Butler, Carl L. (1912-1994)
Date Updated
10-5-2019
Department
Management, School of Business
Academic Rank
Professor
Year Retired from SJSU
1978
Educational Background
University of Maryland, Economics, 1957 Ph.D.
Northwestern University, Bus. Adm., 1950 MBA
University of Denver, Bus. Adm., 1949 BSBA
Teaching Experience
San Jose State University, 1957-1978
University of Maryland, 1953-1957
University of Denver, 1950-1953
Administrative and Professional Experience
Bureau of Reclamation, Bonneville Dam, 1930‑1943.
Bureau of Reclamation, Denver, CO, 1946‑1950.
Files
Personal Commentary
This commentary is written by his wife, Margaret N. Butler.
Carl was born in a rural community in Dallas, OR in 1912, the last of five children. His early childhood was spent in the Roseburg, OR area, where he gained a love for classical music, played his clarinet in community orchestras, and graduated from high school. During the 1930s, Carl played his clarinet in the Army Band stationed in Vancouver, WA. When he was released from service, he was employed by the Bureau of Reclamation at Bonneville Dam. In 1943, he was drafted by the Army Air Corps and sent to Denver, CO to attend the Administrative Clerical School, where he met his future wife who was a civilian teacher in the program. In 1944, he attended Officer Candidate School in San Antonio, TX and was discharged as a First Lieutenant in 1946. He was stationed at Lincoln Air Force Base and at Camp McCoy, WS. Upon discharge, he returned to Denver where he was married on March 2, 1947.
From 1946 until 1950, Carl was a full‑time student, working part‑time at the Bureau of Reclamation in Denver. Upon receiving the MBA from Northwestern University in August 1950, he began his teaching career at the University of Denver. In 1957, when the Ph.D. was awarded at the University of Maryland, Carl accepted the position of Assistant Professor at SJSU and retired as full Professor in 1978. During the late 1960s, Carl coordinated the Master's Program in the School of Business when application was made for accreditation through the Association of Collegiate Schools of Business.
Aside from teaching, Carl's great love was music. He played the oboe and English horn in several community bands and orchestras in San Jose and was a supporter of the San Jose and San Francisco symphonies. He was a Deacon in Central Presbyterian Church in Denver and was a member of Stone Church of Willow Glen in San Jose. When we moved to Denver in 1990, he transferred membership to the Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Northglenn, CO.
In July 1990, because of failing health from a long illness with Parkinson's Disease, Carl returned to Denver to live in a life care community, the Villas at Sunny Acres. He was able to participate in campus activities and to share the wit and humor which had always been one of his strengths. After a short illness with aspiration pneumonia, Carl passed away on May 5, 1994, and is buried in Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, CO.
Date Completed: 12/96
Adapted from: Biographies of Retired Faculty San Jose State University 1997: A Project of the Emeritus Faculty Association of San Jose State University. San Jose, CA: The University, 1997.