Categories
Libertarianism

Freedom School. First Newsletter. January, 1964

Robert LeFevre’s Freedom School in the late 1950’s through the 1960’s offered two kinds of libertarian agit-prop courses at its log-cabin campus located in the Rampart Range of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado: a two week comprehensive course and shorter intensive courses designed for business executives interested in the fundamentals of libertarian philosophy, politics, and economics. The 1962 Prospectus for the Freedom School was posted earlier.

An academic upgrade was introduced for the 1963-64 academic year, named the Phrontistery [“a thinking place”]. The goal was to have a two semester course organized around a series of invited distinguished lecturers that included Ludwig von Mises, Milton Friedman, Gordon Tullock, and Warren Nutter.

Fun fact: the main house of Milton and Rose Friedman’s “Capitaf” was designed using the plans for the hexagonal Falcon’s Lair building at the Freedom School provided to them by Robert LeFevre.

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The Freedom School is an educational institution offering short courses of instruction in the field of economics, philosophy, ethics, history and political science. Special sessions each year are reserved for executives and those making managerial decisions in business and the professions. Eight two-week comprehensive courses are offered to adults each summer from June through September. Special Workshop and library facilities are available for graduates.

                  Write for informational folder.

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To Our Readers…

With this issue of the Newsletter, the Freedom School initiates a new monthly publication, designed to keep you informed on news of the Freedom School. It will bring you information about additions to the staff, faculty and trustees, as well as plans for the progress of the School — in its summer sessions and in its development of Rampart College.

The Newsletter will give you information on our graduates  – what they are doing and how they are communicating the philosophy of freedom.

This publication is for you  – we want you to read it, we want it to be interesting to you and, therefore, we want to hear about it from you. We want to know what interests YOU particularly, what features we can incorporate into the Newsletter that will give you and the School an instrument of mutual communication.

Please don’t hesitate – give us your opinion of the Newsletter: good, bad or indifferent.

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Texas Biochemist Discusses “Equality

Professor Roger J. Williams

No man is the equal of any other man in the view of a leading biochemist from the University of Texas who spoke at the Freedom School Phrontistery last November.

He is Dr. Roger J. Williams, who has been the director of the Clayton Foundation Biochemical Institute at the University since 1941.

The professor has spent a life-time studying, teaching and researching bio-chemistry, and has pioneered in thought and research on the human side of the problem.

In his studies, the professor has concluded that biochemically and every other way every human is different, even though all may look alike superficially. He explained in his lectures how each person is different anatomically, neurologically, endocrinologically, biochemically, and psychologically.

The professor has been a trail-blazer in his field, and is the discoverer of pantothenic acid (one of the B vitamins) which is required in the machinery of all oxygen-using organisms.

He also did pioneer work on folic acid, and named it. It is another B vitamin that is used in the treatment of anemias. At the Clayton Institute, more vitamins have been discovered than in any other laboratory in the world.

The professor was the first biochemist to be elected president of the American Chemical Society, which now has about 100,000 members, and has received the Mead Johnson award of the American Institute of Nutrition.

Williams is a firm believer in the individuality of each person and his belief is backed up with facts acquired during his long career in biochemistry.

He is a living example of his own theory, having a great interest in literature as well as in his chosen field of study, and he maintains a parallel interest in people. Williams is the kind of man who can say with a twinkle in his eye, “The proof of the pudding is in the eating and in the subsequent metabolic effects,” and mean what he says.

A little key to what the professor is talking about is found in his book, “Nutrition in a Nutshell”, which tells a reader more about his own nutritional problems than he probably knew before — facts he ought to know — and he does it in words that we can understand. In the book Williams points out that each individual has his own nutritional problems.

Two other books by Williams may be time bombs planted in the field of social sciences. They are “The Human Frontier” and “Free and Unequal”, which discusses the biological basis of individual liberty.

What Williams has learned in a life-time of study and reflection about people and each man’s individuality was discussed by him under the theme, “The basis of our love of liberty is biological.”

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Tullock Tells of New Approach to Politico-Economic Study

Professor Gordon Tullock

Dr. Gordon Tullock, associate professor, Thomas Jefferson Center for Studies in Political Economy, University of Virginia, was the second visiting professor to lecture at the Freedom School Phrontistery.

The professor is one of a small group of men in America, numbering about 30, who set about studying political science in a different way.

“We are trying to apply a logical, scientific approach to the political phenomena in an effort to improve our knowledge of politics,” is the way Tullock explains why these few are interested in approaching the study of politics from an unconventional view.

He passed on some of his theories on that subject to Freedom School Phrontistery enrollees in his two series of lectures last November. The two topics were, “Property Institutions” and “Modern Political Theory”.

In the new approach to political science, Tullock attempted to apply the classic economic theories to politics. He hastened to point out that he and fellow theorists are not another group of economic determinists.

Rather, he explained, he and his confreres are applying economics to the study of politics as the pioneer political geographers applied geography to the study of politics.

Tullock added that the studies have no particular relevance to the specific political activities that are going on now and will increase later this year.

“Some people think that a professor of economics ought to be able to make a fortune in the stock market, but this is not necessarily so. That is the case with us. We are studying politics, but are not necessarily able to make predictions on any campaign,” Tullock said.

