SECOND DYNASTY:  LUCY KEELE (1967–1983)

Photo to the right (from left to right): Judy Sanders, Lee Phillips, Tracy Bartell, and Lucy Keele

Assistants: Mary Ann Grissom, 1969-1970, Bonnie McCracken 1970-1971, Judy Sanders, 1974-75;  Co-Director: 1975-1979.  Assistant Directors (tenure faculty lines):  Dan Crary, Bob Emry.  Assistant for Individual Events: Guerin Butterworth.

Dr. Lucy Keele brought the program into national prominence.  Lucy Keele joined the CSUF staff in 1967, became Director in 1969 (serving as Assistant to Dr. Grannell the two year priors) and served on the faculty until 1995, resigning forensics duties in 1983. 

Her extraordinary service to the field qualified her for receipt of the NCA Mentor award in 2001, the first year the program was offered.  In her name over $10,000 was raised to support students.  For NCA she Chaired the Finance Committee during the time when the first national office building was purchased.  She served longer than anyone on the Commission on International Discussion and debate and twice accompanied students to Russia and lectured across the old Soviet Union and the new Russia to stimulate interest in the discipline of forensic and communication education.  

Her long-term support of the American Forensic Association including its work for the National Debate Tournament is legendary.  On behalf of this latter group, she served longer than anyone on the Board of Trustees.  On the regional level, she served the Western States Communication Association with a full retinue of offices including service as that organization's youngest President.  Lucy has received many awards and honors including the highest awards (the Distinguished Service Award) in the gift of the Western States Communication Association and of the American Forensic Association.  In her honor, the Keele Award is given annually at the National Debate Tournament to an outstanding forensic educator. 

Judy Sanders held the title of Assistant Director until earning her Master's degree and was then designated Co-Director.  She went to law school at night and went on to marry CSUF Professor of the Year (2004) Rich Wiseman and retired as a professor at Cal. Poly Pomona in the Spring of 2006.  She has retired to Oregon.  Assistant Director Dan Crary later became an Associate Professor at CSUF and is one of the world’s greatest bluegrass guitar players.  Assistant Director Bob Emry became a CSUF Professor and served as chair of the (then) Speech Communication Department.

Dr. Keele currently is a full time trial and communication consultant with her own firm.  She also was a founder and served as a past President of the American Society of Trial consultants.

Under her reign, CSUF received the first-ever first-round in 1971 (John Dolan & Patty Peoples). During this period the current NDT district structure was formulated, and CSUF was one of the seminal programs in the powerful District 1.  Dr. Keele started hosting the high school and college debate tournaments.  For a period of time the high school tournament was the largest in the nation.  Two college tournaments were hosted; one in the fall (now discontinued) and the January tournament (which is now perenially one of the 5 largest in the nation).  Individual Events participants David Cramer was the first-ever Titan to participate in the National Individual Events Tournament in 1980 at Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.  Janice Bailey, an African-American, reached the IE semi-finals in dramatic interpretation.

The program was chronically underfunded; the title of Dr. Keele’s retirement speech in 1983 was “Goodbye to Motel 6 and McDonald’s.”

Alumni from the area have distinguished themselves in many ways.  Patty Peoples served as an Assistant Superintendent of Schools in Fontana, and retired in Spring 2006.  John Dolan has a law practice in Orange County and the Inland Empire.  Terry Giles received, among other awards, the Horatio Alger award (given only by Presidents of the United States), and is one of the most prominent Orange County defense and civil attorneys of all time.  He currently resides in Houston.  John Reinard is a CSUF Professor and competed for Dr. Keele in the 1970s.  Tracy Bartel is an assitant District Attorney in San Bernadino county.  Chuck Lawton, an NDT qualifier, and Guerin Butterworth, an individual events competitor, are both attorneys.  Carols Jaramillo (CEDA debater 1979-1980) is currently the Deputy Director of Community Development for the City of La Habra .

Ken Johnson and attended Freshman Nationals (Northwestern) in Spring 1979. Ken attended Harvard Law and worked in the Civil Rights Enforcement Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. He is currently the section chief in the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Ken is an African-American.

 The 1980 CSUF Freshman Nationals Team of Mark Lawrence and Chuck Purnell both attended law school after graduation. Charles “Chuck” Purnell worked his way up the ranks as JAG Corps attorney and is currently a Comm and er in JAGC, United States Navy. Mark Lawrence (J. Mark Lawrence) attended UC Davis Law and became a deputy district attorney in Oregon; Mark married CSUF Individual Events participant Paula Johnson, and both are currently partners in marriage and at The Lawrence Law Firm in McMinnville, Oregon.

John Millen (CSUF Debate 1978-1979) became ASB President at CSUF in 1980. John went on to a career in public relations that included working for three Fortune 100 companies (Proctor & Gamble, Farmers Insurance and Nationwide Insurance); in 2003, John founded his own firm (Mainstream PR) headquartered in Dublin , OH .

Grad Assistant for Individual Events (1978-1981), Guerin Butterworth, graduated from Southwestern School of Law and became a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County ; Guerin is currently in private practice as a Family Law specialist. Lisa Br and on, an Individual Events competitor, graduated from Southwestern Law and also specializes in family law as founder of Br and on & Yarc LLP in Long Beach .

Thomas M. Moore (1978 & 1980 NDT), graduated from UC Davis Law 1984. In 2007, after a successful career spanning 23 years in complex civil litigation, Tom founded his own law firm Moore Labriola LLP, based in Newport Beach and specializes in complex corporate litigation.

Vicki (Props) Lawhorn,assistant debate coach (1978-1981) obtained a teaching credential from CSULB and became a school teacher in the Fullerton School District where she was recognized as Raymond Elementary School (2005) Teacher of the Year. Vicki obtained a masters degree in educational leadership in 2007 from Pepperdine University . The former Vicki Props married CSUF debater Chuck Lawhorn in 1981.

Chuck Lawhorn, 1980 NDT qualifier, graduated from Loyola Law School and became a Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles County . After leaving the D.A.'s Office in 1992, he worked for 15 years with RIAA (the Recording Industry Association of America ) and became Senior V.P., Anti-Piracy Legal Affairs and Director of Investigations. In 2007, Chuck joined the White Collar Crime/Major Fraud Unit in the Orange County D.A. ’s Office. Chuck asserts as his greatest claim to legend status as a CSUF debater, “I married my debate coach!” Chuck and Vicki reside in Fullerton and recently (2008) celebrated 27 years of marriage.

The squad room was moved from the Performing Arts building to the 5^th floor of the Education Classrooms building, where the then Speech Communication Department was housed in the 1^st, 5^th, and 6^th floors.  Dr. Keele excelled at national-level policy debate and fielded a nationally-competitive individual events program, qualifying for the NFA and AFA-NIET.

CSUF was a leader in diversity.  Dr. Keele was the first-ever female director and had some of the finest female debaters in the activity during a time when males constituted a 90% or more majority.  In fact, Fullerton was the only four-year school with an all-female coaching staff (Vick Props, Lucy Keele, Guerin Butterworth), a point that garnered newspaper attention.  The Latino teams of Carlos Jaramillo & Eddie            competed . 

Coaches Dan Crary and Judy Sanders to the left.

1980 NDT at the University of Arizona: Coach Vicki Props, Chuck Lawhorn, Lucy Keele, Tom Moore, Assistant Guerin Butterworth.

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