Boudreau, Joseph Amedée (1934-2023)
Date Updated
7-16-2023
Department
History
Academic Rank
Professor
Year Retired from SJSU
1998
Educational Background
University of California, Los Angeles, History, Ph.D. 1965
University of California, Los Angeles, History, M.A. 1958
University of California, Los Angeles, History, B.A. 1956
Dissertation Title
The Enemy Alien Problem In Canada, 1914-1921
Teaching Experience
San Jose State University, Department of History, 1966-1998
University of Calgary, 1962-1966
University of British Columbia, 1961-1962
Service
San Jose State University Committee Service:
Department of History, College of Social Sciences, University Level, 1966-1998;
Director, Overseas Program, Bath, England, 1990
Selected Publications
Books:
Alberta, Aberhart and Social Credit, Toronto: Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1975
Articles:
“The Medium and the Message of William Aberhart,” The American Review of Canadian Studies,1978, Vol. 8 (1), p. 18-30.
“Social Credit Revisited,” in The Man on the Spot: Essays on British Empire History, Greenwood Press, 1995.
Book Reviews:
Professor Boudreau reviewed over 100 books (English and French), 1964-2009. He was the mainstay reviewer of Canadian history for the major historical journals which included: Canadian Historical Review, American Journal of Canadian Studies, American Historical Review, Journal of American History, and Pacific Historical Review, Alberta Historical Review, and Western Historical Quarterly.
For a more complete and detailed listing of publications see: WorldCat Search, Joseph A. Boudreau:
https://www.worldcat.org/search?q=Boudreau+Joseph+A&author=Boudreau+Joseph+A&limit=10&offset=21
Files
Personal Commentary
To be born in 1934, in the midst of the Great Depression, has had advantages. The birth rate was low and, as my life developed, I had fortuitous opportunities that I might have been denied in another era. I went to a working class high school where I had the good fortune to have courses in Latin and English Literature. Both have been of value when I chose an academic life.
I attended UCLA, both undergraduate and graduate programs…. One of the requirements was a reading knowledge of German and French. The advisor told me that my French “was adequate but not outstanding.” That might be my lifetime motto. As a graduate student (and with a draft deferment) I chose to major in “the history of the British Empire” with a dissertation on an aspect of Canadian history. (Canada was the homeland of both of my parents.)
I was fortunate to have teaching positions in two Canadian universities, a year at the University of British Columbia, followed by four years at the University of Calgary. I was married and, in time, we had three children, a boy and two girls. My wife was from Chicago and did not like cold weather. After five years I had a position at San Jose State University. This was at the time of the Viet Nam War demonstrations and Canada was a popular location for students, for able-bodied young men, avoiding the draft.
We bought a reasonably priced home in south San Jose. My wife earned a doctoral degree in Psychology and established a private practice. My kids went through the local schools. I was a PTA President…, vice president of the local community association, and we travelled in the summer. [Foreign and domestic travel was a lifelong and rewarding enthusiasm.]
Now, I am 85, many of my friends have passed away but life goes on. JAB 2018
Professor Joseph A. Boudreau, our colleague and friend of those wonderful teaching and publishing decades, spent his concluding years under the care of his loving daughters. Those of us who knew him and his work at San Jose State recognized him then and remember him now as steady, reliable, insightful, and engaging. He was a successful classroom teacher and a fine colleague. Through his tenure in the History Department Professor Boudreau extended his command of subject matter well beyond the history of Canada. He also taught the histories of Australia, The United States, England, The UK, and World Military History. Throughout his calling he served his university, his students, and his department splendidly. JPW 7-15-2023