Before arriving to this summer’s CSPA Workshop I had already browsed through their website and read some stuff on their “History” page. It was cool reading about how William Randolph Hearst (Yes, the William Randolph Hearst) helped start the workshop because he enlisted a staff reporter to recruit a bunch of high school boys to cover sports.
The website talked a lot about Ralph and Millie Alexander, a couple devoted to journalism and to molding better men and women.
If you’re reading this, you probably are already familiar with Ralph and Millie, but I’ll break it down. After successfully teaching the kids sportswriting skills through hard deadlines and Ralph’s grouchy disposition, a journalism workshop began at Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo in the summer of 1951. What was meant to be a one-time program just celebrated its 60th birthday today, with CSPA graduates from as far back as the early ’60s in attendance.
Although Ralph and Millie both died in 1981, their work and legacy has been carried on by a group of great instructors.
CSPA Hall of Famers (clockwise from top left): Stan Harvey, Larry Welborn, Gil Chesterton, Art Aguilar, Jay Berman and Stan Kelton.
Larry, Stan, Steve, Art and many others constantly told stories about their days with Ralph and never stopped singing the couple’s praises. The appreciation they had for Ralph was immense; they all told us about how every good step in their careers could be traced to Ralph helping them out.
I thought I understood how much of an influence Ralph and Millie had on these people, but it wasn’t until today’s 60th anniversary party that I truly realized their personal impact, and the impact that the CSPA Workshop has had on people.
Person after person came up, some with anecdotes, others just expressing their gratitude for the program that Ralph and Millie started 60 years ago.
Despite bombing the interview, Steve got a scholarship to USC based on Ralph’s recommendation. Larry’s son, Zeb, talked about how he wouldn’t be alive without the workshop (his parents first met at CSPA) and how attending the workshop helped him overcome his shyness around girls. And, even though it was the night before, no one will every forget Stan’s excitement at pointing out Ralph’s cameo in The Godfather: Part II.
Even though I never got to meet Ralph and Millie, I feel lucky to be around people who carry on his torch today.