Tullock was graduated from the University of Chicago in 1947 with a degree in law, after having earned his bachelor’s degree there during prior study.

Shortly after his graduation he went to work in a law office in Chicago, and was given a chance to enter foreign service. In 1948 he was on duty in Tientsin, China. He was there for two years, including a year under the communists. He also served in Hong Kong and Korea and did post-doctoral studies in Chinese at Yale and Cornell Universities before he resigned from the service in 1955 to enter the academic world.

He now claims to have found the field of study which intrigues him most. He says there is plenty to keep him busy in his area of economics-political science.

Tullock knows there is lots of hard work ahead. “I’m an optimist and a crusader,” he explained. He and his fellow students in the field intend to push toward their goals as far as they can in one generation.

“We have a genuine theory of politics. We think ours is a more sensible view of politics,” he explained. The immediate goal of his studies is to learn more about how politics works and to determine these facts through scientific investigation.

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Freedom School Growth Measured
in Land, Construction, Students

During the calendar year 1963, the Freedom School’s growth has been such as to amaze the early graduates of the School. In March, 206 acres of rolling meadow-land were added to the 320 acres that originally comprised the campus. This land adjoins the eastern boundaries of the School, and provides a mile of road frontage along Perry Park Road, Colorado Highway 105. This land will probably play a major role in the location and development of Rampart College.

Also in 1963 a new building was completed. Although construction was started in the fall of 1962, the building was not ready for occupancy until February. The major part of this building (called Falcon Lair) is hexagonal in shape, built of logs, and the focal point is a huge hexagonal stone fireplace in the center of a large room which serves as a combination living room-lounge, in which students can relax and where informal entertainment and discussion take place.

Also within the “hex” is a modern kitchen and other facilities. Attached to the “hex” and also built of logs is a rectangular building containing living accommodations for the president and his wife. A wide, open porch extends from the north and east sides of the building.

Other improvements include a general remodeling of Falconwood Lodge, the main building which housed the first classroom and the kitchen and dining room. The kitchen has been doubled in size — with commercial equipment added, making it possible to maintain the same high standard of food preparation and service the School has featured. The new, modern, attractive and comfortable dining room, which can seat 50, has new tables, chairs and lighting.

Below the dining room, the “Bunkhouse” which has, during the life of the School, served as student quarters and office space, is now a recreation room for students. Soft drink, coffee and hot chocolate machines have been added, along with a “Skittles” game and a regulation size pool table, making it a convenient place for students to relax and play various games.

Carpeting has been added to the living quarters in Reno Sales Lodge and to the two cabins that house four students each — Deer Haven and Tall Pines — resulting in more comfortable quarters for students.

The growth of the School can also be measured in the increased number of students who have been graduated each year. During the first year of operation, 26 students were graduated. That number has increased yearly and during the summer season of 1963, 143 students were graduated from Freedom School.

In addition, three special sessions (a workshop and two three-day seminars) were held, with a total enrollment of 44 persons. Inquiries for 1964 courses were received months before the new 1964 Bulletin was in the mails.

View of fireplace in Falcon Lair. The hexagonal stone fireplace, focal point of the 1469-square-foot main room, weighs 23 tons, seven tons of which is the stone facing, and is 14 feet tall. The striking hexagonal wrought-iron chandelier was a gift of Freedom School graduate Brian Monahan.

[Note: Substituted this better image from the Rampart College Bulletin, 1966.]

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F.S. CALENDAR [1964]

Jan. 13 – 17: Prof. Ludwig von Mises, speaking on:
1) Determination of Prices of the Factors of Production;
2) Savings and Accumulation of Capital;
3) Profit and Loss.

Jan. 27 – 31: Prof. Sylvester Petro, speaking on:
1) Freedom, Competition and Property as Juridical Concepts;
2) the Monopoly Issue at Common Law and Under Interventionism;
3) Freedom and Trade Unionism.

Feb. 10 – 14: Dr. F. A. Harper, speaking on the Philosophical Aspects of Peace.

 These lectures will take place from 9 a.m. until noon, with discussion from

2 to 5 p.m. on each of the dates specified. Anyone interested in attending any of these meetings may do so by applying to the Registrar of the Freedom School.

Information will be sent upon request.

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Hamowy Wins Oxford Grant

Ronald Hamowy, graduate of the Freedom School (1962) and author of the Phrontistery Organizational Plan, is the recipient of a two-year fellowship to Oxford.

Hamowy’s association with the Freedom School began in the summer of 1962 when his services were obtained to prepare the outline and to project the operation of the Phrontistery. The Organizational Plan was the result of much study and with on modest modification is the working format presently employed. Hamowy also made the recommendations for enrollees and guest lecturers, but was required to depart for England and his studies at Oxford a few weeks before the Phrontistery program.

During much of the time he was preparing the outline and interviewing prospective students, Hamowy was conducting research at the University of Paris.

He is a graduate of City College of New York (1960), is a candidate for doctorate in social thought under F. A. von Hayek at the University of Chicago, and now Earhart Fellow at Balliol College, Oxford.

During his two-year fellowship, Hamowy plans on making frequent trips to the United States, and hopes to visit the Phrontistery early in the year.

