Michigan.
Starsky came to Arizona State University as a Professor of Philosophy in 1964, where his activism on behalf of Socialist and anti-war causes soon established him as a brilliant but controversial figure. In June of 1970, the Arizona Board of Regents, acting against the ASU faculty's recommendation, fired him after he dismissed his class so that they could attend an anti-war rally at the University of Arizona in Tucson. Starsky argued that this activity was protected by the First Amendment, but his dismissal was not reversed. The American Association of University Professors censured ASU until 1981, when ASU officials agreed to pay Starsky $25,000 in back pay.
Starsky's dismissal also led to the Socialist Workers Party's $100 million harassment lawsuit against the FBI. During this litigation, Starsky used the 1974 Freedom of Information Act to obtain his FBI file and discovered that the bureau had written a letter to the ASU faculty alleging that Starsky had used "strong-arm tactics" in connection with a representative of a campus socialist group. Although the FBI was found guilty of using illegal surveillance tactics, Starsky failed to prove that the FBI had arranged to have him fired for exercising his First Amendment right to free speech.
After his dismissal, Starsky worked as a visiting lecturer and was eventually hired as the Head of the Philosophy Department at California State University in Domenguéz Hills. His contract, however, was terminated nine days before the start of classes, and he worked as a legal researcher in Chicago and Los Angeles before settling in Cleveland, Ohio. Starsky taught part time at Cleveland State University and worked full time at a steel mill until his declining health forced him to stop working and live on Social Security disability payments in 1978. The family relocated to Cincinnati in 1979. Starsky's benefits were cancelled in 1981 and his wife supported the family with her wages from her job on General Electric Co.'s assembly line. Morris J. Starsky died in Cincinnati on January 20, 1989. He was survived by his wife, Lorraine (Sockaci) Starsky, and sons Jacob Benjamin and Samuel Elliott.
Scope and Content Note
The Morris J. Starsky Papers contain correspondence, lecture notes, research, personal memorabilia, and other materials documenting Starsky's social activism and termination from Arizona State University (1970).
Series I: Academic and Teaching houses lecture notes and research showing Starsky's career as a Professor of Philosophy.
Series II: Activism contains correspondence, news articles, and other materials documenting Starsky's involvement with and/or interest in various social causes, including a fight for ballot access in Ohio, the anti-Vietnam war movement, and the Political Rights Defense Fund.
Series III: ASU Termination Controversy includes correspondence and news articles showing the Arizona Board of Regents' decision to dismiss Starsky from his position as a Professor of Philosophy at ASU in 1970.
Series IV: Biographical Materials houses correspondence, diplomas, obituaries, and yearbooks documenting Morris Starsky's family and personal life.
Arrangement
This collection consists of eight boxes divided into four series:
To view this collection, make an appointment at least five business days prior to your visit by contacting Ask an Archivist or calling (480) 965-4932. Appointments in the Wurzburger Reading Room at Hayden Library (rm. 138) on the Tempe campus are available Monday through Friday. Check the ASU Library Hours page for current availability.
Copyright
The Arizona Board of Regents retains copyright to this collection for and on behalf of the Arizona State University Library. Requests to publish, display, or redistribute information from this collection must be submitted via our online application.
Archival materials concerning Morris Starsky and his dismissal from the faculty of Arizona State University include:
Academic Freedom and Tenure Committee Records. 2 Boxes; .75 linear feet (Accession #1994-01253). This accession is closed to public inspection in accordance with ABOR 6-912.
Office of the President Records. Newburn. 2 Boxes; 3.30 linear feet (Accession #1994-01252). This accession is closed to public inspection in accordance with ABOR 6-912.
Office of the President Records. Nelson. 1 Folder; .05 linear feet (Accession #1990-00384).
Office of the Provost Records. Faculty Personnel Files: Starsky, Morris. 1 Folder; .05 linear feet. This accession is closed to public inspection in accordance with ABOR 6-912.
Nicholas Salerno Papers. 1 Folder; .05 linear feet (Accession #1993-00721).
Robert E. Shafer Papers. 1 Box; .50 linear feet (Accession #1991-00518)
Roy Rice Interview, Founding Deans Oral History Project, 1988 (Call #UO OH RIC,ROY)
