Clinton Jencks

Clint Jencks...

San Diego Democratic Socialists of Americaregrets to announce that our esteemed member Clint Jencks died on December 15, 2005. Clint Jencks was 87 and was a Professor Emeritus of Economics at San Diego State University, having retired from SDSU in 1986.

After retirement, Clint Jencks remained a familiar figure and participant in DSA and the San Diego progressive movement.

Miners union/Salt of the Earth

In 1950, Clint Jencks was a leader of the International Union of Mine, Mill and Smelter Workers in southwest New Mexico. He led a strike of mostly Latino zinc miners in Silver City, NM. Shortly after this strike, in the midst of the Hollywood red scare, a group of blacklisted film industry artists formed their own production company and were looking for a story about American working people. They chose a story based on the IUMMSW strike, and used the actual participants in the strike as actors. Clint Jencks essentially played himself. Every step in the production of the film, processing, editing, etc. encountered determined opposition from the industry. It was almost impossible to find theaters that would show the film, but in 1954 Salt of the Earth, starring Clint Jencks opened to very, very limited distribution.

Salt of the Earth was ultimately recognized as a national treasure, and was selected by the Library of Congress as one of 100 films to be preserved for posterity.

Academic career

Clint Jencks went on to get his Ph.D. in economicsat U.C. Berkeley. He joined the SDSU Economics Department in 1964 and played an important role in the SDSU community and in the SDSU faculty union movement for 22 years.

Memorial to Martin Chancey

In 1981, Grace Doucette, Andy Feenberg, Anne Marie Feenberg, Virginia Franco, Ruth Heifetz, Muriel Jencks, Clint Jencks, Dorie Koppelman, Wally Koppelman, Fred Lonadier, Nick Nichols, Trudy Robideau, Herb Shore, Dave Strom, Jackie Tunberg, Bill Tunberg and Dick Walker signed a memorial to Martin Chancey for his work with the New American Movement.

References

[[Category:New American Movement