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Phrontistery Under Way

Phrontistery enrollees are (seated): Dale M. Haywood, Michael F. Helm, Peter C. Blake, Kameon Kimball, Leanna Koehn, Eduardo Helguera, R. Douglas Pinkney; (standing) Juan Manzano-Taylor, Calvin Byles, Jerry Woloz, William A. Colson, Robert E. Gaskins, Jr., David S. Jackman III, R. James Graser, Charles M. McGehee, Charles F. Adams, Hollis B. Danvers, Burl B. Bigelow, and Juan Larreta.

[ Note: This clearer image has been substituted from a Colorado Public Radio podcast episode “Liberty’s Pitchman, Robert LeFevre: The Freedom School” ]

Dean of the Freedom School Phrontistery is Dr. V. Orval Watts, who for 17 years has been a college instructor and professor of economics. Dr. Watts has taught at Clark University, Harvard University, Antioch College, Carleton College, Claremont Men’s College and the Freedom School. Most recently he served as Visiting Professor of Money and Banking at Pepperdine College, California. He received his B.A. from the University of Manitoba and his M.A. and Ph.D. from Harvard University. In conjunction with his duties at the Freedom School, Dr. Watts is Director of Economic Education for Northwood Institute in Midland, Michigan.

Dr. V. Orval Watts

Dr. Watts is a charter member of the Mont Pelerin Society and a member of the Economists’ National Committee on Monetary Policy, and has been economic counsel for the Los Angeles Chamber of Commerce, the Foundation for Economic Education, and business and industrial institutions in Southern California, as well as producer and moderator of radio and television forums. His experience and talents make him a valuable asset to the Phrontistery.

Assisting Dr. Watts is Robert J. Smith, assistant dean of the Phrontistery. Smith is a Freedom School graduate (1958) and received his B.S. from Stanford University. During the summer of 1959 he managed the Stanford Geological Survey, later joining the Foundation for Economic Education as a part time staff member. He was recently a William Volker Fellow in economics at New York University, and is working toward his master’s degree in Business Administration under Professor Ludwig von Mises.

                  Participating in the Phrontistery are 19 students, 16 of whom are Freedom School graduates, listed below:

Charles F. Adams, Denver, Colo., University of Colorado; Burl B. Bigelow, Denver, Colo., Western State College; Peter C. Blake, Weslaco, Tex., Yale University, University of Colorado; Calvin Byles, New Braunfels, Tex., Texas University; William A. Colson, Bellevue, Wash., San Jose City College, Calif.; Hollis B. Danvers, Houston, Tex., Southern Methodist University; Robert E. Gaskins, Jr., Encino, Calif., Summerfield Scholar, University of Kansas; R. James Graser, Oconomowoc, Wis., Beloit College, University of Wisconsin; Dale M. Haywood, Arcadia, Neb., University of Nebraska, New York University; Eduardo Helguera, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Universidad de Buenos Aires; David S. Jackman III, Wichita, Kans., University of Kansas; Kameon Kimball, Waterville, Wash., University of Washington; Leanna Koehn, Dodge City, Kans., University of Kansas; Juan Manzano-Taylor, Rizal, P.I., University of the Philippines; Charles M. McGehee, El Paso, Tex., Texas Western College; and R. Douglas Pinkney, Willoughby, O., Grove City College, Pa.

Students who had not attended the Freedom School prior to the Phrontistery are: Michael F. Helm, Reseda, Calif., San Fernando Valley State College, Calif.; Juan R. Larreta, Buenos Aires, Argentina, Universidad de Buenos Aires; and Jerry Woloz, Brooklyn, N.Y., San Fernando Valley State College, Calif.

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Many Thanks

The Freedom School wishes to express its sincere gratitude to the following graduates for their recent contributions to the School (September through November, 1963).

$1,000 and above:

R. C. Hoiles
Mr. and Mrs. R. D. Threshie, Jr.

$100 and above:

Mrs. Mabelle Acorn
Robert E. Ahern
Russell E. Baetke
Mr. and Mrs. Albert Bassett
Burton Bergman
Mrs. May Bowman
Henry B. Herreid
Roland W. Holmes
Mr. and Mrs. Ned W. Kimball
Mrs. Mary H. Vincent

Up to $100:

Miss Susan M. Breck
Mr. and Mrs. George A. Brightwell, Jr.
Mr. and Mrs. Axtell Byles
Floyd E. Camp
Mr. and Mrs. Wayne T. Carroll
Mrs. Patricia F. Cornell
Miss Carol E. Dazey
Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Estes
Miss Margaret Harkness
Russell Johnson
Mrs. Marjorie Lawrence
Mr. and Mrs. J. Dohn Lewis
Dr. Ruth S. Maynard
Brian J. Monahan
Mr. and Mrs. Jonathan Pavey
James Pessagno
John V. Peters
Cecil Quinn
Mr. and Mrs. John L. Russell
Butler D. Shaffer
Mrs. Katharine W. Spaulding
Leonard A. Talbot
Herman A. Tessmann
Joseph M. White, Jr.
Mrs. Louise Young

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“Freedom and liberty always refer to interhuman relations. A man is free as far as he can live and get on without being at the mercy of arbitrary decisions on the part of other people.” —

Ludwig von Mises, “The Individual in Society”,
Essays on Liberty, 1952.

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The Freedom School
NEWSLETTER

NAN CORBY
Editor

J. DOHN LEWIS
Director of Publications

Published on the 15th of each month.
Third class postage paid at Colorado Springs, Colorado.
Mailed to those interested in education for liberty.

Published by
Pine Tree Press
for The Freedom School, Inc.
Box 165
Colorado Springs, Colorado

Source: HenryHazlittarchives (Beta). Series>Henry Hazlitt Articles>LeFevere’s [sic] Journal 1964-1974.

Categories
Libertarianism Philosophy Popular Economics Wing Nuts

Freedom School. Summer Prospectus. Robert LeFevre, 1962

We step outside the bounds of conventional economics education in this post to enter the intensive boot-camp for libertarians established in 1957 by Robert LeFevre in Colorado Springs. Economics in the Rear-view Mirror’s latest artefact is the 1962 Prospectus for the Freedom School transcribed below.

Like many prophets of new religions, Lefevre brought definite charismatic talent along with a checkered past to his job as entrepreneurial educator. 

In the libertarian encyclopedia article about LeFevre, an observer-participant of the movement (Brian Doherty, the leading historian of Libertarianism in the United States) wrote:

“LeFevre worked as an actor, radio broadcaster, door-to-door salesman, real estate speculator and manager, TV newsman, and assistant to a pair of charismatic American cult leaders in a religious movement known as the Mighty “I AM.”

A definitely non-libertarian journalist expands on “assistant to a pair of charismatic American cult leaders” as follows:

In 1940, LeFevre published his first book, I AM: America’s Destiny, claiming that he had once driven his car for twenty minutes with his eyes shut while his soul cavorted with Saint Germain somewhere over California’s Lake Shasta. “Now, as I watched, and listened, Saint Germain talked to me. He was real! The world I lived in was unreal. He was the true reality.”
LeFevre quickly discovered how popular he became by claiming this power. Women made themselves available; crowds would gather in apartments to hear his “dictations” from the spirit of Saint Germain. One married woman he lusted after invited LeFevre to live with her and her husband in their San Francisco penthouse, causing her husband to drink himself almost to death.
It’s hard to tell if LeFevre genuinely anguished over his con job; in his memoirs, his language suggests that more than anything, he feared being found out:
“…What if I suddenly announced to all these good people that the whole thing was a sham? I was tempted to do it.”
“Was I guilty of fraud? Had I (subliminally) perhaps been engaged in some monstrous pretense?”
LeFevre’s stint as cult leader was short-lived. In late 1940, the FBI indicted him and 23 other top “I AM” figures with felony mail fraud. LeFevre immediately turned states’ witness, and charges against him were dropped, while Edna Ballard [note: she was the Tammy Faye Bakker of the I AM cult] and her son were sentenced to prison.

Source: Mark Ames, “Meet Charles Koch’s Brain.”

In a future post we will examine Charles Koch’s personal link to LeFevre’s Freedom School as well as some of the economist friends of the Freedom School.

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1962 Prospectus
The Freedom School

A Call to Introspection
and Thoughtful Appraisal

Today a whole series of concepts alien to the American ideal of 1776 has become acceptable to a great number of American people.

American business finds its back to the wall, confronted by outrageously high taxes, by regulations which impair its ability to operate and, additionally, by union organizers who not only force wages to rise in a manner disassociated with production but who are now usurping the functions of management in the field of hiring and firing. Without deep and thoughtful study of the economic and moral principles underlying a free market, today’s executive is ill-equipped to withstand union and government interventions.

American workers, caught in a vise between mounting taxes and soaring prices, and conditioned by various public media of education and communications, find themselves individually confronted with what appear to be only two possible alternatives: submit to unionism, or face unemployment and economic strangulation.

American students seeking to acquire an education are confronted with compulsion, illogic and ineptitude. Those who express a love and devotion to the ideas and ideals of the American founders are scorned, and admonished to forget “old-fashioned notions” about the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. They are advised that capitalism is outmoded, that private ownership of the means of production and distribution is out-dated and improper, and that a brave new world awaits them if they will conform to governmental intrusion in their lives, submit to authority at every level and try always to keep in mind that Society has become responsible for everything and everybody.

In a climate sired by big government, enormous taxes, legal intrusions, union violence, the threat of war, inflation and educational paucity. the individual must equip himself with the proper means of combatting false ideas and of standing firm in a sea of confusion. Only YOU can decide where you will stand in the ideological warfare of freedom vs. slavery.

This is a call to all Americans who are in rebellion against the foregoing evils and who wish to discover practical ways and means of meeting the challenge to their businesses and industries. to their families, their jobs and their property, and to their own intellectual integrity.

Robert LeFevre

The Freedom School

In poetic harmony with the setting of tall Douglas firs, the buildings comprising the Freedom School reflect in craftsmanship and rough-hewn simplicity the philosophy of individualism. The American tradition is articulated by the log facades on the buildings.

In such an harmonious setting away from jangle and tension, without the pressures caused by appointments, and undistracted by ordinary routine affairs, rigorous study can be pursued. Reflection and intellectual exploration in the field of human action can best be achieved in a tranquil atmosphere.

The student is encouraged to enter classroom discussions to probe human action philosophically, historically, economically, politically, ethically and morally.

He will sweep back through history examining the bright stars of freedom illuminating the course of human progress. The student will awaken to what governments can and cannot do; to the full impact of the merit of private ownership of property and its relationship to liberty.

The student will discover that there is no conflict between the highest moral beliefs and sound economic understanding.

The student is encouraged to seek self-improvement and his own excellence is pointed out as more important than the needs of societal groups.

He will find that all of these ideas, and more, are encompassed in a modern, intelligent philosophy of individualism, which rests its case on the natural, functional, rights of man.

Classwork convenes daily at 1:00 p.m. and continues until 5:00 p.m. when the student has a free hour before dinner, after which he returns to evening class. Evening class starts at 7:00 p.m, and concludes at 9:00 p.m. The student will discover that the pure mountain air, the brisk atmosphere, the rigorous use of his mental faculties encourage an early retiring.

Breakfast is served at 7:30 a.m. after which the student is free to go horseback riding, hiking, or to relax on one of the verandas and enjoy the vista of nature spread before him. There is available a fine libertarian library in which the student may sit in comfortable chairs and enter into lively discussion with his classmates. Superior reference material is close at hand. Each student’s quarters is equipped with a comfortable and well lighted study table. Books may be removed from the library for the student’s personal use.

Weather permitting, luncheon is held out-of-doors. The famous Sunday morning barbecue breakfast is held outdoors in a wooded glen.

Meals are served informally in the western tradition of hearty food. Most students have proclaimed the cuisine to be among the finest. Mrs. Loy LeFevre, who manages the school’s kitchen, has been urged by students to publish a cookbook comprised of the many savory recipes served at the Freedom School

Many days of sunshine each year provide excellent lighting for camera fans. Some of the pictures which appear in the Freedom School publications were taken by students.

At the Freedom School you will sleep better, eat better, think better, and feel better as you examine each facet of individualism.

            One of the most telling statements pointing out a problem present in our country was volunteered by a Freedom School student: “I graduated from an American high school, I’m attending an American university, and I must ask the question: Why is it that I must travel 1100 miles to learn the facts that I have found at the Freedom School?”

Other graduates of the School described their experiences thusly:

*          *          *

“Before going to the Freedom School I considered myself a staunch supporter of liberty, but after experiencing the exchange of ideas that transpires there I discovered untenable taints of socialism remaining in me. These I have now discarded.”

Engineer, Northwest

*          *          *

“Your teachings opened up hitherto neglected directions in my thinking. I had been unknowingly utilizing methods of combating the activities of those who would destroy freedom which methods in themselves aided rather than opposed these activities.”

Former state legislator,
Southeast

*          *          *

“In our class without exception it was agreed that none of us had ever taken a course so thorough and dynamic, so enlightening as this one. We received inspiration and knowledge in the two weeks that would normally not be found in a quarter century. The professor from Milwaukee stated that it was more than a semester of college work so far as study goes.”

Businesswoman, Southwest

*          *          *

“It has provided me with the strongest philosophical underpinning that I have ever experienced. Since returning. I have had much more confidence in my politico-economic discussions and arguments.”

Graduate student, East

*          *          *

“The greatest intellectual challenge I ever encountered.”

Business executive — attorney,
Midwest

Comprehensive Course

This is an intensive, hard-hitting course of general instruction which is useful to any American of mature outlook who wishes to explore and discuss some of the basic questions of our time. The banalities of socialism are exposed. Our heritage of individual liberty and the philosophy of freedom and free enterprise are openly discussed. This course is particularly useful for instructors, ministers, editors, commentators, columnists — concerned with the dissemination of ideas. It is also well adapted for the businessman or for serious-minded students generally.

The Comprehensive Course is open to men and women, regardless of present academic rating, who are willing to work and apply themselves in a pursuit of philosophic and economic truths.

The 1961 Annual available upon request (limited supply).

Explorations in Human Action
(for Executives)

This is a special and definitive course of instruction reserved for executives only.

Executives may bring their wives if they choose; however, wives are excluded from class discussion, tho they may sit in as observers.

The instruction in this two-week period will place special emphasis upon economic problems to be found in today’s business and industrial operations.

Write for illustrated booklet. Do it today. Space is limited and only a few carefully selected executives are chosen each year.

This course is more intensive than the Comprehensive Course and is particularly adapted to the executive who is somewhat familiar with management and labor relations problems.

Explorations in Human Action brochure available upon request.

Workshop

One session is scheduled during 1962 for the accommodation of graduates, instructors in the libertarian philosophy, economists, philosophers, and others, so that they can meet in the atmosphere of the school for the purpose of discussion, sharing ideas in depth and the presentation of papers on a selected topic.

This four-day session will feature a number of the nation’s outstanding leaders in libertarian thought. They will be on hand to confer with students or guests, and to lecture on various phases of the understanding of liberty and economics. Their names will be announced later.

The topic will be: “Are Labor Unions Necessary?”

Graduates wishing to enroll in the Workshop are urged to prepare a formal paper on any phase of the labor union topic and may take any position they wish. A prize in the sum of $100 will be awarded for the best paper, plus a refund of tuition.

Graduates wishing to enroll without making a formal presentation may do so, altho they will not be eligible for the competition. Only graduates of the Comprehensive Course may compete.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for the Comprehensive Course under three plans.

  1. Full scholarships are available on the basis of a competitive examination. These examinations will be mailed from the Freedom School upon request beginning January 15. All competitive examinations will be judged the week of April 1, 1962, and awards announced thereafter. Winners will receive full tuition for any Comprehensive Course they select, tuition covering all room and board, books, instruction, recreation, and so on.
  2. Full scholarships may also be obtained AFTER April 15, 1962, by application to the Board of Directors of the Freedom School. These scholarships will be awarded on the basis of sincerity and personal worth of application when financial need is demonstrated. In a limited number of cases, outright awards will be made. In other cases, a student loan fund can be utilized with the student agreeing to return funds borrowed without interest.
  3. Partial scholarships may sometimes be obtained by any student who is willing to pay a part of his tuition himself.

Full-tuition scholarships will be presented to 1962 winners of the Freedom School competitive examinations from

The Arthur M. Hyde Foundation
The Rose Wilder Lane Scholarship Fund
The Campaign for the 48 States
The Spruille Braden Scholarship Fund
The Freedom School Alumni Scholarship Fund
and from other interested groups and individuals.

Local committees, such as the Sacramento (Calif.) Freedom School Scholarship Committee, will select candidates and present full-tuition scholarships to their winners.

NOTE: The school does not provide scholarships for either the Workshop or the Explorations in Human Action courses.

1962 Schedule

All courses of instruction at the Freedom School take two weeks. A minimum of six hours per day is spent in classroom work. Customarily, mornings are devoted to study, recreation and free time. Classroom sessions occur in the afternoon and evening.

Here is the schedule of all classes for the 1962 season:

May 20 – June 2 incl. Explorations in Human Action
(for Executives)
June 3 – 16 incl. Comprehensive
June 17 – 30 incl. Comprehensive
July 1 – 14 incl. Comprehensive
July 15 – 28 incl. Comprehensive
July 31 – August 3 incl. Workshop*
August 5 – 18 incl. Comprehensive
August 19 – Sept. 1 incl. Comprehensive
Sept. 2 – 15 incl. Comprehensive
Sept. 16 – 29 incl. Comprehensive
Sept. 30 – Oct. 13 incl. Explorations in Human Action
(for Executives)
(Graduates and top-flight teachers and students only)

Pre-season or post-season courses can be arranged for special groups who wish to obtain exclusive use of the school for a stated period with instruction tailored to any particular business or industrial problem. Write for information.

Instructors
Associate instructors who have served at Freedom School:

R. W. Holmes
Design engineer, Boeing Aircraft, Seattle, Washington

Frank Chodorov
Editor, author, New York City, N.Y.

Elgie C. Marcks
Professor of economics, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee

V. Orval Watts, Ph.D.
Economist, author, Altadena, California

Oscar W. Cooley
Professor of economics, Ohio Northern University, Ada, Ohio

Ruth Alexander, Ph.D.
Nationally syndicated columnist, New Canaan, New York

James L. Doenges, M.D.
Surgeon; past president, Association of American Physicians & Surgeons, Anderson, Indiana

Ruth S. Maynard, Ph.D.
Professor of economics, Lake Erie Women’s College, Painesville, Ohio

Leonard E. Read
Founder-president, Foundation for Economic Education, Irvington-on-Hudson, New York

Rose Wilder Lane
Author, journalist, Danbury, Connecticut

F. A. Harper, Ph.D.
Economist, author, Burlingame, California

Salvatore Saladino, Ph.D.
Professor of history, Queens College, Flushing, New York

Wm. J. Grede
President and chairman of the board, J. I. Case Co., Racine, Wis.; past president, National Association of Manufacturers; chairman of the board, Grede Foundries

Wm. A. Paton, Ph.D.
Economist, professor of accounting, School of Business Administration, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Chas. E. Stenicka, III
Labor relations consultant, Midwest Employers Council, Lincoln, Nebraska

Transportation

Make your travel arrangements to come to Colorado Springs. It is serviced by leading airlines, bus and train companies. The school management will not guarantee to pick up students at any other destination.

You will be expected to be waiting at the Antlers Hotel in downtown Colorado Springs by 5 p.m. on the Sunday before your course begins. The school station wagon will pick you up from the lobby. You’ll be returned to the lobby of the Antlers Hotel on the Saturday following the conclusion of the course.

On your drive to the school (about 27 miles) you’ll glimpse the colorful rugged Colorado countryside, with Pikes Peak towering off to your left.

After registering, a delicious dinner with your fellow students will introduce you to life at the school, with your first night’s sleep in the pine-scented foothills of the Rocky Mountains.

Meals

All meals are served buffet style. With the exception of the Sunday morning picnic, breakfast and dinner are eaten in the school dining room. Weather permitting, luncheon is eaten out-of-door at the tables adjacent to the kitchen.

Top-right: Following one week of intensive study, weather permitting, a barbecue breakfast is held Sunday at 8:30 a.m. in a wooded glen.
Lower-left: In the foreground is Thunderbird residence cabin, which is duplicated by Falcon cabin (not shown). The building in the upper right portion of the photograph is the dining room. Adjacent to the dining room is the school’s library.

Clothes

There will be no formal functions requiring “dressing up.” On nights when “open house” is held, ordinary street wear is appropriate. Otherwise, comfortable western clothes are preferable. Students who like horseback riding are encouraged to bring at least one pair of jeans. Sturdy shoes which give support to ankles are necessary if you are interested in either riding or hiking.

Resort wear is in keeping for recreational activities. For class, sport shirts and cotton dresses are suitable, with slacks and sweaters for cooler evenings. Clothes should be warm and serviceable. The elevation of the school is at 7,000 feet in the foothills of the Rockies. Days are warm but evenings are always cool.

Accommodations

The Freedom School is placed in a remote setting of woodland beauty. Accommodations are delightful and fully modern. Buildings are finished in natural logs to provide an atmosphere of early American simplicity. Most rooms accommodate from two to four students. There are ample porches, desks and chairs for study or relaxation.

Recreation

The school owns a small string of fine saddle horses which the students may ride during the morning hours. On the property are many fine hiking trails. There is a badminton court, a volleyball court and an archery range. All equipment is furnished by the school.

Library

In the school library is a fine collection of books on libertarian philosophy.

Included is a wide selection of titles on political science, history. biography, economics, philosophy and kindred subjects.

Philosophy

The Freedom School provides an intellectual avenue toward economic truths. From the primary and basic definitions of truth and freedom, the student moves rapidly through the philosophy of socialism, communism, and interventionism to individualism.

The course of instruction is intensive and demanding. It isn’t a “snap” affair. Ideas presented are far-reaching and challenging. To complete the course successfully, it is not necessary to agree with points of view offered. But individual effort is necessary even though conformity is neither required nor sought.

Accreditation

The school is not interested in issuing credits or diplomas.

Certificates of proficiency are presented to those who successfully complete any of the school’s courses. No certificates are awarded during Workshop attendance.

How Do I Enroll?

Make use of the appropriate enclosed enrollment form.

Await confirmation of your enrollment. We will be as prompt as possible.

Enrollment agreements are made for the FULL TWO-WEEK SESSIONS. No reduction or refund is made where a student withdraws during the session or is absent for part of the session, unless upon certification of a physician.

The school reserves the right to ask the withdrawal of a student whose health, in the judgment of the school’s medical advisor, is such as to endanger the student himself or the other students; or of a student who, in the judgment of the school administration, is not in sympathy with the standards, objectives and ideals of the school. A student who is asked to withdraw by the school will receive a pro-rata reduction in charges.

Who Can Attend?

The school is particularly designed for the enrollment of businessmen, executives, branch managers, department heads and others who carry the burden of free enterprise. Special courses limited to executives have been provided. However, executives may also enroll in any of the other courses offered.

The school is also eager to attract young men and women who are at least 16 years of age and who have a mature outlook.

Any American is eligible, man or woman, who is concerned with the conflicting philosophies apparent in our society and who wishes to study the economic truths respecting these philosophies. Prior scholastic achievement is not necessary.

The directors will make every effort to place applicants in courses with enrollees of similar backgrounds and interests. The right to approve or reject applications for enrollment is unconditionally reserved by the Board of Directors.

Tuition

Explorations in Human Action
(for Executives)
$350.00
Wives who wish to accompany husbands $175.00
Comprehensive Courses $275.00
(Scholarships are available for some of the Comprehensive sessions)
Workshop $ 60.00
NOTE: No scholarships are available for any sessions at Freedom School
except the Comprehensive sessions.

What Tuition Covers

Whether the student elects to pay his own tuition or obtains a full or partial scholarship, all tuitions listed are full-expense tuitions. There are NO extras required.

Tuition includes transportation to the school from Colorado Springs, Colorado, and return to Colorado Springs. It includes all meals and lodging while at the school. It includes all required books and study materials. Certain books will be presented to the student for his permanent use. It includes all costs of instruction and recreation, including horseback riding.

Students wishing to provide notebooks for themselves, to buy extra books, tape recordings of meetings, or photographs of the scenery, do so at their own expense,

How is School Supported?

To begin with, the school is NOT supported by tax money or by government handouts.

Its primary income comes from tuitions paid by students.

In addition, it receives grants, contributions and benefactions from individual Americans.

It has several scholarship funds which assist in providing tuition for students.

It receives assistance from certain business and professional groups, and has been remembered in several last wills and testaments.

All contributions to the Freedom School are exempt from the federal income tax.

Publications

This Bread is Mine” … $4.95
Robert LeFevre (American Liberty Press)

Rise and Fall of Society” … $3.95
Frank Chodorov (Devin-Adair Co.)

Why Wages Rise” (paperback ) … $1.50
F. A. Harper (Foundation for Economic Education)

Mainspring” (paperback) … $1.50
Henry Grady Weaver (Foundation for Economic Education).

Liberty – A Path to its Recovery” (paperback) … $1.50
F. A. Harper (Foundation for Economic Education).

The Nature of Man and his Government” (paperback) … $1.00
Robert Lefevre (Caxton Printers, Ltd.).

The Law” (paperback) … $1.00
Frederic Bastiat (Foundation for Economic Education)

“Should We Strengthen the United Nations?” (paperback) … $0.75
V. Orval Watts (Pine Tree publication).

“Jobs For All — Who Want To Work” (pamphlet) … $0.35
F. A. Harper (Pine Tree publication) [The Writings of F. A. Harper. Volume 2: Shorter Essays, pp. 184-206]

“Flight to Russia” (pamphlet) … $0.25
Frank Chodorov (Pine Tree publication)

Liberty Defined” (pamphlet) … $0.25
F. A. Harper (Pine Tree publication).

Anarchy” (pamphlet) … $0.15
Robert Lefevre (Pine Tree publication)

Quantity purchases are available for discount in some cases. Write for information.

Pine Tree

The Pine Tree is the Freedom School’s tabloid newspaper published every two weeks, with the exception of the period from December 15 through January 15. Subscription rates are $10.00 per year, two years for $17.50, single copies free on request.

It acts as a forum answering questions sent in by its subscribers. Regular columnists include: George Boardman, Ph.D., Chloride, Arizona; Roger Lea McBride, Esq., New York, N.Y.

Robert LeFevre, editor of the Colorado Springs Gazette Telegraph. Libertarians and economists of note will contribute guest columns.

Board of Directors

Ruth Dazey
William J. Froh
Lois Lefevre
Robert Lefevre
Marjorie Llewellin
Edith Shank
Robert B. Rapp

Board of Trustees

Robert W. Baird, Jr.
Milwaukee, Wisconsin

James L. Doenges, M. D.
Anderson, Indiana

Wm. J. Grede
Racine, Wisconsin

Harry H. Hoiles
Colorado Springs, Colorado

R. W. Holmes
Bellevue, Washington

Ned W. Kimball
Waterville, Washington

Board of Graduate Fellows

Mrs. Mabelle Acorn
Colville, Washington
Mr. Ira T. Langlois, Sr.
Madison, Wisconsin
Mr. C. W. Anderson
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mr. J. Dohn Lewis
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mr. Harold Angier
San Francisco, California
Prof. Elgie C. Marcks
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Dr. Lyman W. Applegate
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mr. John H. Marsh
New York, New York
Mrs. Hermona C. Beardslee
Woodstock, Illinois
Rev. Warren L. Norton
Greeley, Colorado
Mr. Robert E. Borchardt
Rockford, Illinois
Mr. Rodney H. Peck
Seattle, Washington
Mr. George A. Brightwell, Jr.
Houston, Texas
Mr. Fred C. Petersen
Mexico City. Mexico
Mr. Thomas C. Buckley
Los Angeles, California
Mr. Sartell Prentice, Jr.
Pasadena, California
Mr. John J. Callahan, Jr.
Reading, Massachusetts
Mr. Bryson Reinhardt
Cloverdale, Oregon
Mr. William J. Colson
Palm Springs, California
Mr. George Resch
Burlingame, California
Prof. Oscar W. Cooley
Ada, Ohio
Mr. O. R. Riddle
Eagle Pass, Texas
Mr. Jim Dean
Houston, Texas
Mr. Pat O. Riley
Lima, Ohio
Mr. W. Dewey DeFlon
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mr. Richard D. Schwerman
Hales Corners, Wisconsin
Mr. Dan Foley
Fairmont, West Virginia
Mr. Roland R. Selin
Salt Lake City, Utah
Mr. R. N. Gatewood
Samnorwood, Texas
Mr. Elwood P. Smith
Chicago, Illinois
Mr. Robert M. Gaylord, Jr.
Rockford, Illinois
Mr. R. J. Smith
Menlo Park, California
Mr. Frederick C. Gosewisch
Elm Grove, Wisconsin
Mr. Charles E. Stenicka III
Lincoln, Nebraska
Mr. G. F. Grant
Colorado Springs, Colorado
Mr. R. J. Sumners
Muskegon, Michigan
Mr. J. W. Greene
Spartanburg, South Carolina
Mr. Leonard A. Talbot
Santa Rosa, California
Mr. Gene Hausske
Palmer Lake, Colorado
Mr. John E. Tate
Omaha, Nebraska
Mrs. Evis S. Mays
Pueblo, Colorado
Mr. Herman A. Tessmann
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mr. James D. Heiple
Pekin, Illinois
Mr. Walter B. Thompson
Fort Worth, Texas
Mr. Roland H. Hennarichs
Milwaukee, Wisconsin
Mr. Ross Thoresen
Salt Lake City, Utah
Mr. Frederick M. Hoagland
Chicago, Ilinois
Mrs. Louise Young
Pasadena, Texas
Mr. James Kolb
Edmond, Oklahoma

These graduates are among those who serve as a point of reference for the school. Their own experience enables them to vouch for the work being done at Freedom School.

Source: Images and text from the 1962 Prospectus of the Freedom School found in the Hoover Institution Archives. Papers of V. Orval Watts, Box 4.